Bus from Hell

Published on July 12, 2007 in Tibet

Today is the day for us to part from our Hong Kong friends. We woke up and saw a deck of playing cards with a little note on them. We took out our cards and left them for them, and we headed out to the bus station. Our initial plan was to take a bus out to the East – both to save some time and see that part of Tibet. It turns out the bus no longer worked, despite our research saying otherwise (and only Yan-Shih was asking at the counter). While she was asking I called my parents and told them everything was ok. It turns out we decided to take a bus to Cheng-Du, and while the bus was a little sub-standard, we thought we could do it. During the day we went to the post office and bought some groceries, then went online. Finally at 16:00 we got on our bus, what we would soon realize was the bus from hell.

I'll be somewhat brief in describing this event. We boarded the bus on time, but it didn't leave the station. After an hour it didn't leave. After two hours, it didn't leave. Meanwhile, we are stuck in the back of this overheated, exhaust filled dirty bus. Yan-Shih started to get a little grumpy, and while I tried to calm her down, the situation was continuing to get worse. Finally the bus left, but only to go into the parking lot. People were continually arguing outside the bus, although we didn't really know about what. After at least two hours the bus finally left, but before leaving Lhasa stopped again. It turns out some of the people didn't pay to get on the bus, and didn't want to pay the full fare – in other words, they got on but wanted to haggle regardless, which is what was keeping us there.

I told Yan-Shih we could get off after 10 minutes, and sure enough, the bus didn't go anywhere. We picked up our bags and told the driver we were getting off and to give us our money back, which he said he would. We tossed our bags out the window and waited for the manager to come (he was coming anyways to deal with the people who didn't pay). He sorted them out, and when we demanded our money he went ballistic. To make a long story short: we threatened to call the police and report him, and he gave us some of our money back. We next said give it all back or we are reporting you at the bus station, and he said, well, he screamed a bunch as usual. We went to the bus station and the bus people didn't really care, but we finally negotiated a deal with the bus owner to give us most of our money back if we didn't report him – and we had to give him the piece of paper that had his license plate number written down on.

Not like it is that hard to remember: AA 13 18

By 21:00 we were back at the guest house, and by 22:00 we were playing cards. Shortly we fell asleep achieving almost nothing for the day, except now knowing Yan-Shih can stand in the doorway of a bus demanding money from a guy three times the size of her.

Back to Shigatse

Published on July 11, 2007 in Tibet

Once again we woke up early and ate breakfast. The weather was overall quite cold, surprisingly. After breakfast we walked up a secret back passageway up the fort, and got almost the entire way up before being stopped. Finally somebody asked us to buy tickets if we wanted to continue, yet the price wasn't right, so we took our photos of the valley and headed back down the hill. Around the corner we walked to the monastery, yet being unimpressed, we left without exploring too deeply.

We inquired at the bus station for the next bus back to Shigatse, and when our truck arrived, we haggled a bit and were on our way. Half way back to Shigatse the driver asked me to duck down in the back because a checkpoint was ahead. Covered in blankets I could feel his car slow down, nobody talking, then pull away. I was free. For now.

Back in Shigatse we bought our bus tickets back to Lhasa and were on our way The bus, a full length touring bus, drove as crazy as the small mini-buses we had taken so far. Almost into Lhasa another checkpoint was passed, yet we just closed the windows and I put on a sweatshirt. To feed our cravings we found a small Muslim lamb place – the type outside and basically in the street. We asked him how much it would be and he replied 5rmb per stick. That equates to about 70US cents a piece, which is quite hefty. We knew for whatever reason he was trying to have us, decided haggling for our food wasn't worth it, and left unsatisfied. Around the corner we found another guy just packing up for the night, yet he was all too eager to help us. We sat down for about two hours eating more and more of the spicy food, even buying some beer at a local market. It was yum.

Feeling warm from the lamb we wandered back to the hotel, played some more bridge, and by 22:00, fell asleep.

Kelvin the Yak

Published on July 10, 2007 in Tibet

Since our time was limited we woke up early, ate breakfast, and were out the door by 8:00. After breakfast we visited the permit office. Let me tell you, it is quite hidden. The door is near the exit of the “outdoor” market, so look for it there. We asked if they did travel permits and they simply said: “go get one is Lhasa.” Thanks.

In the other directions was the Tashilhunpo Monastery, which turned out to be one of the best we saw on the entire trip. Although locals can enter and exit as they please, we of course had to pay money. It was well worth it. The little city below the monastery was interesting, and we wandered through several of the little houses. The more religious buildings were further up on the hill. The view from the balcony of the highest temple was magnificent, and extremely peaceful. We spent maybe an hour on the large balcony just sitting, quietly, with no agenda. After walking around the back of the temple we met a monk who grabbed my arm and said, “yak.” If that doesn't ring a bell, it is the high altitude cow, used for meat, cheese and milk. “Yak, Yak, Yak.” We took a photo with him grabbing my arm.

Eventually we left the monastery, picked up our bags, and went to the bus station. Our “bus” was a small minivan cramped with people, which screamed along the high Tibet roads. The four of us highly stuck out, but people were quite kind. I decided to break the ice, as I had planned, and brought out a bag of candy I had purchased earlier that morning. Most of the people were eager to take a piece or two (or one guy who took four or five). The ride was a little nerve-racking, but after a few hours we finally arrived in Gyantze.

We surveyed the hotels in Gyantze and found one we found acceptable. One of our influencing factors was a guy we met who we had already met in Lhasa – he was doing a huge round-the-world trip. While at food we met a unique older teacher from Thailand, but the conversation was interesting. Eventually we played some bridge, and fell asleep.

To Shigatse

Published on July 9, 2007 in Tibet

After waking up and eating breakfast we checked out of the hotel but left our bags in the lobby. We wandered down the street to the post office, bought some post cards, and entered the Potala Palace. If you are reading this and intend to visit the palace, make sure to leave a few minutes to walk up the stairs. Like, 30 minutes.

The palace is quite remarkable. I think on our trip we had seen more magnificent places, places with more gold, and places with more history. But the Potala Palace gives the viewer an amazing feeling. The spirituality of the pilgrims is fascinating, and the dichotomy between humbleness and grandiose of the palace cannot fully be expressed in words. In one of the rooms the second largest diamond in the world exists, however there is only one meager guard standing nearby. And he looked sleepy.

After leaving the palace we grabbed our bags and headed to the bus station. Our bus to Shigatse was intense. Despite the fact that I was traveling without a permit – the bus was packed with local people. Each bus trip on this trip I marvel at how near death I come. As we cruised around windy mountain roads, this ride was the pinnacle of experiences. About five hours later we reached Shigatse, one of the largest cities in Tibet. We didn't have clear directions how to get to our guesthouse, nor a map. Consequently we had to wander through the city slightly, and marvled how dirty the city was compared to Lhasa. Either way, we found our guesthouse and checked in.

Since the day was ending and hunger was coming, we sought out dinner. Unfortunately, almost every place appeared to be closed. We finally reached a place that had a bunch of locals in it, but no indication that it might actually be a restaurant. We inquired if they had food, and they assured us they did. Interesting, however, not that many people spoke Mandarin. The food was superb, and really inexpensive. One of the things we kept realizing on our trip were that the people who had the least gave the most – and this place was no exception. They kindly gave us free soup, and were eager to try to chat about our history (I don't think many westerners came in here, if any). We chatted with the large group of people for quite some time and eventually took a photo with them.

A great night.

First Day in Lhasa

Published on July 8, 2007 in Tibet

We awoke early in the morning to the loud sound of cars – but easily ignored them to get a few more minutes of sleep. At 9:00am we went to breakfast around the corner from the hotel – a pseudo-Chinese breakfast place. Next we wandered to the Potala Palace to stand in line and buy our tickets. The sun was blaringly intense; any minute without sunscreen would be one minute towards a burn. After a few minutes of waiting Mei and Kwon returned from buying train tickets. The line was massive, it stretched down a wall and out into the open. Luckily we were able to find shade.

After buying tickets we walked all the way to the bus station and inquired bus tickets to Shigatse, a small city West of Lhasa. We were told to simply buy the next day.

Near the bus station is a Muslim lunch place, where I had some spicy beef noodles for a mere 75c. If you are under 18, maybe don't read this part. After lunch I needed to utilize a restroom, however the restaurant didn't have one. I walked out the restaurant and around the corner, through a little store, up two flights of stairs, and finally into a hallway. In the hallway was the bathroom. The toilets were simple a long trough that you straddled. No water, no door. I hath overcome one of my traveling limits.

After the bathroom we wandered across the street to the Tibet History Museum. The museum was overall decent, however the Chinese-influenced propaganda was almost offensive. Things seemed to be accurate until near the cultural revolution, and then information was highly skewed. What is a good example? There was a framed letter to the DL from Mao. Below the letter, which was dated just before the Red Guard marched into Tibet, it said: “here is evidence that Mao cared deeply about the well-being of the Tibetan People and their culture,” or something like that.

The museum exists through a huge shopping area allowing you to purchase replicas of what was just seen, but after getting un-lost we entered the warm Tibet sun.

We took the bus back to our hotel and wandered through the market nearby. The square is quite impressive, although you could almost feel the dreary history on the bricks. Police were everywhere.

Our late dinner was had across the street at a little hole-in-the-wall eatery – well, it was an on-street vendor. Over the next few days we ate from this lady over and over. While the cleanliness could be questioned, the food was spectacular. So, what was it? The lady took a flat piece of circle bread and spread a bunch of chili sauce over it. She then took this watery cheese and placed it on top, then dropped a tad bit of sugar on top. Yum.

By 18:00 we sat in our room chatting, left to eat some food at a local Tibetan restaurant , then came back and chatted some more. To help us adjust to the altitude we quickly fell asleep.