Our friends from Hong Kong, who had departed earlier, were sightseeing in Xining. After leaving the train, we ate at a small Muslim-owned restaurant, attracted plenty of attention, and called my parents. Because we knew little about Xining and did not have much time, we wandered through a local shopping centre and eventually found a huge bookstore. After several hours there, I bought a volume of English classics at a bargain price, and we left to walk through a market.

Unfortunately, I’d be seeing this milk again, in a deeply unpleasant way. Although my travel schedule had been delayed by the difficult bus ride, I refused to let that diminish my enjoyment. After my usual spicy pancake breakfast, I started preparing to visit Sera Monastery, one of the three great Gelugpa university monasteries of Tibet. While waiting for my friends I met a woman from Corsica, and when I mentioned my dream of owning a vineyard, she told me that people from Corsica are chaotic. I tried to joke about what was clearly a serious statement, but she went on to describe the pseudo-xenophobia, threats, bombs, and fires associated with the island. The warning did make an impression and opened my …

Today was the day for me to part from my Hong Kong friends. I woke up and saw a deck of playing cards with a little note on it. I took out my own cards, left them behind for my friends, and headed to the bus station. My initial plan was to take a bus east, both to save time and to see that part of Tibet. It turned out that the route no longer ran, despite my research suggesting otherwise. While my companion asked at the counter, I called my parents and told them everything was okay. I decided to take a bus to Chengdu instead, and while the bus was a little substandard, I thought I could manage it. During the day I went to the post office, bought some groceries, and went online. Finally, at 16:00, I boarded what …

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

Since our time was limited, we woke early, ate breakfast, and were out the door by 8:00. After breakfast, we visited the permit office. Let me tell you, it was well hidden. The door was near the exit of the “outdoor” market, so that is where to look. We asked whether they issued travel permits, and they simply said, “Go get one in Lhasa.” Thanks. In the other direction was Tashilhunpo Monastery, which turned out to be one of the best we saw on the entire trip. Although locals could enter and leave as they pleased, we had to pay an admission fee. It was well worth it. The little settlement below the monastery was interesting, and we wandered among several of its small houses. The more …

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 postcards, and entered the Potala Palace. If you intend to visit the palace, make sure to leave enough time to walk up the stairs. Around 30 minutes should do it.

We woke early to the sound of cars, but easily ignored the noise to get a few more minutes of sleep. At 9:00 a.m. we went to a Chinese-style breakfast place around the corner from the hotel. Next, we wandered to the Potala Palace to stand in line and buy our tickets. The sun was intense; every minute without sunscreen felt like another minute closer to a burn. After a short wait, Mei and Kwon returned from buying train tickets. The line was massive, stretching along a wall and out into the open. Luckily, we were able to find some shade.