Arriving in Lhasa

After spending 48 hours on the train we arrived in Lhasa. We were not sure what to expect. We had seen a few photos on the web of the train station, but that was about it. I was expecting to go through some type of check point or something that would require us to at least show we had permission to be in Tibet, but nothing. This amazes me because in theory you are suppose be with a tour group to enter Lhasa, but not once did anyone ask to see proof of this from time we left Beijing to the time we arrived in Lhasa.

We were actually at Everest Base Camp the day before the two Americans unrolled a protest banner. It is my understanding that since this instance occurred that things have tightened up significantly. I would also guess as we get closer to the Olympic Games that things will get tighter as well. Not so much in the name of security, but probably more in the name of making sure the chances of the Chinese government getting embarrassed are minimized.

The train station in Lhasa is very modern and was only recently built. You arrive in Lhasa at about 9 in the evening, so there was very little going on at the train station. We went into the train station and standing at the exit was our driver and guide holding a sign. From the first time we laid eyes on these two until the time we said our good byes at the Nepal border they always had smiles on their faces.

Before this point we were not sure what to expect. We were told that we would have a guide and driver, but I guess I just assumed that these two roles would be one person. We felt like royalty having both a driver and a guide for only two tourists.

Immediately they took our baggage and from that point on it was difficult to carry our own luggage. They always wanted to do it for us, which turned out to be great at higher altitudes. We made our way through a huge parking lot that only had a few cars in it and then approached one of the infamous Tibetan Land cruisers.

If you are traveling by car in Tibet and you are a tourist, then chances are good that you will be traveling by way of a Toyota Land Cruiser. In general these are sturdy cars and for the most part are quite comfortable. I would point out that it was even more comfortable for us because we only had a total of four people in it. If I understood correctly they will shove up to six people into these vehicles. This means you have the driver and passenger up front. In back you need to put either three people in the back seat or you put two people in the back seat and one person in a jump seat in the very back. With luggage in toe this I think would become quite packed considering the condition of some of the roads and the many hours you can spend on these roads.

The train station is about 10 to 15 minutes outside of town and this gave us a few minutes to get acquainted. Tashi was our guide’s name and to this day I still never quite caught our driver’s name. I feel very poorly about this, but he did not speak a lick of English and therefore Tashi needed to do all the translations. It always amazes me how much you are able to get across without spoken language. As I have said our driver was always in a great mood and always had a smile on his face.

We checked into our hotel which was the Dhood Gu. It was a great choice. It was right around the corner from Jokhang Temple and the Barkhor Street bazaar. The hotel was decorated in a multitude of colors. The only concern I had, mostly for others then myself, was that there was no elevator and our room was on the fourth floor. The first night that was a long trek up the stairs. You could really feel the elevation tugging at you. (12,500 ft/3,650M) By the time we left however, I was able to make it up the four flights in the same manner that I would at sea level. I was always amazed as we moved up in altitude how quickly the body adapted. We started taking medicine when we left Beijing for altitude. Since we started taking it so early and continued to take it until we got to the Nepal border we have no way of knowing exactly what it did. I am guessing that it must have helped in some way.

The room was of average quality that you would find in most modern Asian cities. It had a nice view out onto the alley way that always had activity and it had all the usual amenities. The only thing we noticed is that we needed to keep the bathroom door closed because the water in I guess the toilet and shower had a unpleasant smell to it. Nothing to bad, but it was always best to keep the bathroom door closed. Also there was no cable for the TV, but since we were not there to watch TV that did not bother us in the least. It was late and we were glad to be in a non-train bed, so we were asleep rather quickly.

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