The airport car park (was such a sunny day when we got there)
Last summer, I had the pleasure to spend 9 days in Tibet with Sowers Action (a Charity based in Hong Kong, focused on delivering education to children in need in China, particularly in remote places - http://www.sowers.org.hk/en/index.php). During which we visited a school which they sponsored, explored Tibet and saw some truly stunning views!
A little bit on the geography of Tibet, it is located just north of the Himalayans, bordering Nepal and Bhutan. Tibet is often referred to as the "roof of the world". Several of the world's tallest mountains including Mount Everest of the Himalayas can be found on the southern border with Nepal. Due to the high average altitude of the region of about 3500 metres above sea level with the lowest parts being ~2900m, the region is very dry all year round. Temperature can plummet from +20oC during the day to -10oC or colder at night, because the thin atmosphere at such high altitude does not reflect a lot of sunlight during the day and doesn't trap heat very well over night time.
You might think Tibet is a little behind in terms of development because of its remote location. But in fact, they are really modern in many aspects. For example, they have 4G! There isn't 4G coverage even in Durham where I go to university! I suspect development really took off since being connected to other parts major cities via railway since the Qingzhang Railway opened in 2006.
Altitude sickness is a big problem when visiting areas of high altitude. It starts to kick in from 3000m. onwards, and the severity varies from person to person. (see the NHS page on altitude sickness) For the most part of my journey I was above 3550m in Lhasa and we climbed to 5019m when driving over a mountain pass. At these altitudes there was only two thirds, dropping to a little over half the amount of oxygen at 4500m compared to at home! I had a packet of biscuits which puffed up like a balloon up there! (see photo below)
The reduced oxygen level was quite a pain up there. We were told to move slowly otherwise your body demands too much oxygen and altitude sickness hits you in the face. Fortunately I only had a mild headache for the first couple of days apart from one episode of a really bad headache that lasted a whole afternoon and evening, triggered by running to get back on the coach at 5019m when we were driving through a mountain pass. Strangely, coke (the beverage, the red original and best flavour) soothed the headaches a lot, probably because of the high sugar content and a little caffeine in there?
This trip to Tibet really makes me wonder how people climb the Everest, particular those without oxygen tanks when I couldn't run a hundred metres at Everest base camp altitude. Not that I tried, I didn't dare because my body just couldn't cope with it, I couldn't hold my breath for longer than 15 seconds due to the lower amount of oxygen in the air.
Anyway, onto the photos. It's been difficult choosing a set of 50 photos from 2500 shots that I took over only 9 days, my favourite photos from my trip in Tibet last summer:
A little bit on the geography of Tibet, it is located just north of the Himalayans, bordering Nepal and Bhutan. Tibet is often referred to as the "roof of the world". Several of the world's tallest mountains including Mount Everest of the Himalayas can be found on the southern border with Nepal. Due to the high average altitude of the region of about 3500 metres above sea level with the lowest parts being ~2900m, the region is very dry all year round. Temperature can plummet from +20oC during the day to -10oC or colder at night, because the thin atmosphere at such high altitude does not reflect a lot of sunlight during the day and doesn't trap heat very well over night time.
You might think Tibet is a little behind in terms of development because of its remote location. But in fact, they are really modern in many aspects. For example, they have 4G! There isn't 4G coverage even in Durham where I go to university! I suspect development really took off since being connected to other parts major cities via railway since the Qingzhang Railway opened in 2006.
Altitude sickness is a big problem when visiting areas of high altitude. It starts to kick in from 3000m. onwards, and the severity varies from person to person. (see the NHS page on altitude sickness) For the most part of my journey I was above 3550m in Lhasa and we climbed to 5019m when driving over a mountain pass. At these altitudes there was only two thirds, dropping to a little over half the amount of oxygen at 4500m compared to at home! I had a packet of biscuits which puffed up like a balloon up there! (see photo below)
The reduced oxygen level was quite a pain up there. We were told to move slowly otherwise your body demands too much oxygen and altitude sickness hits you in the face. Fortunately I only had a mild headache for the first couple of days apart from one episode of a really bad headache that lasted a whole afternoon and evening, triggered by running to get back on the coach at 5019m when we were driving through a mountain pass. Strangely, coke (the beverage, the red original and best flavour) soothed the headaches a lot, probably because of the high sugar content and a little caffeine in there?
This trip to Tibet really makes me wonder how people climb the Everest, particular those without oxygen tanks when I couldn't run a hundred metres at Everest base camp altitude. Not that I tried, I didn't dare because my body just couldn't cope with it, I couldn't hold my breath for longer than 15 seconds due to the lower amount of oxygen in the air.
Anyway, onto the photos. It's been difficult choosing a set of 50 photos from 2500 shots that I took over only 9 days, my favourite photos from my trip in Tibet last summer:
The motorway out of the airport, huge amounts of space next to the road
Starting to reach town, so many cranes and constructions works going on!
Outside Jahkong Temple, crowded with so many tourists...
Inside Jahkong Temple, everything gold you can see is made of actual gold
Golden roofs of the Jahkong Temple
Legend has it that goats helped carry dirt to fill in a lake where the temple is built, hence a statue in memory of them
The Potala Palace, where the Dalai Lama lived and ruled from. The different colours signify when each part were built, the red bit dates back to the 5th century if I remember right...
A special kind of milk tea in Tibet made with yak (basically himalayan cows) milk, it's very rich and helps keep you warm (worked wonders!)
These "wheels" have religious text written on them, they were intended for the illiterate to spin and it counts as them reading the text therefore reading a prayer. Now everyone spins them for good luck anyway
This was pretty much the only day without a blue sky, we were very lucky with the weather. The unfinished bridge in the photo is the new motorway linking Lhasa and deeper parts of Tibet under construction
A giant group photo of everyone who went with Sowers (the charity)
Walking to reach one of the primary schools Sowers sponsored
We reached the school in question
The kids came to greet us on their break time
All of them were really happy, bless them
Another group photo, had to balance the camera on a water bottle on the ground hence a little wonky ha
Herding cattle right next to the main road (also note the dust from these mountainous roads)
Lovely backlit wheat
See the woman on the right speaking on her phone? Tibet really is very modern
An ordinary packet of biscuits which expanded like a balloon from the lower atmospheric pressure due to the altitude
The different coloured roofs indicate which province donated towards the houses, light blue in the background was from Guangdong I think
Huge valleys carved out by glaciers and rivers
A family of stray dogs who were around one of the hotels we stayed in
Early morning start for a walk to BasumTso (literally means "green water" in Tibetan)
This fella here joined us on our hike to BasumTso
A yak looking badass. (Yaks are basically Himalayan cows)
Felt like I was going to die when climbing the steps to reach this view point over the lake, thought I was about to have a heart attack when I reached the top... (I blame the lack of oxygen in the air)
Watched a show by a group of Tibetan singers who won "China's got Talent" in the past
A modern Tibetan home (sadly we weren't allowed to take photos inside for religious reasons)
This was quite a funny story, as soon as we checked into the hotel and got into the room, first thing we did was to set up the cameras to catch the sunset. Felt like a secret agent
Said sunset, the clouds looked like fireballs in the sky
Managed to capture shooting stars during a test shot?!
Had a go at getting some star trails
Nice walk along the Yarlung Tsangpo River (part of the Brahmaputra River that flows through Tibet)
My favourite shot from a night time wander in Nyingchi， the red writing reads "Old Beijing shoes"
This old woman was drying some crop in the sun, its was a bit like pop corn but it wasn't cooked?
Yarlung Tsangpo River, its water tasted fantastic by the way
Driving to Namtso, the journey took 5 hours. We were lucky though, it was overcast in the morning but the sun broke through when we were about 30minutes away
Panorama of Namtso, means "Heavenly Lake" in Tibetan. It is almost twice the size of Hong Kong! Thought I was going to die climbing the small hill that over looked the lake like last time with the stairs. WHAT AN AMAZING VIEW AT THE TOP!! Definitely worth it (The little dots by the water are people for scale)
Impressive landscapes, felt really dwarfed by mother nature's creations
The "coloured flags" (actually called "prayer flags") in the picture have religious writing on them, each time they flap in the wind it counts as being read once. They can be seen everywhere in Tibet (and Nepal/nearby regions)
Potala Palace at night, looks just as majestic as during the day
This was taken on our way to the airport on the morning we left, what a beautiful sunrise... perfect end to the journey
Classic light trails, in Tibet though
Hope you enjoyed the photos. Tibet is amazing place with absolutely breath-taking scenery and wonderful people. Definitely worth the visit if you can!
(Take care in regards to altitude sickness, if you have a severe reaction please follow the appropriate medical advice.)
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