The news was shocking!
The ticket agent at the Shangri-la bus terminal in Zhongdian, Yunnan province was happy to tell me over and over, in both Chinese and English, that yes, foreigners can now travel east through the Tibet Autonomous Region to Lhasa … overland and without a permit! I really couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but rather than falling down in rapture, I agonized over taking advantage of this new policy or continuing as planned on my already-paid-for, government-authorized, one-week tour across Kham to Lhasa. Ultimately, it would have been silly for me not to choose the latter.
The decade-old Land Cruiser was in surprisingly good condition, having driven through Tibet 99 times. We set out through northern Yunnan to the crags of Feilaisi, finding ourselves at a dizzying 4,000 meters above sea level and nauseously breathless, to stay overnight at a roadside pilgrimage site of sun-bleached chortens, wind-tattered prayer flags and a stunning view of Mingyong Glacier.
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Located at the southwest frontier of China, Tibet is the reputed as the roof of the world and the holy land of your innermost desire. Today more and more visitors would like come to this last mysterious pure land of the world and they want to unveil the mystical and sacred Tibet with their own eyes.
The rolling hills of the high plateau and the stunning Himalayas exert an awesome draw to Tibet travelers and adventurers ever since. Most visitors’ trip to Tibet will start in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. Lhasa is home to an amazing UNESCO registered collection of spectacular palaces and temples which you should not be missed on a Tibet tour.
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The current report by The Tibet Autonomous Region tells in 2009, 720,237 domestic and foreign tourists visited Tibet between January and May, a figure 1.9 times bigger than that in the same period of 2008. Tibet’s tourism has entered a period of rapid development. Visitors from home and abroad are heading towards the region where there is the highest and largest plateau on earth, often referred to as, the roof of the world.
According to Tibetan people, summer is the golden season to travel in a year. Recently, it is getting more and more overseas tourists to go to Tibet. They are not only craving for gorgeous sights and trek, but also searching for diverse culture tours. Tibet’s culture is visually stunning as its landscape, its Buddhist heritage, and its tradition and history rich. It is better to know the culture of Tibet in the face of the current pace of change.
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