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.

Bright (a light so bright it was hard to believe) and early the next morning, we continued into undulating hills. Vistas of incomparable beauty revealed themselves with each bend. The forest was a tapestry of earthy shades, in orange, purple, browns and greens, both light and dark. With the iridescent blue sky and cottony white clouds above us, we traced perilous dirt switchbacks whose collapsing shoulders threatened to toss us hundreds of meters below into the Mekong River; it looked peaceful enough from above, its banks and farmland dotted with eye-catching, whitewashed adobe homes that seemed to beckon us into Tibet.

“Xizang!” our driver called out. In fact we had been in Tibet for half a day, but how could we know without having crossed any sort of border or being stopped by officials asking to see our papers? We had to remind ourselves that entering Eastern Tibet was now a permit-less process and all the checkpoints on our maps and guidebooks were recently abandoned. We celebrated our unbeknownst entry into the TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Region) by spending the day in the small, dusty city of Markham. Winding down from its weekend market, the city was brimming with the splendor of the traditional Khampas population: golden-skinned women with their long striped dresses and colorful plaits, and large-sized men with lengthy braided hair woven with red Chamdo tassels and a solid jade hoop. We were greeted by dozens of red-cheeked, runny-nosed children dancing around us. My European traveling companions were constantly surrounded by a crowd of curious adults, who took turns running their fingers along the thick blonde leg hairs, then letting out a collective fascinated murmur.

Traveling through Eastern Tibet can be compared with experiencing the four seasons in just a matter of days. While we started with clear skies and venerable forests, the next morning took us into icy tundra. Ascending 99 bends into the Hengduan Range, the mountains seemed to freeze over before our eyes. At 5,008 meters we reached the highest altitude of our trip.

At the bleak Dongdola pass we encountered a settlement of nomadic shepherds (drokpas) living in black tents while herds of emaciated yak-cows grazed the surrounding frozen pastures. These gentle people of an inhospitable land were dressed in simple hand-woven attire, but they were extravagantly accessorized in coral, turquoise and silver jewelry. These shepherds had seen few white faces in their lifetime. One drokpa family had yet to see a digital camera and they were mesmerized by the sight of their own images on the LCD screen.

At Pomda, a noise-polluted junction of logging trucks and tractors, we met a bunch of international backpackers and hardcore cyclists sitting at the literal crossroads that connects the northern route of the busy Sichuan-Tibet highway with the less-traveled southern roads. From there, our journey took us through and down into verdant terraced hamlets and patchwork plots of land fed by snow springs, over the Salween River to the unbelievably mint-blue twin lakes of Rawoktso. Dodging Kham’s morning traffic of goats, lamb and yak-cows (yes, cross-bred), we pressed on along the boulder-strewn road of the Sundzom Valley, past the Parlung Tsangpo white water rapids and old avalanches of frozen snow to Tongmei, where we encountered our first real obstacle.

Rumors had been circulating amongst the backpackers we’d been meeting on the road about a downed bridge at the Brahmaputra and Parlung Tsangpo convergence, which would prevent anyone from continuing on to Lhasa. It turned out the bridge was fine but a landslide on the other side had literally wiped the road off the sheer mountain face. Anyone wanting to continue on had to either nimbly navigate a narrow footpath or wait a week or longer.

So it was here that we said goodbye to our Land Cruiser and crossed the bridge to meet another driver. The organizer of our trip told us via cellphone from his cozy office in Kunming that the new driver would be waiting “just a short walk” from the landslide. It turned out to be an arduous four-hour hike up a treacherous mountain path above the Rongchu gorge, in the dark of night, under the pouring rain of Tibet’s monsoon season. We braved the muddy slopes, deftly crossing washouts and literally dodging falling rocks from above, before finally arriving at a construction workers’ tent made from a giant nylon bag. The Israeli and British backpackers decided to stay while my companions and I trekked onward, in search of our new driver.

With our new vehicle and driver, we headed onwards toward Lhasa. Passing vivid fields of yellow youcai flowers, we arrived at the famous Draksumtso, an azure lake and lush Alpine forest which would have been breathtaking had it not been for the sea of baseball cap-wearing tour groups – the isolated beauty of Eastern Tibet was behind us.

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Tom Carter of San Francisco is an internationally published freelance photographer and travel writer specializing in the People’s Republic of China. Tom has traveled extensively throughout all 33 Chinese provinces and autonomous regions and currently resides in Beijing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Carter

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.

Potala Palace: Located in Lhasa, the Potala Palace is the symbol of Tibet. It was formerly the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas. This 13-storey edifice containing 999 rooms is absolutely awe-inspiring and you will be enchanted as you visit the rooms, halls and chapels of the palace.

Jokhang Temple: As the spiritual center of Tiber, the temple is the earliest wood-and-masonry structure still existing in Tibet. Thousands of pilgrims come here for worship everyday. Many of the pilgrims were crawling on the ground. Many others were spinning prayer wheels.

Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery: They are two great Gelugpa monasteries in Lhasa. Drepung Monastery was once one of Tibet largest monasteries and monastic universities. Sera may not be as majestic as Drepung, but is more serene surrounded by many small temples. The ‘Buddhism Scriptures Debating’ in Sera is very famous.

Travelling to Tibet, visitors can witness the unique overland landscapes, the snow-covered mountains, plateau lakes, more and different monasteries and have the chance to get close to the real people of Tibet. There are many activities to offer you on a Tibet tour depending on if you are interested in nature, trekking, monasteries or Tibetan culture.

A typical Tibet trip starts in Lhasa, and includes short trips to Ganden Monastery and Nam Tso Lake, follows by a week trip to Mt Everest via Yamdrok Tso, Gyantse, Shigatse and Shegar, Lhaste. Visitors not only can see all the famous sites in Lhasa, but also can witness the other must sees of Tibet including the Yamdrotso Lake, the Palkhor Temple, the Tashilumpo Monastery, the Sakya Monastery and the Everest Base Camp along the way.

Yamdrotso Lake: One of the three holy lakes in Tibet and the world’s highest freshwater lake. For Tibet people, Yamdrotso Lake is the home of the “wrathful deities”. Here visitors can enjoy the intoxicating plateau natural scenery at the sacred, turquoise-blue lake. Far in the distance is the huge massif of Mt. Nojin Kangtsang (7191m).

Pelkor Chode Monastery in Gyantse: Built in the 15th century, this monastery is unique in Tibet for it has the characteristics of Tibetan, Han, and Nepal architectural styles. And what’s more, visitors can view the three sects of Buddhism-Sakyapa, Kadampa, and Gelugpa existing in harmony under one roof.

Tashilumpo Monastery: Located on the slops of Mt.Tara, southwest of Shigatse, the Tashiilumpo Monastery is one of the six big monasteries in Tibet. Besides the grand palace and gigantic statues, the Tashihunpo also treasures characteristic wall paintings. These are priceless and rare historical relics for researching the history and society of Tibet.

Sakya Monastery: Built in 1073, the Sakya Monastery has long been renowned for its large collection of Buddhist scripture, evaluable porcelain and vivid wall paintings dating back nearly one thousand years.

Base Camp of Mt Everest: The Base Camp is a small flat piece of land in front of the north face of Mt Everest with an altitude of 5200m. Recently more and more mountaineers start off from the Base Camp trying to conquer the world highest peak while travelers trek to the foot of the peak to enjoy its beauty through their own eyes.

Taking a Tibet vacation is surely different from most in the world. There are so many unique attractions, too numerous to mention. Many people might experience difficulties with the high altitude here. But when you witness the magnificent monasteries, pious pilgrims, snow-capped peaks and overwhelming ethnic culture, which all are located in the stunning landscape of the Himalayas, all the hardship you bear along the way make sense.

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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.

You can see foreign tourists everywhere in Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and the Tashihungpo Monastery of Rikaze, etc. An American tourist Cathy, excited talking about her 5-day trip to Tibet, she said:” Tibet is the most mysterious place deep down in my heart as always. The natural environment and culture are unique on the planet. I was looking forward to visiting Tibet, but I was a bit worried about the security state in Tibet before. However, you won’t know until you are there. I went search engine and found out visit tibet travel and tours, after further enquiries they made a route out based on my interests. Thanks to them, a decent Tibet tour guide gives me amazing experiences.”

The assistant director of the Tibet Tourism Bureau Wei Min quoted: “Tourism of Tibet has once strongly impaired by the March 14th riots in Lhasa, but from the related statistics both the tourist arrivals and revenue between January and May in 2009 are higher than that in the same period of 2008. We are confident that Tibet’s tourism market is recovering from slack seasons last year.” “As far as I know, China has invested great amounts of money in ecological preservation for sustainable development, by the help of that we’ll see tourists pouring this year.” The general manager of VisitTibet.com said.

To learn much more about Tibet tour solutions, please visit http://www.visittibet.com where you can get more free information on specialized tours in Tibet, Nepal and Himalayas.

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