Tibet Part 2 - Journey to Everest

We left Lhasa in the morning bound for Shigatse, 6 hours away by bus. En route, we would make three stops as we moved over the mountains. The scenery was breathtaking (literally), but the temperatures dropped significantly the higher we went. Because the air gets thinner as you go higher, we were not allowed to sleep while the van was climbing so that we wouldn't develop breathing problems and could avoid other altitude sickness. When we reached the first stop, which would also be the highest elevation for the day - 15,419 ft. - and the temperature had dropped approximately 25 degrees fahrenheit.

The view over Yamtso Holy Lake was incredible. From our perspective, the lake appeared to be azure blue. Since it is considered holy, there is neither fishing allowed nor the presence of any boats. At first glance, we assumed it was undoubtedly a massive source of fresh water for the people, but turns out that in fact it actually is somewhat salty, and can't be consumed. We drove down to the lake shore. There were many locals with Tibetan Mastiffs that you could pay to have your picture with. Truly massive animals. I went down to the shore and washed my hands in the water, which is supposed to cleanse my soul. Not sure exactly how clean I got it with a dead fish floating a few feet away.

The best part was a yak that you could get on and pose for pictures. Of course I couldn't resist.  I hopped on, added the traditional Tibetan hat and scarf, and prepared my best Napoleon pose for crossing the Himalayas.



We continued further through the mountains to our next stop, the Karola Glacier. It was raining a bit at this point, but that didn't stop the swarms of Tibetan women following around saying the only two English words they knew: "photo" and "money." It took a bit of effort to get them away from us, but in the end we got good views of the glaciers, a first for both of us. A sad note however was that according to our guide, climate change has caused the glaciers to reduce by half. In the picture below, the former position was much closer to the horizon plane than it appears now. Just before leaving, Miss Scarlett wanted to give one of her knit baby caps to a little child. When I found the mother, I gave her a cap, but when I tried to take a picture, she swiftly put the cap in her shirt pouch. As I walked back to the bus, two more ladies showed up "demanding" caps for their children as well. It became clear the interest wasn't in giving it to the child, but selling them as "American Made" quality products. 

Miss Scarlett in front of the Karola Glacier

The next stop, though brief, was Gyantse. We saw a famous monastery there, which was surrounded by a high, red-painted wall over the rocky hills. There was also a fortress atop one hill. For those history buffs, it is important to note that Gyantse was the furthest the British Army made it in the quest to conquer Tibet after already taking India and Nepal. This of course raises questions, for me and for Tibetans (my guide brought it up without me saying) on how life would be in Tibet had the British been successful in occupying it instead of the Chinese. 

We finally reached Shigatse around 8pm, too late to see the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. Our hotel was adventure enough: there were no rooms on the first floor, and no elevator. The second floor was two HUGE flights of steps up, so decidedly Miss Scarlett stayed in the room once she was up. I still was not able to sleep well, so I woke up around 5am and decided to go to the lobby hoping for some coffee and to use the WIFI. Well, I came downstairs to find the following: one single, small light bulb lit over the lobby desk, the clerk sleeping on a cot behind the lobby desk, chains with padlocks around all the exit doors, and of course, all the power fuses (including wifi) switched off. 3-star hotel, my ass! (not to mention the HUGE fire hazard) 

N.B. - on the way back to Lhasa, we stayed here again, this time, on the 3rd Floor!!! When I went to get supper in the main dining room, I saw there was a 5 ft diameter hole in the ceiling. That night, knowing what was waiting for us in Lhasa, I booked a 4-star western hotel in Lhasa. The junior suite was to die for, and it was worth every Mao (1.5 US cents). 

Entrance Gate to EBC access road

The following day, after a morning spent at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, we continued on the 12 hour drive to Everest Base Camp. We passed a total of four checkpoints before arriving at the entrance to the EBC access road (another 4 hours driving). At the main checkpoint, we had to exit the bus and show all of our documents to the police. It was a tedious process that was even worse the next day when we were on our way back to Lhasa - who knew LEAVING the sensitive area was such a pain in the arse! The access road was just dirt and gravel, thus very bumpy. As we ascended, the mountains were completely barren and very steep, the scale being unimaginable. 

As we neared the top of the mountain we had been driving up for 2 hours, we noticed a massive monument covered in what appeared to be thousands of prayer flags. It was approximately 8 o'clock at night, though the sun was still well above the horizon. We passed under an archway covered with the flags, and noticed several busses and cars stopped. And then we saw it: the mighty Himalayas with Mt. Everest front and center, towering over its neighbors. Applause and cheers erupted at the relief we had finally made it to the first view of Everest, and at 16,732 ft., near the same elevation we would be at base camp. It was magical. We were all filled with adrenaline, excitement, disbelief, and elation all at once. For me, it was a moment I shall never forget. 

Mt. Everest towers over the Himalayas

2.5 hours later, around 11 o'clock, we arrived at the tent city to stay the night, just a few kilometers from the base camp. I have never seen so many stars in my life. It was the first time I had ever seen the Milky Way, and sadly none of my cameras were able to capture it. It was very cold and the wind was howling, but I stayed outside to gaze and get lost among the cosmos. 

Tent hotels

Back in the tent, most people went to sleep on the small cots set up. Of course, they were hard as rocks, but we were exhausted so it didn't matter. I ate a small bowl of Tibetan noodles, and shared a few beers with some Italians on the tour, as well as our guide and driver. I am not sure how our conversation led to this (probably from me) but we got on the subject of homosexuals in Tibet. The guide laughed and said they didn't have this in Tibet, with my laughter so loud that I practically woke people in the next tent. Even the Italians were amused at his statement. When I told the guide that I was gay, he laughed, and turned to the driver to tell him (in Tibetan) so he could revel in the moment as well.

As nice as he was, I was a bit firm in my assertion that indeed there were homosexuals in Tibet and that I was even aware of a gay bar in Lhasa. He was shocked. I assured him despite what religion says, it was not a choice and that gays were simply everywhere. I still don't think he understood, so two days later, when we were departing to drive back to Lhasa, I put together the gayest outfit I could: Ferrari-red pants rolled up at the ankles, a seersucker shirt, boat shoes, and I even styled my hair. I was quite the sight in that little town, with many people staring at me simply dumfounded that either (1) there was a foreigner or (2) what the hell is he wearing?! 

A five-star Tibetan toilet

Back to Everest. During the night, I was awoken twice to escort an older man in the group to the bathroom hut, about a football field's length away in pitch darkness. Not fun especially considering you could see - and smell - what the previous fifty people had done before you arrived. This same bathroom was not up to Miss Scarlett's already bedrock-low standards, so she bypassed this 1/4 - star toilet altogether and relieved herself out in the open. HALLELUJAH, Miss Scarlett was LIBERATED!!!

Some of the younger members of the group and I awoke early the next morning with our guide and hiked the 3 miles further to EBC. It was gradual, but very hard because the air was so thin. It took about 90 minutes, and boy was I happy when I finished. Never in my wildest dreams did I, or anyone, ever expect the little boy with chronic asthma to grow up and hike to Everest (granted, I did not climb the mountain, which would be a better story - so I'll just leave that to my imagination). Miss Scarlett and the others arrived via bus not long after we reached the camp, just in time to see the clouds drift away and reveal the mighty mountain in all her splendid glory. 

Mt. Qomolangma, 5,200 meters

Miss Scarlett was not able to go to the furthest point, but bless her heart she tried. In the picture on the right, you can see behind me a mound that was the furthest people could get. It doesn't look like much, but climbing that 30 foot high hill took every last breath out of both of us (in my defense, I had already been up and down it twice by time she tried). She was very short of breath and dizzy, so was best just to walk back and wait for the bus. Besides, we could see the mountain just fine from where we were. Interestingly, as I was looking around, there were several armed guards patrolling the area. The guide informed us not to take out any flags, posters, or anything that could be seen as "provocative" or "anti-Chinese." 

Post Office

Out of sheer exhaustion, I rode the bus back to camp with Miss Scarlett. Thankfully it dropped us off right next to the post office so she could mail her postcards from the highest, and probably most remote, postal office in the world. She was thrilled. 

We left in the afternoon heading back to Shigatse. It was a tiring expedition, but we were so happy to have accomplished it, and indeed, were still in disbelief. Our last stop as we left EBC was the Rongpuk Monastery, just long enough for me to run up and capture this picture and say farewell to Everest. 

Mt. Everest from Rongpuk Monastery

Miss Scarlett was especially happy to be heading back because the closer we returned to civilization, the better the bathrooms would be. However, let us not get too ahead of ourselves. Remember, it was a 12 hour drive, during which we made numerous bathroom breaks that involved pulling over on the side of the road. While before this what would have put her off, the now LIBERATED Miss Scarlett didn't even bat an eye as she walked behind the bus, pulled her pants down, and waved to the passing cars with that gentile, southern smile saying, "Hey Ya'll!"