I arrived in Lhasa two days ago, having taken the 45 hour train ride from Chengdu. The train line to Lhasa, which finished construction 5 years ago, is the highest in the world and is considered quite a technical achievement. It runs along a number of notable sites, such as the Tibetan plains, the old Silk Road, and Lake Qinghai, and the scenery from the train was at times quite nice. Our 4 person sleeper cabin felt luxurious by Chinese standards, and I was able to complete a few books on Tibet during the downtime. That being said, the next time I will be taking the two hour plane ride.
I am stationed at a hostel in Lhasa with three travel companions that I met in Chengdu. Although I had been reading quite a few negative things about Lhasa from die-hard Tibet activists regarding over-development and the influx of Han Chinese immigrants, it is still a fascinating city. For the first time in a while, walking down the street and taking in the sights is a fresh and exciting experience.
Over the next two weeks, we will be taking a circuitous route around Tibet, heading west from Lhasa toward Mount Kailash, then northward toward Ali, then exiting into the Chinese province of Xinjiang.
I will definitely be doing some blogging this trip, but pictures and updates mights be few and far between. One thing modernization has not yet brought to Lhasa is fast internet access. Though I'm not sure if it's because of the lack of infrastructure or because of because of the Chinese secret police combing my emails for any mention of the Dalai Lama.
I will definitely be doing some blogging this trip, but pictures and updates mights be few and far between. One thing modernization has not yet brought to Lhasa is fast internet access. Though I'm not sure if it's because of the lack of infrastructure or because of because of the Chinese secret police combing my emails for any mention of the Dalai Lama.
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