This summer our big family trip was a two week tour of Tibet including a trek around Mt. Kailash, something that had been on my parent’s bucket list for a while. Since Mt. Kailash is located about 1500 km from Lhasa many of days of this trip were primarily taken up driving. However, along the drives the scenery was beautiful and we got to see Tibetan wildlife such as yak, sheep, and even Tibetan Gazelle.  The Chinese government has pretty strict rules for foreigners visiting Tibet. Every visitor needs to have a permit for visiting Tibet outside of their Chinese visa as well as have a guide with them at all times so foreign tourists have to go through travel agencies to arrange their permits and trips.

Days 1-3: Acclimatizing in Lhasa

For the first few days we took it pretty easy since Lhasa is at 11,995 ft we needed a lot of time to rest and acclimatize to the high altitude. We also did some site seeing in the city including visiting the palaces of the Dalai Lama (Potala and Summer); visiting the Sera Monastary famous for its daily monk debates and the Jokhang Temple which has a statue of Buddha blessed by the Buddha himself.

 

Day 4:  We spent most of this day driving but were able to see Lake Yamdrok, the Karola Glacier as well as other beautiful vista along the way.

Day 5: This day we drove from Gyantse to Sakya and visited the Pelkor Chode Monastery in Gyantse and the Sakya Monastery. It was interesting to compare the styles of the two different monastaries since the belonged to different orders of Tibet Buddhism. The Sakya monastery of the Sakya order had dark gray buildings with white and red accents as compared to the lighter white building of the Gelug order monasteries we had visited before.

Day 6: Most of this day was spent driving from Sakya to the Tibetan Everest Base Camp. When we arrived there it was quite cloudy so we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to see the grand mountain. After spending several hours in our guesthouse restaurant nervously staring out the window between games of cards we were finally graced with a full view of the mountain around sunset. When the clouds dissipated we quickly walked over to the farthest point we could go without permits and took as many picutres as possible. While we were near the photo points we also visited Rongbuk Monastery which contained a meditation cave that was used by Zatul Rinpoche, a well respected Tibetan monk. My meditation there was one of the best meditation experiences I have ever had.

 

Day 7:  We spent this whole day driving from EBC to Saga. Most of this road was unpaved and possibly the worst road I have ever experienced. However if you are planning to visit this region in a couple years have hope because they were in the process of building the road when we drove past. Along the way we got beautiful views of Lake Peikutso and Mt. Shishapangma, the 14th tallest mountain in the world.

Day 8: Drive from Saga to Darchen. This day we primarily rested up since the next day we would set off on our 3 day trek around Mt. Kailash completing the full parikrama. Mt Kailash is considered sacred by Hindus, Buddhist, Bon and Jains. It is believed that completed the full circle around the mountain will bring good karma to pilgrims.

Day 9: Trek from Darchen-Dirakpuk, 20km.

While many choose to complete this trek on horses we decided to walk the full 52 km trail. The first day of this trek was relatively flat with only a few hill climbs, but the distance plus the elevation made us completely exhausted by the end of the day. Whenever we were feeling unmotivated we would just remember the local people that we had seen prostrating along the entire trail and realize we had no reason to complain. Dirakpuk had the best view of Mt. Kailash that we would get throughout the whole trek. On the second and third day we were not even able to see the mountain due to the cloudy weather.

At night we stayed at very basic guesthouses with simple cots, outdoor bathrooms and no running water. The owners would fill large thermoses with hot water that we used to drink as well as brush our teeth and wash our faces in the morning.

Day 10: Trek from Dirakpuk-Zuktulpuk, 18km

This was by far the hardest day of the trek because we had to go over the Dormala Pass which was at over 18,000 ft, the highest elevation we experienced throughout the whole trip. The first 7 km had an elevation gain of 2300 ft. So we spent 5 hours climbing the first section of the trail because every couple steps we would become short of breath and need to take a break. Even though I had been taking Diamox (altitude sickness medication) we still felt very nauseous while climbing and descending from the pass. Luckily once crossing the pass the rest of the 11 km were all downhill and we could get to the next guesthouse before sunset.

Day 11: Finish Trek Zuktulpuk-Darchen, 14km. This last day was our shortest distance and also a relatively easy hike with only a couple hills. Although exhausted we were all overjoyed to have completed the full parikrama on foot and took a well deserved hot shower and nap that afternoon.

Day 12: We left right after breakfast to visit Lake Manasarovar, another holy site for hindus where pilgrims come to take ceremonial baths to wash away their sins. The lake has long been viewed as the source of 4 of the great rivers in Southern Asia, the Brahmaputra, Bhaghara, Sindu and Sutlej. Although we didn’t bath in the water we did collect some of the holy water to pour over our heads.

 

Day 13 and 14: We drove back from Saga to Lhasa via a night in Shigatse. On the way we took many photo taking and souvenir buying breaks.

Tibet was an incredibly beautiful country with kind and strong people. Surviving in the cold and dry climate of the Himalayas takes a certain amount of hardiness yet everyone we met was welcoming and very open to talk to us about their lives and the local sites. From pilgrims who would prostrate the full parikrama to our incredibly thoughtful and caring tour guide and driver I have learned so much about taking care of others and how with determination you can achieve almost anything. As cheesy as it sounds this trip was exactly what I needed to press refresh on my life after working for a full year. It gave me time to reflect, reevaluate and most importantly remember to grateful.

Below is a collection of bad selfies as a reward for making it to the end of this long blog post!