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China/Tibet Postcard 3 - Lhasa, Tibet

The first thing that I notice getting off the plane from Chengdu to Lhasa is that the air is cleaner, cooler and dryer here. The second thing is that, at 3600m above sea level, there is a lot less of it. I had better get used to it because this is the low [...]

China/Tibet Postcard 4 - Evasive Everest

If you were discouraged about the state of Tibetan culture in Lhasa while reading my last Postcard, I am happy to report that rural Tibet remains distinctly Tibetan, for now.
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The people of Tibet

TIBET, MAY-JUNE 2001 - What makes Tibet so special ? Its people. This story tells the tale of the people of Tibet I've encountered on my travels through this amazing part of the world, and is meant as a tribute to their faith and courage. I try t [...]

Mount Kailash Kora

KAILASH, JUNE 2001 - After a bouncing drive of several days on the high planes of Tibet, after having crossed numerous high passes, after more than a week without a shower, we finally arrived on the sacred place of Mount Kailash. In Darchen, a little ch [...]

Saga Dawa, moments of magic

TARBOCHE (KAILASH), JUNE 2001 - This is the story about one of the most impressive moments I've ever witnessed anywhere. Still now that I'm "back with my feet on the ground" for some months already, I sometimes wonder if I was really th [...]

Destruction and reconstruction

GANDEN, MAY 2001 - The Chinese occupation of Tibet has destroyed a lot in past times, and in present times this destruction of Tibetan heritage and culture still goes on. This is a rather sad story, but it's a story I just had to write. In recent ye [...]

A visit to the nunnery in Lhasa

LHASA, MAY 2001 - Lhasa, the spiritual centre of Tibet... The former residence of the Dalai Lama is now a deserted museum and isolated from the old Tibetan part of town, which is the Barkhor area surrounding the heart of Tibetan budhism, the Jokhang temp [...]

Traveling in Tibet

Alex Mumzui, intrepid Russian Brompton enthusiast takes his Brompton to Tibet to see how far up Mt Everest he can get. Follow his travels with the letters below. [...]

Views on the Chinese Liberation of Tibet

The day was spent walking about Lhasa, taking in the sight and the atmosphere. The Tibetan quarters are extremely pleasant and full of happenings. They have all remained pedestrian, with no space for cars. Every street is transformed daily into a street m [...]

White water rafting in the wilderness of Tibet

The day has finally arrived ! We are terribly excited about the prospect of going white-water-rafting in Tibet. Hopefully, we might even get a T-shirt to prove it. Chris, the Australian chap in charge of the company, came to pick us up in his lovely l [...]