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October 2003 - August 2004

Tibet, part III

Brett Voegele
2005-11-19 14:02:35

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material. It was great to watch, and hear, and I always had the 'performance' to myself.

I also found myself drinking a lot of tea and hanging out at the restaurants, shops, and hotels where friends worked. I became such a fixture at some of those places that if I left town to attend a festival for a few days, and forgot to mention that fact to friends, they'd call the hotel wondering where I was and to ensure that I was ok.

In the past I'd always said that one cup of butter tea every couple of years was more than enough, but in Tibet I actually found myself ordering it for myself by the thermos. I'd really amuse the Tibetans when I also ordered their staple breakfast, tsampa. Tsampa is simply barley flour mixed with some butter tea, rolled into a ball, and popped in your mouth.

Trip Advice

If you're planning your own trip to Tibet, and I highly recommend it, my advice would be to travel during a shoulder season. I preferred the months of October and November, as the skies were cloudless and a dazzling blue. The temperatures were warm enough that you didn't have to worry about too much snow for trekking, but were cold enough to keep most people away. The off-season and cooler temperatures also mean fewer permit traumas, which will increase your enjoyment of Tibet immensely. It's true that many of the festivals are held during the summer months, but you'll also have to put up with many more tourists - those on summer holidays from Europe and the States, those on school break from China, Indians passing through to circumambulate around the holy Mt. Kailash (I heard of groups that numbered in the hundreds!), and those travelers passing through during the warmer months. You'll also have to contend with a lot more rain, mud, and possible road closures that can wreak havoc on your trip.

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