Kamzang: Thoughts on Tibet ...

Tibet!

Planning a Christmas trip to Lhasa and other iconic cities and monasteries in central Tibet, I thought I would make a list of some of my all-time favorite things to do in Tibet ...

Lhasa Christmas & Jeep Safari

1 - Koras around Barkor Square

I love the close contact with the Tibetan pilgrims from all over Tibet, rubbing shoulders with them, the scent of the juniper from the incense burners, exploring the Gompas inside the Kora, down narrow, dark alleyways that smell of smoke and butter, the bustle and energy, the variety of Tibetans shopping, talking, spinning their prayer wheels and prostrating themselves, with young pilgrims openly collecting alms. I especially love doing this Kora first thing in the morning before the tourists come, in the misty first light of the day ...

2 - Kora of Ganden Gompa

This is one of the most beautiful walks near Lhasa, a lovelyl drive through green countryside and traditional villages to get to Ganden and away from the tourists who go to see only the monastery. I once saw a sky burial from afar from the Kora, and always come into contact with the most colorful and friendly pilgrims while doing the half-hour Kora. The views of the checkered fields from the hill are wonderful, with rivers cutting their way through the valleys and mountains providing the backdrop.

3 - Short trek from Tsurphu to Yangpachen

Tsurphu is a secluded Gompa near Lhasa which seems much further away, at the end of a lovely, green valley. From Tsurphu there is a short, 3-day trek up and over a small pass and through Tibetan grasslands, passing traditional Tibetan settlements, walking over spiky tussocks of grass and camping in green pastures or with local Tibetans in their modest houses. It's as 'Tibetan' an experience as you'll have near Lhasa, with mountains in the distance, yaks grazing everywhere, wide open spaces, and traditional Tibetan dwellings that offer salt-butter tea if you drop in. Yangpachen is a great little ani-gompa where the nuns offered to let me sleep inside with then and offered me meat out of a bowl with a communal knife, surrounded by grazing horses in high grasses.

4 - Dropping into Guge Kingdom, western Tibet

After driving across the vast Tibetan plateau, I think one of the more amazing experiences in Tibet is to climb to the top of the high pass past Kailash and drop into the deep canyons of the Guge Kingdom, completely unexpected, very dramatic, eroded and ochre-colored cliffs spreading as far as the eye can see. And then dropping down to 3500 meters, in Tibet!

5 - Sacred Kailash Kora to Humla Limi Trek

This is one of the most obvious Tibetan experiences, but still amazing if you leave your group and choose a group of Tibetans to walk with, hiking up to the monasteries for the smaller Koras and following them as they perform the many rituals along the way. I never get tired of this, and cresting the 5600 meter Drolma La, with so much energy, so colorful, so full of excitement and possibility.

6 - Driving through Tibet

Actually, my real favorite thing to do in Tibet is just to drive through it, stopping at unplanned spots, watching the nomads as they set off on their yearly migrations, stopping to visit the many ancient monasteries and ruins, running through the vast sand-dunes, hanging prayer flags at the many passes, having salt-butter tea at local tea-houses, breaking down in the middle of nowhere and just walking, the rare wildlife and birds you see along the way, wandering through the small settlements ...

Traveling through Tibet is really more of feeling than a particular experience, and I've had some of my most amazing times there just traveling alone, doing nothing special.

7 - Ngari, Western Tibet
Ngari prefecture, in the high plateaus of western Tibet, is a incredibly diverse and spectacular region which is home to sacred mountains such as Kailash, sacred lakes such as Manasarovar, sacred sites such as Tirthapuri Gompa, ancient civilizations such as the Guge Kingdom, lots of rare wildlife, traditional villages, nomadic peoples and such features as vast sand dunes, deep, weather-worn canyons and green grazing plateaus.
All backed by the snow-capped Himalayan peaks which border Nepal ...