On the eleventh day, Nyingchi to Lhasa
From July 13 to July 14, 2018.
During dinner:
“What’s so interesting about Lingzhi?”
“Yes, but you have to take a detour. There will be peach blossoms along the way, but it’s out of season.”
“Why don’t we go straight to Lhasa after dinner!”
“You’re fine, we’re fine.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Let’s go.”
In this way, we drove the night train for the first time. It is said that we have to close our eyes in the second half of the night. I didn’t dare to sleep all night.
In this way, we saw the Potala Palace at 4 am.
In these eleven days, from the excitement and happiness at the beginning to the normal heart behind, from the endless prairie to the poor mountains and rivers, from the magnanimity of the 318 all the way to the cliffs without guardrails when they collapsed, there are dangers and joys. I also know the characters, life, and stories of the people in the same car. Everyone has their own stories, so I won’t go into details here. I hope you can meet your own stories and listen to the stories of your fellow travelers.
Because I decided to go to Seda temporarily, and I encountered many landslides during the rainy season. The route is not the same as the regular travel route. However, according to the reference, 318 is like this. No one knows what will be seen in the next second. What to do, so find the towns and county towns along the way according to the situation every day, don’t drive late every day, pay attention to safety on mountain roads, don’t speed, just pay attention to falling rocks, just prepare some water and food, don’t need to prepare too much, every town It can be replenished, just save one or two meals in case of traffic jams.
The total journey is 22 days, and the per capita cost is about 8,000, not including the use of vehicles. The first 11 days cost about 3,000, which is much cheaper than expected. If you form a team to play by yourself, you can go to the hotel and say that you are the leader of the team, and get the base price from the hotel.
Day 12, Lhasa
Lhasa may be the obsession in the hearts of every Chinese traveler. Just like there are 10,000 Hamlets in the hearts of 10,000 people, there should be 10,000 Lhasa in the hearts of 10,000 people.
For me, the meaning of the ideal Lhasa is a little bit different from the reality.
After reading many travel notes and stories, I put Lhasa in a very high position, purifying the soul, worshiping, walking around the mountain, living Buddha, Potala Palace, etc., are sacred and solemn. Especially when I finished reading the books written by Da Bing, the meaning of Lhasa reached its climax in my heart. Under the Jokhang Temple, basking in the sun, drinking sweet tea, feeling the purest beauty between people, you can let go Self, communicate with everyone around you with your heart. That wonderful state made me yearn for Lhasa.
Therefore, on the way to Lhasa, I learned a lot of relevant cultural knowledge, humanities, scenery, etc., which made me feel the magic of Lhasa, the magic of the Living Buddha, and the uniqueness and charm of Tibetan culture. . However, by coincidence, before departure, I read a book describing and analyzing the Central European century, the church, the Black Death, and the death rate of nearly half of the population. Shake my opinion.
Next, I will briefly describe why Lhasa has changed in my heart. It has nothing to do with local people, things, or things, and there is no intention to slander it. As I said, everyone’s Lhasa is different. For Tibetans and believers, Lhasa is still incomparably sacred and incomparable.
On the way to Lhasa, I have learned that the tickets for the Potala Palace are really hard to buy. You need to make an appointment in advance. If you miss the time, you can only buy a higher-priced scalper ticket or sign up for a tour group. We have selected a tour group (for the rainy season It’s also the peak season for self-driving friends who go to Lhasa. It is really not sure when you can arrive in Lhasa. It is recommended not to book tickets in advance. At the same time, most of the attractions in Lhasa are cultural attractions, and it is really appropriate to have a tour guide to explain).
After driving all night, I went to the hotel to sleep in the morning. In the afternoon, I went to the tour group to get the tickets for the Jokhang Temple and went to the base of the warm sheep production team – the Jokhang Temple. The Jokhang Temple is just inside Barkhor Street, and the security is very good. You need to swipe your ID card to enter Barkhor Street, and you are not allowed to carry lighters.
There are not as many worshippers as expected. The kittens in the Jokhang Temple are lazily basking in the sun. At night, they ate the local Tibetan hot pot. Hmm~ the meat inside can’t be chewed. Finally, I watched “I’m Not the God of Medicine” with my friends who were on the same road. It was very touching. I was short of oxygen on the plateau, and then I felt like crying and holding back. I really wanted to go to heaven.
Thirteenth day, Lhasa
In the morning, I followed the tour group to the local Tibetan people’s house to experience the local culture. Although every scenic spot and tour group will have this link, I still have a lot of knowledge. Then I went to various specialty shops. The beef specialty factory was the most impressive. Try it casually, if you really try it, you can eat beef until you are full, and the taste is really good. I have been with the most conscientious tour group, and there is nothing wrong with it!
During the two-day trip to Lhasa, I heard the tour guide’s explanation, heard the local people’s own opinions, and heard the feelings of foreigners coming to Lhasa. Let me have a feeling that Lhasa culture, like Central European culture, packs science, medicine, architecture and other disciplines into theology, so as to maintain the rule and consolidate the status of the ruler once and for all. Real living Buddhas, Dalai Lamas and Lamas with a conscience will really help the people cure diseases and teach with heart, but they will pretend to be the power of Buddha. There will always be some vicious people in any organization. They live a good life in the name of Buddha and God. The people contribute half or even 70% or 80% of their income to these people, but they don’t care about helping the people. They only cared about their own enjoyment, and when the people died of illness, they said that they were not sincere and increased their offerings. If this vicious circle continues, it will be exactly the same as the dark period in Central Europe in the long run. I support the Living Buddha’s help to the people, but I cannot accept such packaging.
But having said that, every living Buddha is really a legendary child prodigy, and he will do many different things since he was a child. The current living Buddha, Dr. Shuangliao, owns 3 listed companies, which have made great contributions to the economy and development of Lhasa. Therefore, although Lhasa is not so sacred in my heart, I still admire these people who have really done practical things. Although I dislike theological rule, I have to admire the great wisdom handed down from generation to generation.
Tomorrow morning, a friend who was in the same car had to leave early due to work needs. The relationship is deep and the relationship is shallow, and the fate is farewell. As I write this, I still feel a little sad when I see the group photo in front of the Potala Palace.
On the fourteenth day, Lhasa to Shigatse, via Yanghu Lake
When Yanghu came out of the clouds and immediately came into view, it was really amazing, a feeling that everything was worth it in the past ten days. In the afternoon, after heavy rain, hail, snow, and small landslides, the Toyota Land Cruiser got stuck. Finally, our Great Wall H5 (modified) was dragged out, and then our Ford Explorer and H5 passed the pit easily. The other cars that couldn’t get through all returned the same way.
Today I really felt that the end of the world is coming. Fortunately, the old driver has good driving skills and the car is not bad. We are not small, haha.
In the end, I took a beautiful photo of the young lady who was traveling with me.
Day 15, Shigatse to Everest Base Camp
That’s right, the tip of the small snowy mountain in the first picture is Mount Everest. It’s cloudy all day today, but it’s a pity that I didn’t see the panoramic view and starry sky of Mount Everest. Regular tourists can only reach the base camp of Mount Everest, and climbing is prohibited. No one is allowed to climb in the rainy season. Professionals are required to pass in the non-rainy season, and there are armed police guarding the card.
This time we are really taller than the clouds!
Day 16, Mount Everest Base Camp to Lhasa
After driving for eleven hours without stopping, I returned to Lhasa.
It was finally sunny today, I saw Mount Everest, and I also stayed at the Youth Hostel in Lhasa, um~ it was complete.
Seeing Mount Everest with my own eyes is really shocking, and the photos can’t reflect that feeling at all.
Wearing down jackets, jackets, and fleeces at the Everest base camp, I was still frozen like a dog. At that time, Chongqing had more than 40 degrees for more than ten consecutive days. I am happy to think about it, hahaha.
The biggest feeling is the understanding and understanding of Tibetan culture, which I still can’t let go of until now. I have been pursuing that kind of true pure feeling, that kind of belief, that kind of fearlessness. In the end, a veil of camouflage was revealed. Before the veil was the pursuit of power, the obsession with interests, and making others follow the doctrine of suffering in order to satisfy one’s own hedonism.
Speechless, contrary to the original intention, but those people who have faith really shocked me again, making me envious, a person, sometimes really needs faith, really needs spiritual sustenance, I hope one day I can find mine Faith, find out what I want.
On the seventeenth day, Lhasa to Nagqu, via Namtso
After crossing the mountains, grasslands, and lakes, we have waited for Mount Everest and seen Lhasa, and we are finally about to start our return journey.
The return route is National Highway 109, which is a more classic Sichuan-in and Qing-exit route. 109 is the Qinghai-Tibet line. Although the popularity is not so high, the scenery is not inferior to the Sichuan-Tibet line, and the degree of danger is even higher. I’ve heard cyclists despise chains before. People who have ridden 318 can despise all routes and think that there is nothing that cannot be conquered. When they learn about 217, they immediately admit it. If the person who rides 318 is a master, Then the person who rides 109 is a god, and then I will take you into this magical “fairy world”.
Namtso is really the biggest highlight of this journey. Coming to Namtso, let us understand what the three words mean, sky blue, azure blue, and snow white. The sky blue sky, the blue lake, the snow-white snow-capped mountains, the beauty can only be reflected in such nonsense descriptions, because these color words were born for them, no exaggeration!
At the same time, the road to Namtso is also the worst road on this road. After driving past, the whole car is unrecognizable. After entering the scenic spot, it takes about an hour to drive to see the lake. It has been raining during this period, and the visibility is only A few meters away, my heart was going to be cold at that time. Fortunately, our character was beyond the mark. When we drove to the lake, it happened to be half sunny, comfortable and comfortable.
On the way back, it started to be cloudy and rainy again, but the long-lost sun appeared on the road from Namtso to Nagqu. After entering Tibet, as long as there is sunshine, it is really a big movie. While being excited, a super hailstorm hits, love is like a blue sky and white clouds, the sky is clear, and hailstones suddenly fall. The hail that fell from the sky made the visibility less than 1 meter. I parked on the side of the road, flashed the double flashing, and listened to the sound of the hail hitting the car crazily. To be honest, I felt helpless at that time. Fortunately, the hail only lasted. After two minutes, the sky became clear again, and everyone’s mood turned clear in an instant. Who made you so beautiful on a sunny day?
With the long-lost sunshine, I am in a good mood, and I took a selfie to prove that I am still healthy, haha!
(to be continued)
