Tibet
Lake Manasarovar
By Thomas on December 12, 2007 | No Comments »
After Nam Tso Lake, which supposedly is the highest fresh water lake in the world, the holy Lake Manasarovar is the highest salt water lake at an altitude of 4550 m (15,000 feet) and a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site. We spent a couple of nights there on our way back from the Guge Kingdom staying at a small guest house situated between the lake shores and the Chiu Monastery atop a small hill. » Continue reading this post »
The Guge Kingdom
By Tony on December 11, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Guge was an ancient kingdom that once existed in the far west of Tibet about a day’s jeep travel north of Mt. Kailash. Set in a spectacular desert canyonlands, Guge was once a series of prospering irrigated valleys ruled from the monastic fortress complex at Tsaparang and large monastery at Tholing. » Continue reading this post »
Bumping our Way to Guge
By Tony on December 10, 2007 | No Comments »
Leaving Kailash, we headed west on the road to Ali before turning off on to some of the worst roads on our journey so far (that’s quite a statement). The jeep tracks snaked their way up into a surreal multi-colored desert mountain range like nothing I’ve ever seen elsewhere.
We spent hours inching our way through sandy riverbeds and rocky slopes. At one point » Continue reading this post »
Altitude Sickness Follow-Up
By Thomas on December 9, 2007 | No Comments »
The first time I got sick was in the middle of the night at Nam Tso Lake. We had driven directly from Lhasa at 3700 m (12,200 feet) to Nam Tso Lake at 4800 m (15,800 feet) for an overnight stay. This was way too much of a climb – a big no no when it comes to do’s and don’t's of avoiding altitude sickness (although, I was the only one affected in our group of six.) The first few hours after arriving, I was completely fine and hiking around. But by 1:30 in the morning » Continue reading this post »
Mount Kailash – Day 3
By Tony on December 8, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Oooh, I’m sore! I slept so deeply last night, it’s amazing anyone could wake me up this morning. Who knew you could sleep so well in an adobe refrigerator? Actually, after the winds, the snow, and the extreme cold yesterday, this simple monastery felt like a luxury resort. » Continue reading this post »
