青藏之旅 TIBET

TheRed Line is the route traveled from Xi-Ning, Qinghai to Mount Everest base-camp in Tibet

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau With its glacier-covered mountains seen here from the plane, it is often called the Roof of the World due to its high altitude (average 4,000 m or 12,000 ft.) ( )

The recently completed railroad into Tibet - over rough terrain

I chose a 4 wheel drive vehicle with a local driver - rougher but better experience

Much of my trip was driven on unpaved dirt roads

Dirt roads are dusty you may wish for rain

which you may regret

Mountain roads are usually winding along hillsides

along rocky cliffs

View while drivingas if you were flying in mid air Scary if you look down

One of us has to yield ?

Improvised traffic sign (reads blow horn)

Where bridges are not sturdy enough for cars

the only way to cross the river is .

Of course not every attempt was successful

Even paved roads can be hazardous ?

You are sharing the road with everyone and everything

including these pilgrims who prostrate themselves all the way to their sacred destinations

This vast grassland called Kekexillialong Kunlun Mountainis home totheseTibetan antelopes almost poached to extinction for their luxurious fur

My close encounter with aTibetan antelope

Tibetan gazelle (,)

Tibetan eagle

Qinghai Lake the largest lake in China (-)

Blossom along the shore of Qinghai Lake

Tanggula Pass (altitude 5,200 m or 15,600 ft) at the border between Qinghai and Tibet()

This is the land of big sky, mountains and lakes

Sometimes it is hard to tell where land ends and sky begins

Lake Nam Co (altitude 4,700 m or 14,100 ft) is the largest sacred lake in Tibet ()

Lake Yamzho Yumco (altitude 4,440 m or 13,320 ft) is another beautiful sacred lake ()

A rare opportunity for me to swim at such altitude (Lake Yamzho Yumco)

This part of the Himalayas looks like the rain forest

Nyingchi areais particularly lush shown here along Nyang River - a tributary of Yarlungzangbo ( -)

The mightyYarlungzangbo Rivernourishes the northern slope of the Himalayas

Yarlungzangbo Canyon (seen here from the plane), the deepest land canyon on earth, remains largely inaccessible. Through this canyon, the Yarlungzangbo River flows south to become the Bramaputra River in India ()

Chinas mightyYangtze River originates from glacial melt similar to this one in the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau

So doesLancang River (the source of theMekong River) seen here flowing by the city of Qamdo

.

andNu River (the source of theSalween Riverwhich empties into the Indian Ocean through Myanmar) seen here in eastern Tibet .

Snow blanketed horizon on my way to Mt. Everest

Anxiously waiting for the heavy fog to clear at the Everest basecamp

Mount Everest - local nameQumolangma Finally a clear view (summit altitude 8,848 m or 26,500 ft) (8,848)

Just as exciting as the scenery are the culture and life of the people living there ,

Highland barley is the main crop grown here

Beautiful barley fields in Denqen, eastern Tibet

August is harvest time Winter starts early in Tibet

Nomads like to live close to a river

Nomads tent (this one woven with yak fur) and his dog (Tibetan Mastiff ) ()(,)

Some go solar

Yaks are the only beasts of burden which can tolerate the high altitude and freezing weather ,

White yak is a symbol of luck

Yaks are raised also for meat and milk

The sign reads tea house, in bothTibetan (top) and Chinese (bottom) milk for making the popular salty milk tea

Yak dung is burned as fuel

Green pastures are abundant inQinghai(the name means green sea) Ideal grazing ground for yaks, horses

and sheep

Typical homes of the peasants

Friendly smiles

The young

CuriousStudents walking to school

Strong ultra-violet at high altitude takes a toll on their skin

Tibetan Medicine traditionally relies heavily on pulses for diagnosis

Tibetan medicine

Images of Buddha are everywhere

Compared with other forms of BuddhismLama Buddhism has some unique practices

Religion is a very important part of Tibetan cultureLama Buddhism (Lamaism) is the predominant religion here ()

The inside of each prayer wheel is lined with printed Buddhist sutra so spinning the wheel is equivalent to chanting the sutra repeatedly

Their way of paying homage to Buddha is calledprostrating

.

Dagobas, Mani stone pileand prayer flags at mountain passes give blessings to travelers safety and luck

Prayer flags on every house

Circling flock ofvultures may signal nearby sky burial-an old Tibetan practice of feeding the dead (only the privileged) to the birds to facilitate reincarnation ,

There are several sects in Lama Buddhism This monk belongs to the currently dominant yellow sect (tell by the hat color) () Monks debating Buddhist scriptures at the Samye Monastery

Friendly monks at Chaka salt lake offering me white silk scarf (Khada) as blessing ()

Jokhang Temple in Lhasa Tashilunpo Monastery in Xigaze is home to the Panchen Lama()

Gaindan Monastery was built high on a mountain ()

Yomgbulagan Palace built by the first Tibetan King 2,000 years ago

Zhandan Monastery in the hills of north east Tibet bears resemblance to the Potala Palace in Lhasa

Potala Palace in Lhasa (viewed from Jokhang Temple) The original structure built in 7th century no longer exists. Since reconstruction in 17th Century, it has been the official residence of the Dalai Lamas

,

Standing on top of the Potala Palace feeling higher than the Roof of the World ,

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