TheRed Line is the route traveled from Xi-Ning, Qinghai to Mount Everest base-camp in Tibet 红线是路途的全程 从西宁开始 直到珠峰大本营

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.)

鸟瞰冰川纵横的青藏高原 ( 平均海拔四千米 有世界屋脊之称 )

The recently completed railroad into Tibet - over rough terrain 穿山越岭的青藏铁路

I chose a 4 wheel drive vehicle with a local driver 我们的座驾 - 越野车

rougher but better experience 驾车虽比坐飞机或火车辛苦 但给我留下回味无穷的经历

Much of my trip was driven on unpaved dirt roads 旅途中大部份时间都是在土路上行驶

Dirt roads are dusty 土路往往沙尘滚滚

you may wish for rain 下点雨就好了

which you may regret 结果下雨路更糟

Mountain roads are usually winding along hillsides 弯弯曲曲的山路绕着山边向前伸延

along rocky cliffs 沿着悬崖峭壁

View while drivingas if you were flying in mid air 天堑险路

Scary if you look down 胆小的不要往下看

One of us has to yield 谁先让 ?

Improvised traffic sign (reads “blow horn”)

最原始的交通标志

Where bridges are not sturdy enough for cars … 这桥绝对无法行车…

… the only way to cross the river is … 那…就祗能这样过河… .

Of course not every attempt was successful

当然不是每次都成功

Even paved roads can be hazardous 新修的国道就一定安全吗 ?

You are sharing the road with everyone and everything 公路当然是公共的

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

小心别撞到沿途叩拜的信徒

This vast grassland called Kekexillialong Kunlun Mountainis home totheseTibetan antelopes almost poached to extinction for their luxurious fur 昆仑山旁的可可西里大草原是藏羚羊出没的地方

My close encounter with aTibetan antelope

与我近距离的藏羚羊

Tibetan gazelle 羊羚 ( 当地人叫白屁股 , 不同藏羚羊 )

Tibetan eagle 藏鹰

Qinghai Lake – the largest lake in China 青海湖是中国最大的湖 ( 水是咸的 - 我尝过 )

Blossom along the shore of Qinghai Lake 青海湖畔盛开的油菜花

Tanggula Pass (altitude 5,200 m or 15,600 ft) at the border between Qinghai and Tibet越过这唐古拉山口 ( 海拔五千两百米 ) 就从青海跨进了西藏

This is the land of big sky, mountains and lakes 这 里 天 宽 地 阔

Sometimes it is hard to tell where land ends and sky begins 天地合一的景象

Lake Nam Co (altitude 4,700 m or 14,100 ft)

is the largest sacred lake in Tibet 纳木错湖 ( 海拔四千七百米 ) 是西藏最大的圣湖

Lake Yamzho Yumco (altitude 4,440 m or 13,320 ft) is another beautiful sacred lake 羊卓雍错湖 ( 海拔四千四百米 ) 是另外一个美丽的圣湖

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

我难得有机会畅游羊卓雍错湖

This part of the Himalayas looks like the rain forest 这里有点像热带雨林

Nyingchi areais particularly lush shown here along Nyang River - a tributary of Yarlungzangbo 林芝地区 ( 尼洋河畔 - 雅鲁藏布江的支流 ) 号称西藏的江南

The mightyYarlungzangbo Rivernourishes the northern slope of the Himalayas 沿喜马拉雅山脉北麓的雅鲁藏布江

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 雅鲁藏布大峡谷是世界陆上最深的峡谷 ( 要走进去谈何容易 ) 雅鲁藏布江水从这里向南流进印度

China’s mightyYangtze River originates from glacial melt similar to this one in the Qinghai – Tibetan Plateau 长江源于青海的冰川

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

澜沧江源于青藏 . 它穿过昌都城向南流去成为了湄公河的上游

… andNu River (the source of theSalween Riverwhich empties into the Indian Ocean through Myanmar) seen here in eastern Tibet 怒江 也是源于青藏 . 它流经缅甸进入印度洋

Snow blanketed horizon on my way to Mt. Everest 往珠峰途中

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

在大本营耐心等待 难得一见的珠峰真面目

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

我终于看到了珠峰 ( 峰顶海拔 8,848 米 )

Just as exciting as the scenery are the culture and life of the people living there 以下介绍当地人民的文化 ,生活

Highland barley is the main crop grown here 当地主要种植的粮食是 青稞麦

Beautiful barley fields in Denqen, eastern Tibet 丁青县的麦田给人一种仙境般的感觉

August is harvest time Winter starts early in Tibet 八月是收割季节 这里冬季漫长

Nomads like to live close to a river 游牧人家

Nomad’s tent (this one woven with yak fur) and his dog (Tibetan Mastiff )

牧民的 耗牛毛藏包 ( 相当保暖 ) 和藏獒 ( 非常忠心 , 凶猛 )

Some go solar

野外的太阳能电源

Yaks are the only beasts of burden which can tolerate

the high altitude and freezing weather 耗牛是唯一能在这低氧 ,低温环境下生存的劳动力

White yak is a symbol of luck 白耗牛是吉祥的象征

Yaks are raised also for meat and milk … 耗牛还可以供应肉和奶

The sign reads “tea house”, in bothTibetan (top) and Chinese (bottom)

… milk for making the popular salty milk tea 当地的奶茶是咸的

Yak dung is burned as fuel 耗牛粪可以当燃料

Green pastures are abundant inQinghai(the name means green sea) Ideal grazing ground for yaks, horses … 青海草原是名副其实的牛马的天堂

… and sheep 还有绵羊

Typical homes of the peasants 藏式的农舍

Friendly smiles 笑容可掬的面孔

The young 年轻人

Curious 好奇Students walking to school 徒步上学的孩子们

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

强烈的高原紫外线给人脸上刻上了岁月的沧桑

Tibetan Medicine traditionally relies heavily on pulses for diagnosis 把脉是藏医一种有长久历史的诊断方式

Tibetan medicine 藏药

Images of Buddha are everywhere 佛像在西藏很普遍

Compared with other forms of BuddhismLama Buddhism has some unique practices

喇嘛教的一些特殊的礼仪

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

藏族文化和宗教是分不开的 藏传佛教 ( 喇嘛教 ) 是藏族地区主要宗教

The inside of each prayer wheel is lined with printed Buddhist sutra so spinning the wheel is equivalent to chanting the sutra repeatedly 转法轮就等于不断地念法轮里面贴好的经文

Their way of paying homage to Buddha is calledprostrating

叩长头是常见的朝拜方式 .虔诚的信徒会叩上几百里路去朝圣

Dagobas 佛塔 , Mani stone pile 玛尼堆 and prayer flags 经幡 at mountain passes give blessings to travelers’ safety and luck

Prayer flags on every house

每家都挂有经幡

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 成群的秃鹰在天空中盘旋 ,附近可能在举行天葬

There are several sects in Lama Buddhism This monk belongs to the currently dominant yellow sect (tell by the hat color)

喇嘛教派系中最大的是黄教 ( 帽子的颜色 )

Monks debating Buddhist scriptures at the Samye Monastery 桑耶寺的僧人在辩经

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

茶卡盐湖畔向我献上洁白的哈达 ( 祝福的丝巾 ) 的喇嘛

Jokhang Temple in Lhasa 拉萨的大昭寺

Tashilunpo Monastery in Xigaze is home to the Panchen Lama日喀则的扎什伦布寺 (班禅喇嘛的道场 )

Gaindan Monastery was built high on a mountain

甘丹寺 (宗嘎巴大师的道场 )建在一个高山上

Yomgbulagan Palace built by the first Tibetan King 2,000 years ago 雍布拉康 两千年前吐蕃王朝第一座王宫

Zhandan Monastery in the hills of north east Tibet bears resemblance to the Potala Palace in Lhasa 索县的赞丹寺有小布达拉宫之称

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

拉萨的 布达拉宫 初建于七世纪 ,自十七世纪重建后便成为历代达赖喇嘛之住居

Standing on top of the Potala Palace feeling higher than the Roof of the World 登上布达拉宫的顶楼 , 给人一种高于世界屋脊的幻觉