1.Tibet and Everest Base Camp -The Third Pole- Part 1
A bit of a travel diary of my trip I am not going fully into depth as this was my experience of Tibet and I want to leave it open and not give it all away in case you are deciding to go to Tibet yourself. Tibet is a place you must experience to understand, to be immersed in the culture and people and landscape and I love that about Tibet. From the YouTube videos I have seen, travel blogs I have read on Tibet and documentaries- none have done it justice nor will mine. Tibet isn’t just a place it is a feeling ,emotion and energy itself that no words can describe or articulate, a lot like I experienced Antarctica in that same way. But for those that cannot travel and want to know what Tibet is like and those traveling along with me, here we go.
Photography wise, taking great photos on a guided tour is quite hard, like I spoke about in my previous blog. I did not have a lot of time at each destination. This is due to the altitude- we had a certain amount of time, from 10 minutes to 30 minutes at each stop so as not to get sick, no second chances to go back to re shoot and constantly changing weather and views. I had no idea what was coming. Other people were on the tour, and I was mindful of their wants out of the trip and that made it challenging but in a fun way. I love pushing myself. Think on the fly and think out of the box and stay in the moment- just shoot Toni. I have grown so much as an artist the last few years.
A place I would love to go back to visit. A place where I found a lot of inner peace, strength and huge sense of accomplishment, making it to 5200 above sea level at the foot of Everest on the Tibet side, the North Face on the rooftop of the world or Third pole.
I arrived in Chengdu China to pick up my Tibet Travel Permit my tour company had arranged and found there was no need to be nervous about my early 5am flight to Tibet and not being able to go without a permit- it was there waiting for me. As soon as I had my permit my nerves dissipated, and excitement kicked in. I took my last shower for at least three days as it is recommended not shower in Lhasa until your body acclimates so as not to get altitude sickness.
Day 1 Halloween in Lhasa
I arrived in Lhasa 3650 metres above sea level and was picked up by the tour driver and taken to the Xin Ding hotel which was beautiful I spent the afternoon taking it slow and letting my body adjust. I took a quick walk to Old Town Lhasa to get my bearings and take in the most amazing scenery. Lhasa sits below and surrounded by the Tibetan mountains, and it is just stunning. The mountains were not snow covered, but rich browns. I met some locals, and I started feeling a bit off- by that I mean vague and weak. Lhasa during the day is surprisingly very warm walking around, so I went back to the hotel and realized I hadn’t eaten since I left Sydney. I took myself on a date to the Hotel restaurant and had a beautiful homegrown garden vegetable pizza and a strong coffee. I noted in my journal at this point “I am starting to feel like I did in Cusco Peru but how? I didn’t take any malaria medication with Diamox (altitude prevention medication I was ordered to take two days before my trip by my doctor)” to be making me feel ill this time. I was due for a tablet and decided to just take half and get hydrated. I had the most beautiful view of Potala Palace and took some photos through my window and got an early night for my body and the fact I should’ve booked a few more days in Chengdu first.
Met some of the tour participants at breakfast still not feeling quite right- the feeling in my face was going and tips of my fingers felt numb, but I was just thinking ‘oh I must need sugar.’ The tour headed by our guide Dickey set off for Drepung Monastery which is the largest monastery in Tibet. It is so huge that we only got to see three parts, but it did include seeing the living room of the 5th Dalai Lama.
In the afternoon we went to Sera Monastery. I was excited to see the monk’s debate which started my creativity off and decided to give street photography a go and shoot Tibetan monks as a series amongst other creative ideas. The monks debated in an ancient language Tibetan people cannot even understand. It was loud and vibrant with hand clapping. These claps represent the person clearing the others mind and hearing their point of view. Something I may do in future because it seems a great way of saying open your mind and listen to me.
It was in Sera Monastery I cried hearing and seeing the monks chant in person. I felt honoured and blessed to witness their devotion and not just theirs, but the Tibetan people too. I felt everything in that room. As a sensitive I feel energies off people. An older monk motioned to me I could take his photo and it was a moment I will remember forever, after he saw my tears and a photo I have decided I will never share. It was a moment in time for me to cherish.
After dinner at Shambala I started to feel even sicker, but I am not a quitter.I ended up taking photos from the hotel roof top terrace of Potala Palace at night. Standing on that roof and realising I was on a rooftop on the roof top of the world and had made it there -a massive achievement I was still smiling.
Day 2 Lhasa
Another acclimatation sightseeing day in Lhasa which started with climbing 432 stairs of Potala Palace even taking it slow at an elevation of 3750m I was breathless. I trained with leg weights for months hiking for this day and Everest and I still struggled- we all did. It is not an easy climb but taking our time and breathing and resting on way up it was lovely. I do not do crowds well at all. My anxiety kicks off- being a sensitive, hundreds of energies all at once can be overwhelming for me and it was, I got out of there as quick as I could and took photos outside no cameras allowed in the palace.
We then visited and watched locals doing traditional dance in the park under the palace which I loved and wish we could’ve stayed longer seeing everyone dancing and happy. It was a beautiful atmosphere and then schoolgirls all wanting their photo with me which was so touching and memorable.
We visited the Jokhang temple and saw Tibetan people doing their Kora. By this time I had lost all feeling in my face and hands. An amazing day turned into me having to go back to the hotel before traditional Tibetan tea and ask the staff for some oxygen. They were so caring and accommodating. They brought an oxygen machine to my hotel room. After 20 minutes I could still not feel my face and hands and the hotel called my wonderful guide Dickey. At this point I panicked ‘oh no! here we go again- all this way and not get to Everest, an Antarctica take 2.’ Dickey calmed me down and said “I’m taking you to hospital.” The hospital clinic was across the road, and we walked across where my tour mates from Singapore who were having dinner next door came in to see my cry about maybe not making it to Everest. The Doctor put me on a drip and gave me some medication where the lovely ladies and Dickey waited with me, making me laugh whilst the drip and medications took effect. A mixture of diamox allergic reaction and mild altitude sickness but within the next two hours my feeling was back to all fingers and face and my blood pressure back to normal. The next day I felt amazing. Listen to your guides in Tibet they know what to do. Do not refuse oxygen or hospital. Sorting this early in Lhasa and ditching the Diamox allowed me to make it to Everest- thank you Dickey!
Day 3 Lhasa-Yamdrok Yumco Lake-Karola Glacier -Gyantse and Shigatse
The tour headed off into The Himalayas and we stopped at Karola glacier. A glacier that meets the side of the road.It is very pretty but again busy -so being me I think out of the box after taking a few photos I turned around and focused on the textures of the Himalayas behind me. One peak caught my attention, and I continued to shoot that scene.
Then I saw them for the first time- a beautiful view from Kambala Pass stretching over Yamdrok Yumco lake a holy lake and in the distance, Mt Nyenchen Khangsar.
This is the Himalayas. Yamdrok lake is 4441 above sea level and according to local mythology it is the transformation of a goddess and is considered sacred. It was here we had a bit of time to shoot and of course I did some creative ones as well and took some incredible photos. This was followed by a lunch visiting and cooked by rural families. The food was all home grown and fresh and that lunch was one of my favourite meals in Tibet. I wasn’t brave enough to try yak . After lunch was the trip to Shigatse, a huge 10 hr drive day to our next hotel.
Next stop Everest Base Camp ..I hope you enjoyed part 1. Thank you for following along on my adventures and for the love and support both over in Tibet and always- it means the world to me..feel free to say hi on here or on my socials .If you are headed to Tibet feel free to ask any me questions and i can refer you to my tour agent Mary and guide Dickey so they can help you arrange your trip of a lifetime… buckle up for part 2.
From the bottom of my heart thank you.
Until next time see you out there shooting,
Toni xx
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