Hitchhiking Tibet #6

After a whole day of resting and hanging around the village, there was really not much for me to do there. I was feeling much better and it was time to hit the road again.

Question was: where to?!

As much as I wanted to keep going west, several things were holding me back. All the road construction trucks where turning north and the only vehicles heading towards mount Kailash where a few packed tourist jeeps. Also my travel authorization was running short and traveling at such speed it was at least another 4 days one way to mount Kailash: I really wasn't sure I'd reach the Nepal border before my visa expires.
All in all i decided to head back east and at least try to see mount Everest before leaving the country.

Eventually a local bus passed and the driver, far away from the authorities, accepted to take me onboard.

22 Tao Pa sheperd

I spent quite a while with this kid.
Not saying much as we didn't have many words in common.
Yet it was friendly and I just sat there and watched him keep his herd of yacks.
He seemed as curious of me as I was of him.
He was uneasy with the camera. Not bothered but self conscious and when i suggested a smile it turned into a grimace.
He had a leather sling and was extremely skilled with it; he'd throw stones just next to the yacks who were heading the wrong way and the yacks would understand right away!

Then the evening came and it was time for him to head back. He said goodbye, gathered his herd and walked away.

The eye

The Himalayas are still far, yet already here.
Am I watching this or is it watching me?

22 Tao Pa sheperds

Walking around the hills surrounding the village I met with a few sheperds, all of them rather young kids.



(I know.. he's closing his eyes.. sorry)

22 Tao Pa

Just in case some of you started to think Tibet was still only in black and white...

Well, it also comes in blue :)

22 Tao Pa

"22 Tao Pa" is the name I understood for this tiny place, lost in the great Tibetan plateau (my understanding of chinese being pretty much limited to numbers)

The truck drivers left me at a guesthouse for the night. With everything i tend to said about China, i must acknowledge that my drivers were extremely nice to me. They even shared the food they had packed for the road with the silly tourist who had left for a trip across Tibet without any supply!

After a good night's sleep i felt much better. The sun was now high and bright and i woke up to discover the place in daylight. The guesthouse was held by an adorable family. After i played some songs, the dad tried playing my guitar. And the little girl, amused by my way of taking pictures of everything started to shoot me with a toy camera!

Hitchhiking Tibet #5

As the sun was setting the second day, I felt awfully weak and tired, and the perspective of spending another cold night in the truck started to scare me.

That's when we reached heaven!

We approached another tiny village and the drivers told me: "we have to turn right just after this village, but if you want to reach mount Kailash , you must continue straight ahead; we'll just drop you here where you can spend the night."
Although not sure yet of where I'd sleep, I couldn't have dreamt of a better proposal; I was more than ready for a break!

Hitchhiking Tibet #4

As we kept on driving and the night was falling and we didn't seem to reach anywhere, the drivers -somehow- explained to me that there was no stopping for the night; "there's 2 of us", he meant, "and we'll keep on driving all night".
I was only mildly excited by the news but couldn't suggest any better.

All day I had been very impressed by the skills of the drivers, managing our huge truck in the mud where others would get stuck. For difficult passages, bus drivers asked all their occupants to get off and walk by for a while. Sometimes we'd be blocked by another truck in front of us stuck in the mud and we had to go and give a helpful hand.
When this happened in the dead of night and we got blocked by a truck, abandoned for the night, we had no choice but stop and spend the night there.

I wasn't at all equipped to spend the night in a truck at 4000 meters in altitude and i spent the whole time rubbing my frozen feet. Must have been the worst night of the trip (although i didn't know at the time there was going to be another one soon after!)

Morning eventually came and the next day was worse than the first. I felt dead tired and sick. It had been raining non stop all night and the road was even muddier. Every other truck was now slipping in the mud and this time we had our share.
The last image is our truck pretty badly drowned in the mud. It took a while and some help to get it out.

Hitchhiking Tibet #3

It was hours and hours of bouncy driving before we made our first stop.. I was so happy to jump out and stretch my legs!

We stopped in a tiny village; just a handful of houses along the road. As we parked the truck, a kid was cruising on a bike too big for him. He noticed the stranger's face.

Hitchhiking Tibet #2

And off we go.. for the most hectic truck ride of my life!

Hitchhiking Tibet

August 14th 2006.

No public transport is allowed to take foreigners and I refuse to take a chinese "tourist tour". I decide to start hitchhiking my way from Sakya accross Tibet.. We'll see how it goes.
I try to figure out distances; mount Kailash seems to be somewhere between 2 days and a week from here, none can tell. It depends on the roads.

There are no roads.


This "engine with a trailer" is probably the funkiest of my rides! Before this, the same morning I've already ridden the back of a bullock cart and a small truck.




Nearing the police barrier, I'm asked to get off or they'll be in trouble. As for me, i just walk past the police both with my bag and guitar without anyone asking any question!

Soon after my ride must keep going on the main road, while i'm heading off track, hopefully towards mount Kailash. So there i stand, alone and in the middle of nowhere while it starts to rain. Already i start to doubt my decision!

The nuns of Sakya

August 13th 2006