Driving towards Mount Everest, the highest point in the world. Another highlight of our trip through Tibet. (CRI online Photo)It's been another big day for CRI reporters traveling across Tibet.
An early start again saw us meet in our hotel lobby at 5.30 am. Luggage in the back of the car and a packed breakfast to go and we were away before dawn.
Today we headed back to Shigatse from the border city of Zhangmu. It was the route we had taken to get to Zhangmu so I knew the scenery would be stunning and nothing can dull your enthusiasm for seeing it again.
We were traveling for over ten hours by car today but the ever-changing scenery and variety of things we encountered along the way helped pass the time.
There were many highlights on the road. We were on our way before dawn so one of these was being able to see the morning light break over the mountains.
With the sun breaking over the mountains we gradually climbed up again from 2,000 to just over 5,000 metres. It's extremely easy to become short of breath or even exhausted after limited exertion at this altitude. Sometimes our cars would stop to film and photograph the views. Many of us staggered back and collapsed back in our seats panting heavily. Deeper breaths need to be taken and motion, for me at least, had to be limited. Headaches are an unfortunate consequence of being 'on the roof of the world.'
Driving straight towards Mt Everest was another highlight. I still can't believe I was looking over at the highest point on the planet, and for the second time! Our convoy of vehicles stopped to pose for group photos here and why not.
We stopped for lunch at one of the highest elevated hotels in the world, not far from Everest. In fact many mountaineers stay here on their way to Mt Everest and alongside the restaurant was a shop selling climbing equipment.
Some of the mountains we passed were full of slate and we saw people working to extract it as we drove past. Actually these mountains appear to contain more slate than would be needed to create bench tops for every kitchen in Australia.
As we continued along we saw many Tibetan homes. Architecture in Tibet contains both Chinese and Indian influences and reflects deeply held Buddhist beliefs.
Many homes are built facing south and are created using materials such as rocks, stones, wood, cement or earth. The roofs are almost always flat. The windows on these homes are numerous and usually very colorfully painted. The outside walls of the houses are often painted white.
I discovered that little fuel was traditionally available for heating or lighting so roofs were built flat to conserve heat and multiple windows constructed to let in as much sunlight as possible. In this part of the world that's a lot of sunlight.
Nearly every one of these homes has long branches jutting out of each of the four corners of the roof and secured with mud. Tibetan prayer flags are then attached to these branches. These are used to attract good fortune to those who live in the homes.
The vibrant colors of the landscape on the way to Shigatse were almost overwhelming, such as bright blues, lush greens, blinding whites and golden yellows. I wonder whether the locals are sometimes as overawed by their environment as I was. I'd like to think they don't take it for granted.
To quote a line from the film American beauty', "Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it."
Source: CRI online【1】 【2】 【3】 【4】
http://chinatibet.people.com.cn/6738407.pdf
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