We went to Nam Tso Lake the day before yesterday, which is about 5 hours away and 600 meters higher. For those of you who remember our adventures with altitude in Peru, you won't be surprised to hear that we were *very* careful in preparing for this trip. You're supposed to ascend no more than 1000-1500 feet per day (that's what, 300-400 meters?). So this was a big jump. But we were pretty acclimated to Lhasa, so they say just going up one night is generally okay. Obviously we made it back ok (otherwise there would be no blog update).
Nam Tso Lake was the most beautiful place we have been to in China so far. We'll post some photos. It was so quiet and deeply serene- like these mountains are actually gods, quietly meditating, sending us their words of peace and happiness and patience. I felt a little bit like I was dreaming- partially because I probably wasn't getting enough air to my brain and partly because it was so beautiful. There were two or three "koras", which are circular walks that Tibetans do as a way of praying. Around most monastaries and temples there are beautiful koras, and at Nam Tso lake there are two small hills that are holy hills, so there are two koras around them. And you can walk to the top of these hills and see some incredible views. On the evening of the first day there, Eric and I walked to the top. We had to stop every 15 steps or so to rest for about 5 minutes before continuing on, in order to prevent altitude sickness! It took us forever to get up- and I think I know what it must feel like to walk on Everest now- each step was a major effort and we had to breath deeply. Somehow that made the experience more profound. It was the kind of natural silence and beauty we have been craving since we left Laos.
We shared a car up there with a couple our age from Belgium. There were a handful of local people there- literally 8 or so, 4 of whom seemed to run the place where we stayed. There were about 10 tents set up (large ones, sleeping about 5 people on small beds), and a cook tent and dining tent, all with the tibetan designs. The only other people there were four other white tourists- two from norway and two from Canada. And get this. Eric knew one of the Canadians- friends of friends kind of thing (I think all you Canadians are all friends anyway, right?). Those four turned out to be really fun, so we had dinner with them up there and then again last night, along with the Belgians, and probably again tonight! Its fun to have a little travel crew occasionally. But really- what a coincidence.
Sadly one of the Belgians had pretty bad altitude sickness, and spent most of the night throwing up (we did not envy him). So pretty much first thing in the morning, we hopped in the car to drive to lower elevation. He was much better when we got down. We remembered well our brush with altitude sickness in Peru, so we were pretty sympathetic. It was part of the deal when we signed up together- that if anyone got sick, we would go down early. And we both felt lucky that it wasn't one of us!
So these photos should mostly be self explanatory- you see Eric in front of the Potala Palace, where the Dalai Lamas lived for centuries before the current Dalai Lama fled to India. You also see a bunch of photos of Nam Tso lake, including lots of prayer flags. There is also a picture of the young monks participating in what is called "debate"- in the afternoon they test each other one what they learned that morning. It is a pretty bustling scene- with lots of talking and they clap their hands in one single, loud clap to indicate the next question. There is also a shot of Eric and the lama we had tea with, which he wrote about earlier.
So thats the news for now, folks. Only 19 more days in Asia!
Keep your news coming. Since we left there have been babies born, marriages proposed (and accepted), teams made, weddings planned, trips completed... all by you people over on the other side of the ocean. We hope everyone is happy and healthy.
Much love,
Betsy and Eric
ps- sorry about the font- I composed it elsewhere and it refuses to not be underlined. sorry.
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