Day 22 260506 Potala Palace

Today, we experienced for the very first time a day without ZK. No need speak in Mandarin, don’t have to care about eating Sichuan food, no more boring theories on tea drinking. We were FREE at last! We were still joking about how damn pissed ZK was the day before.


The morning rain cast an eerie and mystery atmosphere in the air. But this never dampened the mood of worshippers going to Potala Palace. Mostly made up of elderly, worshippers were walking towards Potala Palace from all corners of Lhasa. Even though we had no idea how to get to Potala Palace from our hotel, it wasn’t hard to find out the direction. Simply follow the locals with prayer wheels in their hands. It was like following the current of a river.

However, we regretted following these people. It is their tradition to walk around the palace in a clockwise manner. As such, we took a longer route to the entrance of the palace. Along the main road facing the front of the palace, devoted worshippers prostrated in prayers, even though the ground was wet. These worshippers were mainly elderly, and their devotion sort of created a sacred aura around the place. I wonder where are the young people in this city? Have they abandoned this tradition completely?

Potala Palace was situated on a hill and inevitably we had to climb that hill in order to enter the once politically significant landmark. Climbing in Tibet is never an easy chore. We were slightly breathless by the time we reached the entrance. Frankly speaking, I was disappointed when we entered the palace. The palace was just a magnificent empty shell in my eyes. Not that there was nothing inside the Palace. It was just that the inside was very rundown and poorly maintained. The scriptures, statues and ornaments undoubtedly are invaluable. But the manner in which they showcased these treasures was unimaginably amateur. I cannot believe that the 100rmb entrance we paid (which was the highest fee we had to pay so far for a place of interest) can only produce such mediocre standard of tourist attraction.

The rooms that were available for visiting were all similar. Each room had a tomb and seat of a particular Dalai Lama, some scriptures and statues. There were hardly any descriptions, only boards with dry information on the pillars. Compared to the palaces and castles I visited in Europe, this Potala was nothing but more than an exhibition site.

We were soon overwhelmed by boredom and left the place. My advice is that this place is not worth visiting. But I know no matter what, people would still go there. On the way we met one of the cyclists whom we acquainted in 染乌镇. This is one thing I like about traveling, esp. backpacking. Coincidences occur more frequently abroad as proven also during my stay in France.

As I mentioned before, Lhasa is filled with beggars of all ages. We encountered a child (can’t tell if it was a girl or boy), around age 6. He had long uncut hair and like other Tibetan kids, had a muddy face. The moment he saw the group of us, he ran towards me and tried to pull my hand, asking for $. We walked as fast as possible trying to shake off his pursue. The boy gave up eventually and went on to pester other passersby. I turned around and looked at the boy as I was curious how other people would react. They gave him some money and the next thing I saw was the boy running towards two women sitting on the street. He passed the money to them and ran off to pester more people. The two women counted the money with grins on their faces.

True enough, the beggars were very irritating but we can’t really blame the children. What about the 2 adults? Can we blame them? Who are we to say that the two women were being selfish by turning the child into a money-begging machine? I was deeply disturbed by the sight and was in a pensive mood for the rest of the day.

We went around looking for bookstores hoping to get some books on Tibet. JH bought a travelogue while I grabbed a book called 西藏生死之书, The Tibetan Book of Life and Death. It is not entirely a religious book. I have read it before 2 years ago and find it interesting when it talks about Death as something inevitable and natural. Something we shouldn’t make a big fuss about – provided that we are spiritually prepared. I guess it is one of those kinds of book whereby I have to re-read several times to fully understand.

We spent our last night in Tibet chatting in the hotel and watching 超级女生. This 16 days of traveling experience on jeep is something that would stay with me for a long time. Tomorrow we will fly back to Chengdu; back to civilization.

Day 21 250506 Final Show Down

We had a poor sunset again, for the third time. Our first one was at Mt Emei, where we missed the timing. Second time was at Everest where it was too hazy. This time, the position where the sun rises was just not ideal. The position was directly opposite the lake, and blocked by a cliff.

We had our breakfast back at the tent where we had our dinner last night. That was when our dear businessman ZK made his proposal. He said that since we were going to 9 Village Valley when we returned to Sichuan, he suggested that we took his car back, which was going by another route: 青藏线. He told us the benefits of taking the offer. First, his offer will be lower than what we would pay if we were to fly back (how much lower he never mention). Secondly, the trip would offer us another different scenery along the way. Lastly, he can drive us back to Chengdu after we toured the valley and can host us at Chengdu thereafter.

Among the four of us, JH was the most unwilling to take his plan because he was really sick of the jeep ride. Ken seemed the most keen as he always likes the scenery of the new route. CCG was more inclined towards rejecting while for me, as usual, I was weighing the pros and cons of taking the offer. I wasn’t that interested in the scenery as I was getting quite sick of it. My analysis of the proposal was more $ oriented. What are the cons of taking the offer? 1. bumpy ride again. 2. Time wasted. We would reach back Sichuan by plane faster for sure. And lastly (most importantly also), the presence of ZK. Frankly speaking, we enjoyed more without him.

So, if the $ saved is worth for us to endure the abovementioned drawbacks, then we will take the offer. On the way back to Lhasa, JH and I were busy discussing in English about ZK’s proposal and how we should bargain. We had already given him 600rmb for 5 days of return trip which was more than enough because each day’s fuel consumption is only 150rmb at most. Furthermore, we suspected that the 2000rmb we gave him during the 16-day trip was for his own pocket money, and not to the travel agency. As such, we thought of offering him 800rmb each.

On the way, ZK kept mentioning that his proposal was for our good, and not really that he wanted to earn our $. Also, he said that along the way, he had been helping us to save $ and providing good service. His enthusiasm in selling his good points doesn’t seem to show that he doesn’t care about the $. In fact, the dollar sign was written all over his face.

Finally, we reached Lhasa in the evening and decided to take a walk at the 八角街, hunting for souvenirs to buy back for friends. That was when, Ken told us another thing. While the rest of us were withdrawing cash from the ATM, Ken and ZK waited in the car. ZK told him that according to international regulations, he was to collect 25rmb from each of us for each day of the trip. International regulations!! WTF. He had the cheek to tell us that he deserved the tips since his service was excellent. Excellent my foot. First, he was a lousy guide, esp. after entering Tibet. Second, he wasn’t very knowledgeable in the places of interest of Tibet. And lastly, which pissed me off was the fact that he tried to cheat 2 days out of us. His justification for the tips also includes the fine which he paid for speeding.

While we shopped around the stalls at Ba Jiao Jie, JH and Ken saw something that infuriated them. The silverware which they bought for 700rmb in total at the souvenir shop near the hot spring, cost only a tenth at the flea market! JH said that ZK must have received some commissions from that shop. After shopping around, we couldn’t bear the hot weather anymore (or perhaps our anger towards ZK) and decided to head back to the hotel.

Final show down began in the hotel. We made known to ZK that we do not wish to take his offer. He tried all means to persuade us, all sort of sales talk. He even boasted that if he were to take other tourists back, he would fetch a hefty 2200rmb per head; instead of the price he gave us which was 1500rmb. He continued to say that he doesn’t really need the cash since he had a teahouse and a box factory. His proposal was purely for our good. Yah right.

Still, we declined his offer. Seeing that his plot had failed, he moved on to claim his tips. What infuriated me wasn’t the fact that he wanted $ from us. It was the pretence of friendship that he displayed and yet at the end of the day, it was only $ that he wanted. By then, we had also run out of cash and so we gave him a meager sum of 200rmb as tips. Ha, till to this date, I could still remember that scene. We even reenacted everything and recorded it down in my DV.

ZK took the $, and said, “chey, 也没什么好说”. He took his stuffs and stormed out of the room. All of us burst out laughing immediately. It was so hilarious to see him so pissed. It was our punishment to him for being hypocritical, trying to cheat our 2 days, bringing us to that souvenir shop, and being such a $-face.

It was a relief to get rid of ZK in the end. Without him, we were more at ease and had more fun. It was a lesson for me also. Next time if I ever need to employ a driver or a personal guide, I would ensure that I find out the market rate of tipping. But it would be better if there were no other external people in the traveling party.

Below are the selected reenacted scenes:
GIVING TIPS TO ZK

Kenneth:曾师傅，这是我们一点心意

Me (as ZK):Chey, 也OK. 没什么好说.

*STORM OUT OF ROOM*

PERSUADING US TO TAKE HIS CAR

Me (as ZK): 坦白讲, 我不是很需要这笔钱. 如果是载别的旅客我起码能收2200rmb.

JH: 我不满意你的价钱. 因为我们已经给了你一天600rmb的5天反空费.

Me: 我的车是新的. 那天看你们这样有诚意才算你们便宜.

Ken: 你带我们去的景点, 除了然乌湖外, 也没什么特别.

Ken: 大多数时间都是在车里摇啊摇.

Me: 无所谓. 反正我处处都是为你们着想. 你们商量一下. 我去抽根烟.

Day 20 240506 Namtso Lake

I had only been to a hot spring once, which was in 2002 in Taiwan. That time, the 6 of us (all guys) had to squeeze into a small pool of sulfuric hot water. It was hot and uncomfortable, as it was an indoor pool. This time I am going to try an outdoor hot spring. Moreover, it is located near the snow mountains. I am sure it will be a unique experience.

This hot spring that we went to is called 羊巴井, a very touristy place. By the time we reached there, there were already few buses of tourists. The place was like a resort, with different hot spring packages such as, outdoor, indoor, foot massage, etc. In the end, we decided to go for the outdoor hot spring.

There was a slight disappointment when we saw the outdoor hot spring. It was just a big hot swimming pool! What we expected was a more natural surroundings, with rocks and running water. Still it was a different feeling to be immersed in hot spring with the snow mountains in the background.

Because the pool was pretty big, the water wasn’t exactly very hot except for the area where the water was coming out. So we were all crowding around that area while other Ah Pek were scrubbing each other’s back in a corner. Too bad there wasn’t any Leng Noi around for us to BIO.

ZK didn’t join us despite the fact that Ken wanted to treat him; for finding his handphone. He said he would go take a look at the souvenir shop opposite the hot spring center. After spending 1 hr at the pool, we began to feel bored and decided to leave. When we went to the souvenir shop to find ZK, he was enthusiastically showing us stones and gems and said they were good buys. He said he even bought a few.

JH and Ken weren’t interested in the gems. They were only interested in the stainless steel bracelets and bought a ton of them. CCG looked at those 佛珠 while I was the only one interested in the gems. According to the Tibetan seller, there are 3 treasures of Tibet, 西藏三宝. First one is 红珊瑚 (red coral). Second is 绿松石 (green stone) and lastly the rarest of all, 天珠 (Sky Gem).

Thousands of years ago, Tibet was still under the sea and movement of the earth crust formed mountains which accounts for the highlands in Tibet. During this formation, corals in the sea were being pushed out. The green stone is actually a kind of jade and can also be found in Turkey. The Sky Gem is produced from some kind of rare mineral and often linked with religious purposes.

In the end I bought a bracelet made of the red coral and a green stone pendant. The red coral looks like the saga seeds we have in Singapore and it was supposedly meant for someone special. Sad to say, after some thoughts, I realized there wasn’t anyone special in my heart. In the end, I gave it to my mum.

When we were leaving the shop, some Tibetans approached us with daggers which they want us to buy. Frankly, I would like to have one of those but to bad, it would be against the law here. These Tibetans were of a different tribe, the Aba Tribe and can be found commonly in Sichuan also. They are refugees from Tibet during the civil war and are known as the Jews of Tibet because they are very good in doing business. Their handicrafts are also the best of their kind.

After lunch, we headed straight to Namtso Lake. The sacred lake of Tibet. The lake was so big it seemed boundless; just like a sea. Along the way, there was grassland and our arrival drew attention from the kids there. JH and Ken were approached by a Tibetan who offered to let them ride his horses for 30rmb. Meanwhile, CCG, ZK and I tried to cut across the grassland towards to the lake. But we found that it was too far away and we were also bogged down by a swamp of kids.

The kids just crowded around us, asking for sweets. But we told them the sweets were in the car and told them to follow us back. On the way, these kids started singing and shouting and holding our hands. One little boy who looked like TinTin was holding my hand and looking up at me. His mucus started to flow down from his nostrils and he used the hand that was holding on to mine to wipe it off. But the thing was, he forgot to let go of my hand! Inevitably, my hand also gana the mucus!

I gave that boy a disgusted look but when he turned to look at me with his innocent eyes, I can’t help but smile at him. It was a long walk to our car and the kids are getting more and more impatient. They kept asking where are the sweets and started singing their Tibetan children songs.

Finally we reached our car and that was when all hell broke loose. While CCG was searching for the plastic bag of sweets, the kids were restless and rowdy. I had to tell them to fall in in front of the car but that was only for awhile. They soon crowded around the car again when CCG still had not come out with the sweets. I was so afraid that CCG will emerge from the car empty-handed. We will all be mobbed by the kids for sure.

Thankfully, he came out of the car with a bag of sweets and seeing that, the kids charged at him and started behaving like robbers. They jumped, grabbed, screamed and shouted. CCG could only hold up his hand with the bag of sweets and distribute the sweets as fairly as possible. A particular boy, the biggest among the kids, took more sweets but still pretended to cry and complained that he took none.

Some Tibetan aunties came and told us to smack the kids if they misbehaved. But of course we didn’t. Meanwhile, JH and Ken were having fun riding horses. This time round, they were really riding; and not let someone lead the horse for them. But JH was struggling to make his horse gallop. Either he was a lousy rider or the horse was really disobedient.


After spending 30min with the kids and horses, we headed to the Namtso Lake. What we saw were large number of tents beside the lake. These tents served as shops, lodging, restaurant, and even discotheques. At the opposite side of the lake was a range of snow mountains with a cloud of mist over them.

We walked around the area and saw a few white yaks; the sacred yaks which ZK said are extremely rare and impossible to see (but obviously he was bullshitting). There were plenty of yaks in Tibet (there is a saying there, Tibetans are lack of everything but yaks) and my own personal mini mission is to touch the horn of one of them. I tried doing that in Everest but the yak always runs away. This time, I saw one white one tied to a boulder. I slowly approached it, while Ken was filming. As I neared the beast, it turned and stared at me but I wasn’t afraid. I advanced further and when I was about 5 feet away, the yak stomped its feet and poised to charge at me. That was when I realized I was playing with fire and ran away cowardly.


The rest of the evening was spent admiring the scenery. One can really spent hours standing there, watching the snow mountains change color as the sun sets. We also met the Austrian old man and his Indonesian wife. He was really a pro photographer, using film instead of digital and detachable lenses.

We spent the night in the tent where we had our dinner, keeping ourselves warm by the fireplace. After 10pm, we decided to hit the bedsheets but it was almost impossible to sleep. The weather was damn cold and the disco was blasting its music till 3am. I don’t know about the rest of the people, but I could only sleep after the music had stopped.