Welcome in Tibet (西藏)

Welcome in Tibet (西藏)
Official Tibet is a Chinese province, called the TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Region – 西藏自治區). To enter that part of the country every tourist needs a specific entrance permit form the government with the specified travel destinations and hotels in.
We did not apply for that permit, so we are not allowed to enter the TAR-region. Nonetheless, the Tibetan influence is not limited to that part of the country. The Tibetan plateau of the Himalaya stretches into the provinces SìChuān (四川), GānSù (甘肅) and QīngHăi (青烸). According to the Tibetans all these parts are connected in the traditional country of Tibet. It are these provinces we’ll travel through to get an impression of the rich and old Tibetan Culture.
Their spiritual leader is the Dalai Lama (Ocean of Wisdom).

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At the gates of Tibet…

Donderdag, 12 september 2013

Wat een superdag…dankzij de hulp van vele Chinezen.
Om 5u gaat de wekker en om 5u50 staan we in het busstation. We hebben
geluk dat het maar 50m stappen is vanaf ons hotelleke.
In het busstation blijkt alles nog pikzwart maar gelukkig hoor ik in
de wachtzaal “MaErKang” roepen. Dat is onze bestemming! Een
vriendelijke buschauffeur met tintelende oogjes laat ons op zijn bus.
Hij toont ons het ticketje van een ander zodat we zeker een eerlijke
prijs betalen. En daarna… vertrek voor een rit van 8u.

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The fairy country – Part 3 : MouNiGou

After that we head to SongPan… There is only one trouble! It is
around 6pm and the last bus left some two hours ago. Luckily we meet
an English speaking tour guide, who helps us to find a taxi to there.
One hour later we enter our guesthouse, exploited by two friendly
Chinese people. One day later we discover that there are two
guesthouses with the name ‘Shunjiang Guesthouse’ and perhaps we slept
in the wrong one… But the rooms were decent, only the bathroom could
improve.

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The fairy country – Part 2 : HuangLong

After JiuZhaiGou we head to the even stunning HuangLong valley,
therefore we cross a 5588m peak in the clouds. The same crystal clear,
blue waters can be found in the travertine underground. But here it is
said that the lakes appear as a wriggling yellow dragon between the
green forests…

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The fairy country – Part 1 : JiuZhaiGou

From Chengdu we head into the Himalaya mountain ranges… We greet the
Great Lord Himalaya with joy and pleasure. Highlands have always been
one of our favourites.
We’ll explore a part of the Tibetan Plateau, also called the ‘roof of
the world’, during the following weeks.

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