Day 13 - Zhangmu - Our Last Full Day in Tibet

It is sad to say good-bye to Tibet. We will be leaving Tibet first thing tomorrow morning. Kim has become so enamored with the Tibetan way of life, that she has already shaved her head and is enrolling to become a Buddhist nun. I cannot talk her out of it. So I must leave her behind and finish the journey on my own.

We traveled about fifteen minutes outside of Tingri when Ten Zin stopped the vehicle. It was our last chance to see Mt. Qomolangma. We could also see several other Himalayan mountains. The sun was just starting to hit them. They were impressive. We got many pictures. The scenery was again like yesterday. We were in a valley most of the way.We traveled up one mountain and came to the top of the pass. Unlike yesterday where we could only see a few of the Himalayan mountains, today we had a panoramic view. Kim put the names of many of our family and friends on the prayer flags.

Last Look at Qomolangma

Himalayas and Prayer Flags

We stopped for lunch at Nylam. We were supposed to stay the night there, but we were assured that better accommodations could be found in Zhangmu. Nylam looked a whole lot better that the last two towns we stayed. This helped Kim feel reassured about tonight's stay.I ordered Sweet and Sour Pork. Kim's order came out first and it was what she ordered. When mine came out, it was some type of noodle soup with an unidentifiable meat. I tried to ask the waitress in my best English, "Is this Sweet and Sour Pork?" She told me in her best Tibetan that it most certainly was. I started to eat, because I thought this was the Tibetan version of that tasty dish. Five minutes later, the owner came out, batter dripping from his hands, and started yelling at our server. I assumed that she brought me the wrong dish. He continued to yell at her all the way to the kitchen. At that point, the yelling became much more vocal. It continued for five more minutes. Next thing I knew, a plate of tasty Sweet and Sour Pork arrived. By that time, I had eaten half of the soup. I felt I had to finish the new plate, because the waitress suffered so much. She would not make any eye contact after the yelling incident. When it came time to pay the bill, the owner made me pay for the first dish. It was only 20 yuan, a little over $2.00. I was afraid that if I didn't pay, the owner would have taken the girl's life. It was a small price to pay to save her.

No more than a mile out of town, the scenery changed dramatically. Everything was green and lush. Misty clouds filled the air. It was as if we were in a fog at times. There were many beautiful waterfalls, some dropping hundreds of feet. Quite a few of the waterfalls fell right onto the road. At one particularly hard waterfall, our driver drove the Land Cruiser through very slowly. This is the Tibetan's version of a carwash. However, this was one of the few times that our driver was slow. Our driver drove faster than he had before. At some points, we were precariously close to the edge.

Coming Down from the Tibetan Plateau

All of a sudden, the furthest edge of Shangri-la appeared out of the mist. We had come to the edge of the Tibetan world. [Kim: Shangri-la my foot, this place looked more like the Tibetan version of San Francisco. It was pretty cool though as the only road through town wound snake-like across the mountain. For a long stretch buildings were only on one side of the road as the other side dropped off sharply.We got to our hotel and surprise, there were no happy surprises! We got a room just around the corner from the lovely smelling bathrooms. The girl was cleaning the toilet as we walked past. She swished the mop in the toilet and then wrung it out in her hands. I have decided to go a fourth day without a shower. I've also decided to eat power bars for breakfast tomorrow. (A note to Nancy: Thanks so much for giving me the power bars to take along on the trip. You've saved me more than once.)

Zhangmu

Dinner this evening was very good. Our Lonely Planet book again guided us to a good restaurant. (Never leave the country without one of these books) Jon so wanted a beer, but as usual his choices were limited. He went with a Pabst Blue Ribbon. At home, he wouldn't touch one with a 20 foot pole. The Pabst Co. must make a killing here. Pabst is everywhere!It's almost 10:30 and Jon is trying to rest. He has had a headache for several days now. This evening it is quite bad. Maybe he should have passed on the Pabst.

We leave at 9:30 tomorrow morning. It is a short drive to the border, but we must stop and get our papers in order. We have been told this might be a long, long process. We had to each bring two small photos to attach to our visas. We will say goodbye to our driver and guide as we walk over the bridge into Nepal and meet our next guide. It is approximately a four hour drive to Kathmandu. Waiting for us is a five star hotel, complete with electricity, running hot water, and a real toilet. I hope!]