Tibet - Lhasa May 24 to May 27

In Lhasa we visited several monasteries as well as the infamous Potala Palace, the palace of the Dalai Lama that is now a museum.

Tibet - Freedom Highway - May 23

Last day of travel, we drove to Lhasa via the lake Yamdrok-Tso.

Tibet - Freedom Highway - May 22

We drove to Gyantse, famous for its Stupa (Kumbum in tibetan).

Tibet - Freedom Highway - May 21

We started the day with the visit of the Sakya monastery and we heard for the first time the monks pray. It sounded like they were singing. It was really nice to hear. After the visit we drove to Shigatse, also famous for its big monastery.

Tibet - Freedom Highway - May 20

We left the Everest Base Camp to go to Sakya, a town famous for its monastery. Also it once was the capital of Tibet from 1268 to 1354.

Tibet - Freedom Highway - May 19

We left Old Tinrgi and drove to the Everest Base Camp. We slept at the camp at 5200 meters high. We were not cold that night even as we were covered with Yak blankets (very warm). The views of Mount Everest were beautiful.

Tibet - Freedom Highway - May 18

The second day at Old Tingri, we rode horses to a small monastery that was victim of the destructions of the cultural revolution. We were on our horses for about 7 hours that day.

Tibet - Freedom Highway - May 17

The second day, we gained altitude quickly. We drove through a pass at 5050 meters high. Very quickly the trees disappeared and we drove through very dry but colorful landscape. The mountains were ochre, yellow and red. We arrived in Old Tingri where we spent 2 nights to acclimatise to the altitude. The following days we will stay between 4000 and 5200 meters high in the mountains.

Tibet - Freedom Highway - May 16

After a few days in Kathmandou to prepare our trip to Tibet, we started our trip to Tibet by land with a guide and a driver. We arrived at the border after a 4 hour drive. After going through immigration we had another driver and guide (Tibetans). After just a few miles, the car broke down so we slept in the first town after the border, Zanghmu, about one hour away from where we should have stayed the first night. Great first experience in Tibet :-)
In this part of Tibet, the mountains are still covered with trees.

Annapurna Circuit

Mustang valley at the border of Tibet descending from the pass.

Annapurna Circuit

Crossing the pass Thorong La

Annapurna Circuit

Last stop at 4900 meters high before the pass Thorong La at 5416 meters high.

Annapurna Circuit

Prayer Wheels

Annapurna Circuit

Leaving Manang

Annapurna Circuit

The valley of Manang, a little town at 3640 meters high where we spent 3 days acclimatising.

The Annapurna Circuit - April 24 to May 12

After a few days of thinking about our next steps here in Nepal, we decided to do our planned trek around the Annapruna region. At least in the mountains, no demonstrations, strikes or curfews were waiting for us. We are now thrilled we went as the situation went better in Nepal not long after we left Kathmandu and also our tour was absolutely fantastic. We trekked for 18 days and went up about 18000 feet high (5416 meters high). Everyday we discovered new sceneries with a different fauna and flora as well as different cultures. We really recommend this trek to anyone who goes to Nepal. The more we gained altitude, the more we could feel and see the Tibetan influence with the presence of gompas, prayer wheels and houses built in stone. We also saw various animals such as yaks, golden eagles... We went through rice fields, tree and pine forestes, through dry valleys and through snow. I could add more and more, but I will stop for now.

We are now back in Kathmandu where life is now back to normal. The noise, the traffic and the evening animations are very much present. All shops are open without any exceptions. People seem to be a lot happier and more relaxed expecially the tourists.

Tomorrow we leave for Tibet.

Kathmandu and its Valley (Bakthapur)

A snapshot of the sity of Bakthapur, a beautiful town with a medieval look and feel.

Nepal - Kathmandu and its Valley April 16 - 22

We arrived in Kathmandu in the middle of strikes and demonstrations. A lot of shops were closed. The locals were in the streets and we saw few tourists. The few we saw were wondering if they should shorten they trip or not due to the situation. Is it going to get worse or not? People here were very optimistic and certain that the situation would get better in a few days. Despite the situation, we managed to visit the sites we wanted to see in Kathmandu and its valley without any major problems. Here the tourist is always welcome and the Nepalese are always ready to help. For example, during the curfew, a nepalese man offered that his brother drive us in his ambulance from Bakthapur to Kathmandu (about 10 miles) due to the bus strike and the curfew. Ambulances are allowed in the streets at any time. Of course we could not take the offer as someone may have needed the ambulance. The positive aspect of the situation is that we did not encounter many tourists and that there was no traffic at all in this highly polluted town. Also we could take pictures of monuments and squares with sometimes not one person in it. The police and army were always very nice with us and made signs that we could continue our visit. The negative aspect is that as there were few tourists, locals were always rushing toward us to try and sell us something. Also, getting around was made more difficult because of the lack of buses and taxis, so we had to walk to most places.

We discovered severals facets of Kathmandu. We can clearly see the poverty out in the streets, but at the same time this city is very rich in culture and monuments. There are also many interior courtyards beautifully arranged, little havens in the middle of this poverty.