To Lhasa: 4/24/16
Many thoughts are going through my mind as today we will arrive in Lhasa and journey the Tibetan Plateau.
For some reason I can not explain nor really took the time to really dissect why, I have always been attracted to places like mountains, wilderness areas and the oceans. For this discussion I will simply call those combined entities nature. Well this time has come and here are some things I believe I have come to understand.
I look at nature not as something to be conquered, because I have learned nature can not be conquered. It is simply an entity to be accepted and respected, for it is much greater than any human can ever think of being. Maybe, this is where man has gone so wrong as he has tried to conquer nature, rather than accepting nature as it is. I believe it is then we come to respect nature and revere nature as we gaze in total wonder it’s true grandeur. I have also come to learn this wonder is not only found when one looks out onto a mountain range, or over a wild forest, or gazing out over the ocean with no horizon in sight, but also when one stops and looks at a flower, a blade of grass, or feels the wind blowing on their face. Then is when we can start to enjoy this world in which we live. We then start to realize and see the interrelationships of all things around us. We see the ebb and flow of nature and accept nature for the amazing thing it is.
Our day started at 0445 simply because that is we we were up and at um. We got our bags packed and arranged for the journey by balancing the load in both bags. First was a very nice breakfast from the Hotel buffet. We were soon on a bus to make the drive to the Beijing airport. At the airport our bags were checked and we passed through security and soon boarded our plane. The first part of this journey took us to Chengdu where we de-boarded our plane for about an hour. We were served a breakfast during this portion of the flight. We then re-boarded the same plane taking the same seats and were soon on our way flying to Lhasa. On the first leg of the journey we were seated on a window and an isle seat with an empty middle seat. The second flight was almost full so an Tibetan lady was to have sat between us. With a bit of sign language and pointing Lynn moved to the middle seat. The lady took out her prayers beads and started very very quietly chanting.
The flight did not afford the best views as there was considerable cloud cover. Yet as we got near Lhasa there were a few breaks in the clouds. The mountains are very new geologically speaking and are very steep and pointed. The landing approach into the Gonggar Airport is in Gyazuling township of the Gonggar County. It is built in the county where the Yaelung Tsangpo River is very wide on the right bank (southern bank) of the river, providing facilities for the runways. It is for this reason that the airport was constructed at this location, though away from Lhasa where space was a limitation. The airport lies to the west of Rawa-me, which is the capital of the county, at the entry of the Namrab Valley, 87 kilometers (54 mi) from Tsetang. Within a radius of 30 kilometers (19 mi) the airport is surrounded by mountains with elevations ranging from 5,362–6,126 meters (17,592–20,098 ft). Access to the airport from Lhasa has been further facilitated by constructing a road tunnel, which has reduced the distance and time taken to reach the airport from Lhasa by 40 minutes; time of travel from Lhasa is now about 40–60 minutes by shuttle bus services. At an elevation of 3,500 meters (11,500 ft) above sea level, the airport is one of the highest in the world. Its runway, with airport rank 4E, at 4,000 meters (13,000 ft) with a width of 45 meters (148 ft), is designed to handle wide-bodied aircraft in the thin Tibetan air.
The landing was a bit bumpy but the landing was uneventful. After gathering our luggage we boarded a bus and made our way into Lhasa. There is a great deal of construction going on here and the government is trying to lure people to move to this area with incentives.
On the drive in we catch a glimpse of the Drepung Monastery and Potala Palace.
After an hour drive, we arrived at the Four Seasons Lhasa. We are offered Sherpa Tea and lemon water upon our arrival. We had the Sherpa Tea which is a warm sweet milk tea. I liked it very much. Soon we were given our room keys and we are settling in. The room is very well appointed and has every thing we need and then some.
One interesting thing is we need to keep our passports with us at all times as we may encounter random check points.
Briefing at 1830 followed by dinner as we get acclimatized to the altitude. I am feeling fine and Lynn says she is noticing the thin air.
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