Tibet is known
to be the ‘Shangri-La’, ‘the Rooftop of the World’ and does it not
conjure up a place of exotic and mysterious charm? However, it is
also a fact that it is one of the harshest and most unfriendly places
to live on Earth, the reason being it is located way up in the Himalayan
mountainous ranges. For those looking for a quick read on the history
and culture of Tibet, a good summary of it can be found at the
Lonely Planet website.
Mountains and snow plain.
Canon D30 Sigma 17-35mm f2.8/4 |
Mountains and clouds.
Canon D30 Sigma 17-35mm f2.8/4 |
Altitude
concerns
This article
is just a short sharing on my recent trip to Tibet in May 2002.
I was never expecting myself to go to Tibet anytime because of the
distance and seemingly unfriendly environment being 3700m above
sea level. Being a sea-level dwelling creature sure made me uneasy
about the thin air way up there. So this brings me to the first
point: health. You should make sure that you are in a healthy state,
healthy meaning you do not have any cardiac, respiratory or circulatory
problems (high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease just to name
a few). If you think you have such problems, please consult with
your GP before committing to the trip.
Another problem
to tackle on the way up there is altitude sickness. Altitude sickness
occurs due to the lower content of oxygen at higher altitudes. Your
body being accustomed to oxygen levels at sea-levels is not going
to be used to the thinner atmosphere in Tibet. Acclimatization is
what people normally do especially mountain climbers. A rule of
thumb regarding acclimatization is ascending up to a 1000m a day.
However, as most of us will not be climbing but rather flying up
to Tibet, we are actually ascending close to 4000m in a day. Imagine
how much discomfort your body has to go through.
Typical symptoms
of altitude sickness include headaches, nausea and breathlessness.
These symptoms are extremely common to unacclimatized people. My
own experience was I had headaches for 3 days before finally acclimatizing
to the oxygen levels there. My friends had similar symptoms and
even vomiting. So be careful when you go there, making sure to consciously
move slower than you would in Singapore. Be sure to take it easy
for the first few days and take lots of fluids and lighter foods
like soups and vegetables. (An interesting tip that our tour guide
gave us: Don’t bath on the first day there, it’s up to you if you
want to follow or not.)
How to get
there and other requirements
Most travelers
enter Tibet via Chengdu (Sichuan). I took a flight to Chengdu and
bought a local domestic ticket up to Lhasa. Check with your ticketing
agent for the best rates available. Also, another point to note
is that you will need to obtain a visa for entry into China AND
Tibet. This can be done at the China embassy (near the British council)
or your local tour agent. More info can be found
here. For my trip there, I was informed that tourists are allowed
into Tibet only if you have hired an authorized tour guide appointed
by the Chinese government. Check with your local tour agent to confirm.
You should find accommodation before going into Tibet so as not
to leave yourself without a roof to shelter your head when you arrive
there, especially during the colder months. Pick up a copy of the
Lonely Planet guide to Tibet for more info on how to get around
in Tibet. The currency used in Tibet is the Chinese Renminbi (RMB).
What to take
Tibet is full
of sights and scenes that can literally take your breath away. When
you make your descent to Lhasa airport, you will realize that it
is just a small runway surrounded completely by mountains. It is
mountains galore in Tibet most definitely, very attractive to the
landscape fanatic. The Tibetans there also make an extremely fascinating
subject to document because of the way of life there and their culture.
If you want an ample supply of opportunities for street photography,
Tibet is the place to go. As I only ventured into Lhasa, the places
that I went are Jokhang temple and Potala palace.
Lhasa
square.
Canon D30 Sigma 17-35mm f2.8/4
Smiling children.
Canon D30 Canon 70-200 f2.8L
|
Potala
Palace.
Canon D30 Sigma 24-70mm f2.8
Kneeling child.
Canon D30 Sigma 17-35mm f2.8/4
|
I would recommend
that you travel as light as possible during the first few days there
therefore a standard zoom lens should suffice for your foray into
Lhasa city. When the sun is out, it is essentially extremely bright
due to the lack of cloud cover so your lens need not be a fast one.
However, it is quite dark inside the temples so you might consider
bringing a fast lens along or high speed film. Please check with
the lamas in the temple if photography is allowed.
You might have
to pay a small fee to take some pictures inside the temple.
You can check
with the local tour guide in Lhasa on day trips out of the city
to take some landscape shots. It is indeed a sight to behold as
your senses will be swarmed with the exotic landscape of undulating
mountain ranges and the occasional farmlands and villages that are
sparsely scattered along the way to your destination.
Tibet was indeed
an eye opener for me as in terms of the environment, scenery, people
and culture. I hope that this short guide has been a help to you.
Please feel free to contact me at
joshwoo@singnet.com.sg if you have any questions and I will
try to help out whenever possible. More photos can be seen at
here.
Equipment
that I brought:
- Canon EOS
D-30
- Sigma 17-35mm
f2.8/4
- Sigma 24-70mm
f2.8
- Canon 70-200mm
f2.8L
- Canon 50mm
f1.8
- 2 340MB microdrives
- Tripod
- Laptop
- Exposures
taken: around 800
|
