Going to Tibet


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eastwest

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I am going to Tibet for 12 days in August. Have a tour itinerary confirmed with Tibet Trekking (found the link on CS and they have been very helpful). Just wondering if there were any snippets of advice from fellow CSers who have been.
 

1) Bring a torchlight
2) Bring lots of batteries (if you intend to travel outskirts)
3) Bring some local food stuffs (in case you cannot adapt to the food there)
4) Bring a tripod
5) Bring Sunblock
6) Bring a hat
7) Bring a backpack to carry your equipment
8) Do not drink/eat oily stuff there.
 

1) Bring a torchlight
2) Bring lots of batteries (if you intend to travel outskirts)
3) Bring some local food stuffs (in case you cannot adapt to the food there)
4) Bring a tripod
5) Bring Sunblock
6) Bring a hat
7) Bring a backpack to carry your equipment
8) Do not drink/eat oily stuff there.


bring candies for children on the way... kids are corrupted with candies .. for smiles. :D
forget sunblock ... get a real tan
bring a tripod
bring a tripod
eat all you can ..... you dont get tibet food here... try goat cheese... and Goat Chese Tea. (Su You Cha)
shoot lamers.... :p
run as far as you can away from potala and shoot rainbow
learn to ride a horse
get laid..... with tibetian girls
and get laid again
watch your bags .... dun be flashy and dont trust any one... but be friendly
 

candies for children is ultimate :nono: unless you really have LOTS and LOTS of them. once they catch you giving out freebies everyone will swarm to you like bees to honey. Suddenly you'll feel like a superstar.

and getting laid? erm... they don't bath for months and bathing is a luxury item for them.. :bsmilie:
 

Either that or you'll find yourself watching the kids fight between themselves for the sweets/stuff. And if you can bear watching that, go ahead.

Else make sure you have a truckload full of sweet stuff travelling full always behind you.

The only Tibetan girl I found pretty, was all the way in Nyalam, apart from there and before there... NONE. So... dream on ;p
 

pretty much all the stuffs have been mentioned. Just to add, take it easy the first few days as you body has yet to acclimatize to the condition.
If you're in Lhasa you can go out at night for some midnight supper *evil* near the Jokhang there.
still remember me and my friends we got around 50 sticks of lamb skewers and other food and had a feast on the last day :p
 

Thanks for all the helpful and not so helpful snippets of advice. Won't be chasing any local skirt for sure!

What have people done about recharging camera batteries once outside of Lhasa? I am worried about the cold draining battery quickly and then being without. Using D2X and have a spare battery. Would it be worthwhile taking another? Will be out from Lhasa for about a week.

Did anyone have a rabies shot before going? Read that there is a problem with local dog population. Also, can anyone recommend good travel insurance with SOS evac cover?
 

Wherever possible, charge.

On the rural to outskirt areas, you probably won't get a chance to charge. My batteries were fully charged before I left Shigatse for the outskirts. All I used was one battery to last me even past the EBC and back to SG. Don't think your EN-EL4 will give way that easily.

Didn't get any shots when going over, didn't see much dogs too.
 

Generally electricity is not much of a problem in bigger cities like Shigatse, even Bayi.
Maybe if you stay overnight in everest base camp or namtso then you would need to fully charge all your batteries.

If you go in August it will be quite hot, but maybe a little chilly in the evening.
 

Thanks for all the helpful and not so helpful snippets of advice. Won't be chasing any local skirt for sure!

What have people done about recharging camera batteries once outside of Lhasa? I am worried about the cold draining battery quickly and then being without. Using D2X and have a spare battery. Would it be worthwhile taking another? Will be out from Lhasa for about a week.

Did anyone have a rabies shot before going? Read that there is a problem with local dog population. Also, can anyone recommend good travel insurance with SOS evac cover?

There are some chargers that is able to tap off a 12V car cigar lighter. Not sure if the van / transport that you are travelling on has a cigar lighter output.
 

I am going to Tibet for 12 days in August. Have a tour itinerary confirmed with Tibet Trekking (found the link on CS and they have been very helpful). Just wondering if there were any snippets of advice from fellow CSers who have been.

Oh, I used Tibetan Trekking as well.. Mr Gao Li Qiang!

Just some short notes, Tibet is HOT in August as i went during that time so bring sunblock and you'd be surprise how much climbing you do despite being driven around. At altitude, things seem harder. Ask for a good guide as I got a good driver but the guide was not great (in fact, insist you don't want dicky). Otherwise, you can decide your own itinerary then let them work out details (i had alot of email correspondence with them before finalising) but DO NOT rush as the travel distance is quite significant. You're a photographer trying to get pictures, seeing or passing by is just not sufficient so i regreted rushing the trip. You're not supposed to travel to places where you do not have the permit that is applied before hand.

I did most of Lhasa (bout 3+ days) on my own cept for Potala where you HAVE to get a guide and only get ONE hour. Stay in Yak Hotel (good roof breakfast with direct view of Potala) or nearer to Jokhang. On the road, stop as often as you like as the driver need smoke break too (they all smoke). I think Namtso Lake is worth it despite it's distance but also like Gyantse for it's variety (almost like desert, dusty town) and Shigatse; didn't make for the base camp but your would drive thru other snow capped passes. I used a D2X as well and brought only another spare battery because most guest house would have electricity (ones provided by TT) cept for Lake Namtso. You would spend ALOT of time on the road so prepare for it (i.e. making sure window can wind up and down and getting a bag that is like CompuTrekker to access equipment easily) and don't fall asleep!!! AMS pills might help (with side effects) as you are landing at 3.5Km but you'd need to take before hand. Just don't get overexcited, you'd be fine.

Internation SOS? It's not that bad lar... just normal insurance would do and the guides / driver look after you. In fact, if you speak chinese well then I would contemplate just a driver alone. It's really quite safe there as I went out on my own even as early as 5am in the morning, but only harassment i had was when i took pictures near the bridge at Lhasa in fact further away from Lhasa the safer it becomes. No sweets please, maybe buy the local Tsampa to give instead. Some monks are fake, but in general I avoid people who approach me cept inside the monastery e.g. Sera where the monk themselves are learning english.

Good luck and enjoy yourself, its really nice there especially outside of Lhasa. I'll try to post a series of pictures of Tibet (on separate thread) so you get an idea of what to expect in each location. Watch Kundun!

And in my opinion, the best looking Tibetans are performing at the cultural show in Jiu Zhai Gou.

Om Mani Padme Hum.
 

I am going to Tibet for 12 days in August. Have a tour itinerary confirmed with Tibet Trekking (found the link on CS and they have been very helpful). Just wondering if there were any snippets of advice from fellow CSers who have been.
Beware of the beggars there. Don't take pic of young monks with brown dress at the roadside in Laksa. If you take one of them, they will surround you and ask for money. they are not monks, they are gangsters. Keep away from far far away. I got bad experiment form this *******s but luckly I was safe form my tibetan friends. He just kick their butt.
 

Beware of the beggars there. Don't take pic of young monks with brown dress at the roadside in Laksa. If you take one of them, they will surround you and ask for money. they are not monks, they are gangsters. Keep away from far far away. I got bad experiment form this *******s but luckly I was safe form my tibetan friends. He just kick their butt.
Laksa? :bsmilie:
 

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