dimanche 20 mai 2007

To go to Tibet is, for every globetrotter, a journey unlike any other. It is a journey requiring more preparation than many ordinary destinations. Tibet has a mythical aspect. One which attracts us, causes us to dream, but which can equally provoke fear within us. Whether it’s cyclists, motorcyclists, hitchhikers, or simply traditional tourists, every type of (independent) traveler will spend a lot of time pouring over route maps and reading information on the net while organizing a trip in the Tibetan province annexed by China in 1951.

And for good reason : other than the geographical difficulties due to its placement in the heart of the Himalayan mountains, there are also numerous political difficulties. The Tibetan territory is a very sensitive subject for the Chinese government, which enjoys rendering access difficult for foreigners in order to control the influx of tourists.

Lhasa, birthplace of the great Dalai Lama, today has 5 routes leading to it. Although 5 routes exist, only 2 are officially open to foreigners. Below, a map of Tibet which shows the 5 possible ways to get to the sacred city of Lhasa. The route toward Golmud in the north is by far the most frequented ; it sees more than 80% of traffic leaving from or arriving to Tibet. In black is the route I used : a route forbidden to foreigners.

Besides the problem of the forbidden route, two other problems presented themselves to me, the hitchhiker. First of all, hitchhiking is absolutely forbidden in Tibet. Second, every foreigner wishing to travel to Tibet requires a permit. Ordinary permits cover the city of Lhasa and additional permits are required if the traveler wants to go to other regions. Apart from the financial side (I have no desire to pay for these permits), I had to confront the requirement to have a transport ticket (bus, train, or airplane) in order to get the permit. All of this is to say that I, of necessity, set out on my crossing into Tibet without the necessary permit, since I needed to cross by hitchhiking.

Therefore, three problems confronted me at the moment when I decided to depart the city of Chengdu in China with the objective to reach Lhasa, a city situated some 2500 km to the west, on the other side of the imposing mountains Himalayan mountains.

"Ludo, you may have completed 4 years travelling around the world by hitchhiking but you must know that crossing Tibet by hitchhiking is simply not possible ! It’s against the law, checkpoints are everywhere, and if you are caught, you will find yourself deported with no pity.” These types of arguments, I heard 100 times. They reminded me, amusingly, of the statements pronounced before I crossed the Gobi desert, or simply when the tour of the world by hitchhiking was nothing more than a project. Before starting out on my journey, the words of those I spoke to about my chances of success in reaching the Tibetan capital were less than encouraging. I listened with interest but remained firm in my position, by responding, “I’ll stick it out. The only risk I am taking is simply to be expelled from Tibet ; it’s not the end of the world.” A real risk, but not comparable to the risk I would have taken had I attempted to hitchhike through North Korea (I would probably have been shot, which would have been a different story. I can live with an exclusion of Tibet, not with a shooting in North Korea). Not the end of the world, certainly, but I would have to admit that a failure in this endeavor would pose problems to me in the pursuit of my adventure. My objective is to reach Nepal and then India where I have planned many activities in the coming months. To be excluded from Tibet would mean having to travel the Kunjirap Pass in Pakistan, which would very likely be closed in the month of March. The other options (traveling through Kirgizstan, Kazakhstan, and Russia) would completely change my travel plans ... and besides, my tourist visa had barely two weeks’ validity left at that time ... better not tarry ...

Since the beginning of my world tour in January 2003, I have been carrying with me a “media book,” a collection of articles from the press touching on my adventure, as well as photos taken in all the 4 corners of the planet. This book has helped me numerous times, be it with the authorities or simply with drivers, as it constitutes proof of credibility. Before leaving for my crossing of Tibet, I tried as much as possible to increase my chances by preparing other papers in the Chinese language explaining in greater detail the objectives and missions I was accomplishing during my travels. One can never be too careful ... below, some of the papers I prepared ...

Something else that could help me in case of problems was the newspapers. The media attention given to my journey proved very important in China, which could provide an argument in my favor in the event of any problems. Below, some articles in Chinese explaining my adventure.

My bags are packed, everything is in order, I say farewell to my hosts in Chengdu and prepare for a new and interesting step in my tour of the world. At this moment, I am not worried (I have learned not to be after 4 years with my thumb out along the roadsides of the world) but I nonetheless harbor a small apprehension, the kind that I had before starting out on my crossing of Colombia, of the Sahara desert or the Gobi desert ... I am, moreover, happy whenever I have these apprehensions, because they show me that I am still being sensible, that I still have my head on straight ... the fact that an expulsion would make my situation rather more complicated is, at this moment, certainly present deep within me, but I remain very optimistic ...

Leaving the city poses no big problem, the 300 kms that follow are hardly more complicated, as I have at my disposal numerous potential cars traveling in my direction and a highway in good condition.

After this warm-up, however, things start to get serious as I approach the little town of Kangding and commence the journey through the Himalayas, the biggest mountain range in the world. Kangding feels a bit like the end of the Chinese world and the beginning of the Tibetan world, even if the official border is still very far away. When one arrives in this little town, one starts to feel the Tibetan influence, an influence which confirms itself over the kilometers to come.

To get to Kangding, the police came to my aid as has happened often during my time in China. The police are, at this moment, a help more than a potential source of problems ... but that will be less and less the case as I go along and as Tibet approaches ... Photos below with the Chinese police who helped me to find a vehicle. I am at this moment still quite far from the “border” with Tibet.

A truck driver accepts to take me by his side. The mountains grow higher and higher, the snow and the sleet appear, chains on the truck tires become a necessity, the average speed of the truck passes from 20 km/h to only 10 or 15 km/h. There are still more than 2200 kms to cover, and I realize at this moment that I am nowhere near arriving and that to reach the city of Lhasa will probably take a good week or maybe more. Photos below of the truck and its driver who carried me over numerous kilometers ...

The road is sometimes dangerous, certain overturned buses instill in us a sense of caution...

Once I have left the truck, I find myself alone at the edge of the road in a service station hardly frequented. The closer one gets to Tibet, the more rare vehicles become. I am at this moment some 400 km to the west of Chengdu, my point of departure, and on average one or two vehicles per hour passes in front of me.

During my wait, I meet several pilgrims. These men are absolutely incredible. They are traveling to Lhasa, like me, but by foot. But just walking would be too easy. They make it much more difficult. Every three steps, they prostrate themselves on the earth for the great Buddha, then rise again. The great journey of more than 2000 km takes, in this fashion, many months to cover and carries with it many sufferings, but at the same time offers unparalleled spiritual satisfaction. Below, several photos taken while I was able to discuss with these pilgrims and present to them what I was doing at the edge of the road ....

Several hours of waiting are necessary before a team from China Mobile, the local telephone company, offers to take me to the town of Dege, a small town at the Tibetan border. To travel by the northern route was not my fantasy, because it would add some 300 km to my journey, but the route to the south had seemingly no traffic, since the roads are considered to be too dangerous and are often closed due to landslides. I accept, therefore, the proposition, and after some 30 hours of mountain roads I arrive at last in the border town on the Chinese side. Below, the car which enabled me to reach the small town of Dege.

I am not yet officially in Tibet but the culture here is already completely Tibetan. Below, some photos of the villages and landscapes encountered along the way.

The architecture of Tibetan villages ...

A photo of the road is below ...

The China Mobile team really helped me by enabling me to reach the border town and putting me up in the same hotel as them (I shared a room with the driver). Unfortunately, they weren’t traveling any further and left me all on my own early in the morning. My Tibetan adventure would now truly begin. Situated at 4500 metres altitude, it snows, it’s cold, the night passed badly, I am not in good shape, with a terrible headache because of the altitude of the high passes we traversed the day before (6300 metres) and I am mildly stressed due to the fact that the police don’t appreciate seeing foreigners in this zone ... but when you’ve got to get there, you’ve got to get there. With my things on my back, I walk, head down, as I leave the town, trying to avoid contact with the local police who would be quick to block my passage. The night before, I looked at my map and said to myself, “in the event that they block my access, to get out of this zone will take me several days and my permit won’t be long enough.” It is 7 o’clock in the morning, the roads are deserted, only a few goats and cows are around, looking for food in the frequently overturned garbage cans.

I leave the little town and walk in the direction of the border, situated some 20 kilometers from there. After about 30 minutes of walking, a small truck passes in front of me. I stop it, explain my adventure to the driver by showing him my articles and the rest of my documents. I am acutely conscious that the drivers in this locale are afraid of giving rides to foreigners, so as a result I try to be as convincing as possible. Despite the fact that our communication consists of no more than gestures, the driver accepts to take me by his side, despite his initial refusal. That’s it ! I’m on my way to Tibet, a long-awaited moment for me. I am deeply content but also a bit stressed. I make myself very small at the back of the truck and cross my fingers, saying to myself, "I hope this will work ...”

After some twenty minutes of traveling down unpaved roads, here comes in front of us the famous border post. The truck approaches it slowly, I see an official step out of his little cabin and I make myself even smaller in the back, just behind the driver. I regret, at this moment, that I don’t have slitted eyes or at least a costume that could mask that I am obviously an illegal alien in these parts ; that would make my passage so much easier. The official approaches the truck, comes toward the driver, glances briefly at the interior, then makes a sign to the driver to keep on going ... Yes ! He hasn’t seen me, despite my height. So here I am now in Tibet, illegal, certainly, but I am having my happiest moment ... all that’s left now is to pass the 15 or so more control points along the route ahead before reaching the capital Lhasa which is, as of this moment, some 2000 km from here. The first step is completed successfully.

The driver of the truck then leaves me in the next village. In this village, I walk again with my head down to avoid any contact with the local police. While walking, I tell myself how sad this situation is, very sad. This territory, which the Dalai Lama would love to see as a paradise of tolerance, non-violence, and love among people, is today a place where foreign-looking men without Chinese nationality are obliged to walk, head down, in order not to be recognized by the authorities under pain of expulsion from the province. This place that the Dalai Lama wishes could be an example of non-violence is today filled with checkpoints, with armed police, and with military camps. How pitiful !

While I am walking toward the edge of the village, I meet some young Buddhist monks, very surprised by my presence on their land. Photo below :

Once I reached the edge of the village, I sat on my backpack and prepared for long hours of waiting before being able to continue my journey. As you might expect, the traffic in this part of Tibet is very limited. About 1 vehicle every one or two hours pass me by. During this time, I wait peacefully, eating Yak meat, very nutritious dry meat which would allow me to survive in very remote places. A purchase that I didn’t regret. Photo below :

A bit of Yak meat, a bit of reading, but unhappily, very little hitchhiking. It took me more than 7 hours to find a truck heading to the next village. Before that, 3 vehicles passed, but refused to take me, making me understand that the police would not like it, and they didn’t wish to take the risk to allow me on board ... difficult to find arguments, especially in an unknown language, in order to convince them to take me anyway ...

From one village to the next, I made my way gradually across the mountains, each one higher than the next. On one of these mountains, covered in snow, a truck blocked the passage and it took us numerous hours before we are able to continue to advance. On the photos below, you will see that I took advantage from the stop of all the trucks in order to ask if certain drivers were heading directly to Lhasa. Sadly, I received no positive response and I had to continue to travel step by step.

The landscapes passed along the way are magic. Below, several photos taken from the road :

Hitchhiking :

Several photos with young Tibetans I met along the way :

And a group of smiling nuns :

Finally, several photos of Yaks, an animal ever-present in Tibet :

Throughout the whole journey, hitchhiking was not without difficulty. The waiting time at each step was quite long. I did not, however, break my record wait (28 hours in Brazil) but I had on several occasions a waiting time of 5-6 hours, principally due to the low volume of traffic and the fact that the locals don’t want to take a foreigner in their car or truck. The checkposts were frequent and each one caused an adrenaline rush. Very happily, most of the police encountered along the way were probably tired and raised the barrier without really caring about the contents of the vehicle wishing to pass the checkpost. I won’t complain. On two occasions, however, the person who picked me up asked me to get out before the checkpoint. It was therefore on foot, heart beating at 300 km/h, that I passed under the barrier. The police responsible for the checkpoint seemed more surprised than bothered by my presence, and none of them asked me questions, neither about the reason for my presence or for my permit for Tibet. Whew ! The journey can continue ...

Aside from the boat hitchhiking which remained without a doubt the most difficult part of my tour of the world by hitchhiking, I think that traveling across Tibet was, up till now, one of the most difficult steps on earth.

Staying in hotels, even cheap ones (1 to 2 Euros a night) is not possible for foreigners. The police heavily sanction establishments giving lodging to persons who are not Chinese. Even though sleeping outdoors generally poses no problem to me, it was a bit difficult during this trip given that the cold of the Tibetan nights would have without a doubt not permitted me to see the next morning. During seven days of hitchhiking, I had to sleep here, there and everywhere. This included in trucks, in a garage, or in local homes. Below, several photos taken with a family who allowed me to stay with them while I waited in front of their door for the eventual passage of a truck ... As was also the case in Laos, it was necessary for me to play doctor, this time with the father of the family. My box of Doliprane (Tylenol) helped me again.

One of the most memorable moments with this family was the evening meal. Of course, noodles were on the menu. I ate the noodles with chopsticks "à l’Européenne", which is to say, without having my head in the bowl and without making slurping noises. The entire family, very surprised by my manner of eating, stopped eating themselves and watched me with fixed stares until the son explained to me that to eat noodles properly I have to follow their example. The head in the bowl and the mouth ready to swallow the noodles directly ... I had to manage somehow to eat like the locals, trying to make as much noise as possible. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" ... An episode that, in any case, made my hosts laugh.

Photo of the place where I spent the night :

Next morning, one of the family members was heading in the same direction and offered to take me in his truck. His technique for warming the engine made me laugh, but sadly - it wasn’t enough and the truck didn’t want to start. It’s only after four more hours of waiting that a new solution presented itself to me :

A few days later, some young Chinese picked me up and offered to let me share their hotel room. Here’s a photo taken in the car with these young Chinese :

We are now in the town of Nyngh, some 700 km from Lhasa. I enter the hotel, following my new friends. Conscious of the fact that my presence could cause a problem, I pass quickly through the main hall and go up to the door of the room I will share with 2 others. At that moment I am very tired, dirty, and I am dreaming of a peaceful night and a good shower. Unhappily, the card that is supposed to open the door doesn’t work and, 3 seconds later, the manager of the little hotel comes to fix the problem and, inevitably, notices me. He allows me to enter the room but immediately calls a member of the group and says something to the effect that “Your foreign friend can’t stay here. If the police come to know that a foreigner is staying in my hotel, I will face a fine and your friend will be expelled from Tibet in a second.” Several seconds after this conversation, Yeng-li comes to see me and says to me in a very basic but comprehensible English “sorry, problem, can’t stay here, police don’t want” ... Having more or less anticipated this eventuality, I asked if I could stay in the car during the night. Following this question, a grand discussion in Chinese ensued among all the members of the group trying to help me, certainly in agreement with me that my situation is ridiculous.. “Car is cold,” says one of them. I smile at this answer because I have no other possibilities between my hands and staying outside would pose a double danger : the cold and the police. Another says to me, “don’t go out, police, problem if see you.” Interesting situation. I can’t stay inside the hotel because the owner is afraid to have problems and I can’t go out because the police could see me. What can I do ? Fly away ? By luck, my travel companions were dynamic, intelligent young men. One of them, Michael by his English name, goes down several steps and returns to the reception to see the manager then comes back several minutes later. “The manager agrees that you can stay on the condition that you don’t go out and that we leave early tomorrow morning, OK ?" Of course, this proposal was accepted and, like a criminal, I stayed in the hotel room for fear of meeting the police. As for dinner, I had it in the room as well, Michael having graciously brought me a plate from a small restaurant nearby ...

After a restful night, a good shower, and an essential shave, I take the last straight line. Together with my travel companions, I put in place a plan in case the police should stop us and ask us where we have slept. The Chinese stayed in a hotel and me, the stranger, in the car, nothing more natural than that ...

Having barely left, the police don’t waste any time showing the end of his nose at the barrier at the exit from town. I fear this checkpoint since it’s the last major town before Lhasa, my muscles clench, once again I try to keep my face behind the tinted glass behind the driver and pray that the gate will be lifted with no consequence. Whew again, luck is on my side, the police don’t see me, and I can head for the capital Lhasa. I heaved a big sigh.

These friendly Chinese finally brought all the way to Lhasa, a city absolutely magic and very spiritual. The Potala, former residence of the Dalai Lama, is an architectural marvel that has today lost some of its allure, like an abandoned ship. Below, the photo taken on my arrival in Lhasa :

Photo of Potala ...

View of the centre of Lhasa City

The City of Lhasa has two distinct parts. If the Tibetan part is full of charm, most of the city today resembles any other Chinese city. Moreover, the big Chinese flag that flies across from Potala, the fact that the main road is called “Beijing Road”, the fact that the Tibetan population will soon be a minority in their own country, are among the many aspects which made me very sad. The Dalai Lama, one of the men I respect the most in the world, calls the activity of the Chinese “Cultural Genocide,” destroying all the historical patrimony, and with it the Tibetan spirit. This genocide is incredibly tangible here and it is regrettable that, with each day that passes, a piece of the Tibetan identity disappears, bit by bit ...

To close, 2 photos of brave women praying. Perhaps they pray that one day their spiritual leader can return to his land ... While waiting, it’s not only the Dalai Lama who can’t return to Tibet ; even carrying his photo or the Tibetan flag is forbidden by Chinese law.

The route from Lhasa up to the Nepali border was, as far as I was concerned, less adventurous since the route is open to foreigners and there is a bit more traffic. The views were, however, superb.

Below, a photo in which you can see the famous Mount Everest, situated at 8848 m above sea level :

... and another where I am waiting for a vehicle to take me to Nepal :

Now I am in the city of Katmandu in Nepal. Having just arrived at the border, I walked toward the centre of the first village where there was a checkpoint. I explained my world tour to the police (who spoke Enlgish !!!) and they helped me to find a truck that would take me to the capital. Photo of the policemen below :

Till next time !

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