Leaving Lhasa – The long road to Gyangtse
June 16
We knew that today would be a challenging travel day as we need to travel 280 km to Gyangtse and along the way we would reach a high point of 4,700m (14,100). Even still, we underestimated the impact on our bodies.
We awoke feeling good having finally adjusted to the time zone. We left the hotel around 8:45 and snaked our way through the endless Chinese development of outer Lhasa. After a few hours of windy roads, we had reached the Kamba-la pass at 4,700m with its breathtaking view of one of Tibets holy lakes, Yamdrok Lake. We took a lovely stroll to the top of a hill covered in prayer flags.
Back in the van we drove down to the lake and ended up paying $3.00 for a picture on a yak. Totally worth it! Earlier we had spent $3.00 to have our pictures taken with the famous Tibetian mastiff dogs which helped the kids with their missing sneaker. Back in the van for another hour of bumpy roads until we arrived at the off the beaten path Samding monastery. When we arrived tyler wasn’t feeling well enough to walk the 100m to the monastery, which wasn’t a good sign. Tom piggybacked him in so he would miss the monks who were practicing for an upcoming ceremonial dance performance. While there he became the object of great interest for 3 young monks.
Later, the monks came out to see us off and someone had the idea to show them Tyler’s fidget spinner. That got tyler up and he spent the last of his energy showing them how it works. Showing great generosity, he gave them his red spinner which they very much appreciated.
We know it was the last of his energy, because when we got back into the van we made it around 2 turns before he shouted “stop!” and thankfully stuck his head out the window before vomiting with great force. He felt better afterwards, but still wasn’t up to snuff.
There was still 3 hours of driving left and after a short noodle soup lunch we were back on the road. About 90 minutes later we arrived at a massive roadside glacier (Karo La) at 5,020m elevation. Almost immediately upon stopping, Tyler stepped out of the van to throw up. However, that didn’t stop the most aggressive sales person we’ve seen to date. While Tyler was barfing in a ditch, he continued to show his “excellent” chunk of amber.
Like glaciers around the world, this one is retreating rapidly. 5 years ago, the glacier went down to the road. Now the glacier is roughly half its size.
Back on the road, we drove for another 90 minutes arriving around 7pm in the very quaint town of Gyangtse. Tyler went for a “three-peat” and barfed at the hotel. Evie was also feeling the effects of the altitude and the drive so Sue and the kids stayed home while Tom wandered the streets finding the main chorten (also called a stupa) and the adorable old town.
Everyone was feeling the effects of the long day and the elevation. We are all thankful to have 2 nights in Gyangtse.
