Day 42 – Bye Bye Tibet, back to Beijing!

By bogaert

Today I left Tibet behind me, this morning my driver and guide picked me up and after a 1h20m drive we arrived at the airport. They have taken good care of me (they probably had no other option otherwise they would have been in trouble), so I gave them their tip and the time had come to say goodbye! Thanks guys! I checked-in and passed security at the airport, I felt free! Walking around at the airport I was like a tourist attraction, being the only no-Chinese walking around this time of the year, as almost all tourists come during summer.

Whilst waiting at the airport it was time to look backwards on these eight days and pencil down some reflections. The landscapes were breathtaking, the people were friendly, the weather was nice (cold and clear), but the roads were long. It is hard to believe how people survive here, small children must take care of the baby yaks, youngsters working or taking care of the sheep’s, women carrying heavy stones on their back, people walking miles and miles along deserted roads, unheated concrete houses without any kind of modern comfort, people wearing old and dirty clothes, disgusting shared toilets, etc. The contrast with our standard of living is enormous. The rough landscape and awful climate must make it far more difficult for these people compared to other poor countries I have visited before. But every time when people looked at me a big smile came to their face. Looking at their shining eyes and smiling mouth with dark brown teethes you could see their internal happiness.

I was very happy to bring my own down sleeping bag. The rooms were ‘clean’ and ‘heated’, but again far different from what we are used to. Towels and blankets are worn out, grey-yellow colored, and stained. Washing must be far more difficult and definitely without using whitening detergents. The standards are far below our snow white towels and blankets in perfect condition. The heating in the rooms were sufficient to eliminate the cold, but the ways the buildings are constructed make it impossible to hold the heat inside the room. That’s why people always walk around with thick coats, even inside. Having my own down sleeping bag was a big comfort; it was always clean and warm.

Zang

'Zang' is the Chinese character for Tibet

The flight from Lhasa took me back to Beijing. Six weeks ago I landed in Beijing and arrived at Terminal 1, last week I arrived at Terminal 2, and indeed … this time I arrived at Terminal 3! Back in Beijing it took a long taxi ride back to the hotel where my luggage was waiting for me. After check-in Laura was waiting for me. She arranged the drivers the previous time I was in Beijing. Now she took me through Houhai (see day 33), this time I had my camera with me!

Valley