Our trip to Tibet started with the most incredible plane journey I have ever taken. Seeing so many tall mountains, as far as the eye can see, peeking out from the clouds was breathtaking. It definitely stole our attention away from the plain congee they served us for breakfast!
We spent a few days in Lhasa (3700m altitude) to acclimatise before we began trekking, just exploring the city and resting. It was so difficult to remember to walk slowly etc but we didn't really get any altitude sickness (AMS) symptoms here. Foreigners have to employ a guide for everyday of their stay, though thankfully they do not need to accompany you everywhere. Our trip was organised by Tenzin, Tibet's first rapper. He gave us a copy of his album when we arrived - all about Buddhism, his music is influenced by Eminem and Tupac - I can't wait to give it a listen!
The cuisine was not the high point. Tibetan food is basically stodge, although these noodles were not bad at all.
There were a large number of restaurants targeting the huge number of western tourists, all filled with menus containing a mixture of Chinese, Nepalese, Western and surprisingly good Indian food. Luckily the milk tea was abundant, served in big flasks that we enjoyed in outside seating with a view of the hills.
Although there were a huge number of temples, and a continuous circuit of pilgrims praying and prostrating, the city didn't feel very spiritual, just very touristy. It was very pretty though :)
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