Tibet to Nepal

Simon writes:

Yesterday we entered Nepal, our sixteenth country, via two roadblock-based protests against uninvestigated deaths (delay: 4 hours). We've come half way across the world with (among other things) two jars of nutella, two jars of peanut butter, 3 sleeping sheets, a headlamp, a motion-powered torch, a mosquito net, a vast and largely untouched store of medical supplies and two toy penguins.

So now, with our bloody-minded antipathy to air travel still just about in tact, we're thinking about how to get back again. But before we get into that particular minefield (perhaps quite literally!), here's some other stuff.

You're about to read a list of 10 things I/we did in Tibet. Yes, I realise I've used this format before but we've been on the road for five and a half months and, at this stage, originality is for greater men than I.

1. Gave painkillers to a monk with a sore throat.
2. Discovered I have electric long johns(static sparks literally flew at night!).
3. Drank "Jolly Shandy" and realised I'm going to end up with a bunch of rubbish postcards cos there's only ever a couple decent ones in each set you buy.
4. Got a Tibetan lesson from a young monk/local jester (see pic).

This fella was a legend. If he wasn't a monk he'd be an international superstar. He spoke good Chinese and with my very bad Chinese and his joyous gesticulations we were able to understand each other. Topics discussed over fried potatoes and yak butter tea (I didn't actually have any that time cos I'd tried it before and it's rank) included: the Middle East, Barack Obama (he was a fan) and the Chinese (he wasn't a fan).
5. Met a monk in Shigatse called Friday (Basang in Tibetan) who said that China is a cage for people like him. Very sad.
6. Played frisbee at Everest base camp with an intrepid/crazy Canadian who was wondering round Tibet without a permit or a guide. He said he thought he was going to die a couple nights before when he was sleeping out in the open. Rather you than me mate. Still, an amazing individual with some incredible travel stories. Here are some pics from that day:



7. Promised to pass on a letter from a grateful Tibetan guide/shepherd to an old English lady (if I can find her) who'd looked after him while he'd been in exile in India.
8. Ate traditional Tibetan village food: mutton with tsampa (barley grain). For those of you familiar with coarse fishing, tsampa looks and (I imagine) tastes like ground bait. Filling, if nothing else...
9. Rode the highest railroad in the world to Lhasa and saw antelope, Tibetan wild asses (like horses, just in case there's any confusion) and wild yaks from the windows.
10. Met two friendly cyclists from Edinburgh, exchanged travel information and became enthused about getting home via Pakistan and Iran. More on that to follow no doubt.

Assorted Tibet pics: