Sweet life in Lhasa with sweet tea

If you stroll on the streets in Lhasa when you travel to Tibet, you will find many Tibetan people enjoying tea and chanting happily in tea houses. For hundreds of years, Tibetans have developed the habit of sipping tea. We can find sweet life in Lhasa with sweet tea easily. Some Tibetan people say that they can eat nothing except drinking tea. Sweet tea, prepared by mixing milk and sugar with the juice from fully boiled fermented tealeaves, is Tibetan people’s favorite.

 

In Tibet, tea serves many purposes. It is a symbol of hospitality, a sacred offering, and a meal in itself. People drink the tea alongside flat cakes of ground corn, barley, or buckwheat, called tsamba. The tea is offered to guests in villages, monasteries, or private homes as a sign of hospitality, and must be consumed before conversation can begin. During your Tibet tour, you can pay a visit to a local Tibetan family, and you will be treated with sweet tea or butter tea.

 

To the Tibetan people, butter tea is a beverage that is just like coffee to the Westerners -- a wake-up and a shake-up drink to start the day on the right path. In Tibet no morning can pass without drinking some tea, usually the sweet tea, while no meal can be complete without some tea, which is almost always Tibetan buttered tea. It is also said that you’ve never made a Tibet tour if you did not enjoy a cup of butter tea when travelling in Tibet.

 

Tibetan people in Lhasa prefer to go to a tea house for sweet tea before going to work for the rest of their day. Teahouses sometimes stand as alternative places to find the ones who are otherwise expected in their workplace in the morning and in the early afternoon. When you travel to Tibet, you are highly recommended to spend at least one hour in a tea house. It only costs you RMB 0.7 for a cup of tea. So cheap!!

 

In fact, tourists are highly recommended to go to the Fine and Happiness Teahouse in Lhasa across the road of the Lhasa Middle School. The teahouse serves noodles, yak curry, chowmein, fried rice and all sorts of tea. Most importantly, the income of the teahouse is the life support of hundreds of orphans at Dickey Orphanage found by the owner of the Fine and Happiness Teahouse, Amala Dadhon who tries every best to keep the sweet home and living condition for the children though it is really very hard. Thanks for those donations from kind tourists, children in Dickey Orphanage are living a better life.  

 

When you make a Lhasa tour, you will be appreciated to bring some gifts for the kids in the orphanage. You can also go to visit the gift shop at the orphanage. They sell hand-made bags, rugs, jewelry and pottery. The income is also used to maintain the life of the children and improve their living and educating conditions.

 

Except sweet tea, there is also salted butter tea in Tibet. The Tibetan buttered tea is prepared by mixing butter and salt with the juice from fully boiled fermented tealeaves. Before serving, the mixture has to be further blended in a special blender. More often than not, a slim wooden cylinder is used for the blending. After the mixture is put in the cylinder, a piston is used to push and pull inside the cylinder. With the passing of the mixture through the split between the piston and the cylinder, the mixture of butter, salt, and tea is forcefully and thoroughly blended. If you drop a visit to Barkhor Street during your Tibet tour, you may find such cylinders at a certain shop. 

 

 

How to be a responsible tourist in Tibet

No matter which place we travel to, we should be a responsible traveler. Tibet is a dream place for many travelers. It is said that a Tibet tour is a lifetime journey. Let’s see how to be a responsible tourist in Tibet. A responsible tourist in Tibet means a lot. On one hand, you should be responsible for yourself. One the other hand, you should be responsible for the tourist destination.

 

To be responsible for yourself, you should make a Tibet tour plan carefully. When making a tour plan to Tibet, you should first choose a responsible Tibet travel agency because foreign travelers are required to travel to Tibet under the organization of a registered travel agent. There are dozens of travel agencies on internet saying that they can offer you Tibet tour service, but not all travel agencies are reliable and legal. So do spend some time to know more about these travel agencies, such as Tibet travel org and Tibet tour org. You can talk with their tour consultants and judge whether they are professional and reliable. 

 

Besides, you should make sure you got valid documents for travelling in Tibet. Generally, there are four documents for foreigners to travel in Tibet. Except your passport and Chinese visa, you need to apply for Tibet entry permit and maybe Alien’s travel permit. The Tibet permit is a must for you to board the flight for train to Tibet. Do not try to slip into Tibet without Tibet permit. Your trip will be spoiled by your stupid manner. According to the policy on Tibet permit 2013, it is easy for tourists to get Tibet permit.  

 

In addition, pay attention to your health when travel to Tibet. Tibet is a tourist destination that is quite different from many places, especially its altitude which easily causes altitude sickness. Before travelling to Tibet, you are highly recommended to have a thorough examination. If you are suffering one of the following illnesses, it is not advisable for you to make a tour to Tibet.

 

1. Organic heart diseases, severe arrhythmia or resting heart rate over 100per minute, high blood pressure II or above, all kinds of blood diseases and cranial vascular diseases.

 

2. Chronic respiratory system diseases, medium degree of obstructive pulmonary diseases or above, such as bronchus expansion, emphysema and so on.

 

3. Diabetes mellitus which is not controlled properly, hysteria, epilepsia and schizophrenia.

 

4. People with Bad cold, upper respiratory tract infections, and body temperature above 38 Celsius or below 38 Celsius while the whole body and the respiratory system have obvious symptoms, are not recommended to travel to Tibet until they're ok.

 

5. People who were diagnosed to have high altitude pulmonary edema, high altitude cerebral edema, high altitude hypertension with obvious increase of blood pressure, high altitude heart diseases and high altitude polycythemia.

 

6. High risk pregnant women. 

 

In addition, to be a responsible tourist in Tibet, you should respect local Tibetan culture and customs, and protect the environment of Tibet during your Tibet tour.

 

1. Do not wear shorts or short skirts and tops which bare shoulders when visit a temple in Tibet.

 

2. Don’t intrude on local people’s homes, tents, land or private activities (such as sky burials). Show respect for local’s private property and personal space. Always ask for permission before entering private property or land.

 

3. Don’t be disrespectful at religious sites or family homes by wearing shorts or revealing clothing or kissing or touching intimately in public. Remove your hat and shoes unless instructed otherwise and don’t step over people or people’s legs – feet are considered dirty. Don’t relax by putting your feet up on tables or chairs.

 

4. Don’t swim in holy lakes, sit on holy objects such as mani stones or walk on or step over prayer flags.

 

5. Don’t break local laws and regulations. Make sure you have the valid Tibet travel permits – your travel agency and tour guide or host could be fined or may even lose their license if you break the law.

 

6. Minimize your waste and dispose of waste appropriately. You are kindly requested to carry reusable cups, plates, cutlery or chopsticks. Try to purchase produce which is not wrapped in plastic. Avoid using disposable plastic shopping bags. If you make a Tibet tour to remote places in Tibet without environmentally sound trash management systems, pack your garbage out to larger towns or cities when it can be disposed of appropriately. If there is no toilet, dig a hole at least 25cm deep and bury human waste. Burn or bury toilet paper.

 

 

What tourists can do for local people when travel to Tibet

Some tourists would like to do something instructive to local people when they travel to a certain place. Then what tourists can do for local people when travel to Tibet?

 

Tibet is reputed as the last pure land on earth, partly because of pure spiritual world of Tibetan people, and partly because of well-preserved environment. When tourists make a tour to Tibet, they are appreciated to protect the pure land or help local people to preserve their home town.

 

Firstly, tourists should respect local customs as Tibetans have a very different culture style and customs. So don’t do the following things.

 

1. Touch religious objects in temples

 

If you take a Tibetan monastery in your Tibet tour, don’t touch sutras, Buddhist statues, paintings and musical instruments and never leap from the tops, or you will defile the God in Tibetan Buddhism.

 

2. Talk aloud when watching religious ceremony

 

If you happen to meet a religious ceremony in a monastery, do keep quiet during religious ceremony.

 

3. Smoke in a temple

 

If you are a heavy smoker, do control yourself and do not smoke in a temple in Tibet because it is holy place for Tibetan people. 

 

4. Shout at the top of mountains

 

Usually, tourists would be excited and shout when climb up to the top of a mountain. But please keep quiet on the top of mountains in Tibet. It is believed that loud noise will result in heavy snow, storms or hail.

 

5. Walk counter-clockwise in Barkhor Street

 

The famous Barkhor Street is a must-visit place for a Tibet tour. At the same time, it is also a sacred kora for Tibetan Buddhists who always walk clockwise around the Barkhor Street. So please do as local Tibetans do, especially during the peak hours of pilgrimage from 9 am to 6 pm.

 

Besides, the geographic environment of Tibet is a kind of fragile. When you are travelling in Tibet, please do not scatter garbage. You are kindly asked to use environmental friendly products while keeping your waste far from water sources. Lastly tourist should only travel on well trafficked paths without creating new ones, as this prevents soil erosion from accumulating, especially when you are trekking in Tibet.

 

In addition, tourists are appreciated to bring some gifts to Tibetan kids at remote areas. As we know, most areas of Tibet are off the main roads and the living condition of the Tibetan people in remote areas is very poor. Moreover, the climate and environment of Tibet are harsh. There are many Tibetan people needing help, especially Tibetan kids. There is decent house and school for them, let alone amusement park. Tourists can bring some school bags, reading books, pens, basketballs and other sporting products and school supplies for them.

 

Tourists can also donate some money or goods to orphanages in Tibet when travel to Tibet. Due to the poor medical and harsh living condition in Tibet, some kids lose their family very young. Fortunately, there is another home for them, that is, orphanage. For instance, the Dickey Orphanage is a home for over hundred orphans. But the foundation of the orphanage is a self-motivated action, thus the Dickey Orphanage needs your help, the kids there need your help.

 

In fact, you are doing contribution to the Tibet land when you make a Tibet tour. But do make sure your money is spent on service offered by Tibetan people and Tibetan products, for instance, using a local Tibet travel agency, hiring local Tibetans as your tour guide, etc.

The railway to Tibet is one of the world's top 25 iconic rails

Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the only railway to Tibet is one of the world’s top 25 iconic rails according to the US-based Society of International Railway Travelers that has published a list of the world's top 25 iconic rail adventures. The list includes a variety of trains from the first-class Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express, which crosses eight time zones from Europe to Asia, to India's wheezing 125-year-old steam Toy Train. 

 

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, dubbed the railway on the "roof of the world", was put in operation in 2006 and has carried millions of travelers to Tibet. This railway to Tibet greatly changes travelers’ way of travelling to Tibet. In the past, tourists can only travel to Tibet by air and overland. By train to Tibet seemed delusional before the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

 

The Qinghai-Tibet railway, a miracle in human’s project history, makes many world’s firsts. 

 

1. World’s highest railway - With an average altitude of 4,000 meters, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway ranks the highest railway in the world.

 

2. World’s highest train station - With an altitude of 5,068, Tanggula Railway Station along the railway to Tibet is renowned as the highest train station in the world.

 

3. World's longest plateau railway – Extending 1,956 kilometers from Xining to Lhasa on the Tibetan Plateau, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is considered at the longest plateau rail.   

 

4. World’s longest rail on frozen earth – With 550 kilometers constructed on frozen earth, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has the longest rail on frozen earth in the world.

 

5. World's highest railway tunnel – Located at 4,905 meters above sea level, Fenghuoshan railway tunnel on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the highest in the world.   

 

6. World's longest plateau tunnel – With 1,686 meters in length, Kunlun Mountain Tunnel is the world's longest plateau tunnel.

 

If you miss an experience on such a miraculous railway when travelling to Tibet, it will be a great regret in your lifetime. At present, travelers can take train to Tibet from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xining and Chongqing. Except from Xining, it generally takes two days to arrive at Lhasa by train. For instance, the Beijing to Lhasa train will take about 44 hours to Lhasa and the Shanghai to Lhasa train will take around 47 hours to Lhasa. 

 

Besides, if you travel to Tibet by train, a copy of Tibet permit is enough to board the train to Lhasa together with your train ticket, but if you go to Tibet by air, the original Tibet permit is required. It is quite easy to get a copy of the Tibet permit. For example, your travel agency can send you a scanned copy of the Tibet permit by email or fax, and then you print it by yourself. Very easy!

Why is Qinghai-Tibet Railway a world wonder?

The famous highest railway in the world, Qinghai-Tibet Railway is reputed as a man-made world wonder and attracts thousands of travelers to take a train to Tibet from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, etc. Why? It is not merely because it is the world’s highest railway, but also because that the railway is built on the land that many international experts thought it was impossible. So what were the challenges of building this railway to Tibet? The followings are the four major challenges Chinese engineers tackled in constructing the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.   

 

High altitude

 

High altitude is a great risk for travelers who travel to Tibet for the first time, let alone the constructors of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway who had to do heavy work. The oxygen content along the railway is only 50-60 percent of that at sea level as some 960 km of tracks are built on plateau - more than 4,000 meters above sea level. The highest point reaches 5,072 meters, which made it the world's highest railway. Therefore, the workers had to shoulder oxygen bottles to get to work.

 

The high altitude also makes low temperature along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The annual average temperature on some construction sites is below zero degrees Celsius with the lowest temperature at -45 degrees Celsius.

 

Permafrost and wetland

 

As we know, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is also known as the longest track on frozen earth. There is as long as 550 kilometers of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway constructed on the permafrost which features soft and wet soil in summer, hard and stretching in winter and is a great trouble for all engineers in the world.

 

To solve this problem, engineers used stone embankment - a layer of loosely piled chunks of granite about the size of baseballs that allows enough space between the rocks for air to circulate freely. In some places, the engineers bury ventilation pipes in the ground. The pipes simply allow the cold air to circulate underneath the rail-bed. In other spots, though, a pipe called a thermosiphon is sunk 5 meters (15 feet) into the ground and filled at the bottom with ammonia. The ammonia becomes gas at a low temperature, giving off a vapor that draws heat from the bottom of the tube and flushes it out the top, cooling at the same time.

 

Building a bridge over the permafrost is the most expensive way to have the least impact on the area. The 11.7km Qingshuihe Bridge at Hoh Xil is the world-longest bridge built on the permafrost. If tourists travel to Tibet by train, it should be a notable place during the Tibet train tour.   

 

Fragile ecosystem

 

The ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau is quite fragile. There are many rare animals and plants on the plateau, such as Tibetan antelope, Kiang, black-necked cranes. Protection of the ecological environment should be the first concern in the design of the Tibet Railway. Thus, the track must avoid the major habitats of wild animals. If it was impossible to keep away from the habitats, other solutions must be figured out. For example, 25 passageways for wild animals based on their migration habit were built along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to minimize disturbance to the nature reserves for endangered animals when the train to Tibet is in operation. Besides, engineers also figured out ways to prevent damage to permafrost and wetlands.

 

All waste water from construction and camp sites was also processed to meet the corresponding sewage treatment standard before discharge. Solid waste from construction sites and trash from campsites was sorted out and recycled whenever possible. Waste and trash that cannot be degraded was moved to appropriate places for batch treatment.

 

Train to Tibet

 

All the Tibet trains were also tailor-made according to the environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. All the trains to Tibet were installed with environment-friendly toilets, wastewater deposit tanks and garbage treatment facilities to protect environment along the railroad.

 

The train to Tibet is totally sealed, air-conditioned and equipped with special facilities, such as supercharging system, oxygen supply, altitude display, etc. Tourists who travel to Tibet by train would feel very comfortable on the train to Tibet. 

 

The railway to Tibet is one of the world's top 25 iconic rails

Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the only railway to Tibet is one of the world’s top 25 iconic rails according to the US-based Society of International Railway Travelers that has published a list of the world's top 25 iconic rail adventures. The list includes a variety of trains from the first-class Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express, which crosses eight time zones from Europe to Asia, to India's wheezing 125-year-old steam Toy Train. 

 

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, dubbed the railway on the "roof of the world", was put in operation in 2006 and has carried millions of travelers to Tibet. This railway to Tibet greatly changes travelers’ way of travelling to Tibet. In the past, tourists can only travel to Tibet by air and overland. By train to Tibet seemed delusional before the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

 

The Qinghai-Tibet railway, a miracle in human’s project history, makes many world’s firsts. 

 

1. World’s highest railway - With an average altitude of 4,000 meters, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway ranks the highest railway in the world.

 

2. World’s highest train station - With an altitude of 5,068, Tanggula Railway Station along the railway to Tibet is renowned as the highest train station in the world.

 

3. World's longest plateau railway – Extending 1,956 kilometers from Xining to Lhasa on the Tibetan Plateau, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is considered at the longest plateau rail.   

 

4. World’s longest rail on frozen earth – With 550 kilometers constructed on frozen earth, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has the longest rail on frozen earth in the world.

 

5. World's highest railway tunnel – Located at 4,905 meters above sea level, Fenghuoshan railway tunnel on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the highest in the world.   

 

6. World's longest plateau tunnel – With 1,686 meters in length, Kunlun Mountain Tunnel is the world's longest plateau tunnel.

 

If you miss an experience on such a miraculous railway when travelling to Tibet, it will be a great regret in your lifetime. At present, travelers can take train to Tibet from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xining and Chongqing. Except from Xining, it generally takes two days to arrive at Lhasa by train. For instance, the Beijing to Lhasa train will take about 44 hours to Lhasa and the Shanghai to Lhasa train will take around 47 hours to Lhasa. 

 

Besides, if you travel to Tibet by train, a copy of Tibet permit is enough to board the train to Lhasa together with your train ticket, but if you go to Tibet by air, the original Tibet permit is required. It is quite easy to get a copy of the Tibet permit. For example, your travel agency can send you a scanned copy of the Tibet permit by email or fax, and then you print it by yourself. Very easy!

Tips to get Tibet travel permit 2013

Generally, all travelers to Tibet can get Tibet permit easily, but there are still something you should know if you are a fresh traveler to Tibet. Hope the following tips to get Tibet travel permit 2013 will be helpful for you.

 

1. Prepare proper documents to apply for Tibet permit

 

To apply for Tibet permit, you need to send your Tibet travel agency the high-quality scanned copies of your valid passport and China visa. At the same time, you need to offer the following information: your full name, gender, date of birth, passport number and nationality - all exactly the same as on your passport and your Tibet tour route.

 

2. Travelers in the following careers are not allowed to apply for Tibet permit through travel agency

 

If you are a diplomat, journalist or government official, you cannot travel to Tibet with a travel agency. You should travel to Tibet under the arrangement by the Foreign Affairs Office of Tibet Government.

 

3. Leave enough time for your Tibet travel agency to arrange Tibet permit for you

 

As the Tibet Tourism Bureau needs at least 10 to 15 days to process your application for Tibet permit, you need to send necessary documents to your Tibet travel agency at least two weeks in advance.  

 

4. Do not mention Tibet as your destination when applying for Chinese visa

 

Tibet is a politically sensitive area. If you mention Tibet as your tour destination, your application for Chinese visa might be refused without any specific reasons. You can mention Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai or other China mainland cities except Tibet.  

 

5. Travelers in a Tibet tour group only can get one permit for the members in the group

 

Permits are now being issued to groups of all sizes, even solo travelers. At this time, groups of travelers of different nationalities cannot obtain a single travel permit for their Tibet tour. They can get a group permit. But if you travel to Tibet by air, the original Tibet permit is required when boarding the flight. Therefore if there are several travelers in your tour group planning to fly to Tibet, you should take the same flight to Tibet. In fact, it is easily to solve this problem. You can apply for Tibet permit individually and then travel in Tibet together after arriving in Lhasa.

 

If you travel to Tibet by train, a copy of the Tibet permit works when boarding the train to Tibet. So the travelers in your tour group do not need to take the same train to Tibet. For example, you can take the Beijing to Lhasa train, while your travel mates can take Shanghai to Lhasa train or Chengdu to Lhasa train.