Free travel from Chongqing to Tibet

Want to go to Tibet, that was two years ago; For various reasons, it has been delayed until this year; I wanted to go in July, but I was finally forced to cancel and the meeting was held several times. At the end of July, things finally turned eventful, and the plan to enter Tibet in August was determined.

It is not easy to discuss the itinerary, because it is necessary to coordinate ideas from all sides. After many discussions, a more perfect journey was finally determined. If a person expects to go to Tibet for the first time, unless he has a lot of time, such an idea can only be a fantasy. For the first time visitors to Tibet, it is very realistic to complete some routine scenic spots and routes first.

Traveling in Tibet can take Lhasa as the core and radiate from here. Basically, there are four regular routes for you to choose from: First, you can enjoy Namco, a scenic spot in the Holy Lake. From Lhasa to Namco, you can choose to return on the same day, but such a trip needs to fly over Daiyue, and it takes about 8-9 hours to drive back and forth; If you want to watch the sunrise and sunset, you'd better sleep in a tent by the holy lake for one night, but the altitude of 4700 meters and the thin oxygen make many travelers flinch, so if your physical strength is average, you'd better choose to return on the same day like me, which is more conservative.

The second is to feel the Linzhi line in southern Tibet. It only takes two days from Lhasa to Linzhi to visit Basongcuo and other conventional scenic spots, but if you want to truly appreciate some unique features of Tibet, you should give yourself 1 day to enjoy the scenery of Lulang Ranch, which is known as Little Switzerland, where you can taste the local chicken, watch the snow-capped mountains and enjoy the tranquility alone. You can also ride a bike or charter a car to the confluence of Shuangjiang River. Along the way, you can enjoy the unique scenery of Yang Ni, where there are real Tibetans and shepherds. Although the road is not so smooth, the beautiful scenery along the way is enough to shock your heart. If you are lucky, on the way to Lulang Ranch, you can also see Nanga Bawa Peak and witness the most beautiful mountain in China. Of course, you can also go to see the Grand Canyon by boat or yacht, but you have to spend more money, because we didn't take a boat on the first night of seeing the Yangtze River, and of course we didn't pass by the regular scenic spots, but we added a day's trip, which was well spent: if I didn't see the pastoral scenery of Lulang Ranch and the island beauty of Yangni River, I might not remember southern Tibet; But because I saw these, I know that Jiangnan here is a unique scenery in Tibet.

The third is a journey beyond the soul, starting from Lhasa, passing through Shigatse and arriving at Everest Base Camp on a fixed date. You can stop at Shigatse to see the temple and go to Gyangze to see the natural scenery in the movie red river valley, but the ultimate goal of the route is of course to go to the base camp and see the majesty of Mount Everest. If you want to watch the sunrise, you can stay in a tent in the base camp for one night, or visit the Rongbu Temple. But we didn't dare to live in the base camp because of altitude sickness, and returned to a fixed date at night. Fortunately, on the way back, we saw the whole picture of Mount Everest. It takes you four days to prepare such a route back to Lhasa.

The fourth is to go to Yadong and Zhangmu. After four days of preparation, you can see the scenery of the virgin forest. This route can actually be combined with the trip to Everest, and it will take two more days to play both places.

In the end, we chose Namco, Everest and Linzhi, and according to the advice of professional tour guides, we went to Linzhi as the first stop, because low altitude, low oxygen content and high energy made us adapt to the plateau first. The second stop is Namco; Finally, I went to Mount Everest. Originally, I wanted to go to Yadong, but I stayed in Tibet for the second time because I was going back to Lhasa to attend the Snowdon Festival. Therefore, if you are going to Tibet for the first time, you may wish to design the route according to your own time and the scenery you want to see most, and choose two or three routes as your travel goals. Don't expect to get to know Tibet in depth once, even if you take a cursory look, you will be shocked by your heart, because as long as you stand on this magnificent land, in the nearest place to the sky, you will never forget its thoroughness and blue. ........

Of course, I forgot that you need to prepare for 2-3 days in Lhasa. You'd better rest honestly on your first day in Lhasa. No matter how strong a person is, he will feel a little when he reaches the plateau. It will take you half a day to visit Potala Palace. The turn of the Jokhang Temple, the piety of believers, the debate of the Sera Temple and the amorous feelings of Bajiao Street are not to be missed. You can also bring a novel to kill time on the terrace of Maggie Ami Bar. .........

Also, if you can buy a train ticket on the way, take the train first when you go, because the scenery along the way is beautiful, and it will be a little aesthetic fatigue to go back by train in many places, because you have seen many scenery on the previous journey, and only the appearance of Tibetan antelope will make you excited, which is wrong with the vastness of the lake. ......

(2) Living and traveling in Tibet

Before I went, I looked up a lot of travel notes of donkey friends on the Internet and called many hotels. Now the accommodation price in Tibet is not what it used to be, and it is no exaggeration to describe it as an amazing increase. Compared with before the railway, it has basically tripled. Most of the three-star prices are in the standard room 380-480 yuan, and other non-star standard rooms are also between 250-300. Of course, we backpackers don't need to go to star-rated places. As long as the inn is safe, clean and comfortable, there are famous Balangxue, Dongcuo Youth Hostel, Asia Hotel and Yuxue Hotel near Bajiao Street on Beijing Road. The most convenient thing about living in this area is that you can easily find your fellow travelers and vehicles. The doors of these inns are covered with all kinds of notes to recruit friends, and you can even board at the door of the inn to find your fellow travelers. These families have been living in Dongcuo. Objectively speaking, Dongcuo is relatively large in scale, with many rooms to choose from and comfortable to live in. But the room near the garden is too noisy, and the room facing the street is not very delicious, so you'd better choose it before moving in. We didn't live in the standard room in the snowy area because it was gone. The ordinary triple room is very affordable, and the one along the street is a little noisy, but the Tibetan aunt there is nice, and I especially miss the aunt who washes clothes. Two yuan of wet clothes are clean and smell of plateau sunshine. In Lhasa, only three-star hotels (including three-star hotels) generally accept reservations. Others just need to call on the same day to ask if there is a bed reservation on the same day or one day in advance. If the accommodation requirements are not high, there is no need to panic. You can always find a place to rest We went back to Lhasa the night before the snowy day, staying in a triple room, without a standard room, and it was very comfortable. By the way, many hotels pay first, register their ID cards when they check in, and pay when they leave. Because of this, the hotel can't be booked, because we don't know when the guests will leave and when there will be beds. However, it is estimated that such Tibetan characteristics will gradually change with the participation of foreign managers.

The accommodation in Linzhi and Shigatse has not been investigated, because every time I go to these places, it is very late and I can only find a place to live, but the most uncomfortable thing is to stay in Sichuan restaurant on a fixed date, and I lost my wallet and suffered heavy losses. The Qomolangma Hotel, where you apply for a border card, is definitely a good choice, and your stay is clean and comfortable.

There are shuttle buses between Lhasa and other places. If you have time, you can take the shuttle bus to travel and enjoy the dialects of your peers. Of course, you should be prepared to stop often. You don't have to take a bus, you can take a ride and rent a car yourself. If the number of people is just right, you can rent a car by yourself. Linzhi and Namco can choose vans, because more than 90% of the roads are asphalt roads. You can only choose off-road vehicles in Everest. If you are short of manpower, you can post to recruit donkey friends. But if you want to be lazy, you can join a carpool in a local travel agency, or you can find a friend who has already packed a car in many small notes. Of course, if you are a recruiter, you have the right to enjoy the rights of the interviewer, and when you are in the position of a recruiter, you can only be "slaughtered". Of course, a good donkey companion is actually very important for a perfect journey, so it is also good to meet. There will be many cars parked in front of the hotel. You can talk to the driver directly, or you can ask the local travel agency to entrust them to help you find the driver. Of course, society is safer and more secure through travel. If there is any problem, you can ask them, but the driver will earn 200 yuan less, so sometimes you need to consider the driver's feelings. At that time, we asked the travel agency for insurance, and they signed the contract, but you can give the travel agency less money, just 200 yuan, and the rest directly to the driver. This way will be better, but it needs your negotiation ability.

(3) Some tickets for Tibet

First of all, I want to talk about the tickets for Potala Palace. Online and the media said that the Potala Palace tickets were sold to 400~600 yuan, and the Potala Palace tickets were 100 yuan. We bought it through scalpers at that time, and each ticket was increased by 100 yuan. However, after communicating with my friends, I found that the ticket was not as tight as I thought. Many people go to get the number on the first day and visit again the next day. If you want to wait in Lhasa for a day, remember to bring your ID card when you go to Potala Palace.

Secondly, I want to talk about the border card. Before going to Lhasa, you can apply directly at the place where your account is located, but you should fill it out as required. No, your passport is fine, and you don't need a border card. If you don't do it well in your own place, you will have to spend a lot of money to entrust a travel agency in Lhasa. If you hire a car through a travel agency, you can ask them to do it for you for free. Otherwise, they will ask you to charge an extra 100 yuan. If you want to save money, you can come by yourself, but don't forget to bring a letter of introduction from your company before you leave, otherwise you can only take a chance. Maybe you can ask the person who did it at the door to give you a 30 yuan tip.

Once again, I want to talk about train tickets. If you can confirm the time of your return after you arrive in Lhasa, you can buy tickets in advance, and book them 10 days in advance, so you don't have to feed the scalpers. If you are worried about your health, you can't be sure until you are sure. If it's a sleeper, it probably needs 150 yuan. The phone number of scalpers can be obtained through innkeepers and other channels, or scalpers will actively promote it through stickers. But my suggestion is that it is better to make a reservation first when we arrive. If the itinerary changes, transfer it to the donkey friend. Send a message and there will be countless people asking for tickets, which will bother you to reply to text messages.

For the donkey friends in Shanghai, there is also the problem of air tickets. If you go to Tibet, you can fly directly, but there is no discount. If you stop over, it is also a good choice to stay in a city for one night and fly the next day. At present, there are three routes, one is Chongqing, and the other is Chengdu and Xi 'an/Xining, which can save 500 yuan. If you choose a good flight, you can fly after work on Friday. We flew to Chongqing on June 5438+0 1 after work and arrived in Lhasa the next day, which was very comfortable.

(5) Gifts from Tibet

Bajiao street, you can cut it at will, half or one third of the price. But it depends on the price. It's usually cheaper when it's closed. Remember to ask more questions and you will have a general idea. Here you can buy small handicrafts and jewels. Make a list and you can catch them all.

There are several designated tourist units for Tibetan incense, Tibetan medicine, dried yak and cordyceps, and the things can be guaranteed to be authentic; But the price will be cheaper than Bajiao Street. It's best to find the name of the brand goods online in advance and look at the local prices. If there is not much difference, it is not too much to simply buy it locally, but if your luggage is convenient to carry, of course, it is best to buy it locally, because the person who gets the gift will be more moved!

(6) Food in Lhasa

In Lhasa, if you don't eat a big meal, you can order a side dish or rice noodles at the Sichuan snack bar on the street. There are small Sichuan restaurants everywhere in Lhasa. Because of the existence of these restaurants and many drivers from Sichuan, Lhasa is also called "Little Sichuan" to a certain extent, but such a title is also quite sad for foreign tourists. Although I love Sichuan food, I still don't want Lhasa to be completely occupied by foreigners.

Here, I recommend two Tibetan restaurants to Xiaozi. When you go to Tibet, you still have to taste authentic Tibetan food. The Tibetan restaurant in Jokhang Temple has a general environment, but it is the first choice for Tibetans and lamas who travel around the world. On the terrace on the second floor, you can order butter tea and yogurt, eat a few rice cakes and feel the simplicity of Tibetan food.

Several western-style bar-style Tibetan restaurants on Beijing Road are also your choice. I don't remember the name of one of them. It should be near the kirey hotel. The stewed radish with yak meat is authentic, delicious and nutritious.

In Lhasa, you can stroll around the farmer's market near Bajiao Street, pick some fruits you like, and talk and laugh loudly with friends in the courtyard or corridor of the hotel at night. It's not funny at all.

(7) Tibetan Plateau Reaction

Objectively speaking, altitude sickness is not as terrible as imagined; But you can't ignore altitude sickness, but you don't have to be scared away by it. I just want to talk about the experiences of the five of us. Before I went, I thought I was the strongest, because I had run a marathon and been to Yunnan, but I had a headache on my way back from Mount Everest. But when I saw the whole picture of the snow-capped mountains, I rushed out of the car door in despair and took more than 100 photos with trembling breath, even though my head still hurt after I got back in the car. On the way back from Namco, I also had a headache and vomited sour water, but on the whole, I recovered quickly. Basically, I had a good meal when I got back to my residence, and nothing happened again. Only two other people who went with me vomited a lot on the first day, but there were no signs on the subsequent journey. What surprised me was PLMM, who seldom exercised and was very busy at work. In Lhasa, she is the strongest. So everyone should have altitude sickness, and the severity is different. Don't be afraid if there are no serious physical problems at ordinary times. You should get used to it after a few days in Lhasa, but your mental state must be better. In fact, many people suffer from altitude sickness because of heavy psychological burden.

The best way to overcome altitude sickness is to go into battle lightly without any psychological burden. You must pay attention to the first day or two when you first go to the plateau. Don't run around, take your time. Please remember! It's just that I exercised too hard a day or two ago, and then I was a little overwhelmed.

(8) About bank cards

Before going, I read some reports that it is best not to bring a lot of cash. If you want to bring a card, it is better to choose CCB. I didn't know until I went there. In fact, ABC and BOC are more convenient, and there are branches and outlets in many places. ATM machines accept all kinds of cards, but you'd better ask your bank about the charges for withdrawals from different places before making a decision. The bank is closed on Saturday and Sunday, but the automatic withdrawal opportunity is waiting for you, so you can avoid the trouble of bringing more cash. Just take a card, ticket and ID card to Lhasa.

(9) About Tibetan children

I didn't want to write such a topic alone, but other fellow travelers reminded me to write down my personal feelings. Although I have encountered some unhappy things, I am afraid that my words will make a mistake of generalizing. Therefore, before writing, I want to remind you that this is just what my fellow travelers and I saw and felt for your reference.

On the way to Namco, we must pass through northern Tibet. When the car stopped, the old lady and children flocked to ask for money and gifts. Some children even opened our car door and took it out of the bag. When they saw that we wouldn't give it, they pulled the door to prevent the driver from driving away. Later, they had an argument with the driver. Give the children pencils. They said it was unnecessary. A child even asked our driver if he wanted a pencil. The same is true at the entrance of Namco. What we feel is panic, not simplicity. This is a discordant scene felt in northern Tibet. Maybe it's because we are naive. I carefully selected four bundles of pencils before I left, and now two bundles are back next to my keyboard. .......

But in southern Tibet, I didn't encounter such a situation. When the child I met on the way to Shigatse gave him a pencil, his curiosity and gratitude still deeply touched me.

So if you want to go to Tibet, maybe you should prepare some other gifts, maybe these are what they really need; Maybe if you really want to bring a pencil, contact a school in advance, where children may really need a pencil. And the children you meet in tourist attractions, in their eyes, it is difficult to reveal the simplicity that moves you.

I wrote the above words casually, because it was already dark at 7 o'clock in Shanghai, but Lhasa was still a flowing crowd and a bright day. On the mountain opposite Mount Qomolangma, my pious bow and trembling hands are capturing the most beautiful moment. Thanks again to my traveling companion, and later joined my cute chubby and humorous Xiao Hu, as well as the distant bear guide. Thinking about the worshipping Khampa, where did you go, or did you arrive in Lhasa on the way? .............

Thanks again to the driver, Brother Liang. Your jeep with a skylight made me get out of the skylight with great prestige and photographed the most beautiful scenery on the roadside. Your skillful driving skills have made us gallop all the way, and your personality deserves our respect. If you want to go to Lhasa and find a simple and good driver, please contact Brother Liang at 13308982025, 13549098224. He is not only a good driver, but also a good guide. He will stop at the most beautiful scenery for you to enjoy, and you will have a safe and beautiful journey with him!

Going to Tibet is not as difficult as you think, as long as you really yearn for that piety, that blue, that mystery ... Don't be afraid, just like us, pack your bags, set foot on this sacred land and feel the paradise of the soul, where you will be as passionate and shocking as me!