My trip to Tibet
At The beginning of August of 2001, I joined a group visiting Tibet to start my exciting discovery of that mysterious region.
The first place we visited was "The Land of God", Lhasa. It is
the capital of Tibet and is located on the Tibetan plateau, 3,600 meters above
sea level. I knew from the beginning that altitude sickness should not be overlooked,
but I never expected it to be so difficult to overcome. Even though I took all counter measures,
for instances, drinking 3.5 liters of water a day, resting well and moving about
slowly, I was still affected by oxygen deficiency; I lost my appetite and had
headaches all day long. One night my headache was so severe that I took whatever
medicine I had, both western and local painkillers, to have a good sleep. I
understood that without enough rest, I could collapse anytime during this type
of tough journey. Therefore, if you wish to visit Tibet, the first thing to be
done is to build up your body.
The most amazing place was the "Potala Palace", a World Heritage Site, which is located in Lhasa at an altitude of 3,700 meters above sea level and occupies 360,000 square meters of land. The main structure is 117 meters high and 360 meters wide from east to west. The Palace, resplendent and magnificent, is an outstanding representative of Tibetan architecture. There are nearly 1,000 Buddhist pagodas and 1,000 Buddhist statues inside the Palace. There is also a huge collection of gold, silver and jade artifacts, porcelain vessels, enamel work and other handcrafted articles.
The Tibet trip was very tough, but it was the most unforgettable experience for me.
?