By Rich Juro
We had visited China before, so we signed up with the Himalayan Mountaineering Company to tour Tibet. We flew to Lhasa, the 12,000 foot high capital. Since 1951, Tibet was an autonomous province of China, but even in 1984 the national government was sending small numbers of Han Chinese to Tibet. We stayed in the State Guest House, but that’s not really impressive. Sharing the quarters with Joe and Millie, a nice Texas couple, we had to cross their room to get to ours; and Joe and Millie had to traverse our bedroom to get to the bathroom. At least Joe said only one:
“You’ll be the Texas A&M’s fifth man“.
As you’ll see, Lhasa’s State Guest House was very nice compared to the places we stayed in later.
We spent the next day acclimating to the altitude. (There was no coca tea like in Cuzco, Peru, but we didn’t have the problems many people had.) Finally, we were ready to the Potala Palace: 1000 rooms that served as the political, administrative, and religious center of Tibet. The head of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, used the Potala Palace as his winter home (before Tibet was annexed by China in 1951). The Potala Palace was magnificent! The rooms, the furnishings, and the backdrop of the Himalayan Mountains were beyond words.
After three hours Fran asked the guide if they had a bathroom. The guide said proudly:
“Of course we do. Take the left at the far wall, and you’ll be at a WC (Water Closet = bathroom).“
Fran followed his instructions and silently gave thanks for a clean bathroom. She glanced down through the slit and saw people walking far below. Fran hoped that the clearance of her urethra would not cause a problem for the folks way down. When she returned, and she described it, I said “Bombs Away“!
After a few days in Lhasa, we took the bus to Shannan and Shigatse (Xisang) through the Himalayan passes. The only thing I remember is how high they were (17,000 feet) and the “hotel rooms“. The one in Shannan had one male bathroom and one female bathroom for the entire two floors of rooms. And because of the altitude women had their menstrual flow. The one in Shigatse was a converted army barracks, and a basic one.
The Tibetan people were always gracious and polite, even in the hotels.
For more adventures, visit FranAndRichsTravels.com