I would like to write about my Tibetan and Chinese experience without making comments about Politics but I am sure I won’t be able to do so… as the highlight of my China experience was my visa issues!
Before leaving UK, I had checked all the information about visa and special permits for traveling Tibet. But as the Chinese government is quite “military – oppressive” by the time I got in Nepal everything had changed (I must confess that it didn’t surprise me at all!). The news was that it was no more allowed to enter Tibet with a group visa of ONE. (It is not possible to enter Tibet through Nepal as independent traveler – it is necessary to buy a tour with a travel agency…. Before I left UK it was possible you go with a group but having a group visa with only your name on it - it was ideal as it permitted you travel to China by yourself afterwards…. You didn’t need to follow the group till you left the country). When I got to Nepal you needed to have at least two people in each group visa – so you need to be the shadow of someone else!…
At least my shadow (shadow = person I shared the group visa with) was a very friendly aussie (don’t get excited – I only mean FRIENDLY! Ahahahah).
Well, let’s come back to the trip…. We were a group of 8 ( 2 Aussies, 2 kiwis, 1 Canadian, 1 Swedish, 1 Korean and me !)… We had great fun!
The overland trip from Nepal to Lhasa lasted 6 days and it was one of the most beautiful overland trips I have ever done, Tibetan landscape is so unique, it is even hard to explain ( you need to do the trip yourself to understand what I mean!). The Everest view from Tibet side is also much more beautiful than the Nepali side of it; we drove for hours having the Everest just beside us on the road. It was great!
Unfortunately I cannot say the same about the Tibetan villages and especially Lhasa itself. It is very difficult to find a bit of Tibet in Tibet. Like many travelers had told me, Tibet is more Chinese than China itself. Lhasa after Chinese invasion is just another very big Chinese city, full of high buildings and… I even bet it will have a MacDonalds in2005!
In the beginning I had the impression China was doing many good things for Tibet ( building roads, new houses, etc) as the Tibetan themselves are the most… how to say politely …well let’s be honest…”useless” people I have ever seen… they spend all day praying and giving all the little money they have to the rich Buddhists monks.
But if you really analyze the situation, the Tibetans don’t have any access to any facility provided by China, all only for Chinese. There are two different economic classes in Tibet, the rich Chinese and the poor Tibetan.
We also need to consider that China has the youngest prisoner in the world, a 5 years old boy that had been chosen by the Tibetans to be the new Dalai Lama. China keeps him as prisoner and also obligates the Tibetans and the world to “accept “a new Dalai lama chosen by the Chinese Government – a Chinese little boy!
The visit to Tibet also changed completely my idea of Buddhism …I loved Buddhism till I went to Tibet but after being there I am quite against it as the Dalai lama house is as rich as the Vatican! I still think there that some of the Buddhism philosophy is very interesting; but the religion is all about money like all the religions. Very poor people giving all they have to rich monks who have mobile phone, expensive cars, etc!
Now the funny part…. Visa part 2 !!!
When I booked my tour in Nepal I was informed it was possible to split visas one we arrive in Lhasa. But the reality was that Chinese government doesn’t split visa at all!
Check my conversation with the Chinese immigration office:
Me: - very polite – I am going to travel China afterwards so I need to split my visa as the other person on my visa is going to Mongolia
Officer – We don’t split visa, you only can go wherever he goes!
Me – I cannot I want to go to south China
Officer – you cannot go anywhere without him!
Me – I want to leave the country (my thought was to say fuck off!)
Officer – You can leave the country only if he leaves the country too! My time for you is finished – please leave the office.
Going to the hotel very angry I had a great idea… most of people suffer from altitude sickness in Tibet and I knew that if I was very sick they had to let me go …
So…
I spent all night training my sick acting to my sick performance in the immigration office! It had to work!
Next day I went back to the immigration office VERY SICK, I was so sick that even the aussie guy I shared the visa with was impressed with my acting skills! Can you believe that I even vomited ( ahahah don’t ask me to do it again because I cannot – ahahha!) They thought I was dying! They got so panicked that they phoned the doctor to take me hospital. But I was so sick that even the doctor thought I was dying and said hospital wasn’t enough that I had to fly to China asap!
Thus the immigration office separated the visa and a police man took me to the airport!
Freedom!!! I was so happy!!! Oh!!! No!!! I couldn’t smile as I was very sick!