Chinese Version / 中文版本
Because I had joined a 2-day trip, my morning was more relaxing than a 1-day trip. Then I went to the travel agency in Lhasa International Youth Hostel to wait for the pick-up! At around 2 p.m., the driver came pick us up, then something happened. The setting of the travel van was quite similar to the minibus in Hong Kong, both had 2 seats on the left and 1 seat on the right. As I was the first out of the last three person to get on the van and I saw two people already occupied the window seats in two rows respectively, it would be a great choice for me to choose the single seat on the right (as it was the same logic applying on the minibus in Hong Kong, which normal people wouldn't easily choose to sit next to a stranger, right?!?!). But the driver knew I was alone, and the last two people were friends, he then requested me to move to the first row and sit next to a random guy. Didn't know where the courage from and I rejected him immediately.
At that moment, the guy who sat on the second row involuntarily gave his seat away, and we finally got to know that these two guys indeed knew each other. Which reminded me so much of the German couple I had met in a Colca Canyon tour, how come people could be so selfish!!! In fact, there was another trap on this van. When the van started to leave Lhasa, I smelt something familiarly awful. Someone was eating raw cucumbers on the van!!! Gosh!!! They were like having cucumber marathon to torture me alive!!! Luckily the window saved my ass, otherwise there would be a headline like this on the newspaper the next day: One Hong Kong tourist dropped dead on a travel van in Tibet due to the obnoxious cucumber smell!
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| Lightbulb in the day |
Not even on the half way, the car stopped on the side again. Initially, I thought the driver planned to waste time on the speed restriction rule. But then I found out that all drivers of other Namtso tour were actually having lunch here, wasn't it too random?
Though this was an unknown place, the blue sky and the green grass made a perfect combination for us to madly take photos. After taking photos, it was about time to socialize with other people on the van. At last, I got more acquainted with the 2 Shanghai people who last got on the van and the cucumber couple who had just almost killed me alive. It was the best time to make friends with people, because they were also interested in going to Mt. Everest Base Camp together!
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| The place where the drivers were having lunch, the little stream was beautiful |
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| The picturesque canola field |
The second stop on the way was overlooking Nyainqêntanglha Mountain Range. However, the weather conditions became really bad and we could just take few photos before hopping on the van again. Afterwards, the van did not stop anymore and the driver drove straight to Namtso Lake.
When we arrived at Namtso, the driver dropped us at the guesthouse we are staying for tonight and went away. The 2 Shanghai people, the cucumber couple and me are staying together in a 5-bed room tonight. The lodging in Namtso is expectedly shabby with no shower room/toilet nor running water, which I had enough mental preparation before coming that I can't take shower (reminded me the 3 days 2 nights salt flat tour immediately!!!).
Behind the lodging, there is a public toilet with 2 RMB charge, which is the stinkiest, dirtiest and the most expensive toilet I have ever been. Before going inside, I needed to stick 2 toilet papers in my nostrils to prevent myself from throwing up. Therefore, sufficient mental preparation needs to be made if you ever want to visit this toilet!
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| Sutra flags |
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| Nyainqêntanglha Mountain Range |
We then put down our stuff in the room and headed to the lake side afterwards. But the weather was still very bad. The heavier the rain was, the worse my mood became. Because I had always thirsted to go to Namtso Lake, I got very disappointed that I felt I was cursed to have such bad luck. I could not do anything but hope for the weather would get better tomorrow!
We five people walked by the lake for almost 2 hours, and I could not wait to be back for dinner. On account of the super chilly wind, we just randomly chose one Sichuan restaurant. In fact, the restaurant was so intimating that a charcoal stove was placed in the middle. People could warm up their bodies after being blown by the brutal cold wind, but the quality of the food was just okay and the price was comparatively more expensive.
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| Namtso lake under the bad weather |
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| Very familiar looking, is this the trend of highlands? |
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| The water was still clear |
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| The huge rock with the name of Namtso Lake carved on it |
After dinner, it was already bed time for us as we are watching sunrise tomorrow morning. The temperature in Namtso is extremely low at night, enough thermal clothes must be prepared beforehand. If you don't mind the dirtiness, plenty of thick blankets are actually provided by the guesthouse!
Before sleeping, something interesting happened that it was still vivid in my head. It was about the cucumber couple, they were actually newlyweds. In order to make her husband happy, the wife agreed to go to Tibet for honeymoon. Before this Namtso tour, the wife had still not known it would be a tough trip to travel around Tibet. But after walking for 2 hours nonstop by the lake under the horrible wind today, she found that it was unbearable for her and she regretted it so much. When we got back to the room, the wife could not fall asleep as she felt very cold. At that moment, the husband sat in the end of her bed and started to massage her foot. I asked him what he was doing and he said: "Because my wife is feared of cold, I am rubbing her foot to make her feel warmer." I remained emotionless and he kept doing his 'job'. The husband even covered his own blankets on the wife's body. The wife could finally fall asleep, but he still insisted to watch her by her side for quite a long while.
I found the whole incident was genuinely absurd. It might be romantic in some people's eyes. But it was very creepy for me, I even got goose bumps while watching it. If they were really madly in love, they should not have chosen Tibet for honeymoon in the first place, weidos!!!
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