Seven Days in Tibet Expedition Dispatch

November 4, 2012 – Shigatse to Shegar

On another beautiful clear day, we saw the north face of Everest standing against a deep blue sky. As Gerry said, it was a view from the top of the world. We crossed the Gyatso La pass and there it was. It is such a different shape seen from this side, but it stands alone in the sky and is not seen over or around anything else. We were all moved by it. We thought how happy Wally would be that we had such a perfect, clear day to see the mountain. And many others.

We were also moved by being on the highest pass on the highest highway in the world. The Gyatso La pass is 5220 meters, about the height of the Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Believe me, it is easier to drive to that altitude than to walk to it.

We have had such wonderful weather on this trip. Mr. Pingtsu La told us that before we arrived, the weather was cloudy and windy and not good. Jim has taken to calling Gerry St. Ger. I think he actually believes that Gerry had something to do with this.

We continued to drive through pasture. Even at this height, we are surrounded by the brown hills of Tibet where there are still herds of yaks, and tzopkios and goats and sheep. You might reasonably wonder just how high you have to get in Tibet to find an actual mountain. We see them in the distance, when the hills don’t get in the way.

We stopped in Lha Tse, a busy market town. Everyone was in traditional dress. In the first restaurant there was no cook. In the second, we ordered fried rice. The food here is not like Nepal. We are living on fried rice.

Lha Tse is an example of Chinese development. The old town was razed and a new one build along the highway. It looks like a long strip mall with Tibetan ornamentation. This was the pattern in the hills and valleys of Tibet. The houses the families were given are all the same, too. They are white, two stories and fronted by a courtyard that you enter through an ornate door. The walls are packed with yak patties. The front door is ornamented. This relocation might not be the best result, but now they have electricity, water and sanitation.

We arrived in Shegar early in the afternoon. There is nothing in Shegar. We went for a walk up and down the main street for a few minutes. While I am on my movie theme, this is a good location for the Tibetan remake of ‘The Last Picture Show’.

On our way back to the hotel, we met up with some school children on their way home. They practiced their English with us.

‘Hello’ giggles

‘How are you?’ more giggles

‘Hello. Hello. Hello’ Laughter. Sharon took their picture. They immediately crowded around her to look at it.

And then as they walked away from us one turned and said ‘I love you’ and we all laughed. We were pretty sure she did not know what it meant.