Today is ‘day 2′ in Tibet.

We woke up at around 8:30 am in order to meet Sang Bo, our recommended tour guide, to go to the Jok’hang Temple and Sera Monastery.

Even though I was up by around 8, I was pretty drowsy.

One thing about sleeping at high altitude is that it’s harder to sleep. But once I’m asleep, I’m zonked out. Our room was also freezing cold, but with the lack of a heater you wonder why. The staff at the Cool Yak did claim we have heating, and there were some issues last night including Carl and Vicky having all their laundry done ‘dry’, costing them 180 yuan for the lot (like $25!). Think it would cost less having it hand washed by an immigrant at the Mandarin Oriental.

The hotel staff also tried to change our price, and our room, but thankfully Sang Bo set them straight. We have a triple room with 3 beds, so Scott and I are using the middle bed for all our stuff.

Going back to the cold weather, my hands are freezing as I type this. Good thing I got a pair of gloves I bought off a street vendor in Chengdu for 12y ($1.50).They came in handy, especially in the mornings. We had the free breakfast in the hotel, which looked more like dinner: sauted vegetables, sausages, spam, etc. Hey, at least it wasn’t just yak and butter milk.

I also still can’t figure out how to get out of Kathmandu on the cheap. The cheapest option would be to take a train or bus to New Delhi and fly out from there, but for various reasons, that would be a last resort. However, most flights out of KTM just seem ridiculously expensive.

In fact, I also raised the question of: should I even go to Nepal, or turn back at the border and fly out of Lhasa? It would be a bit goofy to do that, but flying out of Lhasa would save me alot. Question is can I stand a 24 hour car ride back from the Nepalese Border, and would I miss anything fun there.

The other consideration I must make is having already paid my share of a 4×4, I am unlikely to get my money back even if I cut my trip short. The travel agency said they were happy to drop me off at the airport I would not get a refund. I figured since I already paid, I might as well make the most of it. Mount Everest B.C., Shigatse, and the monasteries along the way will probably make an interesting trip, and the trek out and going up to Lake Nam Tso in 2 days at 5k meters would truly be an epic adventure.

So I guess I just have to figure out (1) what do I need so I don’t freeze my ass off on the way up Mt Everest, and (2) what would be my route back to HKG?

Jok’hang Temple: I actually was fascinated by Jok’hang, and the religious aspects there. It was an intersting view when combined with the chinese military personnel. We also went to the Sera Monastery and saw monks doing their lessons and training new monks. The way they did it was interesting and got some very cool video footage.

After lunch we went to a local hangout where they served tea and local noodles. Scott found a fly in his soup but we probably shared the same broth. I am sure there was a fly leg or wing somewhere in mine. But to top up catalyzing the process to an eventful crouching toilet trip, we had butter tea for the first time on a roof top restaurant near our hotel, which tasted more like a strong soup of some kind. I also had some banana lassi, which I am sure contributed to further toilet contractions.

We then had dinner at a ‘Japanese’ restaurant served by Tibetians. Except for the name there was absolutely nothing Japanese about it. There was no japanese food in the menu, the closest being yak momos (dumplings). But I will admit, it was some of the best food ever. After dinner, Carl, Vicky and I decided to go for a blind person massage, which costed 80 yuan ($10) + 20y tip / hour. I had a dude called Tsetong I believe. His English was great, and the massage itself was pretty good. My back was killing me still from the train ride here a couple of days back so it was good to get this, especially before our 4×4 trek for 8 days, starting the day after tomorrow.

We start at 8:50 am tomorrow, as we will be heading over to the Potala Palace. So yet another early night. I think my cold is getting better, but my immune system is definitely working to its max from different angles here.

Related Posts:

• October 28, 2009 -- Day 3 in Tibet: Potala Palace / Summer Palace
• October 25, 2009 -- Hello from Tibet

Related posts:

1. Hello from Tibet
2. Day 3 in Tibet: Potala Palace / Summer Palace