Roof of the world Part XI

Tibetan locals can easily drink a case of beer. And they like to ask people to drink. Their favourite phrase for drinking is three mouth one glass (San Kou Yi Pei). They likes to cheer, and then bottle up! My driver jio me for a drink last night. I drink until I scare man. The bottle like dowan to finish. I finish one glass, he poured again. I finish again, he poured again. When the bottle emptied, the waitress brought out more bottles! Dun think I ever drink so much in my life. Think I just stress test my liver.

And the guide fell ill yesterday. By dinner time, she's feeling quite terrible. Ended up we are trying to take care of her. See lah, this kind of guide, dun complain can anot? I dunno man. There's a bitch among us, so she might make a big fuse out of it. Not my problem. I very shui pian one lor. Maybe she's abit too young and inexperiences. Afterall, she's even many years younger than me and I'm the youngest in the group. -shrug-

We wake up very early in the morning so as to rush back to Lhasa. So we the ladies can shop again. And I'm feeling very stony from the way too much of beer from last night. I dun even have a good night sleep. Its damn cold, and if you turn too much, the many many many layers of brankets might let some cold air slip in and its no fun. And very very stereo snoring is keeping me awake. I have no idea whose it is. Either me, or my buddy or the driver. Damnit. @$%^%#$

After breakfast, we set off immediately, trying to find a clinic for the guide. The first town we get to, think the doctor still sleeping, refuse to open door. Then head off for another bigger town. Finally get her to a clinic. Wanna give her some drip (seems like over here, everything can be solved with the drip). When told to wait for 2 hours, the driver say cannot wait that long. So an injection is used. Heard she feel so terrible that she cried. So poor thing, but she's the guide leh.

Today's journey is ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... damn arse pain. I just sleep as much as I can, trying to ignore the pain in my arse. Afterall, its the same route back, so dun feel like taking any more photos, except for a handful misses that we had when we travel to Nyingchi.

The ladies are terribly hungry by the time we reach Lhasa for lunch. Since the rest of the days is ours, we request from the guide to merge the cost of lunch and dinner into the lunch, so that we can go out on our own to have dinner. I tell you, 8 of us (get the driver and the guide in for the meal as well) had like more than 14 dishes of food. I eat until I scare. And everything here is goddamn oily! Like oil no need moolah one. And finally get to try my favourite dish, the fish. So many tiny bones until I give up eating it. But their Ma Po Tou Fu is nothing like Sillypore. Very fragrance, very nice, very hot, very spicy, and comes with this overburnt taste. The original taste!

The guys decided to move on their own. I definitely dowan to get stuck with the chabors, and their shopping is killing me. So we go back to the Octagon Street (Ba Jiao Jie) again to get some stuffs that I din get during our first trip there. And now typing this at the internet cafe for you people to read lorrrr.

I never is a massage person. So only try them when I'm oversea. And of course the price must be attractive. I'm not complaining about the massage last night. A full body massage for 2 hours, working from your feet to your head, at that price. Very decent hor, dun let your mind wonder.

After our recommendations, the ladies also went after their shopping. Heng. Heard they were still shopping at Ba Jiao Jie at 8pm whereas the guys were done before 6pm. They must seriously be looking into every single booth.

Its our last night in Lhasa. Finally going to be leaving Tibet tomorrow. Tonight we are going to spend the night at a hotel next to the airport. We head for breakfast at this restaurant called Yu Bao Zi. Its our 2nd time there for breakfast. All of us like it there.

We are so sick of the hotel breakfast. No change in style even though we had spent the night in a different hotel almost every night. Its nice for some changes. The century egg porridge with you tiao is just fabulous.

This morning, we had for our last attraction in the city, Drepung Monastry (Zhe Pan Shi). Its built on top or rather midway of a mountain. We have to climb on foot all the way up to monastry. Along the way, we are been harassed by the kids. Its those kids that are horrifying. They will pull your shirt or pants, push against you or even hold onto your leg.

The best on can do is continue walking, and not stop to give anything. The moment you give one, you will find a swarm of them appearing. What is frustrating when you take aim and snap, then they harass you for moolah. I got it again. Even give already still want to ask for more.

This monastry allow the taking of photos, as long as you pay. And its different pricing at different chamber. The lamas are much friendlier. Some more our guide (its the representative on our first day in Lhasa, our original guide need to go on drip for 3 days) try to help us bargain for better pricing, say we are exchange students from Sillypore at Tibet University.

So even the photography fees also bargain for half price. Solid man, this guide. Trying her best to entertain us. So next time I need to travel those backpacking mountainous routes, I know who to contact directly.

We are quite lucky. Just when we are leaving, the monastry is having this praying session. Its an irregular session, so not a lot of people get to see it. Damn lucky. Must take the opportunity to take photo, else dunno when such opportunity will come again.

We head for lunch. Try this beef noodles suggested by the guide. Not too bad. Noodles are hand made. Have cold noodles as well but not exactly my type of food. Its actually taste like hor fun except its much thicker.

Next is Yang Zuo Yong Cuo. We have to scale Mount xxx, to more than 5000m above sea level to see the spectacular lake. Its a magnificent sight. Beautiful sky color. Beautiful lake color. Beautiful mountain color. I can barely describe it. Pictures describe a thousand words. Wait for my photos. The only thing that marred the place are the harassing locals bugging you to ride their animals or kids begging asking for food or moolah.

Even the roads are very nicely done. Its a new road, use official in use this month. We then drive to another location to take more photos of the magnificent lake. Oh we ain't even having any problem at that altitude.

Next is to see a glacier. Everyone is hoping for snow. KNN! Snow again. Dun care liao. I bet such dun have. Stomach been rumbling the whole day. Concentration is all on the stomach. We have to descend from the lake before ascending again to more than 5000m above sea level to see the glacier.

No snow. Nevermind about it already. My only concern is to find a place to bake cake. Water the plant activity also scare. Not easy to control both side output. Its a totally different feeling doing your business out in the wild. Stop the vehicle. Look for some large rock for concealment.

Damn stress man. The rock can only conceal a small potion of me from the main road. The ladies have taken the much bigger rock to my right and can probably see me when they come out of their area. There's local people with their dogs to my left plucking what I believe are herbs, and their dogs will normally attack stranger when provoked. Then we are warned against touching certain plant that will leave your flesh numb, and my bake cake area do have a fair bit of that plant. Scary man.

But still a fair bit of experience to be doing your business out in the wild at 5000m above sea level. My first time bakeing cake out in the wild. If not for the cake threatening me that its forcing its way out, I would wait till I reach the hotel. The ladies love to do it in the wild. Why? After you come here, you will probably hate built toilet as much as we do. The air is a million times fresher than built toilet. And you are doing a good deed, giving the plant herb nutrition.

Finally get to play with the handheld fireworks and firecrackers we bought a few days ago. We suaku wah. Got the driver and guide to help us get it. Got to carry it around with us for so many days caused city and forest are banned from playing with those. Its our last chance to play with it before we reach the airport. As we play with it, we attract some of the locals attention. They cycle to where we are to see what is going on.

When we get to the Airpot hotel, its almost midnight. When told that we cannot bath, everyone almost get hysterical. What is the point of giving me a suite room yet I cannot bath?

And happy National Day. All of us celebrate it in our small way. Everyone wears red.