There is something about Tibet. When I proposed my travel itinerary to friends, it’s usually Tibet which makes their eyes lit up. I am glad it did. It only means that there are finally friends who are willing to join me in my travels.
Tibet definitely deserves the attention. Once you stepped into Lhasa, you knew you have arrived at a mysterious destination with its own identity, which is quite unlike the feeling one gets when visiting other cities in China. You just want to spend time trying to understand this beautiful plateau landscape and its people.
The term Tibet does not actually refer to the province, it refers to the whole Tibetan region which also includes parts of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan. The province whose border is often drawn up in maps is the Tibet Autonomous Region or TAR for short. Therefore, TAR is the Chinese administration region while Tibet is the ethno-cultural region. But people might not understand if I refer to TAR, so generally I stick to Tibet. 😛
The current travel restrictions require foreign tourists to travel on a guided tour in TAR. Tourists are also not allowed on the pilgrimage buses that plow the region so a private vehicle is usually included as part of the tour. We used a Chengu based agency to arrange a 7 day Tibetan tour. The tour cost around 10,000 RMB for the 4 of us (J, CC, CY and me). The tour included and excluded the following:
