A few days rest
Trip Start
Aug 10, 2008
1
29
59
Trip End
Ongoing
Xining,
Qinghai,
China
Friday, October 31, 2008
In Xining we planned just to take a few days out to relax and make sure we were in good health for Tibet - it would be my first time at a high altitude and so I needed to make sure I was over my cold and throat problems! It was still a busy place but not as hectic as some of the other places I'd been to in China, and the hostel was nice and friendly in a quieter part of town. A bonus was also that the agency we were using to get to Tibet were in the same place.
During my time here I was recommended to visit the "Tibetan Medicine museum of China" which was a really interesting place
Flying kites in the park
. As well as the vessels and instruments used in Tibetan medicine, the best part were the paintings and illustrations showing reasons, symptoms and cures of many diseases and illnesses. We had a bit of fun with some of them which were quite graphic. But the highlight of the visit was the breathtaking 618 meter long scroll painting- the biggest in the world which took 27 years to make. It is snaked around the huge room and I couldn't get my head around the size of it until you walk alongside the whole thing - there is so much detail on it - I was amazed. My other objective in Xining was to extend my Chinese visa - my month was running out fast, and I needed some extra time to arrange my permit to Tibet. To extend it in Beijing you had to open a Chinese bank account, then in Xian I was told we needed proof of transport out of China, proof of sufficient fund in my account and a 10 day waiting period. In contrast the Xining PSB office was really helpful, we went in Friday afternoon and had the extension processed by Monday afternoon. Now I could proceed with the Tibet permit. Tibet is not an easy place to get to - it had only just been opened again to tourists after being closed over the Summer. Even now you are allowed, you can only get there if you have a special permit, a driver and a guide for your whole stay. You also have to provide an itinerary of where you will go. There are lots of agencies to provide the service but prices vary greatly and it took a while to get cheaper one. Although still an expensive, it was well worth it - but you'll hear about that in my later blog entry!
Another preparation I had to make before Tibet was for the cold - It gets down to -15 degrees at night so I needed to invest in a decent sleeping bag (damn another thing to carry...). I had also worn holes in my walking boots (already!) and because they were no longer waterproof I had to replace those while I could. I'd need both these things if I wanted to do any trekking in Nepal so the investment was important. To complete my shopping trip I picked up the cheapest phone I could get to replace the one I left in Moscow - contact me if you want the number.
