7 dni w Tybecie.

    Od zawsze Tybet był mistyczną krainą wzbudzającą zainteresowanie ludzi z zachodu i wschodu. Europejczyków ciekawiła kultura i życie na tym niedostępnym i trudnym terenie. Azjaci żądni byli zdobycia obszaru będącego strategicznym punktem pomiędzy Chinami a Indiami. Przez wiele lat tybetańska armia oraz niedostępność geograficzna skutecznie broniły dostepnu do swojego kraju. Co więcej, to właśnie Tybetanczycy zagarniali okoliczne tereny, przyłączając je do swojego imperium, które sięgało daleko wgłąb obecnych Chin na północy i na tereny dzisiejszego Bangladeszu na południu. Przez brak źródeł pisanych, ten okres historyczny jest nam bardzo mało znany i dzisiaj pozostają tylko domysły, jak wyglądało wtedy życie na Dachu Świata.

    W VII wieku Tybetańczycy postanowili zawrzeć pakt z Chinami przeciwko innemu zagrażającemu obu krajom królestwu. Jego przypieczętowaniem stało się małżeństwo pomiędzy tybetańskim władcą, a córką chińskiego cesarza, która powrzechnie uważana jest za odpowiedzialną sprowadzenia do Tybetu Buddzymu, który z biegiem lat w większości wyparł oryginalną dla Tybetu religię Bon.Transformacja z walecznego w pokojowy sakralny naród nastąpiła jednak dopiero kilka stuleci później, wzmocniona przez nawiązanie kontaktów z Imperium Mongoliskim. Stąd aż do dziś daje się zauważyć podobieństwo pomiędzy tymi dwiema nacjami. To z mongolskiego języka pochodzi słynny tytuł Dalaj, tłumaczony jako “ocean” (w znaczeniu nieograniczonej wiedzy).

    Do początków XX w Tybet był praktycznie nieznany Europejczykom. Pierwsi pojawili się tam misjonarze, a następnie delegacje Brytyjczyków reprezentujących Kompanię Wschodnioindyjską (dzisiejsze tereny Indii). Konflikt rozpoczął się w 1903 roku, gdzy Brytyjczyny zaczęli podejrzewać Tybetańczykow o kontakty z Impreium Rosyjskim, z którym ci pierwszi rywalizowali o wpływy w Azji. Liczne pakty zawarte pomiędzy spornymi stronami uchroniły od konfliktów zbrojnych oraz ostatecznie przyczyniły się do uznania przez Rosjan i Brytyjczyków zwierzchności Chin nad Tybetem.

    Pomimo, że niepodległość Tybetu nie była oficjalnie rozpoznawana na arenie międzynarodowej, po upadku ostatniej chińskiej dynastii Qing w 1913 roku, teren stał się niezależny. Tybetański rząd zaczął nawet produkcję własnych znaczków pocztowych.

Sytuacja społeczna w tym okresie, może dziś wzbudzać kontrowersje – panował bardzo silny system kastowy, z góry ustalający życie danej jednostki. Mieszkańcy często odciętych od świata wiosek żyli niemalże jak w Średniowieczu. Często brakowało jedzenia, warunki mieszkalne były bardzo prymitywne, brak opieki zdrowotnej był źródłem wysokiej śmiertelności kobiet w ciąży i noworodków. W tym samym czasie dostojnicy i przyboczni Dalaj Lamy, należący do kasty rządzącej, mieszkali w pozłacanych pokojach pałacu Potala i jedli najwykwintniejsze dania.

    Wszystko zmieniło się wraz z początkiem Chińskiej Republiki Ludowej, 1 października 1949 roku. Polityczny lider – Mao Zedong oraz jego ministrowie wprowadzili bezwzględne rządy  mające na celu przede wszystkim podporządkowanie się Partii oraz wprowadzenie całkowicie komunistycznego stylu życia. Oczywiście jakakolwiek odrębność kulturowo-polityczna nie była mile widziana. Rok później Chińska Armia Ludowo-Wyzwoleńcza wkroczyła na Wyżynę Tybetańską pod propagandowym hasłem “ochrony od imperialistycznego (tj. zachodniego) ucisku”. O ile do końca lat 50 przywódcy w Lasie – stolicy Tybetu, mieli jako taką autonomię, o tyle 1959 sytuacja stała się tak napięta, że polityczno – duchowy lider Tybetańczykow Dalaj Lama zdecydował się na ucieczkę z ojczystej ziemi i założenie rządu na uchodźstwie w indyjskim miasteczku – Daramshala.

    Dziś można dwojako postrzegać “przyłączenie” Tybetu do Chin i narzucone przez komunistów zmiany. Z jednej strony to oczywiste pozbawienie niepodległości lokalnej społeczności i ograniczenie ich praw; często też próba wykorzenienia kultury i religii, zniszczenie ogromnej ilości zabytków i historycznych zbiorów. Z drugiej strony, nie można pomijać faktu, że ingerencja Chińczyków przyczyniła się do znacznej poprawy sytuacji materialnej Tybetanczykow. Zniesiono system kastowy, wprowadzono obowiązek nauki w szkole (wcześniej większość ludzi była niepiśmienna), poprawiono warunki sanitarne (np. śmiertelność noworodków  zmniejszyła się z 45% w 1959 do 0.3% obecnie). 

    Wraz z otwieraniem się Chin na świat pod koniec lat 70, Tybet stał się dostępny dla zachodnich podróżników oraz himalaistów. Być może koniem napędowym stała się między innymi książka Heinrich’a Harrer’a “Siedem lat w Tybiecie” oraz film pod tym samym tytułem, które ukazują Tybet jaką romantyczną krainę z przepięknymi widokami i intrygującymi ludźmi. Kolorowe stroje, tradycyjna zabudowa, tajemnicze obrzędy, zapierające dech w piersiach widoki wyżyn i gór. Nic dziwnego, że Tybet stał się marzeniem wielu backpackerow, hippisów, poszukiwaczy przygód i zdobywców najwyższych szczytów świata.

    Możliwość eksploracji Wyżyny Tybetańskiej, podpartywania życia lokalnych ludzi oraz obcowania z jedyną w swoim rodzaju naturą, zostały nagle znacznie ograniczone. Z powodu narastającego napięcia politycznego, licznych protestów Tybetańczykow i coraz częściej dających o sobie znać organizacji walki o niepodległość, w 2008 komunistyczny rząd chiński ograniczył wjazd do utworzonej w 1965 roku Autonomi Tybetańskiej dla obcokrajowców oraz samych Tybetańczykow mieszkających poza tym obszarem.

    Od tego czasu, aż do dziś dla wszystkich nieposiadających chińskiego dowodu osobistego jedyną opcją odwiedzenia Tybetu jest zapisanie się na zorganizowaną przez oficjalne biuro podróży wycieczkę z przewodnikiem i kierowcą. “Grupę” może stanowić nawet jedna osoba, ale przeważnie dla zmiejszenia kosztów – które nie należą do najmniejszych – turyści tworzą kilku lub kilkunastoosobowe ekipy. Bogate oferty bardzo licznych agencji i biur podróży są dostosowane do praktycznie każdych wymagań gości. Od weekendowych do kilku tygodnowych wypraw. Zwiedzanie tylko stolicy, lub objazdowy “tour” po mniej popularnych częściach Tybetu i możliwość zobaczenia najwyższej góry świata – Mount Everestu, zwanego tutaj Czomolungma (którego szczyt przebiega dokładnie pomiędzy Nepalem z Chinami).

    Dla niezależnych podróżników, taki wyjazd może wydawać się nudny i schematyczny, jednak nawet na dość ograniczonym polu manewru da się sprawić, aby pozornie szablonowy wyjazd różnił się od pozostałych. Tym razem kluczem nie jest wyjazd “off the beaten track” (w miejsca nie będące popularnymi turystycznymi atrakcjami) lecz “off the beaten time” (poza sezonem).  Tybet zimą ma zupełnie inne oblicze, niż to, które widzą turyści odwiedzający go w szczycie sezonu, czyli latem.

Zdjęcia agencji podróży promujące Dach Świata, filmy o nim kręcone, książkowe opisy, czy romantyczne wizje mistycznej krainy to zdecydowanie nie miejsce, które zobaczy podróżnik wybierający się tam latem. Zatłoczone drogi, potrzeba rezerwacji w każdej restauracji, ograniczony czas zwiedzania zabytków, kolejki do zrobienia sobie zdjęcia, częste zachmurzenie, to tylko niektóre aspekty codzienności w szczycie sezonu. Nawet samych Tybetańczykow czasami ciężko wypatrzeć (nie licząc oczywiście tych zajmujących się różnymi dziedzinami turystyki). Normalnym widokiem są za to tłumy zachodnich i chińskich turystów obecne w praktycznie każdym popularnym miejscu.

Tymczasem zima to czas, który odstrasza dużą cześć turystów, przeważnie obawiających się zimna nie do zniesienia. Faktycznie, średnia wyskość w okolicach 4000 metrów może sugerować bardzo niskie tempetarury, ale daleko im do syberyjskich mrozów. Śnieg można zobaczyć praktycznie tylko na wysokich szczytach górskich. Przeciętne zimowe ubrania całkowicie wystarczą na spokojne poruszanie się za dnia, a noce spędzane są z reguły w bardzo dobrze ogrzewanych hotelach (tylko w hotelach o wyższym standardzie mogą zatrzymywać się obcokrajowcy). Turystyka podobnie jak infrastruktura są w Tybecie bardzo dobrze rozwinięte; nic dziwnego, że do tybetańskiego obozu bazowego  Mount Everestu prowadzi asfaltowa droga!

    Okazjonalny zimowy wiatr jest sprzymierzeńcem rozwiewającym chmury i śnieg że szczytów gór, gwarantując spektakularne i niczym niezasłonięte widoki himalajskich masywów. Jak na dłoni widoczne są najwyszcze szczyty takie jak: Lhotse, Makalu, czy Cho Oyu . Tybetańska przewodniczka sama zachwyca się utrzymującą się podczas całego naszego siedmiodniowego pobytu piękną pogodą, której bardzo często brak w sezonie letnim.

    Skazana na dołączenie do grupy, szukałam jak najbardziej niszowej agencji, która jednocześnie oferuje taki sam program jak te z pierwszych wyszukanych rezultatów Google. Ostatecznie dołączam do grupy liczącej 3 osoby ze mną włącznie! Dla porównania letnie wyjazdy to przeważnie kilkunasto, choć zdarzają się również kilkudziesiecioosobowe grupy. Mniejsza ilość towarzyszy to przede wszystkim większe pole manewru, elestyczność i wydłużony czas na odwiedzanie zaplanowanych zabytków. Niezależnie od wielkości grupy, nie zmienia się jedna zasada: w Tybecie nie pyta się o żadne sprawy polityczne dotyczące relacji z rządem komunistycznym. Rozmowy takie mogą skończyć się bardzo nieprzyjemnie. Nigdy nie wiadomo, kto z mijanych ludzi współpracuje z Partią i nas obserwuje.

    Sam plan wyjazdu nie jest zbyt napięty. Spokojnie przemieszczamy się pomiędzy 2-3 wybranymi na każdy dzień miejscami w stolicy, a po 3 dniach w niej spędzonych odwiedzamy inne miasteczka i atrakcje Tybetu. Większość z nich to buddyjskie świątynie i monastery, te zachowane oraz odbudowane po Rewolucji Kulturowej z lat 1966-1976, w czasie której zniszczono około 6000 sakralnych budowli na terenie Tybetu. Obecnie Tybetańczycy pod pewnymi warunkami (np. panuje zakaz posiadania i upubliczniania wizerunku Dalaj Lamy) mogą otwarcie praktykować Buddyzm.

Ponieważ większość mieszkańców Autonomii zajmuje się uprawą roli, zima to jedyny czas, kiedy mogą pielgrzymować do najbardziej świętych mieść w Tybecie – miasta Lasa i góry Kailash. Pielgrzymki te często odbywają się dosłownie na kolanach, poprzez upadanie co kilka kroków, podnoszenie się i powtarzanie tej samej czynności. Dotarcie do celu w ten sposób trwa niekiedy całe lata.

    Częstym widokiem na całym terytorium Tybetu są buddyjscy mnisi ubrani w ciemno czerowne szaty, studiujący religijne teksty, odprawiający rytuały, lub przechadzający się po uliczkach miasta z smartfonem w ręku i adidasach na nogach. Zderzenie różnych kultur to nieodłączny element globalizacji i bardzo szybko zmieniającego się życia.

Dla zachodniego gościa Tybet to przede wszystkim kolorowe, przesiąknięte zapachem kadzideł i świec z masła świątynie, w których odbywają się najróżniejsze rytuały, często nie do końca znane i rozumianie nawet przez samych Tybetańczykow. Każdy element świątyni ma swoje znaczenie i spełnia określone zadanie. Ściany są pokryte setkami obrazów z najdrobniejszymi detalami.             Odwiedzający swiatynie ludzie proszą nie tylko o zdrowie, pomyślność czy szczęście w miłości, ale również o pokój na świecie dla wszystkich ludzi. Składanie drobnych ofiar w świątyniach ma też na celu poprawę “karmy” – dobrych uczynków, które decydują o reinkarnacji – wędrówki duszy do nowego ciała po śmierci tego doczesnego.

    Zimą na ulicach Lhasy 90 procent ludzi to Tybetańczycy. Dla wielu jest to pierwsza wizyta w stolicy. Często to dla nich jedyna okazja zobaczenia na własne oczy obcokrajowców, więc liczne prośby o zdjęcia z turystami są na porządku dziennym. Setki ludzi wykonuje wokół Potali tzw korę, czyli okrążanie pałacu przy okazji nieustannie powtarzając najsłynniejszą tybetanskia mantrę “Om mani padme hum” i kręcąc młynkami symbolizującymi modlitwy. Inne miejsce kory to historyczne centrym miasta, w środku którego znajduje się świątynia Dżokhang ze statuą Buddy Siakjamuniego, która według legendy została poświęcona przez niego samego.

    Wzgórza na obrzeżach miast pokryte są niezliczonymi kolorowymi flagami modlitewnymi, które zawieszają pielgrzymi. Powiewające na wietrze mają nieść prośby do bogów.

Ponieważ Tybet dzieli się na siedem regionów, każdy z nich wyróżnia się innym strojem oraz językiem. Bywa, że Tybetańczycy z różnych stron są zmuszeni porozumiewać się w języku      Mandaryńskim, ponieważ lokalne dialekty są dla nich niezrozumiałe.

    O każdej porze dnia w licznych kawiarniach i restauracjach zbierają się ludzie, przeważnie mężczyźni, aby grać w karty lub lokalne gry planszowe. Popijają przy tym tybetańską herbatę – słodką, robioną na mleku z cukrem, lub słoną z dodatkiem masła z mleka z jaka, będącego tu jednym z głównych zwierząt hodowlanych. Pomimo, że obecnie w Lasie można zjeść hamburgera w KFC, lokalni mieszkańcy preferują tradycyjne tybetańskie potrawy takie jak tsampa – mieszankę prażonej jęczmiennej mąki z maślaną lub słodką herbatą, różnorodne wypiekane chleby oraz sery i jogurty z jaczego mleka.

    Zbliżając się do południa Tybetu, gdzie po raz pierwszy możemy z daleka dostrzec Mount Everest, dosłownie brakuje tchu. O ile dla niektórych 3600 m n.p.m w Lasie nie stanowi probemu, tutaj wysokość zdecydowanie daje się we znaki. Przekraczamy przełęcze położone powyżej 5200 m n.p.m, gdzie nawet zwykły szybszy marsz może przyprawić o zawroty głowy. To miejsce trudne do życia zarówno dla ludzi, zwierząt jak i roślin. Brak zalesienia stoków gór dodaje im potęgi i niedostępności. Ogołocone skały pokryte na szczytach śniegiem i lodem to marzenie wielu himalaistów. Do 1950 roku Nepalskie władze zakazywały obcokrajowcom wstępu do ich kraju, przez co wszystkie ekspedycje na Mount Everest (począwszy od 1921 roku) prowadziły przez Tybet. W tymże roku to Chiny zamknęły swoje granice, a Nepal zezwolił na zagraniczne wyprawy. Pierwsze zdobycie szczytu w 1953 nastąpiło więc właśnie z nepalskiej strony.

    Z najwyższego na świecie monasteru Rongbuk (4980 m n.p.m.) rozpościera się niesamowity, niczym niezasłonięty widok na Chomolungmę. To właśnie tu powstają jedne z najpiękniejszych zdjęć tej góry. W drodze powrotnej do stolicy zatrzymujemy się jeszcze aby podziwiać Lodowiec Kharola, przy którym zbierają się również tybetańskie wycieczki. Wszyscy są zawsze chętni i ciekawi rozmów z obcokrajowcami. Panuje powszechna opinia, że Tybetańczycy bardzo lubią turystów z zachodu i cieszą się z ich odwiedzin. Pytają o to, jak postrzegany jest Tybet w innych krajach. Zawsze zachwalają też przyrodę swojej ziemi, gościnność i uczynność swoich ludzi.

    Bez wątpienia Tybetańczycy to jeden z najbardziej przyjazych (choć nierzadko awanturniczych) narodów, o fascynującej historii i kulturze, która pomimo licznych opresji przetrwała do dziś. Choć od “odkrycia” Tybetu minęło już wiele dziesięcioleci, ta kraina wciąż zachwyca i czaruje. Zobaczyć Dach Świata na własne oczy, spróbować herbaty z jaczym mlekiem i pozdrawiać wszystkich tybetańskim “Tashi Delek” to jedyne w swoim rodzaju doświadczenie, przygoda pamiętana do końca życia.

7 days in Tibet.

    Tibet has always been a mysterious land for people from both West and East. Europeans were intrigued by the culture and life in this inhospitable and difficult terrain. Asian wished to conquer the region which was a buffer zone?? Between China and India. For many years Tibetan army as well as natural predispositions.

Successfully defended the access to their homeland. What’s more, it was actually Tibetans who would annex neighbouring lands to create an empire with its northern borders in present day China and southern in present day Bangladesh. Lack of written documents leaves a blank spot on this period of Tibetan history and we can only imagine how the life on the Roof of the World was back then. 

    In 7^th century Tibetans decided to sign a treaty with China to defend themselves from the mutual enemy. To seal it, Tibetan leader married a daughter of Chinese emperor. She’s the one who is believed to bring Buddhist religion to Tibet. The religion which will later dominate over original Tibetan Bon believes. A few centuries later the nation transformed from aggressive to peaceful one, supported by contacts with Mongol Empire. Hence even today there are many similarities between the two nations. It’s a Mongolian word Dalai which became the title of the highest religious leader of Buddhists (Dalai means “ocean”; as an unfinished knowledge) – Dalai Lama.

    Since the beginning of 20^th century Tibet was practically unknown to Europeans. The first of them to arrive where missionaries and then British delegates being East India Company (present day India) representatives. The first conflict has started in 1903 when British delegates accused Tibetans of Cooperation with Russian Empire, which was a British enemy. Various treaties between the parties eventually guaranteed peace and made Russians and British accept Chinese control over Tibet.    

Even though Tibetan independence was not internationally recognized, after the end of the last Chinese dynasty (Qing, in 1913), the land became independent. Tibetan government has even started to issue its own postal stamps. 

    Social life of Tibetans in that period could be quite controversial for a modern reader. The cast system – popular as well in India, was common. It determined life of an individual, his career and life opportunities. Many people lived in villages often resembling the ones from the Middle Ages. Food was scarce, housing was very primitive, lack of hygiene and health care caused high mortality rate. At the same time the ones who resided in the Dalai Lama’s palace had all the modern facilities and commodities.    

    It was all changed when Chinese People’s Republic was established on October 1 1949. The political leader Mao Zedong, and his advisers tried their best to turn China into a role model communist country. Any cultural or ethnic diversity wasn’t welcomed. In 1950 Chinese Liberation Army arrived to Tibetan Plateau under the propaganda of liberation from imperialistic/western domination. Until the end of 1950’ the leaders in Lhasa – Tibet’s capital were guaranteed autonomy, but in 1959 the rising tensions between locals and Chinese forced the Tibetan leader – Dalai Lama to escape from his homeland and create the government in exile in an Indian town of Daramshala.

The dispute if annexing Tibet to Chinese territory was a right decision is still going on. On the one hand it has limited Tibetan people’s independence and rights, suppressed their culture and religion and caused uncountable amount of historical relicts to perish. On the other hand, we cannot ignore the fact that Chinese people’s activities in the Tibetan territory has highly improved lives of a regular citizens of the region. The cast system was abolished, education became compulsory (prior to that the majority of people were illiterate), the hygiene and sanitation have improved (the infant mortality rate decreased from 45% in 1959 to 0.3% in 2019).

    Along with the new Chinese policies to open up to the outside world in the end of 1970’, Tibet became a place of interest for many travelers and mountain climbers. The famous book by Heinrich Harrer “Seven years in Tibet” and the film with the same title became the spark for many people to visit the land shown in the book as a romantic and mesmerizing place, with intriguing People and breath taking views. Colourful clothes, traditional infrastructure, mysterious rituals and magnificent Himalaya Mountains. All of this made Tibet a place to be in that period of time.  

    Unrestricted travelling in the region was suddenly stopped. Constantly rising political tension and more and more protests of desperate Tibetan independence and freedom fighters caused strict limitation on visiting the region by foreign travelers. Ever since 2008 Tibetan Autonomous Region (created in 1965) became a restricted part of China not only for outsiders but for Tibetans living in other provinces of China, too. 

    Ever since for all those who don’t have Chinese ID the only way to visit Tibet is to sign up for an organized tour where you will be accompanied by a guide and a driver. A single person can go too, however usually a few people go together to share the costs, which are not from the lower shelf. Searching for Tibet trip you can find practically every possible option and flexible itineraries. From a weekend runaway, to a few week long journeys. Sightseeing Tibet’s capital - Lhasa in a few days or a road trip to a little less beaten tracks and the option to see the world’s highest mountain – Mount Everest (called here Qomolangma), which peak is divided between Nepal and China.

    For independent travelers this kind of trip might seems boring but even in these limited circumstances you can make the journey a little bit different than the typical one. The key is to not go “off the beaten track” but rather “off the beaten time” (avoid summer – the high season). Tibet in winter is a totally different place than the one which is seen by the crowds of tourists who come there in summer. 

    Travel agencies’ photos promoting The Roof of the World, films showing its beauty, books’ descriptions and romantic visions of the mystic land is definitely not the place which a person who goes there is summer will see. Traffic jams, the need to book every restaurant limited time for entering some places of interest, lining up to take photos, common cloudy weather. It’s just a part of reality in the high season time. Even Tibetan people are hard to be spotted (except for those who are engaged in different forms of tourism). The normal view is a mass of western and Chinese tourists in almost every part of TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Region).

    On the other hand winter is the time which scares off the majority of tourists, who are afraid of unbearable temperatures. The truth is that the average elevation of 4000 meters above the sea level may suggest very low temperatures, but it’s still a far cry from a Siberian winters. The big snow can be practically only seen on the highest mountain peaks. Regular winter clothes are enough to be out during the day and nights are normally spent in warm hotels (international tourists/travellers are accommodated in the high standard hotels). Tourism as well as infrastructure are very developed. It doesn’t surprise then that to the Tibetan Everest Base Camp one can get by the paved road. 

    Occasional winter breeze helps to move away the clouds from the perfectly blue sky and sweep off the snow from the mountain peaks. That guarantees breath taking views on the Himalayas. All the most famous peaks such as Lhotse, Makalu or Cho Oyu are perfectly visible. Even our tour guide was surprised by the weather, during out 7 day trip, which is quite uncommon in the summer season. 

    Forced to join the group, I was trying to find the least commercial agency, which at the same time offers the same program. Eventually I was a part of 3 people group (me included), compared to summer time groups of dozen or more people. Less companions allows more flexibility, more time for sightseeing. One thing doesn’t change despite the size of the group – in Tibet you don’t ask about politics. Such conversations may end up very unpleasantly. You never know who of the people you see or meet on the streets collaborates with the Communist Party and spies on outsiders. 

    The tour itinerary is not very tight. There is no rush to visit 2-3 attractions in Lhasa chosen for each day in the city. After 3 days spent there we hit the road and go to other cities and towns of Tibet. Most of the visited attractions are Buddhist temples and monasteries; original as well as those reconstructed after the Cultural Revolution (1966 – 1976) during which more than 6000 sacred buildings from the Tibetan region were destroyed. In the present day Tibetans under certain conditions (for example: they cannot possess or publish Dalai Lama’s portrait) can openly practice Buddhism. 

    Because most of the people living in TAR are farmers, winter is the only time when they can make a pilgrimage to the most sacred places in their land – the city of Lahasa and Mount Kailash. Pilgrimaged often last for years as the people move by constant prostrations.

Common view in the whole Tibetan territory are Buddhist monks wearing dark red clothes, studying religious scripts, making rituals or wandering around city with a smartphone in their hand. The clash of two cultures in an inevitable part of globalization and a sign of quickly changing life.

    For the western guest Tibet is mostly colourful, soaked with incense smells and butter lamps temples, where various rituals take place. Often even Tibetans don’t fully understand its meaning. Every part and element of the temple has its meaning and role. The walls are covered with hundreds of detailed paintings. The visitors of the temples ask for health, happiness and love, but also for the world peace. Small offerings in the temples help to “boost up” your Karma – deeds which decide about your reincarnation – being reborn in a new body (human or animal, depending on the current life deeds).

    In winter 90% of the people in Lhasa are Tibetans. For many it’s the first trip to their capital and the first and only chance to see foreigners, hence locals asking for selfies with tourists are quite common there. Hundreds of people do “kora” – circumambulating around the Potala Palace accompanied by constant repetition of famous mantra – “Om mani padme hum” and turning the prayer wheels. The other place to do kora is the historical city center with Jorkang Temple located in its middle. According to the legend the Buddha statue inside the temple was blessed by the Buddha himself. The only of its kind in the world.     

    The hills surrounding the Tibetan cities are covered with colourful prayer flags, installed there by pilgrims. They are believed to be passing the messages to the gods.

Tibet is divided into seven regions. Each of them has different national clothes and language/dialect. It’s common that Tibetans from different parts of the country need to use Mandarin language (which is not taught in schools from the early stage) to communicate with each other.

    Any time of the day, in the numerous tea houses and restaurants people, usually men, gather to play card games or local board games. They drink Tibetan tea – sweet, made of milk with sugar, or salty – with yak’s butter, the animal which is the most commonly kept as farm animals in Tibet. Even though in the present day Lhasa you can eat a burger in KFC, locals prefer traditional Tibetan meals such as tsampa – roasted barley flour mixed with sweet or salty tea, various types of bread or cheese and yoghurts made of yak’s milk.  

    Coming closer to the southern Tibet, when for the first time we can catch the glimpse of Mount Everest, we are left literally breathless. 3600 meters above the sea level in Lhasa may not be such a problem for a lot of people, but here the altitude hits. We cross passes located over 5200 meters, where even a slightly faster walk causes dizziness (because of the lack of oxygen). This is an inhospitable place for all, people, flora and fauna. Snowy mountain peaks are dreams of many climbers. Until 1950 Nepali government forbid foreigners to enter their country, hence all the climbing expeditions to Mount Everest (starting from 1921) would be led through Tibet (through so called North Face). In 1950 it was China who closed its borders and Nepal opened them. So the first man on the top of Mount Everest got there through Nepali South Face of the mountain.

    From the world highest monastery Rongbuk (4980 meters above the sea level) there is undisturbed view over Qomolangma. It is the place where most of the famous and breath taking photos of the mountain are taken. On the way back to Lhasa we stop near Kharola Glacier which also attracts Tibetan tourists. Everyone is always eager to chat with foreigners. Tibetans are believed to be fond of foreigners and are happy when they see them on the Roof of the World. Locals ask about opinion of Tibet abroad. They always praise Tibetan nature, hospitality and friendliness of the local people.  

    Unquestionably Tibetan people are one of the friendliest (however, having spitfire attitude is not uncommon) nations of the world, with a fascinating history and culture. Despite many problems and conflicts their culture survived till this day. Even though many years have passed since the “discovery” of Tibet, the land still mesmerizes and overwhelms. To see the Roof of the World with your own eyes, try yak’s milk tea and greet everyone with Tibetan “Tashi Delek” is an experience one of a kind, an adventure for a lifetime.    

Modern (talking about) travelling. Made in China.

I knew one day I would come back to this country. It just happened in a bit unexpected way. Sitting in the office of my that-time job, I got a message from my old friend/work agent asking me if I want to come back to China. I was a bit skeptical knowing about difficulties to get Chinese visa etc. Anyway, time has passed a bit and with the beginning of 2017 I was decided to go. The initial plan of getting the visa in Warsaw's embassy failed (I might be black listed already), so I had to go to Hong Kong to get the papers done. A few days before flying the plan has changed again, and I was to go to Malaysia instead (from HK).

After one week in Kuala Lumpur (which for me was like one long daydream) I got my one year visa and the same day flew to Guangyuan (广元）, the city which became my new home for over a year.
The beginning were hard. No Chinese spoken (I obviously forgot all I learned when I was in China for the first time; and not that it was a lot anyway), no laptop, smartphone, no friends. Total immersion in the culture - they say. Yeah, worked. After a couple of months I learned enough to briefly introduce myself and make new friends (all Chinese), become recognizable person in a few bars and a club.

Back to teaching, this time in Middle School, was smooth enough. Only the place I lived sucked big time. They put me in a hotel, just like all the previous foreign teachers of that school. Probably nobody expected an expat to have a circle of friends and a will to cook and make laundry. They were all quite surprised in the school, when I announced I definitely don't want to live in a hotel room.
Anyway, I had to struggle there for 4,5 months before my summer holiday trip to Western China and Kazakhstan.

For years I wanted to see the (in)famous city of Urumqi - the most continental city in the world. The Silk Road, desert, different culture, language and even people's appearance. Kazakhstan was wicked (positively), but that's a story for another post.

So, I come back to Guangyuan and there is it - my new apartment. Chosen from 2 options I got: totally new flat in a modern housing area with no furniture/utensils whatsoever; or cozy, wall-papered (quite rare in China, normally everything is white) 3 bedroom flat. Without a second thought I went for option two. It took me 4 days (afternoons) to clean it, get rid of unwanted stuff and buy new things. Another 2 weeks to get rid of cockroaches (it would have taken 1 hour if I had bought the spray before) and buy remaining items. Then I could say - this is my place. Invested enough of time, money and effort to claim the rights.

The first term was the culture shock period. Trying just about any new food I saw, going out like crazy, in a peak time up to 3-4 times a week. Thanks to that my nicely lost kilos came back in no time (it kinda became a tradition, gain or lose 10 kg at a time). Due to my boredom of the first months I got myself a second part-time job (which I regret doing until today). But the life was still lacking some deeper sense, the feeling of growth or improving. I got into vicious circle of parties and curing handover by another party until my summer break which saved me in a way. I had one biggish breakdown when I really wanted fuck it all and leave China. But then again, I would appreciate the fact that I was here, in this magnificent country.

Second semester was a bit similar with minor improvement of signing up for a pottery course. The winter came and the flat became unbearably cold. Again it was work-home-occasional party period. I started jogging, which was great (I even did 5 km official competition together with a local jogging/running team) but after a few month ended up in a semi major foot injury. Just before winter break I gave up running. Months of continuous work (to two school I added an english lessons in a hotel) wore me out quite a lot but then again, the break came and I could go back on the road.

This time, like each time in China, my travelling was different.
1.Winter time - loads of sweaters, socks, gloves, hat etc. The backpack was still 40 l but packed to the limit coz of the size of the clothes. Not much time for laundry (I literally got it done in a machine like 3 times in 6 weeks time; the rest was hand washing and praying it'll dry by the next day), the need of always stay in motion, especially when hitching.
2. Hitchhiking - seems like the police really enforced "no people on the highway" law. During previous trips (2 times) in China I had no problems with crossing the toll gate and sneaking on the highway (and the staff obviously must have seen me do that). This time on almost all of them I was stopped by the police or highway staff and (not)politely asked out. A few times I manage to cross, a few times I was picked up by someone just to pass the tool gate, other times I would stand before the gate.

3. Phone/Internet - like never before I realized the need of Internet while travelling in China. You just have to have a phone or other device that is constantly connected to the Internet. Otherwise your life will be veeery hard. Loads of times I would check the way to any place I wanted to, and that's just the simplest use of the Internet. From booking a hostel to buying train tickets, checking opening hours, entry tickets, all sorts of maps. Of course you could manage to do all of that asking people or going directly to the places but you would waste a looot of time. The size of the cities may mean that what looks close on the map in fact is 2-3 km away. And you don't want to walk (or take a but if you know which line and stop - again, the Internet has it all) these 3 km just to find out that the hostel is already full. You wouldn't like lining up at the train station for 20-30 min, reach the window and hear 没票(no tickets). Same (or maybe the most important actually) goes for directions. You can ask people, but a lot of them are not that familiar with the city or they wouldn't know but still would point some random direction (to avoid saying "I don't know").
4. Language. The first time I travelled in China with 0 Chinese. Honestly I don't know how I did that. So many times I would be totally lost if not the ability of communication in Chinese which I have now. So many times I would be taken or directed to wrong places if I couldn't explain what I wanted. Reading major public signs also helps hell of a lot (finding a hostel, which has only Chinese characters; otherwise it looks just like any other building; reading signs on the highway)

This trip was expensive coz of an extra cost of side trip to North Korea (about it in other post). Basically 40 days travelling in China cost me the same as 4 days trip to Korea :P
Got back to my flat - all as nice as I left it, and decided to do something productive this (probably last) semester. More online learning, sports, change of diet (I'm fed up with most of the local food anyway). And I still absolutely love China!

Welcome to China

Some time ago I saw a list of 20 things which change in you after living in China. So true. Drinking hot water, spitting all over and being tolerant for any kind of weird noises made for example during a meal by Chinese people is no longer weird at all.

4718 m above sea level pass

But anyways - China. Exactly 5,5 months spent in my dream country. 2,5 travelling, rest teaching English (duh! what else white European can do over there :>). I absolutely adore this country, which I probably mentioned in previous post. From the very first moment after crossing Vietnam-China border I was overwhelmed. Maybe not as much as later on, when I was more and more sinking into the world of China. But the positive attitude from the beginning stayed till the end with almost no interruptions. Probably only one or two breakdowns and panic "how can I survive in this place?", but in general I was extraordinarily calm when it came to facing problems.

I hitch-hiked some 5000 km over there, all alone and what should I say? I'm fucking proud of myself. I did it, I survivedthe place I definitely need to visit again.
Hardcore pass through mountainous Sichuan ended in Chengdu - the capital of the province. From there, hitching around 400 km a day, I reached Xi'an with Terracotta Warriors and had a chance to use my fake student card, which I bought in Bangkok, for the first time - it worked all right.

tibetan praying place

yak on my hitch-hiking route

While visiting Yichang - the place of the biggest dam in the world (Three Gorges Dam), I got the humble idea of applying for some teaching positions as I've already found out how easy it was to get a job. On the way to Guilin - one of the top 10 places in China - I dropped by to the house where Mao Zedong was born, and surprisingly I was the only waiguoren (foreigner) over there...
In Guilin I stayed 15 days, 1. because I had to wait some time for my visa extension, 2. I got involved in volunteering as English teacher with quite nice conditions and great environment and nature around. In the mean time, as I expected, I got offered a few teaching positions and after choosing one, went to Beijing to see the agent who organized the school for me. From there I was sent to Harbin, which was like a present for me: I wouldn't be able to visit it on my own due to lack of time, which I would have regretted a lot. Unit 731, which interested me for the last 4 years was/is located in Harbin. Coincidence (fate?) that from all the cities in China I was sent to deal with new visa right in the place I really wanted to visit?
From Harbin I hit the train for a deadly 40 h travel on hard seat with 7 h break in the city with the biggest statue of Mao. How could I miss that! I reached my final destination - Fuqing (pronounced Fuching) near Fuzhou, where I stayed for 4 month, teaching in public Middle School. The best job I've ever had in my life! 3 h a day, 4 days a week, all public holidays off and paid and being the only foreign teacher in the school for 3000 students. The city, or rather town for Chinese standards (only 0,5 mln people) was... very Chinese and not Mandarinian Chinese, which complicated everything quite much. But after fist week of apathy and wishing to run away, I started finding small details which made my stay over there actually damn good time. I loved my students and the other teachers. I loved most of the Chinese anyways :) The best people ever! 

last day and dozens of signatures

miss teacher

Valentine's Day with Chinese memories.

"enjoy capitalism" so-called democratic tunisia still has a lot to fix.

 Well, well, well...

"we make revolution" tunisia still unstable.

First, I'm leaving Polish section of the blog as I guess most of the people who are interested in my posts in here can more or less understand English and it was quite an issue to translate every post into 2 languages. Second, great apology for abandoning the blog for more than half a year! My laziness and unforeseen circumstances made me do this. Mostly, because I spend almost 6 months in China behind iron curtain of Internet censorship which blocked my blog (even though I manage to open other devil's websites such as youtube and FB). After I came back to Poland (yes, I finally came back home; absolutely temporarily though!) I was really too lazy to catch up with the posts. And I'm not gonna do it now either, as I can't quite imagine writing about my last 7 months of life. I can do some retrospections and digressions in following posts or adding some stories from my time in China.

Long story short, I travelled 2 months in China, alone, hitch-hiking, it was fucking awesome and I absolutely fell in love with this country, and as today's Valentine's day: I'll always love you, China! Later 4 months I spent being so-called spoken English teacher Middle School, in the city facing Taiwan. Awesome time of working 3 hours a day, 4 times a week and earning over $1000 ^^ If that was bigger city, with a little more than 5 foreigners (including me) I'd beg to stay longer. But I'd really wanted to do big homecoming and making my folks drop dead when they saw me (almost succeeded). Anyways, 6 months in China, was probably the best time I've had from those 28 months I was abroad.

Again, unforeseen circumstances lead me to Tunisia for lovely 2 weeks of hitch-hiking, meeting loads of people and smoking Algerian hash. As I had 3 weeks time before flight China-London and London-Poland, and I wasn't reach and spoiled enough to spend it in the UK, I chose Tunisia as my side trip. Couldn't have made better decision!

I was chickening out a bit before going to Tunisia alone and, what's more, with a brave idea to hitch the country. But I did and survived, and had a blast! From the first moments of hitting the road from the airport to Tunis until my last lift back to the same airport, I had only 4 immoral proposals (don't forget: blond European female, solo in a Muslim country - Turkey was 100 worse even with a male travel mate) and 1 semi-dangerous situation (which I, personally "asked" for, as I agreed to go alone to some guys flat - don't ask me why, coz I don't know myself :/). In most of the cases drivers were more worried about me then I was myself. I exchanged dozens of phone numbers and was almost forced to inform the previous driver when I reached my destination. 4 times was invited to spend the night with locals:

village on the desert in the early morning

1. in the desert village near Matmata - village which was a film set for Star Wars. Amazing experience to come out after sunset and see all the stars on the sky and absolutely no lights; and to wake up at 5:30 am to set up the fire to bake morning bread for breakfast.
2.family who gave me a lift invited me for a wedding in the village, where I also spent a night and got henna tattoo on my hands.

me and bride at the wedding party

3. random guy on the street of Douz asked me for help with writing a letter in English to his foreign friend. It started like this and ended up with a party in his flat with his brother and friends, drinking beers, smoking hash and making a BBQ inside a room.
4. another driver and his family got so interested in my story, that they invited me to their house some 400 km away from the city I was going to. But because I saved some time afterwards I finally made in to Kasserine, there they lived and stayed there one night. We're still in touch until now.
I really couldn't believe in those people, so friendly, helpful and welcoming. And always greeting you by kissing either twice or 4 times in the cheek. Kinda Polish style (we do it always 3 times).
After China and its size, whole Tunisia seemed to me like a tiny place. I've never had to hitch more than 200 km a day, which makes you feel comfortable without worrying about being too late or having problems with lifts. I've never waited more than 10 minutes for a car (ok, ok, I'm a single female, that helps a lot!), sometimes squeezed between 2 guys, sometimes having really comfortable ride with extra snacks and coffee. Thanks to the size of the country I managed to visit most of the places I wanted to, including 3 or 4 UNESCO sites (I think I've missed only one or two more), but on the other hand I had this feeling I've been doing some kinda race, changing cities almost every day, not like before - staying in one place for 2-3 days and exploring most of the attractions. Anyways, small country, so you don't need much time to see medinas and ports (actually, after being in 2 or 3 port cities, all you see in another medina, another souk and another port, so you get sick of it). I love Tunisian tiles! They're everywhere, in every house and every city, with lovely ornaments and bright colours. And on the last day in Tunisia I prayed in mosque in Sousse, first time in 1,5 years I think. I love the people, food, architecture. Got at least 2 invitation for another weddings and had to make promises I'd visit all those people again in summer or in not specified future. And I will! I really, genuinely want to :)
And now I'm still at home, Radom, Poland. Starting from Xmas Eve, 6pm. i did, what I wanted to do - got drunk, high, stoned, met loads of people, went to dozens of parties, read books and watched films whole days, slept whole day and generally did nothing constructive. I even tried to get a job and lead "normal" life for some time, but well, that's Poland, what's more - that's Radom, where some things are harder to be done than the other. But leaving is quite easy, and that's what I plan to do in near future...

 bakery in Sidi Bou Said

     Sahara!