Welcome to Nepal, goodbye beautiful Tibet

Hidiho,

Finally in Nepal. But already stuck in the border town, because of a strike which paralyzes the whole country. No one can use any transport. If they do, their vehicle gets wrecked. So no one wants to bring us to Kathmandu. But its oke. Its relaxing here in the beautiful valley of the Himalayas from which one side is Chinese, and the other is Nepalese.

So only the day after tomorrow we can leave. Tomorrow we'll visit a hot spring, the only thing to see here besides the dirty streets and the dirty hillsides littered with all the rubbish the people can't use.

But before we arrived here, we crossed Tibet, a really magical country. We were so lucky with the weather, which was blue blue and sunny. It was awesome. The people in Tibet are totally different from the Chinese. They laugh much more, are very friendly and are very spiritual. It's like there life is all about there believe, Buddhism.
They are really beautiful, but also very dirty. In the way they seem not to wash them very often. The children are often really black of the dirt. But on the same moment shining from the inside.

It is the kind of people which I had expected to find in Mongolia. But probably communism has killed all this people, or certainly, this kind of spirits.

Also the countryside is very similar to Mongolia. Huge place , few people an enormous beautiful.

Together with the Dutch couple, Gerald and Anette, we had a great time. We had little problems with altitude sickness, but it is really not something to underestimate. Without the medication, we would have had problems. Around the mount Everest we walked for 8 km, but it felt like 20. The icy wind blowing in our face all the time, luckily still sunny, but on the end, Gerald and I where exhausted, with a huge headache. But the woman were oke. So they could take care for us. In the night all the bottles of water were frozen, inside our sleeping room!! Luckily we could use all the blankets we could find.

Also the monasteries are tho most beautiful and authentic I have ever seen. But,....

The Chinese really control everything. There are everywhere spy's disguised as tourists, or monks, or whatever. Our Tibetan guides where really scared to talk in public about there thoughts about politics. All the pictures of the living Dalai Lama are illegal and also the Tibetan flag.
There 'peaceful liberation' is really a cultural genocide. The Tibetans have less rights as Chinese. If they are very kind and sheepish and very rich they can get a passport to leave the country, but it costs a full year wage!! Our guides husband was imprisoned one year for entering the country illegal after going to Nepal, he was only 25 now.
They have a hard time.

On the other hand, our driver and guide weren't the nicest guide and driver we could have. Really not motivated in the contrary with the guides husband who guided us for one day. He was really relaxing, motivated, nice and helpful. It's a pity, but besides that, we had a great time. you'll see on the pics, its unbelievable.

greets,

Simon and Saar