Day 18-21 Good Bye China

" A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."

Lao Tzu

Day 18-21

The two day trip back to Lhasa was gruelling; we stopped briefly for food and the ‘open’ toilets. There were loads more monasteries along the way, however, much as the visits to the religious places were interesting, we enjoyed more the uncontaminated and raw beauties on the way back to Lhasa.

We were coming to the end of our trip, and wanted to go somewhere with Tibet feel before returning to the Western world. We spent our last day in Lhasa staying at the Brahamaputra Grand Hotel which located alongside the riverside Gong Ba Ri Mammon Mountain. It was really luxurious after the demanding trip. The hotel is also a living museum. On each level of the hotel along the corridors to the room are the Tibetan artefacts which are for sale too. The room was large and spacious with a computer and internet connection. Surfing the web costed nothing and it was fast. The beds were comfortable, and the most important thing – the hot shower. Oh, and the excellent foot massage which was provided in the health centre of the Hotel that was very helpful after visiting the EBC!

At 7am in the morning, we were transferred to the airport for flight to Beijing where I parted my friends and waited for my flight to Sydney.

It is truly an experience of a lifetime.

After this journey, I truly realised the joy of travel. Travel is not to visit a few attractions or post in front of the camera. Travel is to use your heart to feel, to observe, to learn and to share.