Visiting Tibet by bicycle is a pure experience. Going to Tibet is no more difficult than making a choice. Sometimes life dares us to dream beyond the false fears of our age. Then we realize that life is made of doing, not wishing.

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Eastern Tibet is a vast, sparsely populated region. It is knotted with high peaks, 5000 meter high mountain roads and pristine rivers flowing along the plateaux between the peaks. Every traveller has heard that most roads beyond Lhasa are still officially closed to foreign visitors. But if a desire for adventure catches the imagination, there is a way inside either by hitching a ride on a truck or riding a bicycle.

Picture your destination, a town called Chamdo, the biggest community in eastern Tibet. To reach it involves traversing several very high mountain passes. Making the journey by bicycle is physically challenging but by no means impossible. All the sweat pays off because entering Tibet is like coming to visit a very new yet wonderfully ancient planet.

Two rivers flow southwards past Chamdo to form the Mekong, one of the mightiest streams in Southeast Asia. The streams in Tibet are cold and unpolluted and flow very rapidly between the mountains of Tibet's eastern plateau.

Climate, soil and altitude create precise conditions for special plant habitats. Tall pines climb some of the hillsides. But most of the highland in eastern Tibet above 3000 meters is covered with a ragged, stumpy scrub and the flats along the rivers are sewn with barley and wheat. Even higher, above the rivers and plateaux, at elevations between 4000 and 5000 meters, the road passes by the empty beds of glaciers and then eases up to the gray mountain peaks. At 4000 meters, the earth is overgrown with moss, myriad wild flowers and dewy, tufted grass.

Tibet is more beautiful than most earthly regions since the land remains entirely undisturbed. Since the population is widely scattered, wildlife is abundant. Innumerable pikas -- a miniature rabbit, marmots, and wild songbirds populate the high plateaux. The only bad thing now happening to the land in Tibet is logging. It is a disturbing sight to see the trucks trundle out, laden with huge timbers.

Not far south of Chamdo a new airport has been built near Bamda village. Its runway stretches 5 kilometers through the middle of a lovely river valley 4200 meters above the sea. It is probably the highest large aircraft runway in the world and can easily accommodate any size of aircraft, including 747 jets. The road from the airport to Chamdo is being paved by conscripted Tibetan country folk, and soldiers of the People's Liberation Army.

Beyond the airport above the town of Gyitang, a group of Tibetan nomads live upon a meadow beside a mountain pass. It is a place of oracular, ineffable beauty. There are no trees, only moss and grass. Above the deep green meadow lift the rocky, bare mountains beyond a deep wide chasm. The distant peaks wear their snowy capes all year. The mountains are like giants with nothing to do except look down upon minute terrestrial beings inching slowly, on foot or horseback, across the green summer.\par The Tibetan nomads live as they have for hundreds and hundreds of years. These are the poorest, yet most noble folk of Tibet. Their character is at once gentle, curious, hospitable and playfully mischievous. These folk chant Buddhist prayers over and over, and everyone sings love songs to themselves. The people feel compelled to call out from the heart of their solitude. Living in one of the world's most lovely natural environments does something really good to the peoples' psyche. Youngsters and adults alike will approach with almost fearless delight. Tibetan folks often view visiting foreigners with solemn awe, while many are quick to smile as their natural curiosity arises to ask questions. Everyone giggles whenever someone begins to tease.

A Tibetan fellow will not be shy to joke and ask about the size of a foreign visitor's manhood. On truck journeys, during a pause for relief, he may even walk around for a good look, too.

How do the nomads live? During the summer all the nomads pitch black and brown tents upon the very highest meadows. Their homes are not very big, but they are toughly built and supported by rope rigging and strong wooden poles. A fire burns inside the tent, since it tends to rain in summer.

Men and women alike wear traditional costumes and ornate metal and turquoise jewelry. Bracelets circle their wrists and many adornments encircle their fingers, arms and necks, all made of leather and polished stone. The men's long hair is bound through green jade loops. The men often tie the ends of their hair to a bunch of red strings and wind the whole thing round their heads. The women wear striped aprons like rainbows. Plain, dark skirts lie under their warm robes. The men dress in dark brown or gray robes, too. Hand-knit sweaters are everywhere. Nowadays, some nomads wear store-bought clothes. Many Tibetan women are very pretty and the men, strikingly handsome.

The lifestyle of the nomads is simple. They graze animals -- mostly yaks and goats. What little money they earn selling meat and animal hides goes for supplies like clothing, flour and tea. The nomads have a lot of spare time during the summer. Frequent horse races are run in meadows beside the road. A few hundred country people bring out their prize ponies. The meadow becomes a fair ground. The ponies race up the grass and everyone, men and women together, drink plenty of beer. A throng of curious, staring eyes gather round. You may have to run away after awhile.

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While the nomads graze their yaks and goats, and others help the army to build roads, Chamdo town is booming. The settlement shows local culture amidst a diffusion of Chinese and Western things. It is the biggest town in eastern Tibet, an important trade hub and administrative center.

Situated on the flats and a low hill between the rivers, Chamdo has only 6000 people. Barren mountain-tops surround the place. Chamdo is starkly picturesque and isolated from direct contact with the outside world. The town has a modern quality, but it has arrived by accident, imported simply because a technological civilization exists somewhere outside.

People are surprised to see all foreigners who are not dressed as Buddhist monks. So, many folk are simply pleased to see someone make it all the way in from the outside, and they smile. Others are so shy and unfamiliar, they cannot help but conceal their shock by refusing to look directly at strangers.

The populace of Chamdo is mixed. The town shows all the many faces of the Tibetan complex. It is a market and plenty of villagers and nomads are always around to pick-up several months worth of tea, alcohol, flour and other staples. Merchants, nomads, monks, Communist cadres, soldiers, workers, artisans, housewives, travelling traders, loan sharks and country folk are all over town.

If there is any new money being made in this part of Tibet, it appears in Chamdo first. Many Tibetan businessmen appear as if they have just walked out of a filme noire movie. Edgar G. Robinson waits to make you a deal. He's got a broad-brimmed felt fedora and the old-fashioned cut of his pin-striped suit complements the occidental and oriental blend of his visage. Perhaps some Tibetans once migrated from the north and east, from Mongolia, and it seems obvious that some influence from the south in India, has migrated into their genes over the eons.

Traps wait for foreign visitors, too. Walk into a restaurant in which a police official and an army boss are sharing dinner, and you may be obliged to join them. They will be very happy to get drunk, reminding you how handsome you are, and once or twice. They may mention that you are not supposed to be in Tibet... Chamdo's chief soldier looks Chinese while his military comrade is a Tibetan double for Albert Finney, but with a deep suntan.

Sharing in the camaraderie may be a local Tibetan or two, doing their best to appear convivial, cracking a joke or making a snide aside to you about the real situation -- that is -- how the army is down on the people. You will feel like a spy even if you aren't, and by the looks of things, Humphrey Bogart better show up to offer smokes and make peace between the glances. But by the end of the evening, everyone is so drunk that nobody can remember any differences. So there is laughter before and after the police and army leave.

Tibetans have a bold streak, a life-joy which often overwhelms their natural timidity. During the brief, warm summer, Tibetan villagers enjoy meeting in a pretty spot beside the river. They put up their black and white tents and take yak tea with their neighbors, talking and singing all day.

Summer is the only time to visit Tibet. Go to the market and walk slowly among the details of life. The tribesmen sell shaggy sheepskins and tiny kid goat skins. Imitation sheep skin is available on huge rolls, too. Wander around anywhere in the market and local men will offer to sell polished stone necklaces, fine leather and brass snuff pouches, or chest medallions depicting mandala-like emblems and horned goat devils.

There is no better market in the world, since the local people buy and use the very things we would call "souvenirs". Miniature tin-plate reliquaries recall open-hearted tabernacles. Men often wear them under their robes. Knives are long and the sheathes are pressed elaborately into plated brass. Earrings of gold and stone cost over 300 U.S. dollars. Lovely silver bangles and earrings are great value, a set costs only 15 U.S. dollars. Religious souvenirs are plentiful, too. Mala necklaces, with the requisite 108 beads, are available in precious stone and carved animal bone. The bone beads resemble miniature, grinning human skulls and are ticklishly eerie. Alongside the jewelers, supply shops sell huge beaten copper and brass vessels. Monks sell magic powders made of ground bones and herbs, excellent for settling your neurasthenia. You can pick-up a bagful of excellent raisins, a kilo of piquant yak cheese, or a poster depicting Tibetan demons, saints and Bodhisattvas. You can buy a monk's robe. In Tibet they are deep crimson. For kids, down-filled vests and colorful outfits are readily available. You can invest in a pair of yak hair long-johns for only 12 U.S. dollars. Durable Tibetan wool carpets can be found, too.\par Pedestrian bridges over Chamdo's rivers are draped in Tibetan prayers printed on light cotton flags. Across the street from the post office is a big bookshop selling a vintage black and white poster panorama of Chamdo town. Several books are printed in Tibetan language, mostly classics, histories and religious works

On the hill above Chamdo is a very characteristic lamasery, originally opened in 1435. At that time, it had a population of 2000 monks and was a center for Tibetan Buddhist printing. Nowadays, there are many fewer monks. One wall of the lamasery contains a temple with shiny brass prayer wheels. Turn them round as you walk inside to pray beside the gigantic ones inside. Inside the walls at one point is a white rock garden with regularly spaced trees. The monks will be happy to pose for a photo.

One wing of the lamasery is being rebuilt, and its a good chance to look at how masterful the Tibetan craftsmen are.

Everywhere in Tibet, timber and stone homes abound. The traditional home is massive. Bright colors adorn the windows frames, ceiling beams and walls inside. The homes must have walls thick enough to keep everyone warm during the long, snowy winter.

All Tibetans want to visit Lhasa. It is like making a pilgrimage. Everyone respects the exiled Dalai Lama. Most everyone in Tibet is religious. Travel along any road in the company of locals and someone is bound to start praying aloud. Someone else will be sure to sing a hymn or love song. Tibetan singing is so naturally melodious, the singer's soothing consolation and fervent devotion comes through even if the meaning of the words elude. Tibetans sing to themselves and for their friends everywhere, all the time.

At night, Chamdo is quiet and the streets are very dark. A few restaurants occasionally stay open after nine. On weekends, kids enjoy visiting the roller-skating disco. The disco KTV in the big hotel gives the impression of being pleasantly displaced.

Comfortable chairs and tables surround the big dance floor. While a woman sings a romantic ballad, the fellows who really want to dance call, " Disco, disco! " Then they throw an empty beer bottle to smash across the floor. Nobody gets kicked out, but a waitress promptly sweeps the mess up. The wild west lives in Tibet! The bars tend to attract mostly men since Tibetan society remains fairly conservative. Most sisters, even in a big town like Chamdo, have to stay home knitting with mom.

All Tibetans grow up in a way removed and isolated. Even so, the women can be very bold sometimes. Boys are mischievous and their teasing is a test for character. Tibetans are canny and clever and will not be taken in by anyone too easily. The average man has little personal wealth and few possessions. Among Tibetans one senses bewilderment at the presence of Chinese military forces. Tibetans harbor an ambivalence at best, and often a contempt for the Chinese army, which is largely made of youngsters spending time far from home, most of whom can hardly wait to go back. Local Tibetan resentment often lies concealed, but sometimes it is expressed openly. A great longing for independence arises among many Tibetans. But it is a romantic longing, and it appears as if it will remain largely unfulfilled. Other Tibetans are silently indifferent and seem to go about life despite everyone else's complaints about the Chinese presence. Still others claim that the Chinese are openly oppressive, sitting on the society and making life difficult for them. Some will even actually admit that the Chinese have brought some development and support to their poor land.

All Tibetans naturally assume visiting foreigners are "on their side", too. Though some nomads wear Communist badges along with their beads, they sometimes act from a vast resignation, accepting the presence of the army, while not really wanting to... Obvious developments include hospitals and airports. But numerous deserted communes and abandoned factories are in evidence, too -- something the Chinese are not too keen on letting foreigners observe, since they attest to failures of cooperation between local people and outside planners.

The Tibetan desire for identity is best expressed when people ask for photos of the Dalai Lama. The folk will often greet strangers with palms together, and reverently intone, " Dalai, Dalai! "

Much in their attitude shows a basic, natural frustration: nobody who can take care of himself likes to be treated like a naughty child. However, the irony of the Tibetan resentment is its subdued quality -- like a shrug of shoulders, only broken by an occasional outburst of active defiance.

There is a new airport at Bamda. The Chinese army is there to organize the labor. Many locals may be asking, "Who is the airport for? Tourists? The army? Us?" An airport is useful in medical emergencies or during natural disasters, but it can also be used to fly in troops.

The question comes up -- at what point does the appearance of development reflect control, exploitation and oppression? There can be no believable apology for the presence of the Chinese army, except perhaps the history of China itself...

Hitch a truck ride with Tibetans travelling to their villages. As you meet a Chinese army convoy the Tibetan fellows smile and wave at the soldiers. But a moment later, after passing the soldiers, the Tibetans jeer and gesture derisively back...

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The Tibetan people are pure, possessed of their own indelible character. It is difficult to imagine that the people will wake up suddenly to find their cultural character destroyed and assimilated. The people of Tibet are resilient, and yet, they laugh so lightly -- as if the thin air they breath frees the spirit of unwanted social pressures. Laughter shows you the heart of these folk is innocent and unbothered. Hopefully the Tibetans will be blessed with the good luck enough to keep their tongue, prayer and music undisturbed, their natural beauty pure, and their social custom intact.

A visit to Tibet can be a thrilling experience, and can feel more immediately real than life in our own remote world of superfluous duplicates, televised simulations, and consumption for consumption's sake.

Real life still thrives in Tibet, mysterious land beyond our time.

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Getting Inside Tibet

If you decide to visit Tibet, being aware of the current situation is important when making your way inside. Practicing a few sneaky techniques can make the game much easier to play...

First, it is important to keep in mind that there are two major "police forces" in Tibet. The civil police are supposed to enforce order in towns and they sometimes patrol the highways in jeeps. These civil police are responsible for catching foreign adventurers. In practice, the civil police will often collect a fine and tell travellers to go back the way they came.

The People's Liberation Army is represented by numerous very young soldiers stationed at bases around the country. Their sole jurisdiction is to watch over the local populace and maintain the authority of China's central government. They will often ignore foreign travellers, and ironically enough, even assist by offering accommodations near the tops of passes, or adjacent one of their bases in truckers' inns. The soldiers will not usually report travellers to the civil police, even if they see one riding in a truck.

Second, if you decide to visit Chamdo, you must come in from Lhasa, Yunnan or Sichuan. Truckers give some people rides, but not everyone. A good method for sneaking in may be to blend in with the local populace: buy some Tibetan style robes in the northern Yunnan town of Zhongdian, get a tan, make your hair black, long and natty, put on some beads, soil the robes a little, then snap on a pair of sunglasses and smile peacefully across the border.

Many of the people who make this trip come from Japan, since they are less liable to be recognized by the local police, and the truckers are more willing to risk giving them a ride.

The only reasonable alternative to being Japanese or Chinese is to ride a bicycle across the frontier. Some audacious travellers have been known to hire local guides and ride ponies over passes and through the valleys.

Since an airport has been completed at Bamda, 150 kilometers south of Chamdo, and a new hotel is being built in town, the government may plan to open the area up to holiday tour operators. Check in Chengdu, Sichuan for information about flights to the airport at Bamda.

Whether you choose truck, pony or bicycle -- only three good roads lead into Tibet across its eastern frontier. Two of the roads begin in Sichuan and the third reaches up from the northwest corner of Yunnan. The Yunnan route is the best way for cyclists.

and hitcher's alike. There are fewer police checkpoints than along the other routes, and only one at the border town, Yanjing. Of course, the fact that there are check-points would normally make it impossible to enter Tibet, but some truckers really are willing to hide people in the backs of their vehicles if you pay them enough. If on a bike, you can delay your arrival at Yanjing until dusk -- during the summer -- about 8:30 P.M. The guards are usually off-duty by then, and cyclists can walk around the barriers without any trouble. In towns near the frontier, stay off the streets until after dark, otherwise police dressed in plain clothes will nab you easily. If caught, travellers are fined about 100 Yuan and told to go back to Sichuan by the main road. To avoid being caught or having to obey the police, leaving frontier towns before dawn is great insurance against apprehension. Luckily, most Tibetan folk will not report a foreign guest to the police.

If you actually make it as far in as Chamdo without being caught, the town offers at least two good hotels. One is large and built around a court of trees backed by a large disco KTV bar. The bar desperately needs a public toilet. A much more quaint and homey place lays tucked away beside the river Za along one of the main streets. The hotel is hidden behind a clapboard door down some slippery stone steps. The place is run by a hospitable family. The hotel isn't expensive, less than 20 American dollars for a lovely double overlooking the river.

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When To Go:

Travelling to Tibet is possible anytime between spring and autumn. Some recommend that it is safer to travel during May and June or after August to avoid the rains... However, it is undoubtedly warmer during July and August. During the summer, it can thunderstorm and the temperature varies greatly at altitudes above three thousand meters. Daytime is temperate and hot, night is cool and cold.

Starting Point:

The official way into Tibet is through Lhasa. Passes for travel in the countryside outside of the city are issued there. All other ways into the area are officially closed to foreign travellers. However, cyclists can get in if they try, especially by crossing borders at dusk, after the guards have gone home for the night. Of the two backdoors into Tibet, from Sichuan and Yunnan, the most scenic is the route from northwest Yunnan into the south eastern corner of Tibet. Cyclists must fly to Kunming, Yunnan first. Connections with Shanghai and Hong Kong are readily available via Dragon Air and China Southwest Airlines. It is also possible to enter Yunnan from Thailand, Viet Nam, Laos or Myanmar by road and train or, in the case of Thailand, by airplane.

Equipment:

The best equipment is a light but sturdy bicycle. It is not necessary to use a clunky off-road bike. A touring bike, geared very low, is best. Use slightly wider than ordinary road tires with a grippy tread and be sure to bring at least two spare tires. Mountain bikes and knobby tires are not necessary; but, they would be really great for making some off-road explorations into the grassy plateaux on top of some passes. A tent would be useful, and a warm sleeping bag.

Clothing:

Light clothing is okay, but a pair of longjohns or warm tights are essential, plus a nylon windbreaker, some sunglasses and suntan lotion, a cap, and even a pair of light wool gloves. Otherwise, shorts and t-shirts are fine. I wore sandals all the time, except one or two mornings when frost lay on the ground until the sun was full up.

Roads:

Most roads in Tibet are hard-packed clay and gravel. Surprisingly, most roads are smooth for riding on. Some loose gravel in places sometimes slows things down. Tibetan roads are often precipitously perched and very narrow as they climb up to passes above river gorges. The roads allow for some of the world's finest vistas. Sometimes the views give the impression is like one is in an airplane flying high above the earth. Road elevations in Tibet are about double those of Yunnan, and range between 3000 to 4000 meters, with most mountain passes ranging from at least 4000 to 5000 meters.

Accommodation:

Few inns or hotels are available, but they do exist in towns and outposts. Not expensive and very basic, most places will cost between 1 to 4 dollars a night. No hot water, but clean water is often available just outside the hotels.

Food:

Food comes in Chinese and Tibetan varieties. People in Tibet are generous and it is a natural occurrence to share a summertime picnic lunch with a family or some truckers along the road. All towns have some kind of restaurant or noodle shop. It is advisable to carry a few things, like dried meat. Tibetan food is good: feel free to eat tsampa flour so long as you mix it with boiled tea and fresh yak butter -- a great source of cycling energy.

Water:

Water is easy to find because most roads are laid beside rivers. Carry a water bottle with a built-in charcoal and iodine filter which is indispensable for riding in southerly latitudes. At high altitudes river water is really safe to drink, but iodine filtering guarantees no microbal problems will ensue.

Transportation:

Regular truckers ply their way into and out of Tibet as well as to and from the capital city. It is possible to hitch a ride in an emergency, or simply to take a break by riding on the back of a truck. The views from the truck are great, but it is probably safer, and almost as fast, to ride the bike. Truckers will expect a bit of money for taking you along, but not too much.

Must Sees:

East Tibet is all very beautiful. You may want to visit some of the lamaseries along the way and in Chamdo. Take a break and go hiking to visit the nomads -- very interesting people. Explre the ruins of abondonned communes. Get inside a Tibetan inn and look at the beautiful woodwork. The mountain passes are usually spectacular and well worth the day-long efforts needed to ascend them. Look for wildflowers, birds, pikas and other alpine species like Yaks and goats. The stars at night: climb out of your tent or go for a walk out of town at night and take a look at the heavens; above three thousand meters up, the illumination is extraordinary.

Copyright 2000 by David Antoniuk