Travel date - 30th April, 2016

I woke up with goosebumps so excited to see Mount Everest that I was the first one to check out of the hotel and wait inside the bus. I was carrying my warmest coat with me as the guide had asked us to while waiting impatiently for the rest of the crew. It was then that the driver came in to remind me about breakfast. For the first time in my life, I forgot all about food.

I hurried to the hotel restaurant and found everyone enjoying their breakfast leisurely which for some reason got me annoyed. I gobbled up some boiled eggs n dumplings and rushed back to the bus. I guess I nudged them telepathically to hurry up since they started boarding the bus one by one. Mission accomplished!

We prepared for a long and tough ride ahead as our guide told us that we would be passing Tsola Pass(4600M), and Gyatsola Pass(5248M) and also stop at Gawula Pass(5198m) to enjoy the panorama of the Himalayas. With the elevation gradually increasing, we would have to acclimatise quickly. I was already getting into deep breathing mode while enjoying the view from the bus.

We got off at Gawula Pass to enjoy the view but ended up holding onto our coats and each other for life from blowing away with the heavy winds. We couldn't really appreciate the view at such harsh weather conditions so we scurried back into the bus and headed on towards Mount Everest Base Camp. We had a bit of giggle in the bus at our small adventure/escape from death by mountain winds.

Past few days of constantly looking at vast landscapes had got me quite used to it that now I could just stare at them with a still mind instead of getting awestruck or into thinking mode. While I was meditating with my eyes open for almost an hour, the bus suddenly stopped in front of a rundown tiny monastery. There were some yaks on the road that were posing for us with pleasure or that’s what I felt.

Few more hours of ride from this place and we reached the Mount Everest Base Camp. It was a clear evening so we could see the peak clearly with the sun rays shining on it as it stood there magestically. Needless to say, we were all overjoyed and people got into their selfie stick mode while I began fidgeting with the spotty lenses of my camera. After a few failed attempts at getting a good shot, I gave up and just stood there looking, breathing in and absorbing the surroundings.

There were few colourful, numbered tents setup. As I walked into one of them, I was taken aback by the spaciousness and warmth inside. There were few cots setup strategically for guests in such a way that it didn’t look too crowded. There was a kitchen at the back section and a big heater in the middle of the tent. Our group was split into two to share two tents. Famished from the long ride, we immediately hogged on noodle soup made in the tent’s kitchen. This was the most delicious meal I had on the entire trip. Who could have imagined that food would be so good in such a harsh secluded place miles away from any food market.

We spent rest of the evening until sunset walking around the camp for few minutes. We thought of getting closer to Mount Everest but decided it’s best if we did it next morning at sunrise. With the elevation at the camp being 5200m, I was out of breath after just 15mins of exploring. I decided to call it a day and headed back inside the tent and dozed off.

After an hour, I woke up with a headache unable to breath properly. The tent had small oxygen tanks for people suffering from Altitude Sickness. Few minutes of taking oxygen from the tank helped me feel better. With the headache gone, I made another attempt to sleep, covering my head with a blanket and ignoring the people gathered inside the tent for socialising.

I woke up again around 3am feeling chilly. It took me a while to realise that there was heavy storm outside and some of of the cold wind was entering the tent through the stitches on the wall behind me. It was dark and I could hear people snoring inside the tent. Some were even sleeping on the floor.

I got off the cot gingerly and made my way to the blanket stack with the phone screen light and got myself two more blankets. No wind or altitude could ruin my sleep. But people could. I woke up again at 6am to some commotion inside and outside the tent. People were making a line to go outside. I thought it was their nature’s call and they decided to do it together in a line.

But then I noticed snow at the tent door. I jumped off the cot, wrapped myself with the blanket and ran out to find milky white snow all around me. Some people were throwing snowballs at each other. The colourful tents were all covered in snow and even the Mount Everest peak could not be seen anymore. It wasn’t heavy winds that woke me up at night but the heavy snowfall. Our guide informed us that the road conditions were really bad to walk to Mount Everest.

It was a pleasant disappointment because it was a unique experience to be so close to the magestic mountain and see everything around us covered in so much snow that we could barely make out the difference between the sky and the mountain. I think words cannot describe what we saw that morning so here’s a glimpse of the Mount Everest under the snow. Au revoir!

I had checked the map beforehand. There was only one shop in Shinjuku that sold it but it required quite a bit of walk from the station. I was feeling a bit more pain in my left foot with every step. Last week while playing pingpong, I had misstepped which left me feeling uncomfortable in my left foot while walking.

I didn't pay much attention to it as it was just a mild discomfort which I hoped would go away on its own. Instead, the discomfort decided to stay and escalate into mild pain. As I was walking towards the store, I was unable to pick my pace. After getting my pocket wifi, I took my Japanese friend Yumiko's advice and went to a pharmacy to get a cold patch to stick on the side of my left ankle where it was hurting. 

As I took off my shoes and sock, I saw my ankle swollen up to the size of a tennis ball. Shocked that it had to happen here of all the places, I decided to take it easy for the day. The pharmacist was kind enough to help me stick the patch. I ignored the pain and headed out. It was already dark, windy, cold and drizzling outside. I decided to go to places that would let me be indoor. And with that, I limped my way towards the Samurai Museum which was 20mins walk.

On the way, I noticed a tiny restaurant that served Korean Kimchi Jjigae and I heard my stomach complain by growling since I had skipped breakfast that morning. I quickly found a seat and ordered a bowl of that. It was nothing like the ones I had in Berlin. I was crying from the spiciness but still loving it!

The food made me forget my pain. I also had a lovely conversation with the Korean waiter there. I decided that Tokyo was gonna be all about foodgasm. Fuck all the touristy spots. I am gonna go in search of my soul food after Samurai Museum. Yeah, that's the only touristy place I will visit because it's Samurai!

This time I found my way easily thanks to Google Maps! On the road, I saw too many Pachinko stations but I was too afraid to become a notorious gambler. So I moved on. The museum tour took an hour in which they also saw Samurai enactment. It was fun and I went "Sugoi! Sugoi! Sugoi!"

And then it was time for dinner. I chose Shirube, a Japanese Izakaya, one of the recommendations of my friend Karl who had lived in Tokyo for 2yrs. It was raining heavily and I was limping badly so I stopped for a cake and coffee (Kohī in Japanese). Foodgasm remember? 

I waited for the rain to stop while sipping the aromatic coffee inside. The streets were still crowded. Rain or no rain, Tokyo didn't sleep. Maybe that was its charm. Even though I was alone, I didn't feel lonely because of this.

Soon the rain stopped and I dragged my limping self to Shimo-Kitazawa. It was another task finding the Izakaya. As soon as I entered the Izakaya, all the waiters and chefs from different corners of the restaurants welcomed me by saying "Irasshai mase!" 

I had never received such a warm welcome. I found it tragic to be living in Berlin where people don't smile unless it's summer and the Sun shines over their gloominess. 

I promptly ordered Sake, Mackerel and Uden. Satiated, I decided to head home to rest my feet.

I wasn't done with food yet! On the way to my Airbnb stay, I picked up American Dog and Milk Pudding to eat in my room. One great thing about Japan is that you will find good food everywhere. Be it a tiny diner in a shady alley or a supermarket that is always open. I wonder how these Japanese people manage to stay so fit. I am shamelessly hogging on non stop even though I can't workout or stretch because of my foot. After all, this is my foodgasmic holiday!

Oyasuminasai!

I was so excited that I could barely sleep during my flight which was bloody 20hrs long. Sleepy and groggy after arriving at Narita International Airport at 10am, I took 2hrs to make it through immigration line and customs. Even though I was dead exhausted, I was smiling from ear to ear. 

I hadn't made any plans before arriving as usual. I had decided to take the first two days a bit easy to deal with the jet lag. After all, I'm going to be here for a month. Yes, a month! And I am still not covering all the places I want to visit.

Anyway, as soon as I was done with the immigration and customs, I got my train ticket to Shinjuku without bothering to buy local sim or pocket wifi at the airport shops because they charged double the normal price (a big mistake!).

It took 1hr to reach Shinjuku where I took another 30mins dragging my suitcase while looking for the right metro line to Nakano where my Airbnb stay was located. It was only 3 stops from Shinjuku but it took me one hour to reach due to my exceptionally slow pace with the heavy bag and jet lag. And also for the fact that I was too much in awe being in Shinjuku and seeing the rush around me. Japanese people were going about their business, looking at their phones and I was giving them silly smiles.

As soon as I reached, I was welcomed by the beagle dog of the house owner. It was cute and jumpy but I was too tired to play. All I could think of was bed. To save time, I had bought a bento box and milk pudding from 7-Eleven on the way. The same milk pudding which I used to see in Japanese series called Good Morning Call and drool on. 

I didn't want to sleep but my body didn't agree. I gobbled up the tasty bento box and pudding without taking time to appreciate the amazing flavours and hit the bed. I set the timer for 2hrs thinking that would be enough rest. How wrong I was! 

Instead of 2, I slept 3hrs. I quickly showered and headed out towards Shinjuku after taking screenshots of the map. No pocket wifi, remember? Since it was already dark, I decided to explore Kabukichō and Golden Gai. Golden Gai is famous for narrow, winding alleys & numerous tiny diners which serve good and cheap food and drinks while Kabukichō is known for entertainment and red-light district.

I efficiently got lost on my way to Kabukichu from Shinjuku station for obvious reasons - A. as soon as I arrived at Shinjuku, I was hit by a wave of crowd, lights and anime sounds in Japanese. B. I had lost my sense of destination and direction while I was walking around wide eyed like a child, aimlessly through the crowd. I crossed the streets because people were crossing. I crossed back for the same reason. I just kept walking with the crowd, looking up at tall buildings with anime ads on them. I was so amazed that I forgot to take pictures.

My intention was to find a pocket wifi asap but after an hour of walking around in every direction and getting lost and disappointed, I gave up. I thought I might as well relax and take in this new environment. I asked a kind looking girl for directions to Kabukichu and to my surprise, she walked me to the street. I thanked her in Japanese with a bow "Arigatho Gozaimaasu" and began exploring the famous entertainment district. 

The plan was to just walk around and head to Golden Gai which was right next to it but alas. I managed to get lost again! But this time due to the fact that I had to lose some Japanese men trying to get to me to go to dinner with them. This happened few times and each time I entered a shop to escape. When even that didn't help, I wore my ugly black cap and hid my face while I walked around (always works!). 

Kabukichu street has a bright visual effect with anime and hentai display boards everywhere. I was starting to feel very hungry so I decided to leave the exploration for another night. Some friendly locals pointed in the right direction and I found myself in the Golden Gai and it was just like the movies! So surreal! 

Again, I was so awestruck and wide eyed walking around the tiny alleys between even tinier bars and diners that I forgot to click again. Finally learning to live in the moment. I chose a tiny diner and entered sheepishly, trying not to knock off things and people on the way. I was too exhausted to look and smile at people at the bar. I quickly found a corner seat at the kitchen counter and ordered a beer and some local food that I don't remember.

Japanese people are all smiles all the time. It makes your heart melt. I wish I knew how to speak proper Japanese instead of just the swear words. I was so famished that it didn't take me long to finish all the food and beer. I had lots of Japanese dishes in mind that I wanted to try but not tonight. Tonight was all about cheap food, old school exploration without internet and dodging weirdos. I was sleepless. I was lost but I didn't want to stop. 

On the way back, I realised that getting lost multiple times without a map had actually helped me memorise the streets. I easily found my way back to the station and my temporary home. Even though I slept only 3hrs in the past 30 or more hours, I am not able to sleep because I can't contain my excitement about the days to come. I hope I can write at least a bit everyday. But most of all, I hope I am awestruck and wide eyed like a child everyday!

Goodnight peeps!

I didn't have high hopes regarding the weather today but still they got crushed. The hotel manager had already warned me about the weather and said that hiking routes would be closed because of it. As a result, I decided to go with the flow. Or so I did cursing and muttering under my breath.

After a cheap but delicious mini Pizza Margherita breakfast, I went to explore the area behind the cemetery on top of a hill in Monterosso as it looked interesting to me yesterday. It seemed like an old ruined castle. I have a thing for exploring unknown places that's not touristy. It turned out to be part of the cemetery. The road behind it lead me to the top of the hill which had a gorgeous view of Monterosso and the ocean. So my time was not wasted.

After having seen almost everything in Monterosso, I took the train to Vernazza which is the next village. The train ride was 5mins. Vernazza welcomed me with colourful buildings and crowds of tourists. I made my way through the crowd to reach the harbour from where you could get a stunning view of the village set in front of the hill. I wondered if the houses were colour coded on purpose to attract travellers from across the world (I didn't really read up on the history). 

Whatever it was, it certainly succeeded in bringing in tourists from everywhere. It was becoming impossible to walk through the crowd as everybody was taking picture of somebody and I didn't wanna get in the way. So I was politely stopping until they were done posing. I am not complaining about tourists taking pictures. I do it too. But first, I look, I observe, I ponder, I admire and then maybe if I like what I see, I take a snap.

I waddled through the crowd to reach the stone steps that lead to Doria castle. I heard that the view of the village from top was beautiful and indeed it was. The sky had slowly started to clear up. I couldn't help but keep staring at the turquoise blue ocean. The view, the sound of the waves, the seagulls flying around, everything was strangely calming. 

I snapped out of my reverie and descended from the castle steps. I had reached halfway down when I saw a restaurant called Belforte right below the castle, next to the ocean but two storeys above the town. I quickly found a table facing the ocean on the balcony and indulged myself with some wine and local cuisine consisting of squid ink pasta and shrimps. The Tiramisu there made every other tiramisu I ever had seem like a sham.

Satiated, I decided to hike to the next village even though the hiking trails were officially closed due to bad weather. The weather had improved a lot after lunch. It was bright and sunny with no signs of cloud. Even though I wasn't wearing my hiking shoes, I was eager to hike the trail. I took a gamble that the weather would stay pleasant and started hiking. The trail wasn't hard to find.

Few minutes into the trail, the view changed from stunning to mesmerising. 

Tipsy from the wine, I was balancing myself along the narrow trail, precariously avoiding slipping on the muddy path. The ascending parts of the trail was easy. It was the descending part where I was trying to avoid hitting the ground. I was glad that I was carrying blister tape as my non-hiking shoes were chafing my feet.

I sat down to put the blister tape and instantly thought of Cheryl Strayed from the book Wild and how I had come prepared like her (that's one great book you must read!). Since the trail was officially closed, there were very few people hiking unlike other days when there is a long line of people on the trail. They were not with me but somewhere far ahead or far behind and occasionally I was overtaking or being overtaken, nodding and exchanging hellos.

Soon it was getting hot enough that I had to take off my rain jacket and tie it around my waist. I was stopping frequently to take pictures. I kept overtaking or being overtaken by a couple several times until we started talking. A chatty Italian guy named Riccardo (who scared the hell out of me by almost slipping off the cliff while talking) with his German girlfriend named Karina from Munich (I hope I got the names right). They were friendly and easy to talk to. 

After two hours of scenic hike, we reached Corniglia. We entered the town and headed towards the centre and then to the spot with the best view of the ocean. I decided to bid adieu to them as I didn't want to be the third wheel tagging along with a couple.

Anyway I had decided to take the orange route to the next village which is inland and longer while they were gonna take the blue route by the coast. I told them what my hotel manager told me about the orange route being more scenic and left to explore the town a bit. While at the town, I kept bumping into them several times and we pretended to not have met in ages. 

As I left the town centre, I kind of got lost on my way to the hiking trail entrance. The locals told me it was too late for me to take that route as it was 5:30pm already. So I decided to take the train to Manarola, the next village. So much for my hiking plans!

As I walked to the coastal front of the village, I was blown away by the view. And also pleasantly surprised at the friendly winking Italian guys. For the first time, I felt like I was in Italy. I thought Italian men flirt with women all the time or whatever. 

I sat on stone steps of the rocky harbour from where I could see the ocean waves crashing on the big rocks few meters below. I sat there for a while just watching and admiring everything - the sounds, the fresh air, the people, the ocean. There was a hill on the right side of the village with a cliffside path to a restaurant. I thought it would be nice to drink Prosecco and watch the sun setting on the village from there. 

As I was starting to get up, I realised how exhausted my feet were from the long hike. I slowly walked up to the restaurant and saw a couple from Monterosso this morning who had breakfast in the same cafe as me. We waved at each other smiling. I found a seat with a great view right by the edge of the cliff. A friendly looking girl named Lara asked me if I was alone and if she could join me. 

I was more than welcome to having company after my crappy lonely day 1 at Cinque Terre. Besides, sharing this wonderful view over a nice conversation while waiting for the sunset seemed like a win-win situation for both of us. She was from Hannover. It's crazy how I keep bumping into Germans outside Germany.

We soon got comfortable talking to each other. Few minutes later, it started getting crazy windy and I could see dark clouds approaching from the horizon. Within minutes it started raining. Hailing to be precise. We moved to a seat under the shade but still with the same view. I was actually excited about the storm. I like the days that end with an unexpected twist. We sat there taking pictures of the storm and the colourful village under the night light. It was magical!

Zeus took over the dark sky and by 7:30pm gave us a magical and scary show of lightning and  storm over the coastal village. I was feeling more excited than scared or maybe it was the Prosecco. The restaurant guys said that they were closing because of the hailstorm so we paid and left. Descending from the hill through the side path along the cliff was a mini adventure. With the wind almost blowing away our umbrellas and water streaming down the road, we waddled together towards the village station as fast as we could with our shoes soaking wet. 

I could feel the hailstones hitting my legs as I was wearing shorts. Completely drenched and cold, we reached the tunnel towards the station when Karina and Riccardo ran past me yelling at me that the train was in 10 minutes. Funny how we keep bumping into each other. They too were staying in Monterosso. I ran after them with Lara towards the ticket machine. 

Turns out, they had just reached Manarola right before the hailstorm began, after hiking the orange line from Corniglia which I had intended to. They said it was a very hard and long trail with hardly any hikers on it. Lucky that they managed to reach just after sunset before the storm got worse.

I bid adieu to Lara and got on the train to Monterosso with Karina and Riccardo. I was happy to see the jolly pair again. They told me to hike that trail next morning as it was very hard and time consuming and I agreed. 

We walked together to the village centre after reaching Monterosso talking about the stuff that I don't remember. When it was time to go separate ways, we joked about how we will do completely different things the next day and not bump into each other again.

Sleepy and tired, I slumped on my hotel bed, lying there motionless until I remembered all the exciting things that happened and that needs to be written down. 

Did I mention my epic fail at speaking Italian? I said to my hotel manager "Buenos nachos" instead of "Buono notte". Well, at least I made someone laugh. ;D

To be continued...

I was feeling quite unloved in Berlin and also was craving some sunshine. As usual, instead of seeking people, I came seeking a new place to romance with. I was craving for a place where I can be myself. A place where I can detach from the world and my daily routine. I wanted to breathe different kind of air (you know how every place has its unique smell that stays in your memory), see new people, explore new routes untraversed by me, watch people going around doing their business and most of all unleash my true self. 

The place that my heart came seeking was this picturesque, quiet coastal villages of Italy called Cinque Terre. It is a group of 5 coastal villages, each with its unique character, untouched by modern world, still preserving its old world charm.

I had an early morning flight to Pisa, Italy via Munich. I saw an Italian Mafia boss in my flight from Munich to Pisa and I got excited about all the dramatically passionate Italians I will get to see in Italy. From Pisa, I had to take the Pisa Mover shuttle to reach Pisa Central Station for my train to Monterosso al Mare, the northern most village of Cinque Terre. After sleeping through both the flights and still feeling sleep deprived, I found myself struggling to stay awake during the train ride.

It was quite warm in the train inspite of the air conditioner and I wasn't complaining after experiencing months of the cold Winter in Berlin. Warmth and sunshine was what I was here for. The guy sitting next to me started a conversation in broken English. He was from Benin, a French speaking West African country, going to Milan to meet his uncle. 

I got distracted in the middle of our conversation about usual stuff when I noticed that it was getting cloudy and darker outside. I started cursing my luck. All my dreams of hanging out on sunny beaches and sweating away fat while hiking in the hot weather started fading away.

It took one hour, 30mins to reach Monterosso from Pisa. Even though my excitement had died down, I was still enjoying the breathtaking view after getting off the train.

This village wasn't as quiet as I thought it would be. It was very crowded with tourists everywhere. I pushed through the crowd to reach my hotel which was 15mins walk from the station. The hotel manager was the first friendly and chatty Italian guy I met since I landed in Italy.

After getting all the maps and recommendations from him, I hurried to my room to take a power nap for one hour. After that, I was back to my solo traveller ninja senses. I quickly dressed up and by 5pm, I was out exploring the tiny village. Tiny because you can literally walk from end of the village to the other in less than an hour.

The view was undeniably breathtaking in every direction I looked. But I, for some reason, was not enjoying it. I didn't know if it was the exhaustion or the fact that there were no solo travellers around. I could only see old people or families with kids everywhere. For the first time, I felt the need to talk to someone. I was actually feeling kind of bored and lonely.

Italy suddenly seemed colder than Germany. You couldn't tell if people were arguing or just talking. There were tourists from different countries travelling in groups, happily snapping away pictures. I continued my walk towards the old Neptune statue which was at the end of the beach, all the while absorbing the surrounding. I had already lost interest in the people so I got busy with snapping pictures.

Rest of the evening, I continued being that annoying tourist who takes pictures of the same view from different angles. I was hoping to achieve some sort of photographic masterpiece with my phone camera. I visited all the major landmarks of Monterosso - from churches to graveyards, and then sat down by the beach to just breathe and enjoy the breeze. 

When clouds ruined all the chances of enjoying a beautiful sunset, I headed towards the new town area in Monterosso which had most of the restaurants. After checking out few that looked interesting from outside, I went to the one recommended by the hotel manager. 

Two glasses of local wine and one glass of limoncello later, I found what I was looking for. Bliss! I was happy again for no reason. I saw the unknown crowd around me, talking in language I didn't understand. It didn't bother me anymore. I was finally able to clear out the clutter inside my head and be present. 

I guess expecting every travel experience to be perfect is naivety. I walked back to my hotel merrily and a bit tipsily which I reckon nobody noticed as people were more drunk than me. It was drizzling but no one cared. The hotel manager again got chatty with me until he realised I wasn't paying attention. 

I certainly feel a bit more loved than before and a bit more excited about tomorrow. If luck is on my side, I will finish hiking across all 5 villages of Cinque Terre. Ciao!

To be continued...

Travel date - 29th April, 2016.

Yes I am talking about polyandry. But I will come to that later. Day 3 began with early morning bus ride to Shigatse which is few hours from Lhasa.

I was dreading the long bus ride until the picturesque views started coming up back to back. While everyone got busy with their cameras, I had the terrible luck of somehow getting stubborn dust spots on my DSLR mirror.

But this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I was forced to enjoy the moment by being present and observing with just my eyes instead of through the lenses. I, somehow, managed to snap some cool shots of the landscapes with my phone but I didn't go crazy with it like I otherwise would with my DSLR. 

Half an hour after exiting Lhasa, we passed by vast pastures and valleys with yaks grazing everywhere. 

Once we were past grazing land, then came the never ending scenery of mountains and streams. Almost all throughout our long ride (4hrs approx), our bus was driving between mountains, beside a river whose colour kept changing mysteriously from emerald green to deep blue.

Once I got used to the vastness of everything around me, I relaxed and leaned back on my chair totally immersed into the surrounding and my thoughts. As usual, I started thinking about life and its several mysteries and what brought me here. How beautiful and enormous the world is and how tiny it made me feel in astronomical proportions compared to the vastness around me.

What felt even more tiny to me at that time were the things that we worry about in our everyday life. I made a mental note to remind myself of this time, place and feeling every time anything close to worry or sorrow tried to creep into my mind in future.

It seemed like I wasn't the only one immersed in thoughts. The entire bus was silent throughout the ride with everyone staring out of the window, lost in their thoughts. I wondered if everyone had the same realisation of our insignificant problems as I did. 

A sudden pang of sadness crept in nonetheless as I tried to capture the view with my camera and got spotty pictures. So much for the spiritual enlightenment about life. It left as fast as it came. 

We finally reached Shigatse around noon. Instead of heading to the hotel, we went straight to Tashilhunpo Monastery which was founded in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama. The future Buddha statue, the world’s largest gold gilded bronze statue, was so tall that all we could do was tilt our heads back and gawk at it.

I was more interested in the people and the surroundings so I was walking around inside the main gates of the monastery. And that's when I struck up a conversation with our guide asking about the local culture and lifestyle. Turns out Shigatse is one of the last few remaining towns which still followed the ancient tradition of polyandry whereby a woman has more than one husband. In most cases, the husbands are brothers. So if there were three brothers in one family, they all would share a wife.

More than astonishment, I felt impressed as I thought about the excellent management skills the women needed to have in order to handle more than one man.  Sharing sexual partners was obviously not something to be ashamed of in Tibet. In fact, it is treated quite casually. But when you think of the technical details like who needs to do what and when, you definitely need management skills to have a happy married life.

For a moment, I felt sad for being born in the wrong country. And then I remembered that men are such egotistical hassles that one would be more than enough for one lifetime. Besides, I had come to Tibet with the idea of becoming the 30th Buddhist nun (which obviously didn't happen).

I snapped pictures of some interesting people hanging around inside the monastery grounds like the man below who walked like Charlie Chaplin. 

Found some cute Tibetan school kids on their day-out. After that headed straight to hotel to rest for the evening, as next day we had to start early morning to reach the Mount Everest Base camp by early evening. I was too exhausted to eat out so had cup noodles by myself in my hotel room and dozed off to sleep to dream about the next day.

To be continued....

Travel date - 28th April, 2016.

Monk life! I sure would like to be one now myself after observing their laid back life in the monasteries (oh how wrong I was!). Maybe it was harder back in the days when Dalai Lama was still here or maybe I am being too judgemental about how monks should be. We spent the second day in Lhasa visiting the most famous Buddhism school in Tibet and few other monasteries in town. 

The most vivid memory I have of this day is of talking to the head Monk of the Buddhism school (picture above) in his late 90s who was idling on the balcony and observing tourists walking around in the school. He smiled at me so I went to him. My guide followed and translated my short conversation with the Head Monk about Buddhism. I was happy that he chose to speak to me of all the tourists hanging around. He even let me take pictures of him.

I found out later through locals that the number of young boys going to Buddhism school to become a monk has reduced considerably over the years (from thousands to few hundreds). The age old tradition of sending young boys to the school is dying.

And why wouldn't it? It was a shocker to find Chinese army guarding all the monasteries that we visited. There was even CCTV camera outside all the entrances. 

It was sad to see that even in this day and age, there is a beautiful country on a distant land still not independent. At least the cat below was free to snooze anywhere he wanted in the school.

The day went on snapping pictures of different Buddhas inside the monasteries, walking through tiny doors. I guess the presence of so many monks around you has a calming effect coz I never felt so peaceful in my entire life.

The humming sound of the chants, the smell of the incense sticks, all the intricate details on the Buddha sculptures, everything comes back to me vividly as I think back and I get goosebumps.

Rest of the day went away walking around the busy street of Barkhor which is the oldest street in Lhasa. Even my fellow travellers were busy observing the surroundings and we collectively found comfort in silence which I mostly do.

It is not that I hate talking or that I am shy because I can be very talkative and strike up an engaging conversation with strangers especially when I am travelling. It's just that I tend to get lost deep in my thoughts during my travels and get immersed in appreciating the surrounding and people around me or just have inner funny conversations with God which doesn't turn into a debate.

Second day in Lhasa went away doing just that but I was still eagerly counting days to finally be at Lake Namtso or the Sky Lake. It felt like waiting to see your lover after may years. I still couldn't quite understand my obsession with it but what was waiting for me there turned out to be a life changing experience.

To be continued....

Travel date - 27th April, 2016.

Yes! It's the most awaited day of my life after a failed attempt in 2015 because of my Dad's protests against me traveling alone.  After a long flight from Berlin to Chengdu and a very bumpy flight from Chengdu to Lhasa, I arrived at the mystical capital of Tibet in the morning. (This time I told Dad that I was going to a meditation camp near Berlin without internet access.)

I was expecting an old town stuck in time with its old world charm but was absolutely baffled to see skyscrapers in the city of Lhasa on my way to the hotel from the airport. I was forced to join a travel group of 10 people with a guide in order to get Tibet entry pass because Tibet is still under forced Chinese occupation. Let's be honest, ok?

We were picked up by our guide from the airport and we checked into the same hotel affiliated to the travel company. I was surprised to find CCTV camera inside the SUV and later got to know there are microphones as well. I guess the Chinese government did not want journalists to talk to local Tibetans.

Being the Queen that I am, I had requested a private room in the hotel unlike the others so that I can walk around in my underwear (Haa! Some Queen!). After a quick shower and some rest, we all headed for some light sightseeing with our guide in a private bus. 

First stop was Potala Palace.

There was a long queue for the Palace where I met this lovely old Tibetan lady selling holy beads. She reminded me of my granny. I bought some beads and asked her if I could take a picture of her and she kindly obliged. 

Looking at her through the DSRL lens brought tears to my eyes. Her old, frail body showed years of hardship and inspite of it, there was a warm smile on her face and had kind, bright eyes. My first thought was to take her home and I wished I was a millionaire at that moment. I gave her and another old lady some more money and quickly headed back to my group to enter the palace. 

This lovely white palace was the Winter Palace of Dalai Lama since the 7th century and also the residence of current Dalai Lama until he fled to India during the Tibetan uprising. 

We took 2hrs to explore the Palace with our guide explaining the history behind it. We used this time to get to know each other. Mine was an interesting group. There was a retired American couple in their late 70s, two Thai siblings, an American guy who was a school teacher in Beijing, one Malaysian girl, a Chinese guy from Hamburg with his German girlfriend and two girls from Singapore. We instantly got along with each other. 

After a traditional Tibetan lunch with the group, we had the evening to ourselves to relax and acclimatise. 

It was my first time alone in a new country (technically second as Berlin was my first) and I was exhilarated with joy and excitement. With no clue as to what kind of adventure was lying ahead for me in the next few days, I found it hard to fall asleep the first night with all the thoughts running in my head.

But most of all, I couldn't wait to see Lake Namtso, the main reason behind me visiting Tibet by myself. The place that brought me closest to God.

To be continued....