Oct 18, 2014, Saturday – Shigatse to Tingri

Before the drive to Tingri, the driver filled the car with gas  – they rocked the car to “settle” the gas to get more in.  Maybe to help the gas get cold and contract (the gas is warmer coming out of the pump than the air is).  Can then get more gas in the tank.

We had a long drive through generally dry and desolate countryside (broken up by an occasional sighting of a snow capped mountain or a monastery) to Tingri (14,681 feet).   

We saw a lot of sheep and cattle and farm vehicles being moved along the road.

 

 

Yishi had a bag of school supplies (pencils and tablets) with him.  At one point along the road we saw an group of school children and an adult walking along the road.  No idea where they were going...we were seemingly in the middle of nowhere.  We pulled over and Yishi and Dien Ba passed out supplies while Paul and Mary snapped pictures.  Some of the children wanted to see their pictures.

Hazards of driving over 16,000 feet:

Supposedly we could see Everest from Tingri.  Unfortunately the mountain was clouded in and could not be seen.  Fortunately, the clouds made for some beautiful later afternoon pictures.

The hotel was “basic”, which meant it had no heat in the room.  We had hot water but no heat, and it was COLD at night (high of 46°F, low of 10°F).  Fortunately they had good comforters but we both slept in extra clothes to stay warm.  Unfortunately the dogs barked most of the night.