Comments on: Safe to Travel in Chinese Tibet

By: Hannü

Hannü — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:53:39 +0000

Certain areas in Tibet are closed to foreigners either because the roads are dangerous or the people are. I’ve run into both in over a decade’s backpacking around Tibet.

Roads - dirt roads, unmarked, narrow, mountain hugging, shared with oncoming traffic, 1 metre wide potholes, slippery with ice a foot deep …

Some of the people - chaotic, physical, little sense of safety, proud of getting into fights, lawless

Still I think about Tibet and go back every year.

my travelogue and book of dialogues with Tibetans in Tibet:
Dialogues Tibetan Dialogues Han
http://www.amazon.com/Dialogues-Tibetan-Han-Hann%C3%83%C2%BC/dp/9889799936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210070217&sr=8-1

By: Thomas Dorn

Thomas Dorn — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:47:47 +0000

Dear Chris, great, I am just planning exactly your itinery….. and thanx to you all my worries are gone !

By: Chris Devonshire-Ellis

Chris Devonshire-Ellis — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:55:09 +0000

I’ve also just uncovered this gem: “In The Footsteps Of Joseph Rock” - a blog written by an Australian guy who travelled the region and compares then and now. Some amazing photos: http://drjosephrock.blogspot.com/

We’ve heard (and I had) no restrictions on travelling anywhere in Kham.

By: Chris Devonshire-Ellis

Chris Devonshire-Ellis — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:25:54 +0000

There’s never a situation in that region where all areas are open. Usually it’s because the roads are dangerous, sometimes it’s due to tensions within Tibetan communities. The current Minister of Tourism (who is from Yunnan), once told me that he had so many questions from foreigners over opening up one of the northern passes from Yunnan to Tibet, closed for years. His answer, which I have verified was reasonable: even during July/August it can snow, and every year people get caught out and die on that road. If you look at the map, the whole Yunnan/Sichuan/Qinghai region is at high altitude and can be very dangerous. Sudden snowfalls, rock falls and so on. And the locals can on occasion be dangerous (my car driver buying a knife). They won’t always tell you why you can’t go, but whether it’s for climate or for unrest, it’s safety first and thats not unreasonable. Before the region was utterly lawless, and highly dangerous. (I recommend Joseph Rocks accounts of travelling the area in the 1930’s) Now it’s mostly under control. I’d call that an improvement, even if some areas on occasion are off limits.

By: Camille

Camille — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:12:58 +0000

I came back from Gansu province (where there are some tibetan areas, next to Qinghai) about 2 weeks ago, and I could not go to Xiahe or Langmusi (next to Sichuan border) as it is still “forbidden for foreigners” !

I was 200 km away in Qinghai province and they wouldn’t let me buy a bus ticket to Xiahe (the locals could).
Back to Lanzhou, Gansu’s capital city, I asked a couple of travel agencies and they told me “it is still forbidden to go for foreigners”…

…

By: Bertrand Villem

Bertrand Villem — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:46:46 +0000

Chris - great writing, great article. The aspect of Police noting passport details of foreigners in these areas is well highlighted. For the paranoid, it appears draconian and unnecessary. But there’s also the issue of real safety, just as you were told. Last autumn, a group of 150 tourists (including 80 Germans) were trapped in the Tiger Leaping Gorge near to where you were after a huge rockfall blocked both sides after heavy rains. The Police though were quickly able to ascertain if anyone was missing. The party was released after several hours, but it’s occasions like these that make you realise the Chinese Police do mean it when they take personal details for ’safety reasons’. It might seem heavy handed at the time, but when something does go wrong it’s mighty handy for them to be in the know, especially in rugged terrains like Kham and Tibet’s mountain passes.