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Þróndeimr's Tibet & China

17K views 78 replies 37 participants last post by  Pansori 
#1 · (Edited)

Took a over three week long trip to Tibet and China
just recently and had a really amazing trip. I am actually afraid it will take a
long time before i can experience something similar! I was not alone though, travelled with a fellow forumer, Ringil. First
we flew to Beijing and up to Lhasa in Tibet where we had booked a private Tibetan guide for a week. He took us around Lhasa, then we travelled
deep into Tibet and finally to Mt. Everest Basecamp at 5 250m! Weather was fantastic and everything was just too perfect to be true!

After the mindblowing Himalayas and the travelling through countless of poor villages with great people we took the train from Lhasa to Xi'an (a 37
hour long trip) in China, one of the ancient capitals of the country. Stayed in Xi'an for three days before we continued with train to Beijing. Enjoyed
Beijing and the Great Wall for 4 days and in very hot weather, reached 39c when we were walking the Great Wall = HOT! Then at last we took the
plane to Shanghai and stayed there for 5 days. Amazing city Shanghai, especially when you get to enjoy one night at the top floor of the Park
Hyatt in SWFC (world's highest hotel), it was expencive but totally worth it!

Index
Tibet part one: Lhasa
Tibet part two: Deserted landscapes and towns
Tibet part three: Himalaya, Mt. Everest and villages
China part one: Xi'an
China part two: Beijing and the Great Wall of China
China part three: Shanghai

Tibet part one: Lhasa


































Tibetan family


Chinese family
















 
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#2 ·
You crazy motherf*****s:) No words can properly describe those pictures. Simply stunning. It sounds like a once in a lifetime (at least for most people) experience.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for all the replies people! :bow:

So.. in your opinion.. Tibet.. is it China?
Of course not, the place is totally different socially and culturally. :) But Lhasa is becomming very Chinese, i just hope they can preserve the Tibetan market and streets in their original downtown, that area was really unique.

Im surprised the Chinese soldiers let you get away with taking pictures of them though.:)
I was using my 200mm lense, so i was standing hidden 200m away! They stopped me once though when i walked by a checkpoint over a bridge. I had the camera in my hand but didn't take any pictures, yet they screamed "no photo"!
 
#17 · (Edited)
China part one: Xi'an
Xi'an is one of the oldest cities cities in China established 3 100 years ago. It has been the capital for several areas under several dynasties. The city has 8.3 million people as of today and is one of the larger cities in China.

But first a few pictures from the 37 hour train-ride between Lhasa and Xi'an, the world's highest railroad.




Endless Tibetan plateau.


Picture from Xining, the entrance to the more crowded China if you
are coming from the west. This is where everything starts getting crowded and people is trying to do everything to get a little space.


Xi'an centre, with two main attractions around the main square, the Bell and Drum Tower.




Drum Tower






City wall of Xi'an, one of the best preserved city walls in the world built between 1374 and 1378.












You can rent a bike and drive around the whole wall, a 14km long ride around downtown Xi'an. A really great trip if you ask me!


















Dinner has arrived!


Then the Terracotta Army, one of the most famous landmarks
in China. Over 8 000 soldiers built 2 220 years ago. Surely a place to visit when you are around this area!












Next is Beijing and the Great Wall.
 
#23 ·
Þróndeimr, dude, i hate you :jk: :D . You get to travel to so many beautiful places while i can only see them threw a screen, not to mention that you have a keen eye for beautiful shots, lol. Any way, how was Tibet. It seems really gorgeous, or is it your pics that make it look gorgeous? It seems very peaceful there.
 
#24 ·
hehe, Tibet was something really special, just insanely exotic so i still can't get my head clear if i've really been there but i have! It was far better than my shitty pictures so you should go there a day. Its easy actually, its all up to you, you just have to book a trip there and go! :)
 
#27 · (Edited)
China part two: Beijing and the Great Wall of China

Mao welcomes you to Beijing and the Forbidden City.


Forbidden City.






Rooftops of the Forbidden City.




Beijing Central Business District.
























CCTV Headquarters.








Sunset in the concrete jungle.










CBD at Night.










Behind the CCTV.








Destruction of TVCC.






Streets of Beijing CBD.














And at last, pictures of the Beijing Olympic arena's.






















 
#28 ·
Thanks for those. I'm not sure why exactly but I just have a very strong feeling that I would absolutely love Beijing. The orderly grid planning, multiple ring roads and urban motorways along with world-class modern architecture is just an orgasmic combination for me :)

And the CCTV headquarters is quite possibly my favorite skyscraper in the world.

Also, one question. Looking at Beijing map everything looks so simple and clear: Tiananmen square in the center, CBD to the East at 3rd ring road, Olympic stadium to the north etc... is Beijing really as simple to navigate and understand as it looks on the map?
 
#30 ·
Beijing is easier to navigate through than most other cities its size thats for sure, since the infastructure system is really great there, huge roads and loads of ringroads. Even i would easilly manage to drive from place to place, esp. compared to Shanghai which is hell that way! As a walker its the same as driving, exept that it takes time to walk around, so better use taxis or subway to get between the cooler places, because walking those streets can be more boring that other cities unless you are in the CBD or other interesting areas.

And around the CBD, and several other modern corners the architecture is really amazing, so you might fall in love with it. The only difference from Shanghai is that things are kinda far away from each other even though Shanghai is a city twise as large as Beijing. You will probably enjoy Beijing a lot, i did, though don't have high expectations from places such as Forbidden City which is a little overrated i think. :)

When are you going to Beijing and China? Staying long, more than just Beijing?

Amazing! Btw, what camera are you using? they look ultra HQ, the color capture looks so good.
Using Nikon D80 as house, and i have two lenses. The picture you quoted is taken with my 10-20mm wideangle lense with is the best quality lense i have. The other lense is 18-200mm lense, great for zooms, but not as sharp and nice quality as the 10-20mm lense. :)
 
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