The day I broke my solo travel virginity!

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....