China Finally Opens Tibet to Foreign Tourists
Following the riots and demonstrations, China promised to open Tibet by May 1st. They finally got around to it on June 24th, 2008, three days after the Olympic Torch was carried through the empty streets of Lhasa. Although Chinese tourists have been allowed to travel since April, the extended ban on travel there has no doubt hurt the local economy. China is more strict about their travel rules. It used to be that a tourist could travel around on their own a bit once they got into Tibet. Now you need to be accompanied by a guide on an itinerary arranged by a travel agent and deviations won’t go over well.
China’s leaders don’t seem to understand the West; but the West doesn’t understand China either. Typical Chinese people are extremely proud of their country and believe that Tibet is historically part of it. It’s not just the government…Note that since the Tibet riots, many Chinese on instant messenger programs like Yahoo and MSN started using a symbol of solidarity, like an “I Heart China” symbol next to their name. It’s a reaction to the negative press about China that they see around the world. I believe that nationalism taken to an extreme is usually bad. It’s fine to be proud of your country, but not at the expense of other countries or even your own citizens. The Chinese government doesn’t seem to get that.
If You Travel to Tibet
There are only two ways to get into Tibet–either via Nepal or China. My general travel recommendation for Tibet is that trekkers going to Mt. Kailash or Mt. Everest Base Camp should go via Nepal. You’ll be able to hire much better Sherpa guides with better equipment and cooks than you can get in Tibet. For cultural tours, going through either China or Nepal is ok. If you do go, take a lot of photos of the hundreds of ruins of destroyed monasteries and encroaching Chinese culture. Send me some and I’ll post them here.
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