"My own mind's Tibet,
secret soaring roof of world--
found, and found far more."
Between July 18th and August 15, 2004, the Nichols clan embarked on the adventure of a lifetime: we traveled to Tibet to explore the roof of the world and discover for ourselves legendary cloud-shrouded mountains, the mysteries and realities of Buddhism, and the spirit and strength of the Tibetan people as they confront a modern China. Ryan had just graduated from two years at Stanford Business School and arrived in Tibet early for a week-long trek with classmate Dave Weickhardt. Eunice managed to take a three-week sabbatical from work and joined Ryan a week later. Ryan's father Michael, stepmother Nancy, brother Adam, and Adam's girlfriend Rachel met up with us for our final two weeks of adventure in this magical land.
Dave and Ryan's Trek from Ganden to Samye
7/18 - 7/28
The adventure began with a week-long trek with Ryan's friend and GSB classmate David Weickhardt. After a quick stop in Chengdu and some time in Lhasa seeing the sites and getting used to the altitude, we set off on our six-day trek between two of the most important monasteries in Tibet-- Ganden and Samye. We walked 50 miles, climbed two seventeen-thousand foot passes, dealt with rain, snow and hail, and handled more than our fair share of altitude sickness before walking down from the mountains and through the desert surrounding Samye's golden spires. Just when we thought the adventure was over, our bus got stuck in a river on the way back to the airport. What a trip!
Eunice and Ryan's Journey from Lhasa to Shigatse
7/28 - 8/1
After meeting in the airport and heading back to the wonderful Mandala Hotel, we spent a couple of days exploring Lhasa before deciding to check out Shigatse, the second largest town in Tibet. The main road was closed and the side roads were flooded, meaning that we spent 22 hours over 2 very full days traveling the 150 miles between these two towns on unbelievably bad roads in various forms of public transportation. The ride was worth it though, for the beautiful views traveling over the passes, the wonderful statues at Tashilhunpo Monastery, and the markets of Shigatse.
The Nichols' tour of Lhasa
8/2 - 8/3
Eunice and Ryan met up with the rest of the Nichols clan in Lhasa to join their Mountain Travel Sobek tour, led by the amazing Cathy Ann. We toured Drepung and Sera Monasteries on the outskirts of Lhasa, had tea with the Abbot of Sera Monastery, watched the monks hold afternoon debates, toured the Jokhang Temple, and visited the Dali Lama's former home, the Potala Palace.
The Nichols' trek to Namtso
8/4 - 8/8
We departed for Damxung and started our long hike up and over the river valley that would take us to Namtso-- "Heavenly Lake." We hiked past yak-hair nomad tents and mountainside monasteries, over glaciated valleys, and through narrow gorges to reach Kong La, a 17,200 foot pass which offered our first views of our magnificent destination.
The Nichols' pilgrimage at Namtso
8/8 - 8/9
After visiting several nomads' camps, we walked to our camp at the foot of the cliffs of Tashi Do, the auspicious rock jutting into the 800 square mile Namtso Lake at 15,060 feet. We made a kora around Tashi Do, exploring the hermitage on the shores of the lake and its remarkable monastery, grottos, cave temples, and twin limestone watchtowers. In the distance, we could see the snowy Nyenchen Thanglha peaks across the turquoise waters, reaching 23,249 feet.
The Nichols' side-trip to Beijing
8/10 - 8/14
Although altitude sickness forced us to spend a couple more days in Beijing than we'd originally planned, we stuck together as a family and made the most of our time in the capital of China. We toured Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Hongqiao Market, and took a fantastic day-trip out to the "Wild Wall." Not to mention sampling some of Beijing's finest food and lodging!
