Thorn Tree travel forum

1

Hi,
I was in Chengdu last year at the same time you want to go to Lhasa and had no problem to by my plane ticket to Lhasa thru Sims cozy guesthouse.They organised everything for me the permit and ticket to Lhasa.I sent them my copy of passport and visa with deposit from Australia and all was ready for me when I arrived.
You will be hard pressed for time if you only have one week.The train takes 2 days to reach Lhasa and dont forget to get acclimatised up there.It took me 2 days to get used to the altitude.But its the best time to be there.
Im going back there this year again arriving in Chengdu on the 31 March.I also want to take the train there.I have booked my room at Sims.So if you are going to got thru them I would not mind to join you if you are going with the train.Send Sims an e-mail,they are very helpfull.
My name is Miro.

2

Yes, possible to do but quite rushed. As #1 says, the train takes 2 days to reach Lhasa. Contact Sim's Cozy Guesthouse to arrange for your tickets and paperwork beforehand so that you don't have to waste more time on those after getting there.
Cheers!

3

Do Hong Kong schools have Easter holidays? That would be strange in a mainly Buddhist city. In the US, Easter holidays went the way of the dodo bird twenty or more years ago. Separation of church and state, you know.

!! Be warned that "students" who want to practice English with you may actually be scammers. In Shanghai they try the Tea Ceremony Scam. In Beijing it's the Art Student Scam. Be very wary if a stranger wants to speak English with you, especially if you are in a tourist area. !!

4

Do Hong Kong schools have Easter holidays? That would be strange in a mainly Buddhist city?

Yes, they do - and Christmas Hols, Chinese New Year and summer. We need them to get away from the shocking pollution.

5

Thanks for the info Miro and Ellyse - very much appreciated. I realise that it will all be a bit rushed but have to be back in HK by April 14th :-(

I was toying with the idea of taking the train for two reasons, but not really sure if they are good enough reasons.

1. I believe the scenery is spectacular - is this so? Would it be worth taking the train in order to get some idea of the magnificence of the area, or is the train journey mostly a tedious drag?

2. Would taking the train help with altitude acclimatisation - going up more slowly and all that?

John

6

I can't really help with specifics, but I think another poster who has taken the train both ways said it's more beautiful Lhasa -- Chengdu, so you might want to fly in and train out.
Cheers!