Trekking from New Tingri to EBC

Hey guys,

I will be travelling in Tibet in October and would ideally like to do the (quite popular, I guess) 4-day trek from New Tingri to EBC (around Oct. 9 - Oct. 14). This should be as cheap and independent as possible. I have plenty of questions...

- Is it possible to do this trek independently, i.e. get public transport from Shigatse to New Tingri and then start trekking?
- Will I require a permit to get to New Tingri and/or to do the actual trek, and could I possibly get these permits as an individual traveller?
- What about the trek itself, is the path easy to find, is it easy to find accommodation along the way, or should I bring a tent?
- If I manage to get to EBC individually, how difficult is it to get a seat in a jeep for the way back to Shigatse/Lhasa?
- When people on Thorntree refer to the permit required for EBC, do they mean the National Park entrance fee, or is an extra alien permit required on top of that?

If the individual option doesn't work
- Are there agencies that offer this trek for reasonable prices?
- Is it better to try to book an organized trek in Lhasa, or is this also possible (and presumably cheaper) in Shigatse or even in New Tingri?
- Where is it easier to find other people for sharing an organized trip? In Lhasa or in Shigatse?
- Would it be possible to hire a jeep and driver who only brings us to the starting point of the trek and then possibly picks us up again a few days later at EBC?

I'll be very happy if someone can help me on a few of these questions!
If you happen to be around Tibet on the same dates and plan a similar trek, fell free to contact me!

Thanks,

Patrick