My Story in Namtso
Namtso, one of the three most famous lakes in Tibet, means ‘Heavenly Lake’ in Tibetan language.
It has high altitude (4,718m) and stunning scenery, numerous people come here every day just to see its beauty. So was I.
It is popular for tourists to share cars with others in order to reach Namtso. Because there is no public transportation from Lhasa to Namtso. My friend and I wrote a note in the hostel one day before, and luckily, four students asked us to join with them.
We woke up really early in the morning as we did not want to miss the breathtaking landscape on the way to Namtso. However, I felt very uncomfortable because of the altitude sickness. So I fell asleep on the car.
What a miss! But, even though I felt very bad, I recovered my energy when we arrived at the Boundary tablet of La Ken La (5,190m). The driver stopped aside the road, and told us that we should take a picture with the boundary tablet as it shows we have conquered the current altitude. Well, I woke up and stepped outside the car. Holy… the wind was crazy. You have no idea how cold it was. It totally refreshed me. Therefore, I truly recommend you to bring warm clothes on the way to Namtso, as well as some carsick medicine.
Finally, we arrived at Namtso. When we saw the beautiful lake was just in front of us, everybody felt exciting. The lake was absolutely gorgeous, with mountains covered by snow around it. We even slowed down our voice as we did not want to disturb the mystery and beauty of the heavenly lake. There were several yaks walking around the lake. We wanted to take some pictures with them, but other tourists said it will cost a lot to take a picture with them, so we gave up.
We chose to stay at the board room hundred meters from the lake for its cheap price. But, you have to notice that the environment around the living area is really terrible, you have to be prepared for that. Bring your sleeping bags, and some food with you, such as fast noodles and cookies. Because the food there is really expensive.
At that night, we walked out the room at midnight in order to see the Milky Way. Unluckily, the weather was too bad to watch stars. If you have the chance to experience the Milky Way at Namtso, please send a photo to me, I also want to see that. 🙂
In the morning, after appreciating the sunrise near the lake, we headed back to Lhasa with happiness. Even though we have some regrets during the trip, we missed several highlight spots, but I believe I will come back to Namtso soon or later. Next time, of course, I will prepare everything I need as I already gain the experience. 🙂
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