China - Tibet Autonomous Region and a bit of Japan on the way home

[Matt_01]

Time for another mid-year trip to some place MrsM and to a lesser degree MissM do not have much interest in visiting. This year it’s Tibet (西藏自治区 Xīzàng Zìzhìqū) which is a place I have wanted to visit but things got in the way. The plan is to update this report along the way but I have no idea what the internet may be like or what restrictions I my run into so it could be hit and miss.

I had all but given up on Tibet however in mid 24 when visa exempt travel was announced it was back on the cards. I have wanted to go to Tibet for some time and have done previous research which I will cover in the next post. It took a bit of faffing about to finalise travel, flights, dates, tours etc. but I will be on my way in less than a week. I will be in Tibet for a total of 9 days and then Japan. Travel plan is:

• ADL-SYD-HKG-TFU
• Overnight in Chengdu
• TFU-LXA (tour commences)
• 9 Days in Tibet
• Train Lhasa-Xining (the world’s highest railway)
• XNN-PVG
• Overnight PVG
• PVG-HND-IZU
• A week later NRT-MEL-ADL

Japan will be around 7 days and have not yet decided if I will include Japan in this TR. There are more than enough TRs for Japan and my plan is to check off a few more original castles which may be not of interest to others. Finally, I will meet up in NRT for the AFF lounge crawl.

Japan is largely unplanned, I have booked accommodation for the first and last night, every thing in between is up for grabs. My plan is to just go with the flow and what ever happens, 'happens'. For some this may seem odd but I have been there enough to be confident in my ability to wing it.

 

[Happy Dude]

Looking forward to following along @Matt_01

I see you've booked a tour but is it still the case that guided tours are required for travel outside of Lhasa?

 

[Seat0B]

This sounds very interesting

 

[Matt_01]

Looking forward to following along @Matt_01

I see you've booked a tour but is it still the case that guided tours are required for travel outside of Lhasa?

I will shortly be posting about the trip planning. I have been reviewing some of the messages I have received form the operator to be as accurate as possible.

 

[Growing Older]

@Matt_01 - I'll be watching this thread with a lot of interest!

I visited Tibet back in 2002, flying into Lhasa from Kathmandu (with a clear view of Everest along the way!), then spending 3 weeks inside the forbidden kingdom. It was a guided tour (Intrepid) that took us out to Mount Kailash for a three-day trek, which was a once in a life-time experience. No internet back then in western Tibet... which was immensely liberating at the time - just us, the country-side and the mountains. Things may have changed since then?

You've inspired me to re-discover my travel diary from 23 years ago and I can see all of the places mentioned there in my head, like it was only yesterday.

Tashi Delek!

 

[rbjhan]

Oh I like original castles. Which ones are on your list?

 

[Matt_01]

Before I get underway a bit about planning for Tibet. It is a bit long winded so no need to read on if you have no interest in visiting Tibet. Tibet is a location I just wanted to go to but due to previous employment, travel restrictions, timing, other rules etc. it has just not worked out. Based on prior planning there is a bit of faffing about and the following is just my experience.

As a foreigner travelling to Tibet unescorted is not allowed, and a Tibet travel pass is required. You can't apply for the Tibet travel pass until you have a visa and this is where the faffing starts. From previous travel to China IIRC you cannot apply for a Chinese visa greater than 90 days out from travel. Depending on your visa type and length these can be for 3 months or longer, number of entries etc. so you need to get the correct one. Last year when discussing with the tour company about the Tibet travel pass I was advised when applying for a visa ‘do not mention you are planning on going to Tibet’ as your visa application may get knocked back. The introduction of visa free travel resolved this.

There are 2 ways to get a Tibet permit, if coming from the Nepal side I seem to recall that you can apply for group tour permit which takes around 4 days and can only be applied for once in Nepal and as part of a group tour. This seemed easier however my timeframe did not allow for this. From the China side the agencies/tour operators that arrange the Tibet travel pass indicate it takes around 20 days. In my experience the tour operator asked for my passport details 4 months in advance to start the process. Two months out I received a message from the tour operator that stated "For the Tibet permit: Our department specializing in applying for documents is already preparing the materials for your application. Please let me know your hotel information in Chengdu at least 3 weeks in advance as we need to mail it to your hotel!

After receiving the message I let them know where I would be staying but they wanted a copy of the booking confirmation which I sent them. I have since been informed about the collection process and who I must ask for at the hotel. The message also advised/ warned me to be careful with the pass and not damage it in any way as questions will be asked and if damaged it may not be accepted. The travel pass is mandatory as you need it to board a flight(s) or train to get to Tibet, without it you cannot board. Also it must be the original copy which can only be collected in China so in most cases you will have to stay at least one night in China just to collect the pass.

I seem to recall other correspondence that stated once in Tibet I must always stay with the guide and not to wander off or go to anyplace that is not on the plan without asking for permission. Travel outside of Lhasa and to the best of my knowledge it needs to be with a registered tour operator/ guide and in tour vehicle or private car. From what I understand in Lhasa you can wander around by yourself but have to carry the pass and your passport at all times as random checks maybe conducted.

Getting there - as I was planning on getting in and out of China using rewards I took a punt on tour start and end date based on historical tour information. The reward flights to China were booked well in advance of the tour dates being confirmed. I had hedged my travel and had a few different flights into and out of China and once tour date options were published I just cancelled what I didn’t need.

Domestic flights to Lhasa - for the past 12 months all flights that I could find were either full J or Y and not that cheap, around AUD2000+ and AUD600-AUD700+ respectively. I knew I would eventually have to pay but held off and a couple of weeks back I found a MU J flight that was reasonably priced, around AUD300.

Trains to Lhasa - there are train trip that start in Shanghai and Beijing and take around 48 hours. These are quite popular, can only be booked 2 weeks out, sell out fast and it is best for local agents help with booking. The other option is to travel to Xining and catch the train from there and will only take around 24 hours and the same 2 week booking rule applies. I am currently waiting on confirmation that I am able to catch the train Lhasa to Xining.

Accommodation – most tours seem to have a reasonable base price but after asking about accommodation I changed to the 4 star option which added 50% to the price. I asked the tour operator about accommodation quality and this is the response I received "About the hotels: In terms of hotel rating standards, there are significant differences between the Tibet region and first-tier cities in China. Specifically, 3-star hotels (standard hotels) and 4-star hotels (comfort hotels) in Tibet still exhibit certain gaps in hardware facilities, service levels, and other aspects when compared to hotels of the same rating in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.
However, we will select hotels with excellent infrastructure and services from the same rating category in Tibet for you.

There was an option for 5 star which includes the likes of The St. Regis, V-Continental, Hilton etc. this option added about USD1100-1500 to the price. As I am travelling solo and the coughpy FX rate I did not pursue this option, knowing how we normally travel I may come to regret this decision. If Mrs&MissM were tagging along I would have paid the extra.

Altitude – This is of mild concern, when I was younger I have been at altitude without problem and in most cases it was an incremental ascent. For this trip I be travelling from sea level (HKG) to Lhasa 3650m (12000ft) within 30-34 hours and a day or so later 4850m (16000ft). The doctor has given me a script for altitude sickness pills and said they may not solve the problem but may help reduce the effects. The doctor did mention he was concerned about the rate of ascent and said ‘I will also prescribe cough’. This took me by surprise and asked why, the simple answer given was it will help to send blood to other parts of the body where it can cause less damage and only take it if I suffer from AMS and cannot get it under control. He then mentioned if that doesn’t fix things descend to a lower altitude as quickly as possible.

 

[Matt_01]

Oh I like original castles. Which ones are on your list?

There a 4 on the list: Matsue, coughu Matsuyama, Inuyama and Hikone. If I get to all 4 that will only leave Maruoka and Hirosaki and the 12 will be completed. In reality I will most likely get to the first 2 as I have been given a shopping list from Mrs&MissM who have expressed they are not happy that I am heading back to Japan and they are not invited.

 

[rbjhan]

There a 4 on the list: Matsue, coughu Matsuyama, Inuyama and Hikone. If I get to all 4 that will only leave Maruoka and Hirosaki and the 12 will be completed. In reality I will most likely get to the first 2 as I have been given a shopping list from Mrs&MissM who have expressed they are not happy that I am heading back to Japan and they are not invited.

Oh that's nice. Hikone, Inuyama and Matsue I have been - I've done 6 out of the 12 but really need a Shikoku tour.....And yes Hirosaki and Maruoka are kinda out of the way!

Now you reminded me, must add coughu Matsuyama to my Chugoku list.

 

[Matt_01]

Well I am underway with the first of 4 flights to get to Lhasa. I have 3 in the next 24 hours then a short break to collect the pass in China. First stop the ADL J lounge

 

[Happy Dude]

I will shortly be posting about the trip planning. I have been reviewing some of the messages I have received form the operator to be as accurate as possible.

We trained it up to Lhasa from Chengdu and flew from Lhasa to Xian. Our "private" tour was 12 days which included 2 full days in Lhasa. We had a couple of hours with the guide on arrival then we just did our own thing. All permits and train tickets were sorted by the travel agency about 2-3 months before the tour started. Around CNY 22k or USD $2700 all up. I think we used points for the flight and organised by us.

We did have issues with our China visa because I put Urumqi on the application. Resubmitted and approved not long after a personal phone call from the embassy (that I'll never forget) with a much simpler itinerary comprised only of Shanghai, Chengdu, Xian and Beijing. Once in, we went where we liked including Tibet and Kashgar (via Urumqui).

 

[Matt_01]

Quite an uneventful flight to SYD, the food offerings was something called pizza, not like any pizza I have had, wasn’t bad but wasn’t good.


Now in SYD waiting for the second flight and I am not enamoured with my new found status and the lounge offering. I am trying to remember if I have ever been in here. One of the first things I noticed is what seems to be a distinct lack of power points, I am looking on the bright side, it could be worse. Falling back down the status food chain was always going to happen at some point.

 

[Matt_01]

The second flight and this time it is with CX and like most CX flights the product is very good (IMO). I had the chicken which was very good and the wellness option for breakfast.

 

[Matt_01]

With my new found status I no longer have access to one of my favourite lounges (Pier F) so I have taken up residence in the reopened Bridge Lounge which is a nice space. Let’s be honest most CX lounges are not bad except the odd 1 or 2 that I have seen.

 

[craven morehead]

Time for another mid-year trip to some place MrsM and to a lesser degree MissM do not have much interest in visiting. This year it’s Tibet (西藏自治区 Xīzàng Zìzhìqū) which is a place I have wanted to visit but things got in the way. The plan is to update this report along the way but I have no idea what the internet may be like or what restrictions I my run into so it could be hit and miss.

I had all but given up on Tibet however in mid 24 when visa exempt travel was announced it was back on the cards. I have wanted to go to Tibet for some time and have done previous research which I will cover in the next post. It took a bit of faffing about to finalise travel, flights, dates, tours etc. but I will be on my way in less than a week. I will be in Tibet for a total of 9 days and then Japan. Travel plan is:

• ADL-SYD-HKG-TFU
• Overnight in Chengdu
• TFU-LXA (tour commences)
• 9 Days in Tibet
• Train Lhasa-Xining (the world’s highest railway)
• XNN-PVG
• Overnight PVG
• PVG-HND-IZU
• A week later NRT-MEL-ADL

Japan will be around 7 days and have not yet decided if I will include Japan in this TR. There are more than enough TRs for Japan and my plan is to check off a few more original castles which may be not of interest to others. Finally, I will meet up in NRT for the AFF lounge crawl.

Japan is largely unplanned, I have booked accommodation for the first and last night, every thing in between is up for grabs. My plan is to just go with the flow and what ever happens, 'happens'. For some this may seem odd but I have been there enough to be confident in my ability to wing it.

Signing on, sounds cool

 

[Matt_01]

Very quick update, I just discovered that The Bridge has a F section only available to CX Diamonds and OWE. It seems like that if a Diamond or OWE shows up they are escorted to this section. The lady let me in to take a very Quick Look before she ushered me out. The space is not bad but I would head over to the Pier.


I ended up relocating to the wing and the next flight is departing from gate 3. With the exception of QF I am pretty sure this is the first time I have ever boarded from this end of the airport. I lobbed up to the Wing F entrance as it is the only one I have used, the lady let me in and one of the staff escorted me to the correct section.

 

[Matt_01]

We trained it up to Lhasa from Chengdu and flew from Lhasa to Xian. Our "private" tour was 12 days which included 2 full days in Lhasa. We had a couple of hours with the guide on arrival then we just did our own thing. All permits and train tickets were sorted by the travel agency about 2-3 months before the tour started. Around CNY 22k or USD $2700 all up. I think we used points for the flight and organised by us.

We did have issues with our China visa because I put Urumqi on the application. Resubmitted and approved not long after a personal phone call from the embassy (that I'll never forget) with a much simpler itinerary comprised only of Shanghai, Chengdu, Xian and Beijing. Once in, we went where we liked including Tibet and Kashgar (via Urumqui).

At some stage I got a quote for a private tour but cannot remember the cost. In the scheme of things I didn’t think it was that bad. I didn’t go down that option as I am travelling solo, if Mrs&MissM were with me it would have been an easy decision as the fixed costs (driver, guide, car etc.) would have remain much the same and the cost per PAX averages out at a lesser rate.

 

[Matt_01]

Next flight was again with CX travelling HKG-TFU. Although the aircraft was the same the seat was slightly different with the SYD-HKG seat being better. There is not a lot of difference, the fist aircraft seating was just laid out slightly better. I went with the Sichuanese chicken which was excellent.

 

[Matt_01]

Arrival at TFU, the airport was larger than I thought it would be but had no reason to think it would be small, I have not been there before. Getting into China with the current visa free travel was painless, it just took a while. I cannot recall if it took more or less time when I have travelled on a visa as I just don’t remember and the amount of PAX is also a factor.

Prior to leaving I had checked on how to get from the airport to the city but in the end I just opted to use the hotel car (not free). I am glad I did as when I arrived it was hot and the car was just easier.

 

[Matt_01]

I had to stay one night in China to collect the travel permit. I have always liked the Shangri-La chain and found them to be exceptional and reasonably priced in China. The executive suite was around AUD230 a night when I booked it and suspect prices fluctuate. The hotel car transfers were more expensive than the accommodation.

I picked up the permit from the concierge, he was a happy fellow and started asking if the internet was working and detailing that google, facebook, instagram etc. won’t work in China and went on to let me know I should just use a VPN if I have one. He then started offering free things so I ended up with a panda although I had initially said no he just said I will have some one send it up to your room. This is what a Tibet travel permit looks like, it is mainly in Chinese and as I did not know if it was personal details I blacked it out. Also my free panda