Wonderful scenery from Tibet to China—Part 1 (12 photos)
Whatever the right name is—the southern Himalayas are spectacular.
We spent about a week driving from Lhasa, Tibet, to Lijiang, China, and I have to admit that the journey delivered some of the most fantastic scenery I have seen in my life.
It wasn’t really ranges of snow-capped peaks or heart-stopping views, but mile and mile after mile was filled with colour and light. I’m not sure that any of the photos really depict all the beauty we saw, but I’m going share some anyway.
I took 800 pictures in one day, and that was just for starters.
I’ve found it hard to put my finger on an exact nickname for this road, and I plan to do more research when I have a good and ongoing connection at home. But I have seen it referred to as the Yunnan–Tibet iIghway, the Southern Himalayan HIghway, the Southern Silk Road and the Ancient Tea-Horse Road. Each name may be right—or wrong.
So the files aren’t too large, I will post photos in at least three batches. I apologise in advance if the sheer magnificence of what we saw doesn’t come through. Could you try to crawl in behind my mind’s eye?
Here’s a starter pack of 12. I’ve noticed this batch focuses on green and water and trees and rock. but it’s all still beautiful.
Where to next? 
Wow Peggy. I get an idea of what you saw and it truly is spectacular. The majesty of the mountains and the rock formations dwarfs what you see below. And the colours are lovely as well. Although I looked several times I couldn’t choose a favourite. Thank you for sharing these.
Louise
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Great pictures, but 800, come on, dont just see the place through a view finder
It dont matter how many you take, it will never be the same as seeing it for yourself or being there, a photo never does it justice
I tried that with the Rift valley, and it dont matter how big I printed the picture, it werent the same and trying to tell anyone what its like is a waste of time, you just cant tell how a feeling is, the sounds the smell,you have to be there to see it all
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Derrick,
Peggy is one of the most outgoing and participatory people anyone could ever hope to meet. She most assuredly wasn’t experiencing Tibet ‘through a view finder’. She would have been there walking around and soaking up the atmosphere and the scenery for herself as well as taking many photos. I know from my own experience as an enthusiastic amateur photographer how easy it is to take many, many photos of apparently the same thing. Could I suggest that in future you refrain from berating people whom you apparently don’t know.
Many thanks.
Regards
Louise
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Hi Louise
I have been emailing Peggy, since she has been on the trip (I am doing the same next year), there was no offence intended and I think Peggy knows that (I feel sure if I had offended her, I would have known about by now)
Peggy emailed me and bought me upto date, after she had deleted duplicates, she had 200 or so and she was on the truck for 12 hours, with not much else to do but, snap, snap, snap (I have been there, done that, so I did know what she meant
When I finish my trip next year, I am hoping I will get to know her and ‘poor john’
i’ll be on Australia for a while, anyway and I am hoping to meet up with a few internet ‘friends’
i do know what it is like to do a trip like this, I have been on a couple myself and taken as many photographs myself (I took over 4000 on my trip) and I certainly wasnt berating her
I have made quite a few comments on this blog, have a read of some of them, none of them are insulting or meant to offend and I can only assume Peggy hasnt been offended by any of them (she can delete any comments that do offend)
If you have taken offence at my comment, I can only apologise, cant do any more than that
My blog entry is in my website at the bottom of this, have a read if you like
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Ah, apologies Louise, the link to my trip never came up, here is a link to it
http://travelpod.com/members/derrick241
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Louise and Derrick—Thanks to both of you for contributing to the blog. No comment anyone has made has ever offended me, so need need to worry or to apologise. Keep enjoying the entries.
Cheers, Peggy
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At least I’m not on your ‘bite’ list 🙂
As I have told you, this has to be the BEST blog I have read, informative, funny (in places) has some great pictures, and I have got some good advive and more than a few tips for my trip
we mates, now Louise ?
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Derrick, Louise & Peggy,
Wow, 800 phones in one day is excessive. I went to the US Open Tennis 2011 in NYC and took about 300+ photos of the players mainly (including high speed sequence shooting). However, when looking through the view finder of a camera you can’t truly appreciate the actual tennis competition. I love photography so concentrated on getting great shots, but I did not fully enjoy the tennis; I am very big on photography and tennis. So Derrick is right, less photos and more just taking in the beautiful scenery and people along the way is a good idea. However, like Louise said sitting in a truck for hours on end, you tend to take pictures, especially the beautiful scenery. Bottom line, it is Peggy’s trip and documenting her travels is what she wants to do…. \
Aside- Out of 800 images perhaps 80 might be very good to keep for Peggy’s use. An advanced Amateur Photographer might keep 40 and a Professional Photographer might keep 8 excellent ones.
Finally Peggy, your three part series of images on the Himalayan Highway were very interesting and I have not seen this type of scenery before, in Asia.
Sy S.
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I’ve spent a fair amount of time on the road in Tibet and loved every hair-raising minute of it!
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I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
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Me, too! Actually, I already repeated Tibet (one of my travel quirks: I never get enough the first time!), but I just love those high, dry, open terrains. Add in the mystery of Lhasa, the Himalaya, and the gentle people, and I was a pretty happy clam both times I was there!
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Oh the Himalayas! Just love them. Tibet too!
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