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Bird
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 Posted:
08.15.2005 6:01 am Post subject:
what is best :hitchiking/bus travel to Tibet ? |
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Hello! I am trying to save money getting to Tibet tour. I found cheap flight to Beijing and everyone recommends me to take a flight from Chengdu to Tibet which will cost around 190USD. But I am more interested in taking a bus from Golmud or hitchiking. Does anyone have experience with this...do you recommend it, is it hard to find a bus to take you to Tibet? Dangers by Chinese army? |
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kamal
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| Posted:
08.16.2005 10:56 am Post subject:
Re: what is best :hitchiking/bus travel to Tibet ? |
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My advice to this tour is:From Beijing there's a direct train to Golmud. If you go to Xi'an first, to get to Golmud, it involves trains and a sleeper bus, with the possibility of getting stuck in between.In Golmud you'll pay 1600 RMB (+/- 170 usd) to get to Lhasa. (200 for Chineese cit.) Hitchhiking is definatly possible, just make sure you're not in a vehicle when you get to the checkpoint. (there are actual border posts.) If you get cought at the border it'll cost you between 200 / 500 RMb. However it's fairly easy to bribe the border gard. The truck driver will be in some kind of deeper trouble, and you'll be waved away as the driver'll be staying behind with the officials.It seems to me these posts are abandoned in early morning and late evenings. So your best bet is to wait just out of sight,and hike across 4/5am.
Last edited by kamal on 10.12.2005 9:53 am; edited 1 time in total |
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jam
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| Posted:
08.18.2005 4:03 am Post subject:
Re: what is best :hitchiking/bus travel to Tibet ? |
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There are buses to Lasa in Golmud. You can take bus as it is cheaper than flight. If you are health, you can even get Lhasa by bicycle.There are no dangers if you enter Xizang(tibet) legitmately.
The price officially from Golmus is as stated about the same as from Chengdu. You could also try to make a deal directly with the busdriver. Depending on how strict (greedy?) they are at the checkpoints the price can wary for a seat. If they are very strict which they will be at times, probably to set an example to the drivers it will be impossible.Truckdrivers are generally given a very large fine if caught with a foreigners and a lot of them are on a very strict timeschedule. I heard last year from a former truckdriver, that now were driving 4wd with tourists that they got a bonus if they could do the Golmud to Lhasa to Golmus stretch in 72 hours including loading and unloading, sleeping and eating. After that and seeing several crashed trucks on the road I lost my will to tour.
I hope you have good tour |
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