Among the Tibetans

Among the Tibetans
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

The rest of the night was cold and bumpy. I was able to get some rest here and there. The windows were frosted over with condensation from our breaths. The other travellers sucked on their oxygen tanks to cope with the thin air up to Tenggula Pass (5180 m), an hour after our rest stop, but I think everyone was feeling better in the well-ventilated bus. I actually did fine without supplementary oxygen, but I was freezing my tail off next to the frozen sheet of a window.
We arrived in Lhasa 18 hours after departure, at 0600. The sun doesn't rise here until 0745 this time of year. Everyone was feeling pretty lousy, so we paid up our bus fares, and went off to search for rooms. We all checked into the Yak Hotel, which was recently refurbished.
There are a few rooms on our floor booked by elderly Tibetans in their traditional clothing. They're not used to Western toilets so there is urine everywhere in the shared bathrooms: on the seat, on the floor, next to the sink. And there is the musky odor of mutton, which, frankly, I do not like.