Whispering: The trip to Tibet was already last year. Due to the fetters of some trivial matters, the "Tibet in the Sky" that the friends are looking forward to has never been written. After traveling through half of China, I feel that only Tibet is the most memorable. Of course, this is not only because of the remoteness of the heavens in the Western Regions, but also because I drank chicken soup after watching Chen Kun's "Suddenly Came to Tibet", let alone listening too much. There are many songs about the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, probably because of the awe of the snow-covered plateau for a long time, and the real feeling of the shock of the roof of the world. Because when you arrive in Tibet, there are always some places that will touch you. Although time has passed for so long, I still want to remember the trip to Tibet. Therefore, there is the previous chapter

"A new chapter of wandering - one of Tibet in the sky Take the train to Lhasa".

           The first night on the roof of the world passed quickly in the light rain, and I didn't feel the legendary high-reverse phenomenon of insomnia. The state of my companions also improved. In the morning in Lhasa after the rain, the sky was high and the clouds were light. Although there was a hint of coolness, the air was unbelievably fresh and the content of negative oxygen ions was also very high. After breakfast, at 8:15, the car left the Lhasa Hotel on time and rushed to Namtso, the holy lake in the sky, more than 200 kilometers away.

           Namtso, from the literal translation of Tibetan, means "heavenly lake". Namtso is a famous Buddhist holy land and one of the three holy lakes in Tibet. It is also the highest saltwater lake in the world, with an altitude of 4718 meters. 

It is about 1,500 meters higher than Qinghai Lake, the world's largest saltwater lake.

           

           GL8 squeezed through the chaotic western suburbs of Lhasa and turned onto the famous Qinghai-Tibet Highway. The Lhasa-Dangxung Qinghai-Tibet Highway, with its asphalt surface, feels like a secondary highway in our inland area, but it is slightly better than the original rural road. Its direction is basically the same as that of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Road parallel or across. Chairman Xi said that happiness is the result of struggle. Walking on this road to heaven, talking about the difficulties of the builders who built roads in the mountains and built bridges when encountering water, I admire the fighting spirit of generations of road builders. This is the spirit. It makes some impossible things possible, and the same is true for life. It's the peak tourist season, there are a lot of vehicles on the road, and the speed is very fast, so we are always in a bumpy state during the journey. From time to time, we have to one-sidedly remind the drivers who can be called fellow villagers to slow down, but it may be due to habit. Soon it was still the same, haha, going to Namcuo requires physical fitness.

           A piece of sky and the sun overhead seen after leaving the city:

            

        I have passed through many rivers along the way. The last photo of crossing the Yarlung Zangbo River, green river, green mountains, blue sky and white clouds, does it conform to the principle of thirds?

           

 After passing Yangbajing and Damxung County,

The first viewing point we arrived at was the Nyainqentanglha Pass at an altitude of 4,630 meters. A viewing platform and service area are set up here. Tourists can take photos with the boulder sign of "Namtso-Nyainqentanglha National Scenic Area", overlook the towering snow-capped mountains, and admire the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. The 50th Anniversary Monument --- On December 25, 1954, after several years of hard work by 110,000 Chinese and Tibetan soldiers and civilians who built the road, the 2,100-kilometer Qinghai-Tibet Highway was completed. Since then, the Qinghai-Tibet Highway has become an important transportation line between Tibet and the mainland, known as the "lifeline" of Tibet. For decades, it has played a very important role in the economic construction and national defense construction of the motherland.

      There are a few videos below, please click on them with confidence. The noise in the video is made by the trucks constantly flowing on the Qinghai-Tibet Line.  

 

           Continue to go forward and enter the scenic road. The second stop is the famous Naganla Pass.

    

        

5190 meters above sea level

The Nagenla Pass is the only way to cross the Nyainqentanglha Mountains to Namtso. It is also the highest pass from Lhasa to Namtso. It is only 10 meters lower than the Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 5,200 meters. A stone tablet marking the altitude was erected at the pass, and the mani piles at the pass were covered with prayer flags. Looking out from the mountain pass, you can see the blue Namtso and the distant snow-capped mountains in the distance. Looking down at the wilderness and barren hills in the distance, you will immediately feel the majestic, boundless, vast and ethereal feeling in your heart, which has never been felt in the cramped space in the Mainland. At an altitude of 5,000 meters, it is called the forbidden zone of life. Therefore, when passing the Nagenla Pass, many people cannot get out of the car because of altitude sickness.

Nagenla Pass is a small downhill all the way, and people will feel more comfortable. The stubborn wife walked into the camera again.

           

When the car stopped again, the cattle and sheep by the lake could already be seen

, the blue lake and the snow-capped mountains on the other side, the driver said, and we will arrive at Namcuo in about 20 kilometers.

       

 

          Entering the gate of the scenic spot, you need to separate the car and the people, get back in the car, walk a few kilometers of mountain roads, and finally arrive at the lake, see the sign of the scenic spot standing by the lake, and also see a Shandong dumpling restaurant, so kind.

          

         The time is already 12:30, and it has been more than four hours since I walked all the way. After a simple lunch, step into the lake area.

          The road to the scenic spot is made of pebbles of different sizes, which should be formed by the erosion and friction of the lake water for many years. The surrounding area is full of simple hostels for tourists to stay at night; there are also various shops opened by Tibetans, selling some such as yak meat, accessories and clothing, and Tibetan specialties. The biggest difference is that they do not pester tourists. The picture below is the small pebbles of Namtso, which has been flying for thousands of kilometers:

          

          Most of the lake water in Namcuo comes from the snow-capped mountains. The picture below shows the fish within reach in the lake, which looks a bit transparent. There are so many fish in the water, and there are no fishing or fishing people. Because there are many different plankton in the lake, it provides enough food for the fish in the lake. It is said that the total amount of fish in Namtso Lake can reach hundreds of millions of catties. But now that it is summer, schools of fish flock to the shallow waters to lay their eggs, and they are almost within reach.

It is customary in Tibet not to eat fish, nor to catch fish. The first reason is that Tibetans believe that the fish in holy lakes are gods and dare not eat them. Second, in many places in Tibet, there is a tradition of water burial. In the hearts of Tibetans, fish is the messenger connecting the world and heaven, so they do not eat fish;

On the one hand, because of their water burial, the human body will be eaten by fish, so they believe that eating fish is equivalent to eating the flesh of their relatives and ancestors, so they do not eat fish or catch fish.

          My wife, the lake and the snow-capped mountains in the distance. The clear lake water of Namcuo, under the background of white clouds and the shining of the sun, presents gradually different hues, from light yellow, light blue to dark blue. Looking from a distance, the vast sea-like lake, the continuous snow-capped mountains, and the blue sky set off each other, making the water and sky one color, snow-capped mountains and white clouds into one piece. Looking at the lake and distant mountains quietly, I really feel the insignificance of human beings, the majesty, majesty and mystery of nature.

            The lake water is pure and spotless, there is not even a trace of grass clippings, no dead leaves, and no discarded garbage. It seems that when people come to the holy lake, people's body, mind and behavior feel awe and respect consciously or unconsciously. Are you bound?

           Standing by the lake, the whole soul seems to be washed by the pure lake water. The highest and most beautiful sacred lake in the world is shocking. The deep and clear blue sky above the head, the snow-capped Nyainqentanglha Mountain in the distance, and the pure lake water are integrated; the grass by the lake is like a huge green carpet, boundless . Everything is so harmonious, silent, ethereal and long-lasting under the sunshine of the plateau. Any language, in front of this group of landscape paintings, is so pale and powerless, haha, forgive me for my clumsiness.

              On the return trip, there was no tension to hurry up, no fear of the mountains, and it was much easier. Calm down and take a look at the grasslands along the lake.

Due to the abundant water, Namtso Lake nourishes the boundless grasslands and pastures. It is a good place for grazing. At the same time, it also raises some unknown wild small animals. We didn't see it. The following shots are from far to near, what a cute little creature, you have to zoom in to see:

             Visiting Namtso is not only feeling the magnificence of the holy lake on the plateau, but also appreciating the scenery along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, seeing the customs of the pastoral areas in northern Tibet, and walking into another mysterious world. It is said that there are many beautiful myths about Namcuo, you can ask the tour guide to tell you, or you can Baidu by yourself.

            Tips: It will take 8-9 hours to drive from Lhasa to the holy lake of Namtso one day. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare sufficient time budget; at the same time, the weather in the mountainous area is changeable, and the mountain roads often have abnormal road conditions. The key point is that Namtso is 4,718 meters above sea level, which is more than 1,000 meters higher than Lhasa at 3,600 meters. It also has to pass through the Nyainqentanglha Pass at 4,600 meters and the Nagenla Pass at 5,190 meters. Therefore, some people have stronger altitude sickness. Therefore, pay attention to medication and prepare oxygen tanks. In addition, because the road conditions are not very good, even if there are no people with high anti-reflex, you should also pay attention to motion sickness; pay attention to wind and sun protection: the wind on the plateau and the ultraviolet rays on the plateau, in the boundless wilderness, are So unscrupulous, a partner in the same company, because You Namcuo didn't wear an umbrella, his face peeled off from the sun.

          The second part of Tibet in the sky - Namtso, the holy lake, I will write here. Please look forward to "A New Chapter of Leisure Tour--Tibet in the Sky No. 3, Jiangnan in Tibet--Linzhi", "A New Chapter of Leisure Tour--Tibet in the Heaven No. 4" Approaching the Birthplace of Tibetan Buddhism-- --Shannan",

"A New Chapter of Leisure Tour-Tibet in the Sky No. 5 Returning to Lhasa" may take a longer time.

               Tashi Dele

                                                                                                 March 27, 2018