Tag Archives: Tibet

Trip Ideas, Adventure Travel, UNESCO Sites, Itineraries, Religious Pilgrimages

5 Pilgrimages That Could Change Your Life

Leave a comment

Five centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, a new trend started to dominate people’s imagination. Pilgrimages in ancient history were about seeking repentance, healing, or self-transformation.

Be it Christian, Hajj, or visit to the Ganges. In our modern world, pilgrimages have a whole new meaning.

Adventurers of our time, in the twenty-first century, continuously try to explore new horizons. A pilgrimage is a journey inward. Be it a long hiking trail or climbing the tallest mountain or walking an ancient path…it is a journey that has a power to transform lives.

Here are five of my favorite modern pilgrimages which will change your heart and instill courage in your soul. From the holy cleansing of the soul to an adventure like none other. Let’s begin.

Inca Trail, Peru 

The old remnants in Machu Picchu hold significance in history as well as religion. Every year from July to September thousands of pilgrims walk on the Inca trail in Peru. If you want to test the waters but don’t want to take risks, then book with a travel guide company.

Only 200 tourist pilgrims can have the visiting pass to Machu Picchu. The trail is only 43 kilometers long; but due to the elevation, it will put you through pain (you might curse the gods). But finally, when you reach the ruins, you will feel like you are blessed to be here.

Camino De Santiago, Spain 

Santiago de Compostela is the cathedral that houses the body of Saint James in Northern Spain. There are many roads that lead to the cathedral. But the most preferred and UNESCO heritage site is Camino de Santiago.

The onset of pilgrimage is from St Jean Pied de Port. You can trek this 780 kilometers long trail through an entire month. Your legs will get stronger, and you can have an insight of Spanish culture.

Mount Kailash, Tibet

Tibetan culture welcomes any pilgrim who is ready to attain Nirvana. The lofty Mount Kailash is an intriguing chunk of landmass, with mystical powers. If you are successful in making 108 rounds of it, then you can achieve Nirvana (a Hindu religious belief).

Keeping that aside, let us pay attention to the 52 Kilometer long hike, that takes you around the mountain. Avoid winter months, particularly November-January, which is cold and uncomfortable, to say the least.

Canterbury, England

This one is called the Pilgrim’s Way to Canterbury. History and Canterbury are woven together. The Saint Thomas Beckett did not receive the honor when he was alive. He died on this trail from London to Canterbury.

Beckett performed miracles and attracted a lot of followers, which was the reason behind his death. (Silly kings of olden days.)

Now the trail from Winchester to Canterbury is not available for pedestrians. But there is another trail North Downs way, which will lead you to Canterbury. Walking through the 180 kilometers, you can have a glimpse of the beauty of rustic England.

Kumano Trail, Japan

In the Kii Mountains in Japan, there are three shrines which lead to Kumano. These ancient trails winds through the south of Osaka. It is the next UNESCO pilgrimage walk after the Camino de Santiago (in northern Spain).

Unlike other pilgrimages that tax your body and challenges your fitness, Kumano trail has classy hotels and hot springs on the way to relax your aching body. But please keep in mind though, this 6 weeks long pilgrimage can get monotonous at times.

To fight the boring vibes, you can visit the many shrines, nature, and nearby tea plantations.

So are you ready embark on a pilgrimage? If yes, which one are you planning for? Let me know in the comments.

 

www.artoftravel.store/

Off the Grid, Trip Ideas, Bucket List, Did You Know, Extreme Places

Mystery: Why Planes Don’t Fly Over Tibet?

Leave a comment

Blessed are curious for they will find answers to the mysteries. Many questions pop into our head from time to time. Many unsolved mysteries spark interest in our minds. And I can’t rest till I find the answer to it.

Tibet is the land of a series of world’s highest mountains, and you would be surprised that no planes fly over Tibet. What is the reason behind dodging Tibet for flight routes?

Why Planes Don’t Fly Over Tibet

Aerial View of Tibetan Plateau

Before we delve into the reasons, let us look into a few interesting facts about Tibet.

Facts About Tiber

Tibet is an autonomous region of China. It is in the southwest part of China, and it shares borders with India on the West, Nepal on the Southwest, Burma, and Bhutan on the southeast.

Tibetan Plateau is the highest one in the world, and it is home to the Great Himalayas. Mountains like Everest (8850 m), Kangchenjunga (8586 m), Mount Kailash (6638 m), Makalu (8481 m), Cho Oyu (8201 m) stand high in the Tibetan land. The average height of this mountain ranges is 8000 m or 26000 ft.

Tibet has one international airport, one is Lhasa Gonggar Airport, the other airport Ngari Gunsa Airport is a dual-use military airport. The Lhasa Gonggar Airport is 62 km away from Lhasa the capital city of the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

And the average elevation of this area is 3650m. You need to wait patiently till your breathing pattern adjusts to the height slowly.

These facts help you understand why planes choose not to fly over Tibet.

The Elevation of Tibet

With a series of world’s highest mountains, the highest being Everest at 8850m (29035 ft)- It becomes a giant huddle for the planes. The highest cruising altitude that is allowed to commercial planes is 28- 35,000 ft (8000 m). And as you can see the elevation of Himalayan mountain ranges is around 30000 ft, the aircraft generally do not fly over the Himalayan ranges.

You must know that there are layers of the atmosphere. That is the next reason of why planes do not fly over Tibet.

Air Turbulence in the Layers

We all know that there are four layers of the atmosphere. And the closest one to the Earth is the Troposphere which continues from ground level to 7 miles above the ground level. The Himalayas are at the height of 5.5 Miles. They are at a point in the Atmosphere where one layer gives in to the other.

The Troposphere changes to Stratosphere. Most planes fly in the upper boundary of the troposphere. And flying in the lower layer of Stratosphere is only advised if you have enough supply of oxygen.

As the height of atmosphere increases, the air thins. It means that the volume of oxygen in the air decreases as we move above. And with an increase in height, there is also increase in air pressure. That results in air turbulence and disturbances.

If there would be no mountain ranges, then the pressure of winds at such a height would be easier to deal with. But the mountain ranges make it harder for the planes to deal with Turbulence at the lower layer of Stratosphere (where there is already less oxygen and water vapor).

Avoiding Risk of Drift Down Procedure

Most of the planes have a capacity to fly higher than 20,000 ft. But most of the airliners have only 20 Minutes of passenger oxygen. And according to Aviation rules, a flight must descend to 10,000 ft before running out of passenger oxygen.

With the wide expanse of mountain ranges in Tibet, at a height of 28,000-30,000 ft, it becomes difficult for pilots to bring down the planes to a height of 10,000 ft early enough. Even though any pilot pulls off this trick, he will land with an oxygen deprived blue colored passengers. The airliners do not want this kind of fuss, so maybe they avoid flying over Tibet.

Airport Hopping

Airplanes follow a geodesic curve while flying. Geodesic means the shortest distance between points in terms of constant velocity. If there is an airport where you have to reach, and your plane hops at one airport on the way, there is also an airport nearby with the same distance from your destination (in the case of emergency).

All plane routes are planned according to this geodesic curve. But Tibet lacks airports. As we mentioned earlier, there are only two airports in Tibet, which are at 1357 km from each other.

It is not a mystery that Planes do not fly over Tibet, But it is the scientific reasons which make it impossible to fly over Tibet.

 

www.artoftravel.store/

Hiking & Camping, Photo Story, Nature Travel

For the Best View of Mt. Everest, Go to Kala Patthar

Leave a comment

Kala Patthar, meaning “black rock” in Nepali and Hindi, is a notable landmark located on the south ridge of Pumori in the Nepalese Himalayas above Gorakshep.

Although not a proper mountain, the ascent of Kala Patthar is very popular with trekkers in the region of Mount Everest since it provides the most accessible closeup view of Mount Everest.

Due to the structure of the Everest Massif, its high summit is blocked by Mount Nuptse from much of the surrounding region.

The views of Everest, Nuptse, and Changtse are spectacular from Kala Patthar and there are glimpses of the northern flank and summit of Mount Lhotse as well.

View of Mount Everest, Mount Nuptse, & Mount Lhotse

Sunrise on Mount Everest

Note: Kala Patthar is considered the highest altitude most will reach without an Everest climbing permit, which must be obtained in Kathmandu, at the Nepal Mountaineering Association.

So, if you are planning to do the famous Everest Base Camp (EBC) Trek, you can trek up until Kala Patthar.

Fun Fact: The world’s highest webcam, Mount Everest webcam, is located here.

How To Climb Kala Patthar

Everest view from Kala Patthar

The ascent of Kala Patthar begins at Gorakshep (5,164 m or 16,942 ft), the original base camp for Mt. Everest.

After a brief dip to an ancient lake bed (which now contains a small lake and a helipad), the ascent makes its way up to a series of steep switchbacks before leveling off somewhat as it traverses to the eastern side of the mountain.

Mount Everest from Tibet, Tschomolangma peak

The trail then becomes steep once again until it reaches the wind-swept summit ridge. From there, a 5-to-10 minutes scramble over boulders takes one to the top, which is marked with prayer flags.

Note: There is also a geocaching trackable named Kala Pattar Yeti attached near the summit. Its trackable code is GS9EBG.

Elevation & Hiking

The full ascent usually takes between 1.5 and 2 hours. If the attempt is made starting from Lobuche, an additional two to three hours (one way) is required.

The elevation is commonly listed as 5,545–5,643 m (18,192–18,514 ft). It is possible that since Kala Patthar is merely a minor summit on a ridge leading to Pumori, different people may have measured different summits.

The summit traditionally referred to as Kala Patthar is, however, completely festooned with prayer flags, making it quite readily recognizable.

It is quite clear that the point trekkers climb to is a local maxima on the Pumori ridge, not the summit of Kala Patthar proper.

Safety Tips

Clinics are a sparse resource in Khumbu. However, should you require medical attention there are two possibilities:

Kunde Clinic, in Kunde Village (above Namche) has Western-trained doctors and is a surprisingly well-equipped facility – they even have a decompression chamber for those suffering from severe altitude sickness.

On your return journey, you might like to donate your unused medicines to Kunde Clinic, though ensure that they are clearly labeled in English – even the most valuable medicine is useless if there are no instructions on how to use it.

The Himalayan Rescue Association operates a clinic staffed by western physicians in Pheriche. They give a daily lecture on taking care of your health in the Khumbu region, and, for very little money you can check your blood oxygen level and pulse rate.

This is a good place to stop at even if you are not experiencing any health problems. Check out their t-shirts, scarfs and hats, the proceeds of which go towards operating the clinic.

Local medicine

The Healing Center in Namche offers treatments using natural formulas. It is next to the Camp de Base hotel but entered from the path in front of the library.

This clinic provides free treatment for porters and other patients on a low income. In order to continue this service, donations are greatly appreciated.

Along the trail, you will also see small medical stations. These stations generally have very rudimentary facilities and can only realistically offer treatment for very minor ailments, such as cuts and bruises and (non-altitude sickness related) headaches, etc.

Namche also has a dental clinic, on the right side slope of the village when looking up.

Don’t drink the water no matter how pristine it appears. Use iodine tablets as a purifier or purchase boiled water.

Exceptions: Namche and Phortse have clean water supplies that the locals drink directly from the faucet. However, this may not be a good idea for outsiders lacking immunity to local bacteria, but it may be OK for brushing teeth.

Read Next