April 10, 2011
Tingri, Tibet
Namaste Family & Friends:
Yesterday we arrived in Tingri. Tomorrow morning we depart for Chinese Base Camp. Tingri is a small village with little to do and even less to see.
Today, we went on an acclimitazation hike up one of the mountains. In the afternoon, we decided to visit a local hot spring just out of town. I was picturing a large outdoor hot spring with bubbling hot water to soothe and relax our tired bodies after the hike. Six of us piled into a small SUV and headed for this five star Tibetan Resort. We arrived at a dilapidated hotel. In the courtyard, there was a concrete basin about the size of a swimming pool. Several people were bathing in the hot water. The water was green and there was a rakish moss on the surface of much of the water. Then, they ushered us into a small room that had a sunken tub about 10 feet square. At the bottom of the tub was a large crack that extended across the entire bottom of the tub. Bubbling water was in the crack and below the ground. The proprietor turned on a valve and the tub began to fill with hot water. It filled to about 6-8 inches and then stopped. We looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Finally, Mingma took off his clothes down to his shorts and got in. The rest of us followed. So, there we were, six of us in our shorts in this tub, with the hot spring water bubbling up around us. What an experience. I have video, but I don’t think it will ever see the light of
day.
My next report will be from Base Camp.
Bill