The road from Lhasa ascends quickly to the plateau (don’t look out of the side window if you suffer from vertigo) and then follows the newly constructed railway that runs from Lhasa to Beijing.  As my guide points out – “It used to be much beautiful before they built the railway right through here” – an odd comment from a chinese guide….

After many, many, many more checkpoints we arrive at Laken pass at an altitude of 5190m to an impromptu snow storm. Looking around you could think that the snow up here is a one off as I seem to be the only “tour” with a 4*4. The drive down from the pass to the lake is both spectacular and frightening. Snow, ice, slush, lorries and Yaks all seem to be on a suicide mission – or perhaps they’re just late for the next checkpoint.

Permits checked for the last time we drive along the peninsular to the Tashi Dor monastery. Unfortunately, the thing that stands out the most here (and does elsewhere in Tibet) is the number of Chinese tourists. Yaks line the lake ready to have the Chinese hop on it’s back for the obligatory photo shot. A little further down the peninsula, a chinese couple are getting married. A notable omission to the general scenery are the Tibetans – I hope they have found a more peaceful place to enjoy their heritage.

The guide was waiting for me at the hotel – apparently the transfer car had been in an accident.  Oh well, at least I wasn’t in it.  We quickly discussed the itinerary for the next few days and received the appropriate warnings about where I could go on my own, i.e nowhere.  My tibetan visa, an elaborate piece of paper, had to stay with the guide which meant I was unable to enter any of the sites of interest on my own.

Potala Palace

The itinerary, down to the minute, was agreed – the Potala Palace and Norbulingka was day one. Also, the time we could spend in each one was also given a time limit – failure to adhere to and the guide will be banned for 4 days (oh, the fun I had dragging my feet…..).  After seeing so many documentaries about Tibet, Lhasa and the Palace it was simply awe inspiring to stand at the foot of the hill on which the palace sits.  Unfortunately, tourism amongst the chinese has picked up so much there is nowhere in the place for a moment of reflection.

Monk repainting the walls of Norbulingka

When Michael Palin visited (perhaps having a BBC film crew with me may have helped instead of a government appointed guide from Shanghai) it looks so serene.  The thing that bothered me the most (and probably my guide given my line of questioning) was that all the guides speak as if the Dalai Lama is still in residence.  Everything was in the present tense – he comes here in the morning, here for meetings with his aides, etc.  A quick trip down the hill and we’re over at the summer palace – Norbulingka.  The chinese tourists obviously don’t have this on their itinerary.  A beautiful palace set amongst an Unesco world heritage site, Norbulingka is very calming place to visit.  With only a handful of tourists, I was happy to see a number of monks going about their business.

Day two saw us head of to Jokhang Temple in the morning, which was just around the corner from the hotel (the Dhood Gu Hotel).  I’d been there in the evening to watch to the coming and goings of the pilgrims walking clockwise around the temple. From there we headed up to the Sera Monastery, famed for the debating monks.  Bang on time, we’re shepherded into the courtyard for todays session of heated discussion and hand slapping.  The hand slapping is there to add emphasis to the argument being made.  All in all it’s quite and amazing scene to watch.

We head back into Lhasa for a traditional meal – for one!  After having the menu explained to me, my guide from Shanghai then disappears to have a chinese meal.  Instead of rice or noodles, I had some very tasty Yak Momo and a cold Lhasa beer!.

Outside and I join the tourist taxi queue – meanwhile the chinese just walk to the front and get in to the next oncoming taxi.  I can only assume that it’s an olympic hangover.  In the cab and off to the Emperor Hotel which is situated on one of the only remaining hutongs in central Beijing.  It’s a quirky modern hotel with a fantastic roof top bar that looks over the forbidden city.

My general itinerary was to check out food street, the forbidden city, Tiananmen square, the great wall and to walk around the hutongs.  For the great wall I decided to arrange a private tour to visit an area of the wall called Mutianya which is further away from the city – hopefully to avoid most of the crowds.  Given the number of people I’ve seen in and around the forbidden city, I think the plan worked out quite well (but at a premium).

The great wall is an amazing feat of engineering, but a great cost to the people who built it. After climbing up and down the wall for about three hours, I had to do the obligatory shopping/food stop.  The meal was included in the excursion as was a walk around a local artisan workshop which produced various paintings and glazed images of the wall.

Back in Beijing I met a few Australian friends I’d met on the train from Mongolia.  Several drinks on the roof terrace overlooking the forbidden city and then off to food street. Food street has been manufactured by the authorities as a safe an fun way for tourists to experience the local delicacies.  As a diver, it was a very sad experience as I was confronted by stall after stall of sea horse and shark fins.

A fresh morning and off to see the forbidden city.  For a look around the forbidden city, have a look at my photo gallery.  It’s an amazing place within a place within a place.  Again, the biggest drawback to China so far is quite simply the number of people!  Perhaps it’s time to head somewhere a little quieter!

Irkutsk……nearly three quarters of the way to Beijing and the largest city in Siberia.  Famous for the many Russian exiles who were sent there for their part in the Decembrist revolt and lake Baikal – the worlds oldest and deepest lake. So what does a diver do with such a tempting dive site so close?

A quick phone call to Gennady Misan and all was set for a dive in the worlds largest fresh water lake. Picked up at 9am and off to the dive shop – hidden nicely away in an industrial estate in the south west of Irkutsk (Krasnokazachja 85). Fitted out with full 8mm wetsuit with additional shorty on top.

Simeoni returns from Lake Baikal

Driving in russia is extreemly similar to Bali. The roads switch from a nice dual carridge way to a pot hole ridden nightmare. Travelling in a unmodified suzuki minivan(I.e. Driver on the wrong side) we duck and dive through the traffic in Irkutsk(past a very nasty looking pileup) and on to the long winding road to lake baikal. The view is slightly reminicent of the train journey. Tree, tree,  tree – you get the picture.

After rounding a bend slightly to fast, we’re at the lake – although it looks more like the coast of a sea and looks quietly serene – few ripples but nothing major.

Good news – visibility(normally 40m+) might be as good as 2m today as the water is a bit too warm  and therefore a big algae bloom (- 12′c) yippeee!!!!

Kit up and we’re instruction time. Shore dive with a 50m swim out to the drop off. I’m buddied with Simeoni (a doctor living in Moscow but originally from Irkutsk) Katia, the dive lead, is with some chap whose turned up in a pick up lorry and has a very useful scuba knife. Long story short – no visibilty, lost a diver, saw a sponge and then surfaced 35 mins later. Upon the offer of a second dive, I’ll decide to sit it out as I’m off to the Caribbean in a months time. Take me back to Irkutsk please – never thought I’d say that so soon! If your thinking of diving in lake baikal, do it in the winter and you’ll get a full drysuit and see something.

Back in Irkutsk and it’s time for a wander around town.  Walking around town during the summer is quite a pleasant experience with a number of outdoor bars and streets lined with wooden buildings.  In the more central area you’ll find the usual western brands taking over the place.

Following what looks like most people, through the underpass full of tiny shops offering knickers, wigs, jewelry and pies (didn’t buy any pies) i pop up in what looks like a ticket hall but who knows. While sweating with my camera gear round my neck I use the good old 5 fingers in the air- apparently that’s the metro card minimum. And hey presto, a piece of cardboard is thrust my way with a host of verbal instruction(could have been abuse but the Russian facial expressionis are hard to decipher)

Now metro lines are coloured but unfortunately the red line has faded a little and looks a lot like the orange – and a key part of the journey is to change from the orange line to the red line. Down the escalators, which remind me of st johns wood tube station, and onto the platform and a decision to take the train on the left or right! 50/50 odds – unfortunately it’s the wrong choice!  A quick change and off in the right direction.  A positive so far is that the platforms and trains are excellent in comparison to the ticket halls.  A quick change and catch the train the right way and I’m at the kremlin – now where’s the hotel!

On arrival at the hotel, I head out in search of food and possibly a drink.  The restaurants in and around the tourist centres are mostly western except for a few where the popular dish is pelemki – which is served with almost anything including bear meat.Bars are either in the hotels (nice shiny and expensive) or down in cellar bars – hardly inviting but a necessity due to the generally bad winters. The beer is awfull – most bars offer all the usual European largers including newcastle brown ale.

The women all tend to be very very girly – high heels, short skirts and lots of make up. Not exactly sophisticated but it works in mockba. The younger generation appear to be anorexic compared to uk standards- not a bad thing if you’re in advertising (or a Russian speaking single bloke)

Toilets are odd too – while walking around you’ll spot 3 or 4 portaloos randomly placed. Yet some enterprising babushka will have set up home in one of the end ones and charges 20 r for the pleasure of using one. Not sure if she cleans them or not but going by the smell probably not.

One of the worst tourist things I have ever done is to search out the first McDonalds to open in Moscow!  I suppose it has a little bit of capitalist history attached to it, but the food is still awful.

Time to leave Mockba, so it’s a quick car to Yaroslasky station – and I mean quick. The driver thinks he’s protecting some UK government official (me!) so it’s extreeme acceleration, breaking, cornering and use of the horn! A quick tumble roll out of the car and he’s off again.

Now it’s Friday night at a station in a capital city! How bad could the station be? Believe me, bad. I’m standing surrounded by people having fun(drunk and in need of a shower) staring at a bank of train departures all in cyrilic – and none of the departure times match mine! 30 mins later I work out where the “harry potter” platform is next to 1a and 3 but unlabelled – times match though. Time to blend in – need to get a can of beer and some random snack…

Departure on time was followed by an incredible roller coaster ride(with a couple of hysteric Latvians) and a diversion to Tallinn – not the planned destination of Riga.

3hrs on the ground with little information and the odour levels increasing we headed back off into the stormy skies for Riga.

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While reviewing my schedule from Beijing to Lhasa using Seat61, I was suddenly aware of the significant change in altitude that I’d experience when traveling on the train to Lhasa. I’ve plotted the height across the various stops I’ll be making from Irkutsk (it’s pretty flat before then!).  Most would be concerned, but I’ve already topped out at 4,167m when I climed Jbel Toubkal.  The highest point on the trip will be Tanggula Pass at around 5,231m and from looking at the train timetable should be during the day (of day 3 from Beijing)!  One more reason to bring the GPS tracker!