Extravagant Yak is pleased to announce the launch of their new website Tibetpedia.com! On this site, you will find content about Tibetan culture, religion, food, festivals, places to see, and more. Our hope is that this site will be a resource for all who are preparing to travel to Tibet or simply want to understand more about this rich and mysterious culture.
Do you understand the difference between Amdo, Kham, and Central Tibet? How about what type of permit is needed to visit Tibet? Maybe you just love learning about the world, and your Tibetan cultural knowledge could use a little brushing up. Regardless of your interest in Tibet, we hope you’ll use it for all it’s worth!
A feature of Tibetpedia that we are particularly excited about is the Tibetan Business Highlights. We at Extravagant Yak feel strongly about showing the world the Tibet we love, so we have put together short excerpts on businesses that we trust, are authentic, and we know will give visitors the very best experience of Tibet.
These companies have shown great entrepreneurial spirit and are contributing to positive growth in their communities. Extravagant Yak values all they do for their communities, so we wanted to feature them on Tibetpedia in order to see them continue to succeed and give back. We hope you will find delight in reading some of the stories behind these entrepreneurs and businesses and may be tempted to pay some of them a visit on your next trip to Tibet. While we have provided their contact information, you may prefer asking us to help you in dealing with or visiting these particular places – we are happy to help!
Don’t forget to check back every once in a while as we will be releasing more articles in the future!
We officially launched this site on Monday, June 27, 2016!
For the second year in a row, we had a fabulous time hosting Ron Nickel and his band of aspiring photographers. After hearing the stories and seeing the images from last year’s trip to the Kham region of Eastern Tibet, it was a unanimous decision for them to return.
However, not wanting to walk in the exact same steps as the previous year’s trip, they requested a trip to Lhasa and Everest to capture Tibet’s most iconic images. And of course to boast about viewing the highest place on earth!
Three full days in Lhasa allowed for the necessary time to acclimatize to the high elevation while visiting the historical sites of Jokhang Temple, Potala Palace, and Sera Monastery. Their two main highlights during this time were mixing with the pilgrims around the Barkhor Bazaar while trying to somehow capture on film the essence of a very different way of life from a bygone era, and roaming the countless rooms which make up the centuries-old Potala Palace while hearing stories from their guide of religious and political intrigue from Tibet’s long history.
On day four we departed Lhasa for Everest Base Camp. The first day took us past the mystical waters of Yamdrok Lake where we did the requisite tourist must-do’s of posing with Tibetan mastiffs and sitting on local yaks done up in their festive best. Before arriving in Shigatse for the night, we were fortunate to enjoy stopping in a couple of remote villages en route to capture locals plowing their farmland with yaks and horses.
The following day we arrived at EBC with the plan to overnight at the tent hotels (5200m). As expected, no one slept very well at that elevation. However, the euphoria on the faces of the group the next morning while enjoying the reward of having the weather clear to reveal a sunrise touching Everest’s North Face made it clear there were no regrets. And this is the common story of everyone who makes the effort to reach the roof of the world: it is worth any and all associated discomfort!
*Photos on this page are compliments of Jody Wynette from Alberta, Canada.