TRAVEL

Traveling to Tibet this year? A few helpful guidelines from SFT...

Are you traveling to Tibet this summer or fall?
Here are a few tips on how to make your trip beneficial to Tibetans, and ensure that the money you spend doesn't go to support the Chinese government's colonization of Tibet. With the help of these tips, compiled after picking the brains of veteran Tibet travelers and Tibetans, you can see and experience the real Tibet while holding fast onto the highest ethics of tourism.

Agencies and Guides
Work with Tibetan-owned travel agencies. Some are based in Tibet while others are based in Nepal and India. Select a company that works with a Lhasa-based operator, run and staffed by Tibetans (contact us for suggestions). Using Tibetan-staffed companies and Tibetan tour guides promotes Tibetan culture and employs Tibetans. If you are assigned a Chinese guide, politely refuse and ask for a Tibetan one; tell them your interest is purely cultural, not political. Be persistent. As quoted in the World Tibet Network article reprinted at www.studentsforafreetibet.org/travel, "When you go to France, you don't want a German tour guide. When you go to Tibet, you don't want a Chinese one."

Hotels and Restaurants
Once you are in Tibet, stay at Tibetan-owned hotels and dine in Tibetan restaurants. Tibetan hotels and guesthouses may not look as new and modern, but this is a good thing - the service they provide is more sincere and authentic. There are many restaurants that serve traditional Tibetan cuisine such as momo, thukpa, tsampa and shabhalay. They also serve the notorious yak butter tea, which is an acquired taste and an optional adventure (drink at your own risk)! If all these novelties make you crave something more familiar, you can enter any Tibetan teahouse and ask for a cup of sweet Indian tea.

Faith and Religion
Religion is an integral part of Tibetan life. So be respectful toward articles of faith such as stupas, statues, books, prayer wheels, engravings of mantras, etc. Don't sit on or walk over these objects! If you want to support the nuns, monks and the monastic life, it's better to contribute directly to individuals that you know or trust rather than leaving donations on altars or in money boxes. The altars and the money boxes are usually managed by Chinese authorities, and your contribution may not reach those you intend to help.

Art, Music and Handicraft
Tibetan cities, particularly Lhasa, have many squares and street corners where Tibetan musicians and painters entertain passers-by and visitors. Your appreciation will go a long way in keeping these artists and their culture alive. You will also find many Tibetan shops that carry unique and inexpensive items that will make wonderful gifts back home. By keeping these in mind, you will not only open yourself to a genuine exchange of culture but also promote Tibetan art which has become a victim of China's abhorent policies in Tibet.

For more in-depth advice on ethical tourism in Tibet, please visit www.studentsforafreetibet.org/travel.

Khale-phey! (Safe Journey!)

Lhadon, Matt, Han and Tendor