Tibet is a big area. Not just big….huge. Put it this way: Tibet is bigger than Alaska. In fact, it is about the same size as Alaska…and Texas…combined. Let me put it another way: Tibet is about the same size as Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah COMBINED. Roughly 5.8 million Tibetans live across a huge area with an average elevation of over 14,000 feet. Picture Mt. Rainier or Mt. Whitney or Mt. Elbert (all 14,000+ foot peaks). This is the average elevation on the Tibetan Plateau with mountains soaring to 29,000 feet. The highest village we have been to was at 17,000 feet and we have seen nomads living above 18,000 feet. Pretty amazing, if you think about it!
A Tibetan woman spinning her prayer wheel in Lhasa: Elevation: 11,900 feet
A nomad woman from Kham inside her yak wool tent. Elevation: 13,800 feet
A Tibetan nomad from Amdo on horseback while herding his yaks. Elevation: 11.200 feet
The Tibetan Plateau is divided into 19 prefectures (or states). These prefectures are further divided into around 160 counties. Of these counties, 44 require a full organized tour that includes travel permits, a tour guide, a private vehicle and a driver. No independent travel is allowed. Travel in these counties is really expensive. Average daily costs of an organized tour for a family of 4 is around $350 to $400 per day, not including hotels or meals. People focused on this restricted region can normally only afford to go once or twice a year for very short periods of time. Of these 44 counties, only 1 county (Lhasa) has foreigners living in it and there is only a small handful who are able to live there year round.
There are 37 counties of the Tibetan Plateau that are permanently closed to foreigners. It is impossible, even on an organized tour, to visit these regions. These counties, which cover a massive area, have few known believers (perhaps less than 5) and have had little, if any, access to the Truth ever in history. With the 44 counties that require an expensive organized tour combined with the 37 permanently closed counties, half of the Tibetan Plateau is either off-limits or has major restrictions in traveling to.
There are a further 79 counties on the Tibetan Plateau that are open to tourists and no organized tour is required. Of these 79 counties, there are foreign believers living in only around 5 counties (including the city where we live). Getting permission to live full-time in this “open” region is extremely difficult (with the exception of 2 or 3 counties). So foreign believers have to live in open cities that are close to the Tibetan Plateau. The distances to these “open” Tibetan areas from these cities is still quite far…often 2 to 4 days by bus. Throw in high altitude, rough roads, cold weather (some areas have snow even in July and August) and poor accommodations and most people focused on this region are only able to visit a couple times a year.
A teenaged nomad girl preparing to milk the yaks. Elevation: 11,200 feet
Horse racers in Kham. Elevation: 12,700 feet
Sheep herder near the Nepal border. Elevation: 14,800 feet
Our family is very fortunate that we have our own vehicle that allows us to spend considerably more time than most people in these areas. A huge thank you again to all of you who helped us purchase our vehicle in December 2009!! Also, Jamin has made government relationships in Lhasa and with Tibetan-owned travel agencies in Lhasa that allow our family to go to the areas of Tibet that require a tour for a fraction of the cost. Jamin is the only one that we know of who has this connection in the restricted areas in and around Lhasa.
Our goal on the Tibetan Plateau has always been and always will be to share the Truth with the people here. Even though there are major restrictions here, the L.rd has been faithful and we have built relationships all across Tibet. We have shared the Truth with many. We have led some to salvation and assisted in discipleship. Pr.y with us that more opportunities will come our way.
Thank you for your continued support of our work here. Please lift up the Tibetans as you look at some of our pictures from The Rooftop of the World.
Nomads outside their yak wool tent in Yushu. Elevation: 15,400 feet
A Tibetan monk prostrating around a mountain in the Amdo area. Elevation: 14,300 feet
A nomad family from Amdo outside their yak wool tent. Elevation: 14,000 feet
A sheep herder on a pass in the Himalaya. Elevation: 16,800 feet
Farmers using yaks to plow their fields in Shigatse. Elevation: 12,500 feet
Young nomad boys in the Himalaya wearing sheep-skin hides as clothing. Elevation 15,100 feet
A Tibetan man from Shelkar spinning prayer wheels. Elevation: 14,300 feet
Road workers below Mt. Everest. Elevation: 17,100 feet
A Tibetan woman in front of a temple in Lhasa. Elevation: 11,800 feet
Monks in Lhasa during a Buddhist debate. Elevation: 11,800 feet
On old woman from Kham walking around a temple. Elevation: 12,500 feet
A Tibetan woman from Kham spinning her prayer wheel and holding her prayer beads. Elevation: 12,000 feet
Nomad woman getting milk from yaks in the early morning. Elevation: 11,400 feet
Tibetan man spinning his prayer wheel inside a monastery in Kham. Elevation: 13,000 feet
A nomad man from Amdo on his horse. Elevation: 11,200 feet