"A close call in Lhasa" a Lhasa Travel Page by mim95

I spent 10 days in Tibet, mainly in Lhasa, the capital city and the religious center of Tibet. Before leaving for Tibet, I had a sore throat the night before, and it had turned into a cough that wouldn't go away once I arrived Lhasa. My initial plan was to spend a few days in Lhasa, then head to the Everest Base Camp (EBC), and back to Lhasa. The later part had to be cancel because the doctor advised me not to go any higher or else I would be risking my life. I'm really glad that I visited a doctor before departure because if the altitude sickness hit me along the way, I would be in big trouble with the cough. The nearest hospital was many hours away. I was just reading an article in a travel magazine about the unfortunate experience of a 21-year old girl who died on the way to the hospital from EBC, a 5-6 hour drive apart. She had developed severe altitude sickness at EBC. It could have been me had I gone....

On a lighter note, I had a good time while I remained in Lhasa. Other travellers were supportive knowing that I was not well. I still enjoyed my time in Lhasa, and I managed to do an overnight trip to Samye Monastery, which is in a valley outside of Lhasa at about the same elevation (3,600m) as Lhasa. That was actually the best part of my Tibet trip!