I was beginning to feel like I was trapped inside a Kafkan novel. Trying to get my head around the different layers of bureaucracy; feeling like I was making progress, but never really getting anywhere – there was even a castle of sorts sitting atop a hill in the centre of the city. Had the Bohemian drawn inspiration from this very place, I playfully began to wonder? I had been in Lhasa for almost a week now, and having finally managed to get my papers in order with regards the accommodation, I was now looking to make my way westwards again towards the Nepalese border.   My week here, in…

Part 1 – Beijing to Lhasa Many had warned me in advance that it would be difficult getting in to Lhasa. Few of these people, however, had mentioned that the greater challenge would be getting out again – at least, that is, in a way that coincided with my planned itinerary, budget, and desire to stay on the right side of the authorities. It was no doubt naive of me to think that a land with so many challenges of its own would bend to the whims of a twenty-something western backpacker, but then a wiser traveller may not have attempted the route at all. It was this very naivety…