Hello, this is Chanda Baggarly calling in for Team Around the World 1999. Today is October 29th and we drove from the city of Xigaze to Shegar (which is also known as New Tingri). It was a bumpy and dusty drive most of the way, as the roads were made from very basic materials; dirt and rocks. Xigaze (Shigatse), the second largest city, is also an important trade and commercial center and the home of the Panchen Lama, the second most important leader in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama. Today we drove to an elevation higher than we have been thus far. With an average elevation of more than 4000 m (12,000 ft), Tibet is the highest region on earth. For this reason, it is sometimes called the Roof of the World. At the top of Padu Pass, which also happened to be a Tibetan holy place, our GPS read 17,200 feet. This was a triumphant moment for all of us, as deep down I know we all secretly wondered if we could make it this far. However our celebrating was cut a little short as we all began to feel the breathless reminder Mother Nature thrusts upon unconditioned bodies at high altitudes. As it goes: the higher the altitude, the thinner the air. And, so there we were huffing and puffing asthmatically just to take a simple picture.

We ran into a group of tourists up there doing the same huffing and puffing that we were doing. A moment later, a small tribe of nomadic Tibetans happened along showing us how it should be done. This group of Tibetans consisted of three men, three women and six children. They lived comfortably in the area our lungs had such a difficult time adjusting to.

This tribe all wore layers of brightly colored wool clothing all cinched together with leather or wool belts. They all seem to have hair that was so long that, even braided it touched the ground. Their dark braids were decorated with gold jewelry and colorful yarn, which further added to their colorful appearance. The men wore tall fur hats, which made them stand out among their group as leaders. This nomadic group, as other nomadic Tibetan groups, heard sheep for a living. They spend their days moving the sheep from pasture to water and water to pasture. At night they warm up by fire light in a tent or cave.

Most children of Tibetan nomadic families do not go to school - their help is much needed with the chores of herding. And, because of political events which came about this century, Tibetans (nomadic or not) are allowed no more than 2-3 children per family or suffer a financial penalty. In the past a typical Tibetan family equaled 7 or 8 per household which made the family business of herding operate more smoothly. Obviously, the life of a nomadic Tibetan is not an easy one. They walk on the arid rocky terrain through the bitter cold every single day, no excuses. No cars, malls, TV's, radios, microwave ovens - only what they have on their backs and the smiles on their faces. Although they don't seem to have much in the way of materialistic goods, they have strong community and big smiles - what more do we really need?

Until next time, this is Chanda Baggarly signing off for Team Around the World 1999. Safe journeys!