I Went To Tibet, China’s Most Restricted Province ( 

Definitely the most fatigued I've ever been while filming a video, that altitude is wild. But happy to be in Tibet. Part 2 is next

The reason you may not have liked the food, or thought it was bland, is because our perception of saltiness drops by 30% at altitude. Pretty crazy!

I cannot travel anymore because of my age and declining health. It is people like you who make me enjoy the travels I can join just watching you. Thank you very much and all the best to you

Those 2 little girls were so adorable. They looked like they had a cool style and I liked how they seemed interested to speak to a foreigner and they weren't timid they held themselves well. Beautiful country.

i am from China and was in Lhasa in 2016. It felt good to see the city from your camera. I like your style very much:1. you shoot all the time and show the details and trivia things, which actually improve the feeling of realness; 2. you do not talk too much so people can spend more time to view the video; 3. you behave super natual and organic when communicating with locals, not intentially to pretend to be "visitors". all in all, very relaxing and real feeling, just like i was with you in the street of lhasa again, thanks a lot!!

❤Super love this video! Thanks for sharing your experience! As a half-Tibetan, half-Han Chinese living in the U.S., there are a few notes I'd like to share: ① It's not just foreigners; Tibetans from the other four Tibetan regions of China (Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan, and Gansu) face the same stringent identity checks upon arrival in Tibet. This initiative is mainly to prevent the occurrence of Tibetan riots like the one that happened in March 2008. My hometown (Sichuan, Maerkang) is in the Tibetan region of Sichuan, and both times I entered Tibet, I received rigorous vetting, which was a bit of a hassle. Still, I understand because my hometown also experienced the same riots in 2008, which left many innocent civilians devastated and traumatized. I support such measures. And I hope those traveling to Tibet will understand! ② The first place the Tibetan people visit when they reach Lhasa is not the Potala Palace but the Jokhang( Da Zhao Monastery), which is close. Because the statue of Siddhartha Gautama's eight-year-old equivalent is enshrined, it's kind of like a tradition that every Tibetan and believing Buddhist will first go to worship Siddhartha Mani to tell him of their arrival. ③ In this video, a person took a bunch of change because the Tibetan people go into the Potala Palace, and all the temples to worship will take the change for worshiping these statues. You can actually exchange large bills for change directly on the offering table at the temple you enter. The amount of money offered is not important. Tibetans usually use 1-5 jiao CNY ($0.014-0.068). ④ If you are afraid of the plateau reaction, you can choose the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to enter Tibet and slowly adapt to the plateau climate. The trip will be less painful.

Flying in to Tibet by plane is definitely a shock to the body. There’s also a long distance sleeper train with pressurized cabins that goes to Lhasa. It’s a very scenic route.

I love how he gives us genuine information on the places he travels to. I also appreciate his humor and attitutde towards life in general. Very interesting channel, I am so glad to have found it

Gosh! I’m so jealous - 1, your mandarin is fantastic…. I’m encouraged to go back to learning… 2, your travels through china are so alluring and interesting. I wish i could travel with you. Those two kids were so delightful and courageous. The payback ice cream was super classy. Mad respect, bro. Thank you for taking the journey and sharing it with us

I went to Lhasa back in 2000. This video brings back some good memories, and some bad ones. I ate too much and the altitude kicked my ass because digestion wasn't working well enough haha. Was sick in the hotel for a full day. There was no where near that much security back then though, we basically could wander around the town freely. How times have changed. Thanks for bringing back those memories.

Thank you for letting us see Lhasa so up close! Looking forward to the next parts. Keep up the good work.

Your tour guide seemed very down to earth, wanted you to have a good time while looking out for your best interest. Another great video, thank you

Went to Tibet in 97 with my Japanese friend. Illegally (by bus from Garamu or Golmud on Google Maps). Once we got to Lhasa (which was a story in itself) we were free to roam around the city. Potala Gong was much less crowded. I know the feeling of the altitude. Even though we were on a bus for 72 hours at altitude when we got to our hostel in Lhasa these Tibetan girls working there started taking our bags up to our third floor room. I thought to myself "Hey, I'm a MAN! I can carry my own bags!" I kept my thoughts to myself.

I traveled to Tibet from Sichuan by bike in 2021. The altitude in Lhasa is about 3,600 meters, which is tormenting for tourists arriving by plane. It took me around 10 days to get used to the altitude sickness. Brave man Tommy!

What a fascinating video. You bring us on a journey and an experience that we as viewers could only dream about. Your interaction with the people you meet on your journey is so humble and friendly that they immediately warm to your personality. Tibet is just another example of a part of the world that is a mystery to so many people. Here you bring us an insight into the place and it's wonderful people. Thank you Tommy for such great and unique content 👏👏👏👏👏👏

Really loved this video. So very friendly there and great to see such happy kids. FYI the higher you go in altitude, these less your sense of taste/smell - at least until well acclimatized to the altitude. THUMBS UP!

This channel is one of the rare gems that you find once or twice in your life times.Full of wisdom.

16:42 what a beautiful Tibet. Nice houses, maybe restored or newly built? The streets are clean, there is no litter, no chaotically arranged things. Everything looks tastefully arranged and nice people

I will never in my lifetime visit the places you have traveled. So your travel blogs mean a lot to me. Thank you Sabbatical❤

Thanks for this video. Brought me lots of memories. Such a privilege to say I been there. ❤

Took a train to Lhasa a few years ago in December. Freezing. No buildings were heated. Passport checkpoints everywhere. Still my favorite city in China. Continued overland to Katmandu. The most fascinating trip of my life.

What a great look inside Tibet, you rarely hear or see anything about it so this is a real treat! Thank you x

Those 2 kids were adorable! Thanks again for the cat cameo.

The encounter with the kids was the most beautiful moment

Thank you 🙏, showing my beautiful country Tibet land of peace ✌️

Foreigner at 14,000 ft, no hat, short sleeves, shorts, soaking up those UV rays. Tibetans, covered up. 14:45 Starting to learn. Well done. Loving this video. Thanks

I’d recommend heading to some of the Tibetan areas of Sichuan & Qinghai if possible. Easier (although still plenty of checkpoints) to get around as a lone traveller and some real gems out there off the tourist path with authentic Tibetan culture and people and great scenery 😄 they were my favourite parts of the country hands down after visiting most provinces!

Your content is awesome! Thanks for sharing! I visited Tibet in 2006 when living in Hong Kong. Incredible place. We obtained our permits at a hostel in Chengdu where we spent a night. Traveled through Giantse, Shigatse, Samie and back to Lhasa. Altitude sickness was brutal in Shigatse. Ended up at a military hospital, most likely would have died otherwise.

I never watched videos of china for traveling until i found your channel. The best thing about it is because you can also speak chinese and are very friendly to locals. Keep up the good works and i hope you post more videos there :)

Thank you for showing our beautiful city Lhasa to the world n to the Tibetans outside Tibet . Which is dream come true .enjoy your days in tibet and it’s natural beauty.

No foreign brand ? Nike and Addidas shop were in front of you where the bicycle guy drop you off , lol

感谢你拍的视频，作为一个中国人，我还没有去过西藏。去西藏旅游是我的梦想。

It’s so warming when you bought ice cream to pay back the kindness from the kids. I guess the kids were curious to foreigner but they were been a little shy so they acted in that way😌

Thank you for showing us my beautiful country Tibet. Free Tibet

His Tibetan tour guide friend was so cheerful. I love that guy!

I’ve been living in China for over over ten years, and I absolutely love your videos. I especially appreciate this one, because I’ve always wanted to go to Tibet. I think I would have a harder time breathing that you, so I’m enjoying this vicariously.

Fantastic video, friendly people and must have been an amazing experience. I've been many times in China and likes it a lot. Hope I get time to see some more of the places in China but not sure about Tibet due to the altitude so I guess it take some time getting used to it

Love this episode. I command you went thru all the hassles in getting a permit to visit Tibet as a foreigner. Looking forward to more interesting things you experience in Tibet.

thanks for sharing YOUR EXPERIENCE IN TIBET, Lhasa.

In terms of 'conquest', no country in the world recognized Tibet as separate from China at that time. It was also the case that the Dalai Lama in Lhasa did not have control over much of Tibet. Much like anywhere else in the world, religious leaders and politicians overlap by quite a lot, and there was a lot of political manoeuvring in Tibet in the early 20th century.

Tibet is a very dangerous plave for tourists that's why you need to go ther with a group of people and a guide. Why? Because Tibet is one of the highest regions on Earth. It has an average elevation of ∼4,000 m, a barometric pressure of

Went in Lhasa in 2007 prior to more restrictions. At the time, I felt I was dying. After many oxygen bottles, I made alive out of Tibet. But, I did enjoy the visit. My impression of the Potala Palace was "there were lots of gold". And, the Palace silhouette at night was really beautiful. I wouldn't go back due to physical conditions although Tibet itself is unforgettable, so remote, so empty, so sacred.

Many people take the train to Tibet. It takes several days to get there, but your body will adjust to the altitude much better, and you can see beautiful landscapes along the way.

I really hope u get to travel the country side of tibet bro iv wanted to see it forever, keep up the amazing content brotha

Hi Tommy, I wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude for taking us on a tour of Lhasa. Interestingly, I was born in Lhasa but currently, I'm studying in Atlanta. Watching your video brought a flood of nostalgic childhood memories back to me. I was so captivated by it that I actually watched it twice :) May I wish you a wonderful journey... Iif time permits you, without phone and camera, I wish you spend some time near the Jokhang and meditate for a few minutes... I pray the holy sight will bless you spiritually... From your Tibetan friend :)

The first book I ever read in my life was "The third eye" by Lobsang Rampa, I was about 13(now 65) at the time. It was about a kid growing up in Tibet and studying at a monastery. I never forgot the impressions about life there, know I get to see what it's like. Thanks for the opportunity to see and feel what's it like.

Thanks Tommy! Keep doing what you’re doing, I appreciate the hard work and it’s coming through loud and clear!

7:48 Geez. Lovely scenery in that country. TY, for excellent report (as usual).

Watching as Tibetan refugee from India ......you are so lucky ..i could see my mother land from yr vlog

Thank you and Thukje Che to @SabbaticalTommy for this wonderful video! Looking forward to Part 2. Save Tibet for World Peace!

Wow I was just at the china (Tibet) Nepal border in upper mustang area. I dream of the day I can visit the mainland tibet. I hope to see more videos!

I watch your videos regularly,I am an Indian even I need a permit to go to some places in my own country and if you are a foreigner chances are you may not all be allowed

Loved hearing the locals speaking in Tibetan despite their Mandarin schooling. Thanks for sharing such a bucket list adventure.

I just love your personality. Best travel vlogger for me in 2023.

Hi Tommy la, I hit the subscribe button and gave you a like 👍. I love how you recently went to Lhasa, Tibet and made a vlog to show the reality of Tibetan people’s lives in Tibet. Jamten From NY. ❤❤❤

Was there in Nov '91. Back then, as a foreigner, one could walk around freely, and it was relatively uncrowded; glad I experienced it then. Great to see it again though! Great memories!

from 7:11 to 7:35 you can clearly see a NIKE store across the street , our budy is looking straight and cant see whats around him.must be the altitude, not to mention the ADIDAS store @ 7:44 :)

In the shot directly before you said there were no foreign brands there was a Nike store in the background! Just an observation, love your content man!

Glad you are getting a chance to show us Tibet. Super strict to get around there, and glad you were finally able to catch a bit of breath to do the video lol!

tommy, seeing the hospitality those girls gave you and you paying it back, almost made me tear up im chinese in the US and you depict such a real and genuine side of countries and cities you would do anthony bourdain proud keep doing you

Really fascinating, you taking us all along on your journeys. We're all learning so much about places many of us will never go to. Thanks so much!

Loving this series Tom

I am sooooo addicted to your awesome vlog! Super interesting, and I really learn a lot!!

Loved watching our motherland. Thank your for the video.

Thank you mate I saw my relative in your video after 21years 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

What a great video, man. As always, by the way. I am brazilian, but since I was a kid, Tibet and it's people and culture was my obsession. At that times, internet was not even a dream, and I made countless visits to libraries seeking for any information I could have about this country. Potala palace ever makes me emotional, even now when I am 55. Never been there, but in my heart it's like feeling home. Your video is amazing, as is your work guiding us through so many wonderful places on earth. So glad you came to Brazil sometime ago and met our land and our diverse and kind people. Thank you very much, Tommy. My best wishes for you

Loved the tour guide! Really laid back and friendly guy.

It's incredible to see a place through your eyes, I'll never see through my own for reasons I don't really need to go into (my occupation). Thank you!

it is not true to say that China conquered Tibet, actually Tibet is a part of China in many dynasties, for example in the recent Qing dynasty and the period of Republic of China.

your channel is very interesting . we are learning china through your point of the view. thank you so much. my family ( originally from china) is following you.

Hi Tommy: If what the tour guide says is true, that the average lifespan of Tibetans is 60-65 yr old, then, the 1959 exile of the 14th Dalai Lama, must be the best thing that happened to him. He is 88 yr old now; so, the Dalai Lama is already living about 28-23 yr longer than the average Tibetan. However, when I Googled average life expectancy results it turns out that the official life expectancy of Tibetans is now 72.19 yr (Jan. 05, 2022) compared to a dismal 35.5 yr average in 1950 before China’s takeover when Tibet ran on a monarchal feudal system with the 1st Dalai Lama, Gedun Drupa, in 1391 until Gyalwa Rinpoche, the current and 14th Dalai Lama living in exile in India.❤Diane, Vancouver, Canada. SnOC08/23. 05:54 pm

been there for three times, so i can easily tell where your hotel was and where that tibetan restaurant was ;). it looks like the regulations get more restrict than back in 2007 when i met a spanish guy who accompanied me trekking from tingri county to mt. everest base camp (north side). he was just by himself in most of time when in tibet. and when entering borderland of mt. everest, nothing trouble happened to him even without permits neither to tibet autonomous region nor to borderland. your vid makes me want to go to tibet for another time!

I was out of breath when I went to Colorado. I couldn't image how it feels in Tibet with more than double the elevation.

10:07 - 10:12 they're not chinese tourists, they're indonesian tourists. i recognised their sentences, "pegangan aja, pegangan" = just hold on to, okay? just hold on "bikin dua line ya" = make 2 lines, okay?

Fascinating video, especially the generous children

i would love to go to tibet one day

坐飞机去西藏是真的勇士😂for anyone watching this comment don’t take airplane to tibet.Take trains!! U will enjoy the view on the road and gradually used to the high attitude

Unforgettable good video. Humor indulgent for sure. This was as good as it gets to be as close to experiencing the palace without being there to touch it. Hey, it's breath-taking. Apparently, it's literally breathtaking for those who are trying to catch their breath. I was laughing through 90% of it. Looking forward to Part 2.

Thanks for come to Tibet. I am Tibetan in New York.

Great video ,bro! One small error: Tibet was not "conquered" by China or the Chinese, it was conquered by the Monglians, by Kublai Khan the grandson of Genghis Khan in the 13th century, who also conquered China Mainland and started the "Yuan dynasty", so technically the two lands were mergered by force and became one country hundreds of years ago unwillingly. After the Monglians left Mainland China about 100 years latter, the Ming dynasty started by the Han Chinese like most of the dynasties again, which inherirted the ruling of Tibet from the "Yuan dynasty". About 300 years latter, the Manchus, a Chinese minority originally from the north east conquered the rest of China and started the Qing dynasty, which inherirted the ruling of Tibet from Ming , who also given the tile of the khan of the Monglians. The ago of empire China ended in 1912, the Repulic of China started (which is still the official name of Taiwan), and natually the ruling right of Mogolia, Mainland China (which includes Taiwan, but was occupied and colonized by the Japanese at the time and given back after losing the war) and Tibet was given to by Qing. In 1920 the cival war started between the CCP and the KMT (which was the running party of the Republic of China by the time), KMT lost the war and retreated to Taiwan but still calls itself China, but the Republic of China. And, in 1949 CCP started its ruling and renamed the country the People's Republic of China, which did not "conquer" Tibet, but liberated it from serfdom (google Serfdom in Tibet to learn more), which the Dalai Lama did not like very much cos he and his friends could owned all Tibetians as their personal slaves, and now they are free; and, which pissed the UK even more, cos they were hoping to control Tibet by controling Dalai Lama and his friends, and use Tibet as a stepping stone to control China in the future, owning both India and China would made them the biggest power in Asian. Tibet always has the high-low advantage geographically in wars againest Mainland China, so its super easy for Tibet to invade Mainland China traditionally and very hard the other way around. So, to rule China Mailand safely the Monglians conqquered Tibet as well in the 13th century as one of their reasons.

Now this. Is RARE content!

Wow. Thats incredible. This whole video was fascinating. How high up it was.. those mountains in the background. That palace!!!! Ive been on some pretty tall mountains.. and breathing was rough even at those lower (in comparison) altitudes. Can only imagine what it was like for you there. Thanks so much for sharing!! That VIEW!!!!! Of the cityscape! WOW.

Beautiful people and landscape. God bless the people of Tibet 🙏

I enjoy your videos, because you make diferent videos, visit diferent,rare, not so popular or common places. Very interesting. Have a good time, cheers from Slovenia 🎉😊

Thank you for sharing this awesome experience!

A Tibetan independence activist openly admitted on a BBC program in the United States that they received support from the CIA to blow up Chinese trucks, and they have boldly acknowledged this.Before liberation, Tibet was a slave society, similar to the war between the North and the South in the United States. If you have any opinions, please allow the Southern United States to be independent.

The restrictions are reasonable. It is the place that is possible to be the battlefield at any time. And itself suffers from terrorism. Some people wish to restore theocracy, traditional religious activities, old social system and those are UNACCEPTABLE.

as a tibetan I understanded ever tibetan word I heard in this video

Went there in 2021 driving from Chengdu to Lhasa and the natural landscape was wild and by far unsurpassable compared with places I’ve been to in Europe,North America and Peru. Tibetan people are especially kind and faithful in keep their promises(not sure about Lhasa considering it’s the major Tibetan city and the population is diverse. )

My beautiful kind peoples .my beautiful land . So Bless to see potala . Just tears and hope Tibetans in exile to all over world. We shall over come .Long live his holiness the 14 Dalai Lama .Free Tibet .thanks for speak up truth on in your channel .what situation in Tibet .❤more power to you .

when i was little my first impression of Tibet is the pressure of low clouds😂, their down side and the shadows are so close and clear, and it was then I learned that clouds actually always have shadows, but too hard to be noticed in lower places

At present, Tibet self-driving tour is a very popular trip, more and more people drive to Tibet, including Xinjiang! Self-driving travel will have a different experience, completely different!

Am from Tibet but never been there thank for showing tibet country so beautiful

I think the reason foreigners have to get permit and follow some rules is to prevent foreigners or spies doing something that hurt China or stir up turmoils. Foreigners, mainly Americans and British always wants Tibet be independent. There are a lot of historical and political reasons for that.

one of my frield in shenzhen suddenly come up with idea to go to Tibet, he book the flight next day and fall into altitude stress soon after arrival, stayed in hospital for few days, really watch out for the attitute!

Hi, The Potala palace is the winter palace of the Dalai Lama. The summer palace is a separate building. I guess you were confused since you were suffering the effects of the altitude.

Tibet seems amazing, great work Tommy.😊

As a Tibetan staying in refugee it was a privilege to see Tibet so nearly and i appreciate u for making this vlog and calling his holiness Dalai Lama name so openly hope one day we get our country back 😢❤

Love your videos… I have 3 little kids and can’t travel much. Your videos take me thousands of miles away.

Wow, that is the same hotel that I stayed in Lhasa during my visit in 2017. I am Chinese but also joined a tour group, which may explain.