Seven Years In Tibet

With a yak in tow to carry supplies and two servants, Harrer and Aufschnaiter left Tradün. They were told they could not go to Lhasa, and instead were to be taken through the shortest passage out of Tibet and into Nepal. 

Along the way, they passed through the village of Dzongka and spent a month there due to snowfall. When the way was clear, they went through to another village called Longda, which housed an impressive monastery far up on the mountainside. As they went on, the weather warmed, and Harrer was warned to leave the yaks behind, but did not listen.

When they arrived in the village of Kyirong, “The Village of Happiness” (56), they found dozens of homes and stayed with some locals who offered a room and a portion of their barn. The men lived off the Tibetan staple food called tsampa, along with several other basic foods. They were often pressured to go to Nepal, but delayed leaving long enough to form a plan of escape instead. Harrer and Aufschnaiter began exploring the neighboring hills, valleys, and mountain peaks to find a route through to China.

While living in Kyirong, the men became more immersed in Tibetan culture. They developed a full grasp of the language, learned the customs, and experienced many of the sacred traditions that take place throughout the year and during certain events. Harrer recalls a funeral ritual in which a young girl’s body was cut up into small pieces so that none of it would remain (the idea being that the body is nothing without its soul), and a punishment for theft that involved cutting off the man’s hands and sewing him into a yak’s skin. 

There were beautiful celebrations during Tibetan new year, and Harrer could not help but admire the Tibetan peoples’ devotion to their religion. In the spring, Harrer’s yak became ill and died after traditional treatments failed to help. All four children of one family died during the outbreak of a virus.

Harrer also recalls being amazed by the way the people would collect honey that hung under rocks on the sides of cliffs. He even participated in some local sports competitions. Harrer and his companion created maps and logged endless notes on their experiences and what they observed. 

The men continued to be pressured into leaving, and though they had heard the war was over, they knew that did not mean the camps had necessarily closed yet. They continued searching the area for a route, and the locals began to discourage them from leaving the village at night.

November arrived along with an early winter, and Harrer and Aufschnaiter’s residence came to an end. They had to leave Kyirong, but still had no intention of going to Nepal. They buried some food part of the way down the road, and then Aufschnaiter left one day claiming to be going on a day trip. The villagers grew suspicious and began keeping a close eye on Harrer, guarding the outside of the house where he stayed. 

The people who hosted him begged him to stay, particularly the mother, who believed her daughter would be exiled if Harrer left. The people of the village were certain that they would all be punished if Harrer and his friend were discovered in Inner Tibet, but Harrer resolved to leave anyway. The locals were upset, but nobody tried to detain him. Harrer found Aufschnaiter down the road where they had planned to meet up, along with his new companion, a Tibetan dog.

Harrer and Aufschnaiter headed out into the mountains together, using the knowledge they had gained over the past several months to find their way. After a few days, they passed Dzongka again and were officially in unfamiliar territory. They aimed for the Brahmaputra river, enduring cold, icy waters and steep rock faces. 

The next several days involved a couple of stops in villages, where the people had not heard of the men and believed their excuse that they were on a pilgrimage. The two men passed by Mount Everest, stopping to create sketches. In a town called Chung Rivoche, the men saw a tomb surrounded by hundreds of prayer wheels, and they met a Tibetan who showed them pictures of the devastation of the war. They decided they would attempt to reach Lhasa, the capital of Tibet and the home of the Dalai Lama. 

To avoid detection, they took a longer route northeast, hoping to enter the town from the northwest. On their route, they stopped and met many nomadic people, some of whom offered them a place in their tent for the night, and others who offered basic help, such as yak dung for fire. 

Eventually, they got directions for Lhasa, but were warned of robbers of the eastern Tibetans known as “Khampas” along the easier of two paths. They chose this path anyway, not realizing what was ahead.

Harrer and Aufschnaiter stayed with a nomad family who told them more about the Khampas. They learned the Khampas would kill anyone, and that there was little way of controlling them in the region. 

After spending the night, they ventured on and came to a group of tents. When they asked to enter one, they were welcomed and their packs unloaded, and Harrer became suspicious. He and his friend stayed awake through the night, and when they tried to leave the following day, the Khampas attempted to trick them. They kept Harrer’s dog behind and suggested he go and get it in order to separate the two men. Instead, they went back together, and the Khampas followed them. They pointed to a camp in the distance and suggested that Harrer and Aufschnaiter head there, but the two men wisely declined. They managed to avoid further trouble by going back the way they came and taking the difficult path instead.

Harrer and his companion began to grow hungry, had frostbite, and their animals were worn down and starved. They came across an encampment and were pointed to two officers who agreed to give them escorts through to Tasam Road, which would lead them to Lhasa. They reached the road on New Year’s Eve and soon joined a caravan which guided them through the Guring La Overpass, which is about 20,000 feet above sea level. The pass was decorated with bright prayer flags, and Harrer met a couple who had just run away together. It occurred to him many times on his journey how strong and capable Tibetan women are, as they appeared just as capable as the men of carrying heavy loads and going long distances. The men stopped at several hot springs along the way, and at one point their yak was stolen by Khampas in the night.

The men reached Samsar, a busy junction populated by people coming to and from Lhasa. They befriended a monk who gave them a new yak, and negotiated with a lieutenant to have their bags carried the rest of the way. They were questioned once more along the way, but managed to talk themselves out of trouble. After passing through the village of Nangtse, they headed for Lhasa with the fullest resolve.