Julianne's Diary Day Five-Zhangmu, Tibet

By Julianne Page

Border cities are notoriously interesting places and so I woke full of anticipation about what the daylight would reveal about Zhangmu. I had an impression etched in the darkness of our arrival last night and I was excited to explore.

Looking up from street level you can see houses  rising up on the mountain in the border city of Zhangmu. [CRIENGLISH.com]

Zhangmu is a city set on a mountainside, a comparatively low 2,000 metres above sea level as compared with other places in Tibet. The streets are extremely narrow and winding and as it's on the border with Nepal there are many trucks waiting to pick up or deliver goods. These trucks often lay idle and line the narrow streets. Most of the roads connecting Zhangmu to other places are also in the process of being created or repaired and falling rocks and landslides after heavy rain are not uncommon. These things all contribute to some hazardous driving conditions and the most common sound in the city is, without doubt, the car horn.

The mountains in and around Zhangmu are rich with lush vegetation. It appears to be the ideal place to have a green thumb as plant life here flourishes.

As you look up from street level you can see houses rising up on the mountain. It's an impressive sight. I wonder how they get down from there.

After breakfast we headed down the winding streets to the border with Nepal. This is a busy place filled with people and much activity. As we proceeded along the street towards the border we could see vendors selling everything from blankets to electrical equipment. It's here that many Nepalese people come to bargain and stock up on goods to take back to sell in Nepal.

The border is also a place to witness the multi-cultural melting pot that is Zhangmu. Members of the Tibetan ethnic group, Sherpas, Han Chinese, Nepalese and Indians all trade and live side by side here. In fact in one shop I entered I was told they couldn't speak Chinese, only Nepalese of English. Luckily I had that covered.