| The capital of Ngari prefecture is Shiquanhe
(狮泉河镇) in Chinese or Senge Khabab (Town of the I.ion) in
Tibetan. It is a Chinese town with nothing much to see.
However it is a good place to rest, cleanup and have a good
meal after the long journey from anywhere to here.
It has many hotels and everything one find in any Chinese
towns, including three internet cafes and three ATM’s. It is
also the transport base to visit the other places within the
prefecture as well as getting to Lhasa.
Transport: As Shiquanhe is the capital of Ngari prefecture,
it is the hub for transport to various places in the
prefecture as well as to other parts of Tibet. The new bus
stop is at the south end of town, about 10 minutes ’walk from
the town centre. Alternatively one can catch a taxi for a flat
rate of 10 RMB to anywhere in town. All buses including those
of Tibetan Antelope Travel & Transportation departs from
here. A foreigner will be requested to present an AP before
buying any bus tickets. There are buses from here to the
following:
· Lhasa: a sleeper bus every two days in the morning. The
bus fare for local Chinese is 600 RMB and for foreigners is
800 RMB.
· Darchen: a mid-size bus goes to Purang every two
days at midday. The bus passes Darchen on the way. The journey
to Darchen takes about seven hours and Purang is another two
hours away. The bus fare to Darchen is 230 RMB for local and
300 RMB for foreigners. For Purang, it is an additional 50
RMB.
· Guge (Zhada): a mid-size bus leave for Zhada town at
midday every two days. The cost is 250 RMB. From Zhada, one
has to catch another transport to Guge. The cost is reputedly
between 50-100 RMB.
· Yechen (Xinjiang): a sleeper bus
departs every four days. Bus fare is 500 RMB for local Chinese
and 700 RMB for foreigners.
There are also buses to Shigatse, Rutok and surrounding
towns.
On top of the public transport, there are many 4WD’s for
charter to the places listed above as well as to further
afield such as Everest Base Camp. The prices vary depending on
the model of vehicle and so on.
Accommodation: There are many hotels and hostels in
Shiquanhe. Many of them have no problems accommodating
foreigners. Many of these hotels/hostels do not have hot
showers but there are a few public hot shower setups around
town (cost 8 RMB/shower). I stayed at the Blue Sky Hotel
(蓝色招待所) in the centre of town, which charges 60 RMB for a
double with shared toilets and 20 RMB for a bed in a dormitory
of 4. It does not have any hot showers.
A better quality
hotel is HenYuen Hotel (恒远宾馆) which charges 100 RMB for a
double or 150 RMB for a triple. The rooms come with toilet and
hot shower. It is only a few meters from Blue Sky.
Written by CBP in September 2007
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