Faces that tell a story: People of Tibet

The below image is my personal favorite of the people of Tibet. I love how the tourist is walking in one direction and the old lady with the prayer wheel is approaching me. She’s looking at me curiously but is also frowning. Or that might be the wrinkles, what do you think?

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Travel to Tibet

After my recent blog post 7 days in Tibet, I received many reactions from you about this amazing country.

And I couldn’t agree more. Tibet is an amazing place with stunning nature and jaw-dropping sights to see.

But it’s the people of Tibet who truly made my trip around Tibet so memorable. Tibetan people are mystical and their faces tell a story. The story of the people of Tibet is interesting and I tried to capture some with my pictures.

I tried to show you a little bit of travel to Tibet, with my blog about how to travel to Tibet for independent travelers and my story about 7 days in Tibet.

I got many likes on my Instagram account where I did a “7 pictures of 7 days in Tibet” series and posted 7 amazing images of the views of Tibet.

People of Tibet

But I posted mainly pictures of the views and sweeping vistas of the Himalayas Mountains. I got many requests for more images of the people of Tibet.

So, your wish is my command. I went treasure hunting in my photo files on my laptop and found some real beauties! And I sure hope you like them! I know I did. I still remember taking every single one of them and had fun trying to interact with the children.

Of course, I was nervous asking people if I could take their pictures.

Who wouldn’t? But I managed to do so a couple of times and came out with some amazing shots of the amazing people of Tibet.

I still remember how this young lady and her child were looking at me. I pointed at my camera to ask if I could take a picture of her. She nodded and took her time.

She didn’t try to smile, she just looked at me. Afterward, she was too shy to look at the picture but she did smile at me then. I love how the child is evenly serious as her mother.

Faces that tell a story

Looking at each and every one of their faces, you’ll find a story. The children are young and eager to learn. The old people have so many wrinkles in their faces it’s like the Himalaya Mountain range on its own.

But I won’t keep you any longer. I know you have been asking for them. Here are some more pictures of the people of Tibet. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

People in Lhasa

We stayed a few days in Lhasa and its main attraction was walking around town and looking at people.

And don’t you think I was gawking around, no, I was looking back.

For some reason, many women slowed down their pace when approaching me. They looked at me with open faces and tried to catch my eyes. I had never experienced something quite like it but I can tell you it was real.

The women seemed curious and a bit shy and I felt like they opened themselves up to me. As you can see below, I photographed mainly women. And let’s be honest, women are the most photogenic people of Tibet!

Woman of Tibet

I selected some images of ladies at Barkhor Square. It was a colorful combination of old faces with bright colors.

These women were either working or praying. If you want to see more amazing images of Tibet and people in Tibet, check out the Instagram account of my friend Bart van Leersum, who’s a photographer and recently went to Tibet.

He inspired me to review my own images of the people of Tibet.

The image of the next lady was also a great story.

Don’t worry, I’ll tell you.

I was walking around Barkhor Square, trying to find the entrance to the Jokhang Temple. There was a little girl who guided us to the entrance.

This was her mother. She sat there and when we returned from our visit to the temple, she saw me taking pictures from other things around the temple.

She touched my arm and suggested I’d take a picture of her! Can you imagine that? I was a little bit surprised but loved the open look of this young woman. And look at the hair! 108 tiny braids!

Tibetans on the road

I could have easily stayed in Lhasa for weeks, just looking at the people of Tibet and their daily routines. But we wanted to see more of Tibet so we took some tours.

We went to Lake Nam- Tso, you can read more about it in my blog post 7 days in Tibet.

At the lake, there were many children playing around. This little fellow looks a bit puzzled.

We also traveled by car to the border with Nepal. Taking in the stunning scenery along our way. We stopped at a few towns, villages, and settlements and met some people on our way during our stops.

Gyatse Tibet

In Gyantse, we went to see and check out the temple. When we left the temple, this old lady was standing there. She kept looking at me

. I didn’t really know what to do. What would you do?

I just smiled back at her and looked into her eyes. They were a bit cloudy but still showed me her strength.

She agreed that I would take a picture of her. I think this lady truly shows that faces can tell a story. Too bad there wasn’t an interpreter who could translate for us.

We were crossing a big chunk of the country by jeep. The people of Tibet were working their fields and bringing in their crops. When we’d pass in our car, we slowed down and the people would normally look up and try to see who was in that car passing by.

Here we were at a pass overlooking the mountains. This group of Tibetans was taking a break from their labor. I wish my breakroom had views like this!

Shigatse Tibet

When we were in Shigatse having a lunch break and waiting for our guide to sort out our permits, we sat in a park. These two young children popped out of the bushes. They tried to catch our attention by singing and dancing.

Each time we stood up and tried to approach them, they ran away, giggling with joy. They came back each and every time and even performed a little show for us. Isn’t that the cutest thing ever?

School children in Sakya

In Sakya, we had a little break and looked around. These two girls were working. They cleared some rock from their patch of land. They didn’t mind posing for us.

I love those bright colors as a stark contrast to the grey rocks behind them.

We were quite the attraction in Sakya!

The school was just out while we were waiting and they all welcomed us with smiles and giggles. These boys were pushing each other out of the way to get in the picture.

You can’t take pictures of people of Tibet and not include a few nuns. With their red robes and shaven heads, they do stand out in a crowd.

These young nuns were so curious and didn’t mind posing for a picture. If you want to see more images of Tibetan Buddhism, make sure to check out these images of the Larung Wuming Buddhist Institute.

When we were visiting Mt. Everest Basecamp, we stayed the night in a tent with a Tibetan family. This little boy was our entertainment for the night.

He was so little and cute with his big jacket on. He stumbled around in the tent just looking at us with his big eyes and giggled when we looked back at him.

I think, he might be the youngest of my pictures from people of Tibet but he might be the cutest? What do you think?

Are looking for more information about hiking in the Himalayas? Check out what it is like to hike in Langtang Valley Nepal.

I hope I was able to show you a little bit of the people of Tibet and their faces that tell a story. Young or old, it doesn’t matter.

Each of them intriguing and curious. I hope you liked these pictures. Please tell me, which one is your favorite?