Hunters & Collectors frontman Mark Seymour on travelling to Tibet’s euphoric and reflective capital of Lhasa

Lhasa is a long way from home.

High in the Himalayas, the Tibetan capital has a way of making the rest of the world seem suddenly remote.

Mark Seymour, singer/songwriter and cherished frontman of the equally loved Hunters & Collectors, landed there with the sense he’d travelled not just across countries but into another version of life.

It was a 2016 family trip Seymour took with now ex-wife Jo and their two daughters, Eva and Hannah, before they became empty-nesters, a favourite adventure to one of the wildest places he’s visited.

Ahead of a one-off Melbourne gig showcasing Hunters’ hits with a symphonic orchestra, Seymour sat down with ROAM to explore his escape to the high-altitude mountain city, the Tibetan landscapes and the sense of stillness he’d never before experienced.

“Jo suggested we get to Lhasa after travelling to a series of Chinese cities over three weeks — this was our last destination on that leg. It’s not a very big city, like the size of the regional Victorian town Mildura, but it’s one of the highest cities in the world, sitting at 3700m high. You get here by flying in from mainland China or Nepal.

“We landed at the airport and had a Tibetan guide meet us. We organised this ourselves — easy to do online or find yourself a travel agent that can get you a sponsor because you can’t travel alone there. You must be accompanied by a local guide. We weren’t allowed to just wander around because it was very militarised by the Chinese Government.

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“The altitude really hits you — I couldn’t really catch my breath on arrival. And I was fascinated by that — I found the whole idea of being physically challenged really unique. The guide told us a story of someone’s nails turning blue. The consequence of that altitude is you can wander around madly for about two days without stopping to take it all in, but by day three, you need to lie down during the day to recoup. We’d rest for three hours in the mid-afternoon because we couldn’t keep moving. Gradually your pulse rate starts to even out as your body adapts.

“We visited Potala Palace, perched in the middle of a river valley on a rock formation. The geography of the place is mind-blowing. The mountains and valleys are really narrow; it all feels quite strange to see these tiny dwellings at the top of these hills where monks go to meditate, and they walk up there. The mountains also have no trees on them — it feels like you’re in a desert climate but the river flats are obviously fertile.

“The palace dates back to the 7th century — it’s very medieval and it’s made of mud. You won’t have enough time to see it all, it’s enormous. It has 13 storeys and when we visited, I saw young boys sitting in saffron robes praying and chanting. You can walk around as they do this, but you’re not allowed to talk. Go and see the temples in the grounds throughout the city — there’s 22 in total.

“I don’t practise any spiritual routines, but was definitely interested in it when I was in Lhasa. Driving on those hairpin roads to get to the Holy Lakes was another spectacular feature of the trip. We stopped at Yamdrok Lake. You’re welcomed into people’s homes and I tried the traditional local spirit chang, a low-alcohol fermented barley wine.

“We stayed at the Intercontinental, a European Tibetan-style hotel. It’s a high-altitude spot.

“What makes being in a place like Lhasa unique is that it’s an outside-the-square place to choose as a traveller, but definitely worth seeing. You have to try traditional Lhasa cuisine — they eat a lot of yak meat, vegetables and dumplings. There’s a traditional yak butter tea that my family tried, too, a salty drink made from fermented tea, yak butter and salt.

“My main tip for travel here is to make sure your doctor gives you the OK. Your heart rate kicks up every 20 seconds. It can feel arrhythmic, but you’ve got to go with it. It settles down.

“The Barkhor Street Bazaar located in the old heart of Lhasa is a 1300-year-old historic circular market full of action. There’s nothing decadent about the place, but that’s what makes it so refreshing because when you travel in the West, you’re constantly coming up against dysfunction in one form or another, and then you go to a place like this and it’s not like that at all.

“I definitely felt euphoric in Lhasa, a reflective place. Everyone is respectful and, sure, it’s off the beaten track, but I’m so glad we did it.”Mark Seymour Orchestrated, November 26, Palais Theatre, Melbourne; markseymourorchestrated.com