Day 6: Gyantse - Shigatse

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Oh! I must say that our rooms in Wu Tse Hotel in Gyantse was quite satisfactory. We're all pleasantly surprised as we expected the hotel be really basic in a small town like Gyantse. Talking about basic, Gyantse is not so basic afterall. Suki bought a Columbia jacket from a outdoor gear shop here for about S$50. Fake mebbe, you say? I dunno....but it sure does serve its purpose.

Visited the Pelkor Chode and Kumbum today. Kumbum houses 100, 000 images, paintings and statues of Buddhas and protectors. I was quite glad that Pubu was very knowledgeable in his religion and he patiently explained the significance of a number of these icons. I am glad to say that today I learned quite a bit. I can now identify the Green and White Tara, the Tibetan Fortune God, the Avalokiteshvara, the past, present and future Buddha. 😊

After the "outdoor classroom", we took a hike up to Dzong Castle. It is at this site where at least 700 Tibetan soldiers jumped off the cliff of this castle. This happened in 1904 when 1000 British soldiers (not 10,000) attacked the fort after invading Gyantse. Tibetans fought the British for 3 days and night when former realised that they were out of food and supplies. Instead of surrending, they jumped off the cliff. Quite tragic huh?

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