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What a day! Early morning wake up and checkout, and on the road at 8am from Lhasa to Shigatse. It was around a 7 hour trip, and an amazing one at that. I wanted to sleep at some times, but I was so afraid I would miss something if I did! Between the villages, streams, farmers working their fields, and the yak and sheep dotted hills and mountains, it was quite the scenic ride 😊
I felt a bit screwed over by my hostel/travel agency though, as they took all my cash the night before (knowing it was all my cash) and didn't tell me you had to pay for driving the pass that goes by Yamdrok Lake. All this stuff was supposed to be included in the 3,200 I gave them, so now I'm really wondering where the money went... as I've had to pay all my own taxis in Lhasa, every entrance fee, meal, etc. So far, all they've provided were permits, guide, airport pickup, and drive to Shigatse. Those things don't add up to 3,000 RMB.... Anyways, it made for a very embarrassing time at the end of the pass when three surgical masked Tibetans in sunglasses
swarmed the vehicle demanding my ticket or money. They finally let us go, but it took my guide and driver both explaining for a while that I had no money until we reached an ATM in Shigatse. I know better than to travel with zero cash... but I guess sometimes I need reminders of lessons previously learned.
SO.... after all that nonsense, we move pass the beautifully blue Yamdrok Lake and drove by several small villages, farm fields, and whatnot. My guide had us stop at this little roadside barley mill where you can step inside, taste the barley, see the mill, and take photos for just a donation of a few yuan or whatever you feel like. It was only a 5 minute stop, but fun. A few Tibetans passing by on a tractor stopped to check it out when they saw me going in, or more likely, stopped to check ME out. I was greeted at the door on my exit by facing peaking around the corner, eyes bright with amused smiles. One of the men working at the mill even waited for me to take his picture on his motorcycle before driving off.
Anytime I'm in
the countryside I always feel so refreshed by the kindness and welcoming gestures people show... This was no exception.
There was a monastery and scenic area we stopped at about an hour out of Shigatse, Pelkhor Chode, which I would consider it a 'must see'. I'm sure all the guides do as well, so any trip from Lhasa to Shigatse should include it. The grounds are home to the tallest stuppa, housing a rediculous number of small temples (I should remember how many, as my guide reminded me frequently when I kept stopping to check out each one). It feels like a real hike, especially at that altitude, but I think it's well worth the climb to the top of it. The views are great and the temples are pretty cool. Besides, you get your breathe back after a minute or two resting.
The actual monastery building though was very impressive. Most of the walls and paintings were destroyed in fire courtesy of the cultural revolution, but you can still make out where a buddha was painted here or there under the blackness. There are also many cool temples, and while we were there (festival time) the monks
were making mandalas! Something I had read about and inspired awe in me... but never imagined I would see. With several monks working on each one, it takes over a week of painstaking work and attention to detail as the most beautiful, intricate, creations are created on the floor with lose sand. There was one completed and protected by a makeshift wall, and two more in progress. My guide said they would leave them out until the festival was over, then sweep them away. Reminds me of the sakura lesson- the beautiful things aren't lasting. I think they are meant to have different deeper meanings though... lol.
Anyways, we finally got to Shigatse and were going to go ahead and tour the monastery here, but the altitude had me wiped out, so I opted to save it for the morning. One nice thing about traveling alone, or at least in a group of just a few close friends/family, is you get to make those decisions. So here I am, resting up with some Lhasa beer and about to hit the sack.
Got another early day and lots of driving after the monastery back to Lhasa...
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Patsy
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How interesting, loved your descriptive writing and pictures! Wish I was younger! I was in Tibet several years ago, thought I would have loved to be able to drive over into India.