Tashilhunpo Monastery – Explore The Unexplored

Day 25 continued..

Friendship Highway as seen from Tropu La (4950 meter) towards Lhatse:

Traffic rules are enforced seriously and you would given a specific time to cross the certain stretches over Friendship Highway, if you drive fast and reach before time, they impose very heavy fine and might take your license, so cars are taking time out before reaching a traffic check post, quite common in Friendship Highway:

Small Village:

This part of the valley is fertile:

Amazing colors of grass and mountains:

Road towards Lhatse:

Kid is enjoying with the locals at Lhatse:

Lhatse Town, a must stop for any journey towards Western Tibet (Mansarovar/Kailash) :

Here the road diverts, Epic Highway 219 goes towards Ali and 318 continues as friendship highway towards Zhangmu/ Kathmandu, whoever are following this log from beginning must have seen the start of other end of highway 219, 2500 km road at Karghilik (yecheng) in Xinjiang:

Exact diversion point, left to Kathmandu, right to Kashgar via Mansarovar, Ali, Aksai Chin:

We are turning left towards Kathmandu (Right is still a dream to accomplish )

Diverting towards Kathmandu via Friendship Highway 318:

Snow peaks started getting closer:

Approaching Gyatso La:

Gyatso La (5200 meter) , an amazing High Himalayan Pass:

The landscape is amazing through out the journey on Friendship Highway:

Out of no where these Cops appeared and checked our speed at an altitude of 5000 meter

These trucks are the supply line of Lhasa from Kathmandu:

Reflection on Friendship Highway:

Needs no introduction

Reaching Shegar (Pelbar):

Previous: Day 25/Part 1

Next: Day 26 and 27/Part 1

Day 25:

Shigatse is famous for Tashilhunpo Monastery known as seat of the Panchen Lama. This is a large monastic town with temples, assembly halls, living quarters, administrative offices. At it’s peak, it housed up to 5000 monks, today’s Tashilhunpo is just shadows of past, only having 500 odd monks. Maitreya Chapel, the largest building in whole monastery complex houses a 26 meter height statue of Maitreya Buddha which is gold plated, the structure is made of tons of copper and brass, moulded on a wooden frame. This was built in early 20th century by Ninth Panchen Lama and the architecture of this fortress style building would make you amazed. I had to pay 75 Yuan to get permission for photography inside the chapel but with the condition that I could use only one DSLR body and one lens for the entire photo session, strange Chinese way of making and implementing rules . We spent around 2 hours in different chapels inside the Tashilhunpo Monastery before we start our journey through Friendship Highway towards Shegar. We passed through the ruins of Narthang Monastery, formerly known as one of the three great woodblock printing Lamaseries. Further westward we crossed Tso La and due to shortage of time skip of the detour towards Sakya Monastery. In another 30 mins we entered in Lhatse at an elevation of 4000 meter we took the break for lunch. Just beyond the town of Lhatse, slightly towards West, Highway 219 forked out from Friendship highway and crossed the most desolate part of the world through Saga, Mansarovar, Kailash towards Ali and subsequently through the high plateau of Aksai Chin get down to Tarim Basin of Xinjiang. We started winding up slowly on mountain roads towards Gyatso La (5250 meter). Crossing Gyatso La we reached to Shegar (Known as Pelbar as well) and we started experiencing bad weather and heavy snow as soon as we crossed Gyatso La. Shegar’s height was 4350 meter and it was ideal place to acclimatize before you hit Everest Base Camp. We were booked in Hotel Snowland, the best possible accommodation available in Shegar by Woeser and thanks to him, this was a life saver for us. Woeser, unlike other typical tour operators, always chose the best possible stay in every place and helped us to get most out of the most unpredictable tourist circuit in world be in terms of weather or political sensitivity.

Hotel Lobby in morning: