INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
wind was bitter, and my fingers went numb just taking pictures
of the thousands of prayer flags flapping furiously and sending
their prayers towards the Himalayas at high speed. for the others to arrive. An icy wind was whipping up by this
point, but we still placed our scarves, signed with the names
of our loved ones, with the other prayer flags.
Day 7: Rongbuk and Everest Day 8: To Shigatse
The drive today took us over another high pass, rocky mountains
and a spectacular skyline lookout point, from which we could
see Everest and friends. I’ve seen the mountain from Nepal,
and I must say that the view of Everest itself from the Tibet
side is more impressive. In Nepal, it is tucked away somewhat
behind other (enormous) mountains, and the whole scene is
more amazing than any one mountain. In Tibet, it is clear that
Everest is the tallest, and it almost stands alone. Today there
wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and barely any wind until later in the
afternoon. Perfect Everest-viewing conditions. We rose early to make a sunrise trip to Base Camp to catch
Everest in the morning light, with not a breath of wind. There
was no real sunrise to speak of because of the angle of the
mountains in relation to the sun, but we were the only ones
there, and without the whipping wind it was a quiet scene.
Rongbuk—our stop for the night—can barely be called a
town. There’s a small monastery and a stupa, spread over
the hillside, and the basic lodge in which we’re staying. But
the bedrooms have electric blankets (so necessary at this
altitude) and unobstructed views of Everest!
Traditional Tibetan houses in Gyantse’s Old Town. Photo: Elen Turner.
as if Kathmandu’s Boudhanath Stupa had been bred with a
many-tiered wedding cake. Three or four layers or circular
walkways scroll around the outside, with a staircase up the
middle. The large monastery next door had largely been
destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, so what stands
there now is a reconstruction, though a good one. Near to
this monastic area is Gyantse’s Old Town, a single long street
full of traditional homes, with the large ruined fort presiding
over it from the hill above.
Day 6: Towards the Qomolungma National Park,
via Sakya
While yesterday’s day of driving was all about the lakes,
today we passed much more tundra and dry mountains.
The highlight of the day was stopping in Sakya, an amazing,
quiet town that was the capital of Tibet about 800 years ago,
with the monastery founded in 1073. After several days of
touring monasteries I thought I had seen it all, but Sakya is in
another league. To get there, you turn down a side road from
the highway and travel a further 25 kilometres. Unlike most
other monastery buildings in Tibet it is not painted white,
but a bluish-grey, with red detailing. This colour scheme is
reflected in the nearby houses, too. One of the highlights is
the incredible library, which houses around 80,000 Tibetan
Buddhist books, from floor to ceiling. The monastery also
contains some of the best-preserved Tibetan artworks in
the whole region, as much of the monastery was preserved
from destruction during the Cultural Revolution.
In the afternoon we attempted to walk the short distance to
Everest Base Camp from the end of the sealed road. I was
up for the challenge, until I started walking and just couldn’t
keep up with the rest of the group. I didn’t feel tired in the
way that you do when you’ve been running or exercising, but
I just couldn’t get enough air. My legs wanted to move faster,
but my lungs couldn’t provide the energy. After about half
an hour I gave up—I didn’t want to risk a headache later on—
and got in the car. We drove up to Base Camp and waited
Today, to Shigatse, we backtracked along the road we had
already travelled, but our driver made sure to stop at different
lookout points, to give us a different perspective. We arrived
in Shigatse after dark, and after the last few nights in the cold
of the mountains, it was comforting to have hot showers and
Nepali food again after the monotony of noodle soup!
Day 9: Return to Lhasa
We took a different road back to Lhasa today, so the
scenery was all new. We followed a river canyon for
a while, and saw the landscape change from almost
completely barren, to less so.
After arriving back in the city in the mid-afternoon there was
time before our early departure tomorrow to do some last
shopping, enjoy the cafes of the metropolis that Lhasa now
seems to be, and catch a sunset glimpse of the Jhokang,
sparkling gold, devotees prostrating themselves as they have
b een for centuries, and as they will continue to do for more.
Later, as we continued on towards the Everest area, we crossed
another couple of 5000 metre-plus passes. At 5200 metres the
Lake Yumdo. Photo: Elen Turner.
The colossal outer walls of Sakya Monastery. Photo: Elen Turner.
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www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
The highways, hills and mountains of Tibet. Photo: RMT.
www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
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