Gyantse- Tibet, China

Gyantse rises to an elevation of 13,050 feet. This town was very small, but still happens to be the third largest in Tibet. It had a much different feel than Lhasa. This town hasn't been swamped with all the tourist shops.

In my research, I've found this place to be labeled four different names. Usuing only two of those, it can be called Baiju Temple or the Pelkhor Chode Monastery. Prayer wheels on either side are used for both entering & departing. Pelkhor Chode Moastery was built in 1427.

This stupa, on the left, has 9 tiers & 108 chapels. It was completed in 1422.

A closer view of Kumbum Chorten, or 10,000 Images Stupa. Each tier has a different floor that can be circumambulated.

An even view with the upper layers of Kumbum Chorten. There were so many rooms, or chapels, on each tier! I believe this is the biggest stupa in Tibet.

The Gyantse Fortress wall in the northern background.

On top of the first building, looking west.

A view of Gyantse with the Dzong Fortress towering above.

Prayer Wheels

Paul & I stopped for a photo with our tour guide, Kelsang. He spoke his native language of Tibetan & also spoke in Mandarin & English. He was a very knowledgeable guide, especially when it came to asking questions about Tibetan culture. I highly recommend a Tibetan guide!

Kelsang left us alone each day to venture out on the streets. Did I already mention that this town had a much different feel than Lhasa? This was more of what I was expecting from Tibet.

Another street photo with some of the mountains in the background. Odd to think that the mountains surround this town when it's at 13,050 feet.

The front side of Dzong Fortress.

If you expand this, you can see people who were climbing up the path. It also puts the size of this fortress into perspective.

Lhasa- Tibet, China

We finally made it! At 12,000 feet in elevation, Lhasa is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It has a population of 200,000 & is now heavily reliant upon tourism.

The official Tibetan Tourism Bureau (TTB) permit that was needed to enter the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

We flew lengthwise with the Himalayas until landing in Lhasa. They were beautiful! The Himalayas contain nine of the world's ten highest peaks! Of course, the best of the aerial photos has a wing in it. Oh well, it still shows how lucky we were to get this weather!

Our hotel was in the Tibetan district/area of Lhasa, or old town. This is where I should mention that the majority of Lhasa is inhabited by the Chinese. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Tibetans to get good paying jobs in Lhasa. Unless, they know both the Tibetan & Chinese languages. Since Tibet opened for tourism, the place has flooded with Chinese looking to buy cheap land & open businesses. For the most part, the Chinese haven't attempted to adopt the architecture nor culture of the Tibetan way of life. Additionally, a new railroad was just finished this month & may already be open for business. The train starts in Beijing & will allow Tibet to be accessed with greater ease. There are many different arguments supporting both sides of the Chinese & the Tibetans, so I'll now let you do your own research.

Potala Palace could be seen from our hotel room!

A side street of the old town area.

A Tibetan area main street named Beijing Donglu.

A newer section of the Chinese delevoped area.

This photo & the following two are taken from our hotel rooftop patio.

Viewing South

The first night, I spent a couple hours on the rooftop. I just sat there & took in the whole experience. It was even snowing in the mountains, but beyond the camera's reach. A much different experience than Thailand!

POTALA PALACE

Making our way to the entrance of Potala Palace.

It's hard to understand the immensity of this! Especially considering that it was completed in 1694.

Potala Palace with the city below.

As you may have guessed, photos are not allowed inside.

Many of these ladies were singing & laughing all the way down. Our tour guide, Kelsang, said they must have been there on their pilgrimage. For more information on Potala Palace, please click here.

Jokhang Temple was only a minute from our hotel, but we soon had the chance to visit. The inner temple houses Tibet’s most sacred Buddha image, the Jowo Shakyamuni.

Jokhang Temple is 1300 years old & is the holiest shrine in Tibet.

Two deer protecting a Dharma wheel with roof cyliners in the background.

The top of Jokhang Temple provided a great view of Barkhor Square & beyond.

These Tibetans may have been on a pilgrimage. I snapped this photo, because I thought it was nice to see a westerner pull up a seat with them.

Men continued to work as the sun went down.

Their king of beers!

Chengdu, China

From Bangkok, the three of us flew to Kunming, China. Josh stayed here while Paul & I continued to Chengdu. We had to wait a couple days in Chengdu while our Tibetan Tourism Bureau (TTB) permit was being granted. When we traveled to China in May, you couldn't buy a plane ticket to Tibet without the TTB permit. So, while we stayed in this city of 4. 1 million, we thought we'd check out a little of town.

This was one of the historic areas of the city.

I loved the trees growing through the roof!

Chengdu has a 2300-year old history. When was this area built? I'm not sure.

The Tibetan Tour price included a hotel stay that offered this view.

We went from sunny Thailand, to a rainy day in Chengdu.

Everyone has to be somewhere.

Wuhou Temple was initially built in 223 AD. You can read more once expanding the picture to it's largest size.

As you can see from the rest of the photos, much care has gone into the temple grounds.

Side Note:

At this point, the swelling was gone & my leg was doing much better. Yet, it was still infected around the wound. We were leaving for Tibet the next morning & I thought it may be a good idea to visit a doctor before departing. I only had 2 more days of antibiotics & knew once off them, my leg could get worse. While at the hospital, as one might guess, the language barrier was difficult. Although, eventually one of the lady doctors came to assist me. She made it sound as if they wanted to perform surgery on my leg again! There could have been some miscommunication, but if we understood it correctly... Well, that scared me! I told them I was leaving the next morning, so they gave me some different antibiotics & sent us on our way. I figured my leg just needed a few more days to completely rid of the infection. So, you're wondering why I left the Thailand hospital if my leg wasn't completely healed? Americans are only allowed 30 days in Thailand without a visa. Our time was up!