7 Days in Tibet: Day 4
. Gyantse and Shigatse .
Wake up at nine in the morning. The “guide” and driver say that as soon as they procure the permits required for the next leg of our trip, they’ll meet us by the town’s monastery by noon. We take a casual stroll past the hill top fort and through the old town. Along the way we are invited into a Tibetan lady’s home. We go onto her rooftop for a thrilling view of the surroundings. After staying for a while, we are forced to move onwards if we want to keep on schedule to make it to our next stop by this afternoon. Alas, we get sidetracked again, playing with the snotty nosed kids roaming the streets.
See all of my photos from Gyantse Old Town
Eventually, we make it over to the monastery and spend a few hours admiring the devout pilgrims and awe-inspiring religious structures. After a very full and satisfying morning we make it back to the van to hear a chorus of complaints about our tardiness from the driver and “guide”. We are a bit frustrated by their lack of service attitude. Thanks to the gaining altitude and “road-diet”, everybody in the van has no problem retorting with a bombardment of flatulence. Seven people deep in noxious fumes, the driver lights up a few sticks of incense before rolling down the window to blast us with the freezing cold air.
See all of my photos from Gyantse’s Palchoi Monastery
Despite their claims that it would take us a day to reach the next town, we make it in less than 2 hours and have some time to kill before the monastery opens at three. After wandering around the town for a while we go inside to see the complex. Before the end of the day, we are able to witness lamas dressed in yellow robes and carpet-like hats prepare for their evening prayers. Seeing the festive atmosphere of their daily routines becomes yet another memorable experience of Tibet.
See all of my photos from Shigatse
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Tags: - Photography, - Transport & Travel, Asia, China, China: Tibet, Road Trip, Tibet
Adam Shane
Awesome photos Son! And very impressive journalistic accounts. Some of these pics of Tibet are my favorites so far…and the pandas…although there’s so many great pictures throughout your adventure so far, it’s hard to pick a favorite. I really love this picture of the old Tibetan woman. Such sadness yet wisdom in her eyes. She’s seen a lot!