After a beautiful sunrise at the Potala Palace we finally set off the next day: out of Lhasa, towards Mount Everest. The first “stage” took us through central Tibet to Gyantse. On the first pass, at almost 5,000 metres, the deep blue Yamdrok Tso suddenly lay below us, a lake at around 4,500 metres – wow! Along its shore we crossed several high passes to Gyantse, where in the late afternoon we visited Pelkhor Monastery. The Pelkhor Chörten, a beautiful and very well-known stupa, was unfortunately being renovated and almost completely wrapped in plastic. A pity, but of course that has to happen sometimes. And it was to happen to us more often that buildings were being renovated in the dry, quiet low season. Yamdrok Tso is one of the three largest lakes in Tibet, over 72 kilometres long and fan-shaped with countless bays; its name means “turquoise”. Pelkhor Monastery is home to the Kumbum, the chörten with 108 chapels on several floors, which is considered the largest of its kind in Tibet.
The Potala Palace in the evening light behind golden stupas.Golden stupa spires in front of the Potala.Bare mountains above the river – out of Lhasa towards Everest.Streaks of cloud above river and mountains.Brown slopes and fields in the valley.A farmer ploughing with a yak before snowy mountains.A snowy hilltop above brown slopes.Prayer flags on the pass, a panorama over the mountains.Prayer flags on a snowy hilltop at Kamba La.Colourful prayer flags in the wind against a deep blue sky.Rugs for sale at the viewpoint.A snowy slope against a deep blue sky.Suddenly there it is below us: the deep blue Yamdrok Tso, the hairpins beside it.Snowy mountains on the shore of the Yamdrok Tso.The mountains mirrored in the lake – its name means turquoise.Snow-covered mountains above the shore, yaks by the water.Motorbikes outside a shop in the village.A house with an orange truck and a yak.The road towards the snowy peaks – heading for Karo La.Snowy mountains above a village.Glacier and snowy peaks at Karo La.A valley with snowy mountains and clouds.A red sign on the pass in front of the glacier.Stone pillars with altitude markings at Karo La.Prayer flags fluttering against the sky.A Tibetan family in front of prayer flags on the pass.A white stupa with prayer flags before the glacier.A wide plateau with mountains under clouds.A turquoise reservoir between brown mountains.Steep slopes above the turquoise lake.Prayer flags on a rock.Printed prayer flags in orange and white.Long rows of colourful flags above the pass.Colourful prayer flags before snowy mountains.A monk in an orange robe and a woman on a motorbike in Gyantse.An ornate wooden door with colourful tassels.Buddha statues in a temple in Gyantse.The hand of a Buddha statue and lengths of fabric.A golden Buddha with butter lamps in Pelkhor Monastery.A monk in a dark chapel.A monk lighting butter lamps.A statue in colourful robes in a chapel.Workers pushing a cart in front of the monastery.Gyantse fortress on its rock.The Kumbum against a blue sky – the chorten with 108 chapels.Monastery buildings on the slope, the wall above.
