The next day we drove from Gyantse past Lhasa to Tsetang – at almost seven hours the longest drive of our entire Tibet trip. After a beautiful sunrise and a delicious breakfast we set off, with a few short, lovely stops.
Arrival in Tsetang
Towards evening we finally reached Tsetang. Tsetang lies in the Yarlung valley, where the first Tibetan kings ruled; their palace, the Yumbulakhang, stands only a few kilometres south of the town.
Golden prayer wheels and colourful flags, the white fortress of Gyantse behind.A person at the prayer wheels on the slope, the fortress of Gyantse in the distance.The morning sun sits behind the prayer flags above the roofs of Gyantse.With a hand prayer wheel at the golden wheels above Gyantse, hair tied in a bun.Colourful prayer flags above the roofs of Gyantse, bare mountains behind.With a stick through the narrow lane between white walls in Gyantse.Writing on the rusty gate, a wheelbarrow and bicycles beside it in Gyantse.Two people from behind in front of hanging meat in Gyantse, one in a fur hat.The longest drive of the Tibet trip: brown mountains under big clouds towards Tsetang.Sandbanks in the blue river between bare mountains, on the way to Tsetang.The river draws a wide bend through the valley on the drive to Tsetang.Bare mountains, houses and yellowish trees at their foot, on the drive to Tsetang.Crumbling rock frames the turquoise river between Gyantse and Tsetang.A bridge and rushing water at the foot of a bare mountain, on the way to Tsetang.A long bridge over the shallow river, mountains with snow behind, on the way to Tsetang.Dark rock and yellow bushes, a distant ridge behind, on the way to Tsetang.A sandbank in the wide river, clouds and bare mountains above, on the way to Tsetang.
