Up bright and early this morning for a 0700 departure. There are 9 of us in our group and we really do look like the UN – 2 Aussies, 3 English, 1 Italian, 1 Japanese, 1 Mexican and 1 Chinese – all in all we seem to be getting along really well and have dubbed ourselves the "A" team.

Heading out of Lhasa just as the sun was rising, gave us the chance to start admiring the magnificent scenery of Tibet. We are all commenting on how blue and clear the sky is….perhaps we have been living in China for too long!! We have a long drive today but plenty to see along the way. We head through the Nyang chu valley and along the Yarlung Tsangpo river towards one of the holy lakes of Tibet which we have all heard is a sight to be seen. We head up the Kamba La Pass at a height of 4442m to see our first view of the lake.

Yamdrotso Lake certainly lives up to its reputation. We are all taken aback by the colour of the lake and despite the cold you simply want to jump into the crystal clear water, For Tibetans the lake is a non-renewable water source, and serves as a habitat for many animals, such as the rare Black-Necked Cranes. It is one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and is fed by numerous small streams. It does have an outlet stream at its far western end. In Tibetan legend, the Yamdrotso Lake is the transformation of a goddess. It is 130 kilometers long, 70 kilometers wide, with an altitude of 4,441m.

The Lake has some beautiful and vivid names like Coral Lake, derived from its irregular shape or Green Jade Lake implying its beautiful appearance with smooth and clean waters. Yamdrotso Lake is fan-shaped, spreading to the south but narrowing up to the north. The reflection of sunshine in different depths gives the lake its gorgeous and mysterious colors. The mountainous lakeshore is highly crenellated, with numerous bays and inlets. Like mountains, lakes are considered sacred by Tibetan people, the principle being that they are the dwelling places of protective deities and therefore invested with special spiritual powers. The lake is revered as a talisman and is said to be part of the life-spirit of the Tibetan ethnic group. It is said that if its waters dry, Tibet will no longer be habitable. As such there are many stone offerings dotted along the waters edge but one thing we didn't expect to see was a pool table!! Not sure of its purpose but somehow doubt it has any religious connotations!

The lake is home to the famous Samding Monastery which can barely be seen from our stopping point. This monastery is the only Tibetan monastery to be headed by a female re-incarnation. Since it is not a nunnery its female abbot heads a community of about thirty monks and nuns. Samding Monastery is where Dorje Pakmo, the only female Lama in Tibet, stayed and presided, and stands to the south of Lake Yamdrotso.

After leaving the pass we head towards Gyantse to see our second highlight of the day – the Pelkor Monastery and the awe inspiring Kumbum stupa. After the views we have already seen we think its going to be hard to beat!

Gyantse is located in the Nyang Chu valley 254km south-west of Lhasa and is the 4th largest town in Tibet. Gyantse has preserved much of its old-world atmosphere, and Tibetan rural life continues here, virtually unchanged, against a backdrop of magnificent 14th-15th century fortresses and temples. It is 4040 metres above sea level, and is located on the Friendship Highway, which connects Kathmandu, Nepal to Lhasa.

Gyantse is home to the Pelkor Chode Monastery is a huge temple with a unique history and a wealth of Buddhist art. First built in 1418, Pelkor Chode was once a multidenominational complex of monasteries. Pelkor means lucky and happy monastery in Tibetan language. It also has a Chinese name Baiju Monastery Pelkor Chode Monastery is a dark, gloomy place and it was difficult to see the various murals and Thangkas without a torch. Unfortunately we were not advised to bring one!!


The Kumbum stupa, within the Pelkor Chode Monastery is one of the most extraordinary stupas in the world. The stupa consists of 108 chapels in 4 layers, housing about a hundred thousand images of various icons. These icons include Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, Dharma Kings, Arhats Disciples, great adepts of different orders in Tibetan Buddhist history, and outstanding figures in Tibetan history such as Strontsan Gampo and Trisong Detsen. In total there are about 3,000 statues, so it is called "Myriad Buddhas Stupa". Kumbum was built after 1418 and was an important centre of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. Despite all the difficult names there really is something magical about walking around in circles peering through doorways never quite sure what you are going to see!

We all got back in the bus sitting quietly and contemplating everything we have seen so far today. It is truly impossible to put my feelings into words. I have never seen or experienced such majestic beauty as I have witnessed so far and we haven’t even got to Everest yet. Still feeling good at this altitude and none of us have needed oxygen yet so we are all hoping to do the trek. But the day isn’t over yet and we have more amazing sights to see.

Next stop along the road was to stop and view the Karola Glacier. Karola Glacier is about 71 kilometers from Gyangtse and is about 5560m high. Due to smoke pollution from motor vehicles, the entire glacier is now divided into black and white layers, which gives a distinctive beauty to this masterpiece of nature. A breathtaking view of the Karola Glacier is an unforgettable experience and one that I will treasure forever. Not much leaves me speechless but the sight of this natural masterpiece certainly did.

We arrived in Shigatse late in the evening (about 2000) and were all feeling exhausted after such a long day and head to our hotel rooms early. What can one say about the Yak Hotel……well it certainly isn’t 5 star or 4 star and actually I think it would be hard pushed to get 2 stars anywhere else in the world – grotty bathroom, peeling paint and water stains on the ceiling, bed linen with holes in it etc etc. I was so tired I just had a shower, got out my sleeping bag liner and put that in the bed to sleep in. I think I was out before my head hit the pillow!!