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4 June- Tibet- Tsetang to Samye monastery - Lhasa
We leave @ 9.30 am & climb up the mountain pass & down the other side on some of the scariest hairpin bends that I have ever seen. It' s a good road & we have a good driver. The scenery is amazing, soaring barren peaks with a blue/grey river winding its wy along flanked by sand dunes. To try & prevent the severe erosion getting any worse the government has poured loads of money into planting the appropriate plants along the riverbanks to stabilise the sand. This really seems to be working well. A far better use of money than some of the grand projects that stand in isolated splendour going to ruin.
The monastery we are visiting was originally built in 700ad, and although parts have been rebuilt it escaped the Cultural revolution largely unscathed. It's very beautiful inside & we manage the climb to the top. This monastery is very wealthy & runs an eating place, souvenirs that are expensive because they have been blessed & the fields around growing crops that the monks tend.
Our guide laments the 'monks of today' who carry iPhones & dress in genuine designer gear when on holiday!!
After lunch at the local Resturant we head back. We returned to Lhasa via the 'scenic route' which is when I begin to worry. I know when R says the scenic route with glee in means out into the wild west. Off we trundle out of town onto the old dirt road that winds alongside the river back to a point 50km from Lhasa. This road is ' currently under construction' with many a detour across the desert. The road workers live along side the roads in tents & a lot of the hard labour is manual & done by women. We meet all kinds of traffic- from diggers to huge trucks that have to back up for us. The road at one point is too sandy so we detour up the mountain track with just enough width for one vehicle.
I might add that in the centre of Lhasa where there are huge quantities of roadworks as well the workers live in army style tents in the centre of town under the Tibetan equivalent of KFC. There are public toilets near by. We had a meal opposite and watched as they all finished work around 8pm, washed in a basin & had a meal of what looked like rice.
It looks like about 10 sleep in each tent on stretcher type beds.
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