Travel in Tibet from Gyangtse to Shigatse and Lhasa

April 23rd, 2006

Trip from Gyangtse to Shigatse and visit to the amazing Tashilhunpo monastery. Travel back to Lhasa driver over an easier asphalted road that ensures a shorter travel time, although the landscape is less spectacular compared to the mountain road travelled southbound.

The distance from Gyangtse to Shigatse in Tibet is about 90 kilometers, on asphalted road. Along the way, there are the ruins of this monastery, destroyed during the chinese invasion.

This region in southern Tibet has vast cultivated fields, extending up to the mountains' base.

This is one of the mostly used type of transportation in Tibet for the local farmers.

Yak and other animal's dung, used mainly as fuel, is kept exposed on walls for dehydratation.

Pictures of Shigatse, Tibet's second largest city, showing wide streets with shops and hotels.

The day tour in Shigatse begins at the entrance to Tashilhunpo monastery. Before the invasion from China, this monastery was the home for about 8000 monks, today reduced to about only 700 (several buildings were destroyed as well).

Pictures of Tashilhunpo monastery in Tibet. Views between the homes and the temples inside the monastery, that is actually a real small town.

The streets between the monks' homes inside Tashilhunpo monastery in Shigatse.

These three stupas was destroyed during the chinese invasion, but rebuilt about 4 years ago.

Pictures of Tashilhunpo monastery in Tibet. Inside this temple, the world's larget Buddha statue is kept. Luckly, it was permitted to photograph, upon payment of a fee.

A monk is performing some maintenance to the butter.

On the left picture: waters is donated daily to Buddha, through small bowls. On the right: a beautiful painting on the wall.

Unluckly, the picture will never give the sense of the size. This statue, made in gold and copper, is 24 meters high (the length of the fingers is about 1 meter!)

The tour to Tashilhunpo monastery in Shigatse continues visiting another temple.

The beautiful entrance to the next temple.

A stupa covered with gold in a buddist monastery, Tibet

This huge stupa, made in gold and other preciouses, is very well preserved. The size, even in this case, is huge and the colors are really pleasure for the eyes.