An old lady spinning prayer wheels at Pelkor Chode Monastery
We left Lhasa for Gyantse on the 21st of April. We left early in the morning at 8 AM as we had quite a long drive to cover. Made a few stops before reaching Gyantse: two mountain passes (Kamba La and Karo La) and Yamdrok Lake. We also stopped by one a small town for lunch. I've decided to blog about all the mountain passes on a separate post because their beautiful views deserve a special post heh.
Yarlung River
The first stop we made was a spot beside the Yarlung river. The river originates from Western part of Tibet, from a glacier near Mt Kailash, and flows all the way to India, where it is known as the Brahmaputra. It is such a beautiful spot that shows the river flowing, with some hills in the distance at the background. It was also a toilet spot and boy I was so happy that we stopped, cause I've been holding my pee for 1.5 hours since we left Lhasa haha. I was also enjoying the serenity in that place.
Yamdrok Lake. Such blue water!
After passing through Kamba La pass we reached our next stop which was Yamdrok Lake. It is one of the four holy lakes in Tibet and we went to two different stops. The first was from the top, where we can see the beautiful blue colour of the lake from a hill. I have never seen a lake with such blue water before. The view on top was breathtaking. Thankfully I pushed myself to hike a bit on top of a hill because the view was amazing. Although I was having difficulty breathing and my heart was pounding.
This is me experiencing my first snowfall. Click on the photo to see the snow haha
Why am I thankful? Because not only I got to see a beautiful view of the lake, but I also had the chance to experience my first snowfall! It was so funny cause we were making our way down when it was "drizzling". But then I saw white stuff landing on my jacket and I was like "Are these my dandruff? Shit...". And then I saw these white stuff disappear as it lands on my jacket. That's when I knew it was snow. Everyone was telling me it's snow - cause I've never seen one haha. Thanks for sharing my excitement and happiness guys! Although it was just a little, I'm still so happy that I experienced it!
Nearer to the lake
We then made our way down and see the lake at a closer distance. The water is actually very clear when you see it at a close distance. I didn't want to touch the water cause well it is one of Tibet's holy lakes so yeah. But the sky was blue, the water was crashing gently, it was truly a beautiful sight.
Lunch at a nearby small town was followed. I was feeling quite unwell then. Not sure why but I was feeling feverish and my heartbeat was still rather quick. But I felt so much better after lunch. Must be my hungry stomach I suppose. We then made our way to Karo La pass, and then to Gyantse. We reached Gyantse at 5.30 PM plus if I'm not wrong, and went for dinner soon after that.
My first impression of Gyantse is that it reminds me a lot of Duolun in Inner Mongolia. A small town, not too many cars, and strolling on the street to go to our dinner place makes me feel like I'm back in 2011, in Duolun. And I quickly fell in love with Gyantse heh.
Main prayer hall of Pelkor Chode
In the next morning, we explored Pelkor Chode monastery. It was built in 1418, which means it is over 600 years old! It is a beautiful monastery and thankfully we were allowed to photograph the inside of the monastery after donating a fee to the monastery. Inside the monastery there are three beautiful statues of the three Buddhas. Dipankara - the past Buddha, Shakyamuni - the present Buddha and Maitreya - the future Buddha. They are some of the most beautiful statues of the Buddha that I've ever seen. Surrounding the main prayer hall are different statues of Avalokitesvara.
Shakyamuni Buddha
Our Tibetan guide told us that we can get three Katas (Tibetan white scarf) by making a donation to the temple, and we can throw them towards to statues of the different Buddhas after praying and making a wish. So I did that but sadly my Katas didn't land on the statues (unlike our guide ones) hahaha. Anyway I'm very thankful of her who told one of the monks that I was a Buddhist. The monk gave me pieces of colourful cloths which were once the cloths of the Buddha statue's robe. My guide was telling me that people usually use it to treat themselves when they have sore eyes or headaches, by rubbing the cloths to the part you feel discomfort at. I gave some of the cloths to my parents and sister.
The Kumbum Stupa
The monastery is also home to the Kumbum Stupa, which is the biggest stupa in Tibet! We can walk inside the stupa but sadly it was under renovation so we couldn't go in. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful stupa to behold! I managed to go inside one of the chapels in the stupa and it was painted with different paintings of the Buddha. It's a beautiful painting. Also on top of the stupa are some Tibetans working on the renovation. They were singing and stomping together while working. It was a wonderful scene :)
This is what happened when a Tibetan boy grabbed your camera haha
Something funny happened at the monastery. There was this old Tibetan lady with her grandson sitting on the monastery ground. Angely and Karli were playing with him and I approached them. I asked him to have his photograph taken but he approached me instead and took my camera away, wanting to take some photos with it. So I hang the camera strap around his head and he was just firing my camera away hahaha. He even asked us (and a random Taiwanese tourist) to pose for a photograph.
But hey I think he has the potential to be a photographer. Hope to see your photos one day, boy!
Gyantse old town
We walked to our lunch stop after exploring the monastery. We walked through the old town of Gyantse to go to our lunch place and oh my goodness, it's such a charming part of the city and I want to stay in one of the houses over there for a few days! It was a very quiet part of the day and it truly adds to the charm of this part of Gyantse. There was no one on the street, except for a few sleeping dogs and cows chilling out on that sunny day. Walking to our lunch place really really made me fall in love with Gyantse. It's a small town with a magical charm to it. I hope I can go back here one day! :)
Tsampa mill
After lunch we started making our way to Shigatse, which is a not so far drive away. On our way there we visited a tsampa mill to see how tsampa is made. The mill was powered by running water from a stream nearby and it's pretty cool to see that. Although again, it's funny how I left the mill with so many tsampa on my face, hair and jacket haha. Lesson learned: Don't lean on anything in a tsampa mill!
Two Tibetan farmers
We also stopped by a farming village to see some farmers in action. First of all, I was really shocked to see the condition of the soil because it has a very sandy texture. The farmers were preparing the land to grow barley. This is how I learned about the resilience of the Tibetans. In such high altitudes, nothing much grow. But yet they are so hardworking and resilient to grow these crops. Also they don't use any machinery but cows to plough the land. Their hard work is really endearing.
Look at that view!
But actually a few moment after that, the wind carried some sand here.
I would gladly be reincarnated into a Tibetan farmer in my next life. Because I get to work on a land with such beautiful views! Just look at that man. I'll be so happy to go to work everyday haha.
Alright I guess that's all for Gyantse. It is one of my favourite cities in Tibet. I'm truly charmed by its tranquility and by Pelkor Chode too. Seeing the beautiful statues of the three Buddhas feels like a blessing too. You see, walking inside places that have been here, on this planet, for hundreds of years, is always a spiritual affair for me. Because time is probably one of the greatest mysteries we have.
Well, so long Gyantse. It was a beautiful day exploring a part of you. I hope we can meet again.
No comments:
Post a Comment