L0neliness

L0neliness, originally uploaded by crassus08.

This has got to be my favourite shot in the entire tibetan trip. Such beauty that it's beyond words.

Tibetan Yak

Tibetan Yak, originally uploaded by crassus08.

Finally got a shot of the famous Tibetan Yak. Touted to be healthy and precious like children to the Tibetans, they now roam in limited numbers. Massive damage to the environment due to urbanization has decimated their numbers and now you will only see small flocks on the plains or a few roaming by the roads, tended by their owners for the tourism business.

Yamdroktso Lake, Tibet

Yamdroktso Lake, Tibet, originally uploaded by crassus08.

The wind was so cold, the pressure was so low, our ears hurt and our teeth trembled. At a height of 5030m, it is hard to imagine how Tibetans could have made a living in such conditions...

Into the Mountains!

IMG_2247, originally uploaded by crassus08.

And so into the mountains we went, though it's majestic, it's not like those that we saw in the Lord of the Rings. Somehow New Zealand has a lusher landscape. Here it just looks like rugged rocks and a sense of being in the desert.

When the Road Goes into the Clouds

When the Road Goes into the Clouds, originally uploaded by crassus08.

And so we went higher and higher into the mountains, and suddenly we were above the clouds! Mid-point destination, Holy Lake Yamdroktso near an elevation of 5030 metres. That's around 2300 storeys in building height standards! Or around Westin Stamford multiply by 33 times in height! Scary huh?

Lake En-route to Shigatse

Lake En-route to Shigatse, originally uploaded by crassus08.

A very beautiful lake isn't it? And it's just one of the many on our 6-hr journey to Shigatse, the stronghold of the Panchen Lama Sect.

Buddha in the Wall

Buddha in the Wall, originally uploaded by crassus08.

Sakymuni Buddha, i have somewhat forgotten what the tour guide said but it seems like it was built around the 7th century.

Scripture Wheels

Scripture Wheel, originally uploaded by crassus08.

They say that old folks in Lhasa will wake up early in the morning for their exercise and encircle the perimeter around the Potala Palace turning the scripture wheels. It is an usually 5 km walk and the pious old folks will do it without fail every morning. Makes me wonder how much determination we have in retrospect comparatively.

Down-up View of the Potala

Down-up View of the Potala, originally uploaded by crassus08.

Leaving the Potala, somehow in certain aspects, the journey to tibet has somewhat concluded. Maybe it's the rush of the one-hour journey that makes visiting somewhat unsatisfying but i guess we will just have to make do.

Lhasa City View from the Potala Palace

Lhasa City View from the Potala Palace, originally uploaded by crassus08.

After climbing the steps which will eventually lead us up 100m above, We are treated to a good overview of the Lhasa city. A little girl in our tour group fainted after climbing as we are lowland people and are somehow doing exercise at an altitude of 3750 metres. Contracted a high fever after this climb. .. then i thought, did i commit some sins? :p