We will also visit the Drepung monastery. Drepung once housed 10,000 monks, If we're lucky, we'll quietly ease into a dark columned hall to see and hear the lilting, booming chanting of the sutras, or perhaps sit under a willow tree and watch as the monks engage in theatrical debate.
Day 3:
We start off with a walking tour of Jokhang Monastery and the bustling Barkhor market. The Jokhang Monastery is the home of the statutes of the revered Buddha, Shakyamuni. While all Buddhist statutes are magnificently robed in colorful brocade adorned with pearls, turquoise, coral, and silver, solid gold bowls of holy water rest before Shakyamuni as well as offerings of yuen (money) and khatas (scarves) left by pilgrims.
Guided tour of the Norbulinka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama and a tour of the Tibetan Medical Center.
Day 4:
As we head southwest on the well-maintained dirt road to Gyantse, you may think of Tucci's melancholy goodbye: "Departing from Lhasa is like seeing a dreamt-of image vanish, without knowing if it will ever appear again."
Our route follows the Kyi Chu (sometimes called the Lhasa River) to the Tsangpo, the highest river in the world. We cross the Tsangpo and begin a hairpin ascent to the 15,700 foot Khampa La ("la" means pass in Tibetan). Then a thousand feet down to Yamdrok Lake. Waddell wrote that "The light silvery streak of the great Yamdrok Lake gleamed amongst dark-blue hills, whilst the tall poles of the prayer-flags, projecting over the roofs of the village Nakartse, looked like the masts of fishing boats at anchor on the lake--the famous "ring lake" of the older maps of Central Asia, a vast inland sea without an outlet."
Gyantse was historically Tibet's third largest city (after Lhasa and Shigatse). Largely because there is a small Chinese presence in the city, it has a fine, old-fashioned feel to it. We drive via Yamdrok, the Turquoise Lake to Gyangtse across Kampa la pass at 5050 m and Karo la pass. At Gyangtse we visit the Kubum stupa and the Pelkor Chode Monastery.
Day 5:
GYANGTSE-SHALU-SHIGATSE (3860 M), 90 KMS Drive to Shigatse and en route visit the Shalu Monastery and the Tashilhunpo Monastery, which is the seat of Panchen Lama - the second highest-ranking religious leader of the Buddhist religious order. The most amazing image in this monastery is the statue of the giant Maitreya (Future Buddha) erected by the 9th Panchen Lama in 1914, and took four years for its establishment. This giant statue stands twenty six meters in height and 275 Kg. of solid gold, great quantity of precious things such as pearls, turquoises, corals and ambers have absolved for its construction. We also recommend a visit the famous Shigatse Market.
Day 6:
SHIGATSE-SAKYA-SHEGAR/DINGRI(4350 M) Drive to Shegar across Tsoula and Gyatso la pass (5220 M). On the way, we stop for a tour of the Sakya Monastery.
Day 7:
SHEGAR-ZHANGMU(2300 M) - As we drive to Zhangmu, we stop to visit Milarepa Cave. After renouncing black magic and the life of a magician, Milarepa spent years in deep meditation in a cave, where he finally became enlightened. Certain supernatural feats are said to have accompanied his enlightenment. Better known by it's Tibetan name Khasa, Zhangmu is a small settlement clinging to a hillside 10 Kilometers from the Friendship Bridge across the Bhotekoshi river. Since the closure of the China/India border from Gangtok, Zhangmu has become the major trading point between Tibet and Nepal. The climate is quite different from the hinterland. The hills around Zhangmu are heavily wooded with many waterfalls in summer and impressive ice formations it winter.
Day 8:
Back to Kathmandu - We walk across Friendship Bridge and then the final transfer to Kathmandu.