Shigatse and Tashilhumpo Monastery
We left Lhasa on the 920 km/600+ mile road connecting Lhasa, Tibet with Kathmandu, Nepal, known as the Friendship Highway. The stopping point for us would be the North Face of Everest on the Tibetan side before heading back to Lhasa. The "highway" ranges from black-top to gravel to dirt, depending on which section the Chinese Government is rebuilding each year and whether or not you must detour. The first, most important lesson to learn is: NEVER COUNT ON SEEING ANYTHING SCHEDULED IN YOUR ITINERARY. It isn't going to happen!
Everyone visits Shigatse for one reason - to see Tashilhumpo Monastery. Tashilhumpo is a very large complex with red and white buildings and huge "thanka" wall, built on a steep hill. It was founded in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama and is one of Tibet's four biggest Gelugpa Monasteries. Tashilhumpo housed over 4,000 monks at one time, but now there are only about 500-700. Drepung, Sera and Ganden Monasteries are a few of the other famous monasteries we visited during our trip to Nam-tso Lake years ago.
There were tombs, several chapels and a Tantric College but the most interesting part is always the Tibetan people making their pilgrimage's and koras. The kora made a complete circuit around Tashilhumpo and both ex-Marine and myself had planned on doing this until we saw the kora went up and down hills around it. Having trouble breathing on the relatively flat ground as well as wearing sandals, we took a pass.
Somewhere along the road, we stopped at a roadside tent city to give our bodies, and Tenzins I & II a rest from this bone-rattling experience. There were quite a few Tibetans sampling the local fermented brew, becoming happily drunk while empty bottles piled up behind them.
Once actually in Shigatse, it was time for one our favorite pastimes, watching more Tibetans making their kora. These two women were dressed traditionally, loaded with coral and turquoise jewelry, but one added a touch of modernity with some very cool sun glasses....
Already, Tenzin and I were having communication problems. I wanted to get right in with the people...talk to them...learn a little about their lives..."Tenzin, ask where they're from..." and he kept trying to discourage me..."Sheila, I don't want to bother them." He refused to even make the attempt. Finally, I just went up to these people sitting and eating their lunch halfway through their kora, starting smiling, used the only Tibetan word I know, Tashi Delik, got smiles back and started taking pictures... I'm confident that they would have made it quite clear if they didn't want to be bothered.
We would be revisiting Shigatse on the way back from North Face of Everest..with time to visit the market then...
The lowest available Air France fares are here.
