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Buddha Rock Carving, Lhasa, Tibet
(Thousand) Buddha Rock Carvings in Lhasa, Tibet. The place is called Sangye Dhongku in Tibetan. This collection of painted rock carvings is located south from Potala Palace, on the east side of the Chakpori hill. The buddha paintings are centered around a huge image of the Buddha of Longevity (Tsépakmé in Tibetan). The Buddha Rock Carvings are located along the long kora or lingkor, the large pilgrimage route around Potala Palace. The large kora starts near the Lhasa River. It then turns around the Chak Pori hill, the large hill across from the Potala Palace with antenna tower on it. Just follow the Tibetans and you’ll find the Sangye Dhongku.
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Colorful dressed Tibetans at a horse racing festival
Colorful dressed Tibetans at a horse racing festival close to Namtso Lake
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Namtso Lake, early morning
Namtso Lake, early morning around sunrise. Namtso Lake is the largest lake in Tibet. This salt lake north of Lhasa has a surface area of 1,900 km2. The lake and the surroundings are stunningly beautiful. Sunrise @ Namtso Lake The vast emptiness. In the bottom left corner you might see two small figures. They are two travel companions. Holy rock next to Namtso Namtso with Nyenchen Tangula Mountain in the background. Nyenchen Tangula peak is one of the highest peaks of the Transhimalaya range, a mountain range north of the Himalayas.
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Namtso Lake – Sunset & Mani Stones
Mani Stones, khatas en sunset at Namtso Lake, north of Lhasa, Tibet Namtso Lake is the largest lake in Tibet. This salt lake north of Lhasa has a surface area of 1,900 km2
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Carpet factory in Lhasa
Tibetans working in a small carpet factory near Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet
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Prayer wheels & debating monks at Sera Monastery
Prayer wheels and debating monks at Sera Monastery in the northern part of Lhasa, capital of Tibet. Beautiful golden colored prayer wheels with the text “Om mani padme hum”. Debating monks in the garden of Sera Monastery:
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Potala Palace from Jokhang Temple
Lhasa and the Potala Palace as seen from the Jokhang Temple in the old town of Lhasa The Potala Palace is visible just slightly to the right of the center of the photo. It is located on a hill outside the old town. Jokhang Temple Square
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The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet
Potala Palace in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The Potala Palace in Lhasa used to be the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas. Unfortunately this ended when the fourteenth Dalai Lama (the current one) fled to India in 1959. The impressive building is located on a hilltop near the old town of Lhasa.
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Flying over the Himalayas from Shangri-La to Lhasa
Flying over the Himalayas from Shangri-La to Lhasa in Tibet. The beginning of a very special part of our trip through Asia. During our flight to Lhasa we had spectacular views over the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. Plane at Lhasa Airport at an elevation of 3570 meters. Since we spend several days in Shangrila we didn’t experience difficulties with this altitude. People coming from Kathmandu or other cities may have trouble breathing.
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Bicycle trip to Bita Hai
From Shangri-La we made a bicycle and hiking trip to Bita Hai (Emerald Pagoda Lake). Bita Lake is beautifully situated at an an elevation of 3539 m in Pudacuo National Park and has a total area of about 1.4 square kilometers. Shangri-La is located at an elevation of 3160 m so the 20 km bicycle ride and the 8 km hiking up and down to the lake was quite hard. However at the end of the journey we got the reward of enjoying the beautiful scenery. Along the way we rode through several Tibetan villages.
