Journey to Guge – Part I

In May we set out from Lhasa on a 15 day overland trip west across the Tibetan Plateau to the edge of the Himalaya and the Indian border region. There is only one major route to travel in this direction and departure has to be timed late enough that snow will have melted and weather is relatively mild but early enough that the monsoon clouds have not yet reached Tibet as this makes river crossings dangerous and sections of the road impassable.

From Lhasa our route passed Gyantse and Shigatse before getting to Lhatse, where the surfaced road ends. From there we proceeded about 1,000km further through small towns, villages and military garrisons over the next 5 days. It takes a full day to travel around 200km as some rougher sections of the road cannot be driven at more than 20-30 km/h.

Accommodation can be basic, and a crust of ice over the tent / rather well ventilated cabin door is not uncommon in the morning above 4,000m in May. Put your clothes at the bottom of your sleeping bag and be grateful for the pile of dried yak shit (to burn) you are given on ‘check-in’! Our photo-story of the trip is below. On a trip of 3,000km and more than two weeks it obviously can’t cover all the details, some other smaller posts may follow as well.

JOURNEY TO GUGE

Leaving Lhasa one quickly falls into the rhythm of passing between the monochrome world of the mountains and the arid ochre world of the valleys with occasional vivid lakes.

Mountain Landscape near Darchen

Sometimes the mountains really seem painted, as here between Zhada and Darchen

Travelling through a desert-like zone towards Saga. A fuel truck had become stuck on the track necessitating a stretch of off-road driving.

A turquoise mountain lake between Lhatse and Sangsang.

Winding through the valleys and mountainsides you pass through many small Tibetan villages, the village areas where there are established irrigation systems are usually the only places where there are trees of any size.

A Tibetan village outside Lhatse.

A small village and nomad camp area along the side of the road near Lhatse

Everyone helps with local construction projects, even the donkeys.. (seen here carrying locally made bricks).

In religiously significant places as well as some larger settlements monasteries tower over the town, an interesting metaphor for the tremendous opulence and richness of their decoration compared to the daily non-religion related life of most Tibetans.

Gyantse Monastery

Inside the monasteries pilgrims and other worshippers burn fragrant plants and wood to celebrate holy days, such as Sagadawa festival as seen here.

Many visitors to the monasteries light prayer candles. These are commonly filled with solidified vegetable oil now as yak butter (used traditionally) is currently 2.5 times the price of solidified vegetable oil.

The most impressive Buddhas are usually in the main chapels of the monasteries. Periodically monks will “wash the face of Buddha” with paint thick with gold. This is especially important on festival days such as Sagadawa.

Walking into dimly lit chapels from the intense high altitude sunlight it can take a few moments in the gloom before one begins to distinguish huge towering figures around the walls (statues c. 15 feet high).

After the initial impact of the large statues, smaller details begin to reveal themselves, here row upon row of Buddhas sit quietly inset into a sidewall.

Moving along dark corridors and up narrow wooden ladders one sees vivid and arresting statues 7-10ft tall standing in alcoves of the passageways.

Delicate wood carvings, some hundreds of years old sit quietly in the half-light, waiting to be inspected and explored.

Some entire walls are covered by enormous collections of Buddhist scriptures. It is a Tibetan custom to walk under these cases from one end to the other in the small space beneath them to ‘receive the knowledge’ of the scriptures above you.

Straining to see through the gloom, magnificent murals painted in gold and other mineral colours stretch up the walls from floor to the ceiling, usually more than 6 meters up.

The detail of the murals can be amazing, this section is 18 inches on the short axis, showing the quality of artistry that covers entire walls.

The monasteries and the teachings they provide are a central part of life for many Tibetans both young and old.

Their religious influence extends far beyond the monastery walls – deep into the wilderness away from towns and monasteries you can still find the tokens of worship from visiting pilgrims.

Networks of brightly coloured and highly detailed prayer flags criss-cross the roads and mountainsides around the mountain passes of Tibet.

Vividly coloured flags up to 2 metres high line the sides of the road, even in some wilderness areas.

In Part II, nature sightings in the valleys, landscape panoramas, and a mysterious cave city. Check back soon and join us as the story continues…