Moving on from the two high mountain passes and beautiful lakes, we headed down to Gyantse, a small little town for lunch. After a plate of bland steamed vegetables and rice, we headed for the attractions of Gyantse - a fort to which British soldiers chased the local Tibetan soldiers in 1904, ending with some of the Tibetans jumping off the side of the cliff in order to prevent being captured by the Brits in their attempt to take over part of China, and another temple called the Gyantse Kumbum, featuring a 35 meter (over 100 feet) pagoda, the largest in Tibet. The pagoda has six levels, each with about 10 rooms featuring statues and murals and Buddha and friends. We slowly climbed to the top with David again mentioning that he was sick of seeing Buddha statues while lumbering up the numerous staircases. Following a nice view of the city from the top, we headed onwards to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet. Arriving just before dusk, we saw their own version of Potala Palace perched on the hill, along with a massive monastery that we'd visit later in the trip. We checked in to our hotel which was much bigger and nicer than my usual spots, so I was impressed until we found out that they were out of hot water for the night, so maybe it wasn't that great. Dinner, on the other hand, was incredible. We found a local place serving Tibetan, Nepali, Indian, Chinese and even a bit of Western food (it was a bit touristy), so we were all happy. I had a massive plate of thin, clear rice noodles, spread liberally with chili sauce and yak meat, along with a huge garlic naan (Indian flat bread) on the side. Honestly, I don't think a meal in China will be able to top this. Soon, we headed back to the hotel, with Betty and David both buying another jacket and sweater to try to stay warm for the upcoming night at Everest Base Camp. I typically don't get very cold, though the worrying started to get to me, and I questioned if the combo of my two smaller jackets would be enough. Not wanting to carry more stuff (or make more purchases), I decided to take my chance, heading off to bed and ready for an eventful following day.
(A little horse on the side of the road with the hillside fort of Gyantse in the background. As you probably know, the British didn't win that battle, thus Tibet is still a part of China. Mostly.)
(The aforementioned temple and some nice cloud action.)
(To me, this looks like the Power Buddha, but I could be wrong. We saw so many that I really can't remember all of the names.)
(The sweeping view of Gyantse from atop Gyantse Kumbum.)
(Looking deep into your soul. These are painted on the top of the temple.)
(From L to R: David and his spelunking flash light, me, Rami and Wu. Not a bad group, actually.)
(The Gyantse Kumbum. Lots of stairs and probably just as many Buddha statues.)
(In case you didn't have enough multiplicity, they threw in hundreds of prayer wheels on the way in, too.)
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