Spring weather in the winter (Tibet winter 2025)

Spring weather in the winter (Tibet winter 2025)

I go every year in January to Tibet. And this year was no exception. I have been so many times already to Tibet, that it’s difficult to do new things, to go to new places. So I had to let go of that thought. Like last year, I wanted to spent time in Lhasa. But I also wanted to go to places outside Lhasa. So I thought of an itinerary that would bring me to places west, north, east and south of Lhasa. According to the itinerary I would spent first some days in Lhasa and then go west, to the cities of Gyantse and Shigatse. Well, that idea was good. But on the 7^th of January 2025, there was a big earthquake in Tibet, in the Everest region. And that is the Shigatse region. There was a lot off damages to villages in the Everest region and there were also lives lost. The relief effort was quickly underway. But the consequence was that Shigatse (the city was not effected by the earthquake) and the region west of it (Mount Everest area / the road to the border with Nepal) were closed for visitors. Well, luckily I would stay 26D/25N in Tibet. And my itinerary gave the space to go travelling in other parts of Tibet first and at the end to Gyantse and Shigatse. And by that time, travellers could visit Shigatse again. So the earthquake was no problem for my Tibet trip.

I gave this blog the title “Spring weather in the winter”. I have had always so nice weather in January/February in Tibet. Always sunny although last year I had also a few days with snow. But this year was the weather so very good. All days blue sky and totally sunny except for one morning that was cloudy in the eastern part of Tibet. But we drove that day back to Lhasa and soon it was again blue sky and sun. And the temperatures were higher than other years. It was spring warm and I brought clothes with me that were almost too warm. It was so nice for instance to sit in the sun on a rooftop restaurant in the old centre of Lhasa having a drink. In the beginning of my trip it was 5 degrees in the afternoon but on the last days the temperature had risen to 17 degrees. That is not the idea that people have regarding winter in Lhasa and Tibet.

That as an introduction. Now on to my experiences on this Tibet trip.

Amsterdam – Frankfurt – Chengdu

Like my last three trips to China and Tibet, I flew again with Air China. First from from Amsterdam to Frankfurt with Lufthansa and then from Frankfurt to Chengdu with Air China (all on one ticket). I still regret not be able to fly any more directly with the KLM from Amsterdam to Chengdu, but it is what it is. Unlike a year earlier, there were now quite a few Western travellers on board. The flights went smoothly and very early the next day I arrived at Tianfu International Airport of Chengdu. And good service at Tianfu Airport because they have the luggage carts standing ready along the baggage belt for the arriving passengers. My luggage was there quickly and I was through customs quickly. So on to the metro.

Tianfu Airport is about 60 km from the city centre of Chengdu. How to get to Chengdu? I already had done this with the metro last year. There is metro connection between Tianfu Airport and Chengdu with metro line 18. So I took this line. The metro line went to the South Railway Station, the end of this line. I had to transfer twice, to line 1 and on to line 3. By the way, it got very busy in the metro when we came near to Chengdu. After a few stops at these two lines, I had to walk a bit and arrived at Holly’s Hostel in the Wuhou district of Chengdu. The lady at the reception saw me come in and immediately grabbed the envelope containing my Tibet permit.

That afternoon I went to nearby ancient Jinli Street, one of my favourite places in Chengdu. It’s very (Chinese) touristic but I always love to have a walk there when I’m in Chengdu. I enjoyed my time in Jinli Street on a terrace with life music and Jasmine tea. And there was also a face changing performance. It gave me also a good opportunity to try out my new camera. I wanted to try out my new camera also in the evening, when it’s dark. So after dinner I went to Ancient Jinli Street again. The result: not bad … hahaha.

On to Lhasa

Well, that went very smoothly and quickly this morning. I had asked to book me a flight to Lhasa from the old Shuangliu Airport, which is located directly near the city of Chengdu. My flight would be at 6:25 hour. I went downstairs in my hostel and the booked car arrived within 5 minutes. A little early but completely fine. Almost no traffic on the road and we were at the airport in no time. Getting the boarding pass and through security also went very smoothly. The flight went also fine but it was almost all the time in the dark of the night. So no nice views on the mountains beneath us. When we came close to Lhasa it became light. I landed before 9:00 hour. My guide and driver were waiting outside Lhasa Gonggar Airport for me. We first drove to a small restaurant in the village where the airport is and we had breakfast. It was the first Tibetan noodle soup breakfast of many to come. Then we drove to Lhasa which takes about 1.5 hour. We went to my hotel in the ancient centre of Lhasa. And I got there the room that I also had on most of my previous trips. And I would have that same room during this whole trip. So also when I arrived back at the hotel after a trip outside Lhasa. Very convenient. After bringing my stuff to the room, we went to a teahouse more in the north of Lhasa. We had a relaxing time there drinking tea. And having hotpot as lunch… yummy! I also met a former guide at the tea house. So nice. And I saw that there was a blue sky and it was totally sunny. So much better than in my own country.

At the beginning of the evening (when it was still light) I went to the Jokhang Temple and walked my first kora around this temple on Barkhor Street. There were so many, many pilgrims. It was wonderful. And the people were all so nice, greeting me, talking a bit with me, wanting to get on the photo with me. It was a good first day at Lhasa.

On my second day at Lhasa, I visited the two big and important monasteries Drepung and Sera. Maybe the photos don’t show it, but it was so crowded there. So many pilgrims visiting. Also many people from the Amdo site because it was a school holiday period. And at Drepung I got my first blessing. The weather was lovely. Only sun and blue sky. At a temperature of about 5 degrees I had lunch outside Sera Monastery on a terrace. I sat in the sun. It was really warm! At Sera it was also very busy with pilgrims. There was a very, very long row to get in Sera Je college. For families with kids the Sera Je college building with the Hayagriva (horse-headed deity) chapel is the most important. Tibetans bring their kids for blessings and you will can see many kids emerging from the Sera Je with an black ash mark on their noses. Because of the long row my guide and I didn’t try to get into the Hayagriva chapel to get the blessing there. Of course I watched the monks debating in the afternoon at Sera Monastery. At the end of the afternoon I visited Tsewang in her jewellery shop in a covered shopping mall in the ancient centre of Lhasa. We had a nice chat and drank some tea.

Day 3 at Lhasa. First on the program this morning was a visit to the Potala Palace. The Potala Palace was build by the great 5th Dalai Lama. It was build on the remains of an earlier palace build by Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo in the year 637. It became the residence of the successive Dalai Lama’s. Later it became the winter palace of the Dalai Lama’s with Norbulingka as there summer residence. The Potala Palace is a magnificent building. So impressive. And now in wintertime with almost no tourists and lots of pilgrims, it’s a great time to visit the Potala Palace.

After lunch my guide and I visited the Jokhang Temple in the centre of ancient Lhasa. It’s the most holy temple in Tibet. And in the temple is the most holy statue of the present Buddha, the Jowo Sakyamuni, at the age of 12 years old. It was brought to Tibet by the Chinese bride of King Songtsen Gampo, prinses Wencheng, in the year 641. There were so many, many pilgrims visiting the Jokhang Temple. There were very long rows with pilgrims. Inside the temple my guide and I managed to get into the row near where the chapel with statue of the Jowo Sakyamuni is. It was really pushing and shoving in the line with almost no room for your feet. But we managed to walk around the statue and get the blessing of the monk there. So lucky that day.

And this afternoon a new experience. I made my first thangka painting. Special! First trace the lines with a ballpoint pen on a base and then apply the colours on that base. Quite difficult. Especially the colour black. But the teacher, with 20 years of experience with thangka painting, was quite satisfied with my first work but did improve the result a bit. Then it was framed. It has now a nice place in my house!

After dinner I went for a kora around the Jokhang Temple. There were still so many pilgrims in the evening.

 

On day 4 in Lhasa, we had breakfast in a famous and very busy Tibetan teahouse in Lhasa.

After breakfast it went to Drak Yerpa Hermitage, about 26 km from Lhasa. It’s a site with meditation caves, many now turned into small chapels. Many famous Tibetan masters meditated here long times ago, like Atisha and Padmasambhava. And also Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo in the 7th Century. This king brought the Buddhist faith to Tibet. Today there are 24 monks, who are meditating in caves above the chapels. They can meditate for maybe 3 days but it can be also for instance 3 years or 5 years. All that time they don’t leave their cave. I really like Drak Yerpa. It’s so serene and beautiful there. Really a special place. But it’s at a high altitude. A lot higher than Lhasa. Lhasa is at 3.660m and Drak Yerpa starts at 4.420m. And you start with climbing a lot of mountain stairs. I had to stop frequently to get my breath back under control. But my after reaching the highest chapels, walking became a lot easier. And so nice! I entered the first chapel at Drak Yerpa and there he was again, the monk I had met there during some previous visits. I entered, he recognised me immediately and reacted more than enthusiastically. He immediately grabbed my hands and of course we had to take a picture together again.

Trip south of Lhasa

My first trip outside of Lhasa was to the south, to the Yarlung Tsangpo River Valley. First we had to travel to the city of Tsedang because we needed an additional permit. So my guide went to the office of PSB there and I was also asked to come inside at some moment. The additional permit was arranged quickly. We had a lunch in Tsedang and then we drove back in the Yarlung Tsangpo River Valley to visit Mindrolling Monastery. It’s a monastery of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It’s quite a big monastery. It has also old murals, blackened by the burning of the butter lamps. It’s not allowed to make pics inside. But the monastery is certainly worth a visit. And it’s located in lovely, little valley.

On the way back to Tsedang, we stopped at a view point on the Yarlung Tsangpo river. This big and important river becomes the Brahmaputra river in India and Bangladesh. Back in Tsedang we checked in in our hotel.

That evening I had a hotpot dinner with my guide and my driver in a nice restaurant in Tsedang. Some of the restaurant staff even did a Tibetan dance for the guests. And when we walked back to our hotel we saw square dancing on a square in Tsedang.

On our second day at the city of Tsedang, we first visited the Tradruk Temple. Tradruk is one of the first Buddhist temples built during the reign of Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. At about the same time, the king initiated the construction of Jokhang Temple and Ramoche Temple in Lhasa. Also here it was very busy with pilgrims. It’s allowed to make pics inside most chapels of the temple. So I did that.

Next we visited the Yumbulakhang. The Yumbulakhang was built in the second century BC for the first king of Tibet, Nyatri Tsenpo. Originally only the central building was built as a palace, but the chapels we can see now were constructed later, and the golden roof was made during the time of the fifth Dalai Lama. It was the main palace for the first until the 32nd king of Tibet. The palace is built on a hill and there is a beautiful view over the fertile valley. The first farm field of Tibet is located right below the Yumbulakhang. Because the Yumbulakhang is high on a hill, you have to climb up to reach it. But you can also go up on a horse or a camel and even with a kind of golf car. Of course I choose to climb up all the stairs.

That evening, after dinner, we walked through the streets of Tsedang. And, this is not something you immediately think of when touring in Tibet, but I visited a nightclub with my guide and my driver. But this is also Tibet. And we had fun. Okay, tomorrow visiting a monastery again …. hahaha.

The next morning we drove from Tsedang to Samye. Samye Monastery is the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery built in Tibet during the reign of King Trisong Detsen. Construction began around the year 763. But the local spirits destroyed every night everything that was built that day. The Indian master Padmasambhava was invited to come to Tibet and he tamed the local spirits and the monastery was completed in 779. It’s a big complex that is build in the shape of a mandala. In the centre is the main temple but there are a lot of smaller temples. You aren’t allowed to take pictures in the main temple but inside the small temples that isn’t a problem. Of course there are lots of statues to see but also very old murals. And there were lots of pilgrims visiting Samye these days.

Most of the pilgrims are walking koras around Samye Monastery. New this year is that they moved the sales stalls from the entrance of the monastery to the path around the monastery. Now the pilgrims can walk the kora and do some shopping at the same time. I’m not really sure if I like change (probably not). But my guide said that it was good for the local businesses. Well, that will be true.

A day later we drove back to Lhasa. On the way back we visited Dorje Drak Monastery. Dorje Drak is one of the six mother monasteries of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It’s located on the north bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo river. I was lucky because the monks were very active in the main assembly hall. And outside locals were cleaning together lots of butter lamp holders.

Back in Lhasa I checked in into my hotel (same room) for two nights.

Day trip from Lhasa

I had one day in Lhasa before going on a trip again. That day I made a day trip to Ganden Monastery. Ganden Monastery was the first monastery of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism and was founded in 1409 by master Tsongkhapa (the founder of the Gelug sect). Ganden monastery is located about 45km east of Lhasa on the Gokpo Ri mountain. The altitude on the top of the mountain is 4,300 meters. You have to drive up from the valley onto the monastery on the mountain. When we arrived with our car, there were already many pilgrims there. Many of them arriving (also) by car nowadays. So we couldn’t drive totally up the monastery but had to park somewhere next to the road and walk up further. First we visited the temples and the halls of the monastery. No pics allowed inside. I could later only make some pics inside the cave where master Tsongkhapa had meditated. My guide met a monk he knew and the monk invited us to have tea in his living room. So nice and special. After that we walked the kora around the monastery. The kora goes around the mountain and gives you beautiful views on the valley beneath. One thing had changed since I did my last kora there. The path of the kora is now completely paved and is equipped with a fence. Probably good for safety. After completing the kora, we wanted to have lunch at the teahouse at Ganden Monastery. But it was so crowded with pilgrims there, that we drove back to Lhasa and had instead lunch in a fancy restaurant in the new, eastern outskirts of Lhasa.

 

Trip north of Lhasa

My next trip outside of Lhasa went north, to Namtso Lake. Namtso Lake is one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in Tibet. Along with Yamdrok Lake and Manasarovar Lake, it is a holy lake in Tibet. The snow-capped Nyenchen Tanglha mountain range surrounds the lake. It is Tibet’s largest saltwater lake and also one of the highest lakes in Tibet. It’s located at an altitude of 4,700m. The lake is over 70 km long, reaches a width of 30km and is 35 m deep at its deepest point. Namtso is 220 kilometres away from Lhasa. The name means sky lake or heavenly lake. To reach Namtso you travel over the Nagenla Pass at an elevation of 5.200 meters. In wintertime, the lake is almost totally frozen. I hadn’t put visiting Namtso Lake on my itinerary because especially in wintertime the lake often can’t be reached because of bad weather with snow on the pass. That was my experience the first time (in 1997) and the last time (some years ago) that I wanted to go to Namtso (but I have been to Namtso a few times during other visits). But luckily my guide put Namtso on the Tibet permit and so we could go. This time the weather was very good and going over the pass and reaching Namtso was no problem at all. But some things had changed at Namtso. In the past you could drive with your car to the small peninsula in the lake where also a monastery is. And you could stay overnight there. That’s not possible any more. They have build a big visitor centre before reaching Namtso and from there you have to take a bus to the peninsula. And it makes going to Namtso a day trip from Lhasa or staying overnight in the nearby town of Damxung. It shows Namtso is now a very popular tourist destination. We didn’t went to the peninsula. It was winter and the buses weren’t running. We drove with our car to the north side of Namtso and had a look over the whole lake. It was very beautiful.

On our way back from Namtso Lake to the pass there was a group of vultures just next to the road eating a dead lamb. We stopped and I could take these pics just from my car seat through the open window.

We stayed the night at the town of Damxung. When I stayed a night there in 1997 (after not being able to reach Namtso) Damxung was “nothing” and we had a very, very basic guesthouse there. But now, because of tourism to Namtso, Damxung has become a bigger town with modern hotels and lots of restaurants. I had a very luxurious room in Damxung with for instance a toilet that flushed itself. And the restaurant, where we had dinner that evening, had a curious and lovely cat.

The next morning we had breakfast in Damxung in a busy Tibetan teahouse.

And we were on the road again driving south (north-east of Lhasa). That day we visited two monasteries. On the way I enjoyed the landscape. And I was lucky again because we saw a fox this morning and I could quickly take a few pics of the fox from the open window of the car before the fox run away.

The first monastery we visited was Taklung Monastery. This monastery, that was founded around the year 1180, is a monastery of the Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The number of monks increased in the past to 7,000. Now there are 115 monks. The main temple known as the Tsuklakhang (the Jokhang of Taklung) was completed in 1228. Taklung was badly damaged during the Cultural Revolution but has since been partially restored. The massive Tsuklakhang and the Markang or Red Temple now just form extensive ruins. However, the Jampa Lhakhang dedicated to Maitreya, the Reliquary Lhakhang which contains the remains of the now-looted enormous stupas which once contained the remains of Lhakhang’s three founders, the Dargyeling Temple with its statue of Aksobhya Buddha, and the Assembly Hall and some smaller buildings have been reconstructed. Taklung is not a monastery that is visited by many western tourists.

The second monastery we visited was Reting Monastery. Reting Monastery was founded by master Atisha’s chief disciple Dromtön in 1057 in the Reting Tsangpo Valley north-east of Lhasa as the seat of the Kadam lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He brought some of Atisha’s relics with him. Master Tsongkhapa (1357–1419) reformed the Kadam sect which then became known as the Gelug sect. And Reting became an important Gelug monastery, the seat of the Reting Rinpoche. After we visited the monastery itself, we walked the kora around the monastery. Nowadays they have made a wooden pathway for the kora with a lot of stairs to climb. So it was again slowly, slowly for me. Down of course is no problem. During the kora you have a beautiful view on the many stupas around the monastery.

And I experienced something very special again today. In the large assembly hall of the Reting monastery there is a small statue of Jampai Dorje. This statue is an unusual fusion of the gods Jampelyang (Manjushri), Chana Dorje (Vajrapani) and Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara). This statue is normally wrapped in robes and covered with all kinds of jewellery. A few times a year the statue is stripped of all that and painted a new layer of gold from the gifts of pilgrims. My guide had always wanted to experience that but never knew when it would happen. And there we were today, in the large assembly hall. My guide saw it immediately and said to me “come quick”. And we could experience the entire ceremony. That was real Karma. And you could pay your respects to the statue. And then you received from the monk some very small grains of rice, which had been under the statue’s robes all that time. And you could then put them in your mouth and swallow. And so you were blessed. Of course I did that too. By the way, I quickly took a picture with my smartphone of the gold painting of the statue when a monk told some local people that it was allowed and they (also) took a picture.

We had planned to spent the night in a guesthouse in Reting. Like we did before during previous trips. We checked in into the guesthouse and our rooms. But we weren’t allowed to stay in Reting for the night by the police. So we left and drove back to Lhasa, where I got my room again in my hotel.

The next day we had “to drive back” to visit again a monastery and a nunnery. We had planned to do that from Reting but now we had to do that as a day trip from Lhasa. First we went to Drigung Til Monastery. Drigung Til Monastery is located some 130 km north-east of Lhasa at an approximate elevation of 4.400m. The monastery is located on a high, steep ridge, which overlooks the valley beneath. The monastery was established in the year 1167. Traditionally the monastery has been the main seat of the Drigung Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism. And we were again lucky. When we arrived the monks were chanting in the assembly hall. With the many pilgrims we walked the small paths between the monks in the hall. And outside there was a monk who gave the pilgrims blessings. Of course I also got a blessing. Unfortunately no pics allowed inside.

Not far away from Drigung Till but in another small valley, is Tidrum Nunnery. This history of the nunnery is closely connected to King Trisong Detsen’s wife Yeshe Tsogyal. She spent years meditating at the site of the present-day nunnery. Presently, the nunnery is home to about 134 nuns. Tidrum Nunnery belongs also to the Drigung Kagyu sect. Originally we had planned to stay the night at Tidrum in a guesthouse. But in the previous weeks there had been two small earthquakes. They didn’t do any damage but for safety reasons visitors were not allowed to stay the night there. So it was back to Lhasa again.

To the eastern part of Tibet

The next day we were on the road again. We drove to the east of Tibet, to the city of Nyingchi. It’s a region where not so many western travellers go because they mostly go west, to Mount Everest. Nowadays there is a highway going east, so the drive is easy but it takes almost all day to reach Nyingchi. For sure if you visit the lake Basum Tso on the way. About 80 km before Nyingchi, you leave the highway and turn into a valley. After driving about 20km you reach the end of the deep valley and lake Basum Tso. It’s Tibet’s first and only natural 5A-level tourist scenic spot. The lake is surrounded by (snow-capped) mountains and enjoys a temperate climate. The lake surface does not ice up in winter. On a sunny day, like the day we visited, the colour of the lake is deep blue. About 3 km to the south bank of the lake there is the small island. The ancient Tsodzong Monastery of Nyingma Sect has been build on the island. It goes back 1,500 years ago. You go into the park by hop on, hop off buses. It’s really beautiful and idyllic there. For sure in wintertime with not many visitors.

When you go visit the eastern part of Tibet, you will notice the climate changes there and the landscape is very different compared to the Lhasa region and western Tibet. The altitude is a little bit lower than in the Lhasa region and the western part of Tibet. The city of Nyingchi is located at 3,040m. Here you see snow-capped mountains and many trees (forest) on the mountain slopes. It’s a beautiful landscape. On the way to Nyingchi I couldn’t make good videos from the car because the sun stood wrong and made that nearly impossible. But a few days later, on the way back, I could.

In Nyingchi I had again a good hotel with a room on the 6^th floor and a view on the snow-capped mountains. We would stay there two nights.

Our first goal the next morning was the mountain Namcha Barwa. It is the highest peak in the 180 km long Namcha Barwa Himal range, which is considered the easternmost section of the Himalaya in southeastern Tibet and northeastern India where the Himalaya are said to end, although high ranges actually continue another 300 km to the east. The highest peak of Namcha Barwa is 7,782m high. After driving out of Nyingchi to the east, we immediately drove high into the mountains. It was a long road up to where the viewing platform for the Namcha Barwa was. But it was great driving up en later driving down again because the landscape was so beautiful. Needles to say that I wasn’t the only one on that platform. There were for instance guided Chinese groups who would travel further into the east in Tibet. Well, this was as far east as I would go on this trip. And after enjoying the views we turned around and drove back in the direction of Nyingchi.

Our second goal today was visiting Lamaling Monastery. It’s about half an hour driving from Nyingchi. It’s a monastery belonging to the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Nowadays there are 20 monks and 5 nuns in the monastery. The main temple has the form of a mandala. The location of the monastery is very serene. The monastery is located halfway up the Norburi hill slope in a densely forested area. It overlooks the forest-covered mountains and the delta at the mouth of the Nyang River. The ancient monastery built in the 7th century was destroyed in an earthquake in 1930. It was rebuilt as a small monastery and temple on flat land below the ruined monastery in the 1930s. In the 1960s, the small temple was destroyed. The Lamaling Monastery was rebuilt in 1989 and is said to be one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Nyingchi County. The new monastery is in an octagonal shape, has a height of about 20m and depicts a prominent gilded pagoda. It is a four-storied monument.

Our second day at Nyingchi was a relaxed day. There was one site to visit and that was Kadinggou Valley Scenic Area. It’s about 25km north-west of Nyingchi. The valley is full of towering ancient trees, bamboo and gurgling water, and the environment is very beautiful. The cliffs on both sides have peculiar shapes, with various images such as big Buddhas. There is also the 200m high Tianfo Waterfall in the depths of the canyon, which is very beautiful. Kadinggou Scenic Area is not large. There are steps and plank roads and you can walk around in about an hour. The main attraction is Tianfo Waterfall. There is a naturally formed Buddha statue on the rock wall behind the waterfall. The face is clear, as if it was artificially carved. There are male and female guardians on both sides of the Buddha statue. The female guardian Bandan Lhamo on the right is about 100 meters tall. You can vaguely see that she is wearing a veil, a ribbon around her waist, and holding Buddhist beads. Her image is lifelike; on the left is Jigong worshipping Buddha, and her image is equally lifelike. Although they are lifelike, they still require a little imagination to see them. Also a natural formed butter lamp can be seen and is easy recognisable. It was a good visit.

For the rest of the day we took it easy, drinking tea, having a nice dinner etc. When the evening started there was already a lot of popping going on there. And at midnight there were fireworks. Yes, the Chinese New Year started!

The next day we drove back the long way to Lhasa. When we left Nyingchi it was very cloudy weather. It was the only time I had cloudy weather during my Tibet trip. But as we drove further away from Nyingchi the sun is getting through and it became totally sunny again. Back in Lhasa I had the same room again in my hotel. And I walked some koras around the Jokhang Temple again with the many pilgrims.

That evening, after dinner, I walked to the Potala Palace to see it lighted out in the dark. Always so beautiful.

Lhasa again

The next three days I spent in Lhasa and having one day trip outside Lhasa.The morning of the first day we visited two lesser known sites on the mountain ridge behind Lhasa. The first one was Pabonka Hermitage. Pabonka Hermitage is one of the oldest monasteries in Lhasa, dating back to the 7 century. Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo meditated there before the construction of Jokhang temple. However, it is lesser known and tourists rarely visit it. And luckily it wasn’t overcrowded with pilgrims either.

After Pabonka Hermitage we visited Chubsang Nunnery. The nunnery is located not far from Pabonka. Chubsang nunnery has a history that dates back to the time of the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. Now there are about 100 nuns in Chubsang Nunnery. I was lucky. During my visit the nuns went to the Assembly Hall for chanting. And I was allowed to make some pics.

At the second day we again visited lesser known monasteries. The first one was Purbuchok Monastery. It’s located on the mountain ridge behind Lhasa. Purbuchok is one of the largest hermitages above Sera Monastery. Said to be built on the site of a Padmasambhava meditation cave, it was developed in the twelfth century. The hermitage belongs to Sera Monastery. To reach Purbuchok you have to drive a very small unpaved road all up to the monastery. The location of the monastery on the mountain ridge is very beautiful. And the monastery is quite big. We explored every hall and chapel of the monastery.

Secondly we visited Negodong Nunnery. Negodong Nunnery is a historical hermitage, belonging to Sera Monastery. It is located in the northeastern Lhasa suburb known as Dodé Valley. Today 53 nuns are living and studying there.

After having lunch outside in the sun on a terrace, we visited the Zhaji Temple. Located in the northern suburbs of Lhasa Zhaji Temple is the only God of Wealth (Zhaji) temple in Tibet. Zhaji is enshrined inside a Buddhist niche of the main hall of the temple. Worshippers should pray for wealth on Monday, peace on Wednesday and health on Friday. Before entering, they can buy a bottle of liquor (alcohol), a small bunch of mugwort, Chinese pine leaves or mulberry branches from the stalls outside the temple. Upon entering, the worshippers burn mugwort, Chinese pine leaves or mulberry branches in the censers, then they enter the main hall, present their liquor to Zhaji. It was very crowded today at the Zhaji Temple.

At the third day it was a day trip to Tsurphu Monastery. Tsurphu monastery is the seat of Karmapa, the leader of Karma Kagyu, the black hat school of Tibetan Buddhism. Although the present 17^th Karmapa doesn’t reside any more in Tibet, everything in the monastery reminds of him. There are so many pictures of him. In 1997 I visited Tsurphu Monastery for the first time and at that time the 17^th Karmapa, then a boy of 12 years old, was still residing in Tsurphu Monastery. And that time I went on audience with him with many Tibetan pilgrims. That was so special. So Tsurphu is a very special place for me. The Karmapa left Tibet in 1999. Tsurphu is a big monastery and we visited all the halls and chapels. I also visited the small Summer Palace or the Karmapa, that is located very near the monastery. And I got a blessing from a monk there with the shoes of the Karmapa. It was a great day again!

Of course when I was in Lhasa, I walked again my koras around the Jokhang Temple with the many pilgrims.

Trip west of Lhasa

The end of my Tibet trip was approaching rapidly. And we still had to go travel west of Lhasa, to the towns of Gyantse and Shigatse. Remember that this was at the beginning of my trip not possible because the earthquake in the Mount Everest Region. But luckily now it was possible again to travel to Shigatse although Mount Everest Base Camp and the road to the border with Nepal were still closed.

The first day of this trip went from Lhasa to Gyantse. The first stop was at the Kamba La pass with a beautiful view on Yamdrok Tso lake. Of course this is one of the major sites to visit in Tibet. And of course we stopped at the shoreline of Yamdrok Tso lake.

We visited Samding Monastery on the way to the town of Nagartse, where we had lunch. Samding is a 13th century monastery built on a hill along a narrow peninsula that juts into Yamdrok Lake and is located about 10 km east of the town of Nagartse. And very special for this monastery: the highest lama there is a woman! Samding Monastery is the seat of Dorje Pakmo, the highest female incarnation in Tibet, and as Vajravarahi she is the consort of the wrathful deity Hayagriva. At Samding Monastery they expected no visitors. So the ticket office was closed and also the doors of the halls of the monastery were locked. But very soon after we arrived a monk came and opened everything. And I could make pics everywhere. It was a great visit.

After lunch we continued our journey to Gyantse. The next stop was at the Karo La pass (altitude 5,052m) at Mount Noijin Kangsang (altitude 7,206m). This is the closest major Himalayan peak to Lhasa. Mount Noijin Kangsang is known as the holy peak for the local Tibetans and people used to burn incense and put prayer flags for the peak at Karo La pass. From the pass you have a great view at the nearby Karo La Glacier. This glacier was the first glacier I saw in my life in 1997 during my first travel to Tibet. And every time again I’m there, I’m amazed with the beauty of the landscape. And this day again! The last place we stopped to take pics before Gyantse was at the pass at Simu La lake. It’s an artificial, hydroelectric lake. But it’s also very beautiful!

At Gyantse we checked in into a comfortable hotel for one night. I notice that nowadays a lot of tour groups don’t visit Gyantse any more when travelling this route. They go immediately to the city of Shigatse and skip Gyantse. That’s really a pity because Gyantse is a lovely town with lots of history. And the highlight of Gyantse is visiting the Pelkor Chode Monastery with the unique Kumbum Stupa. So before we left Gyantse the next day, we visited the Pelkor Chode Monastery. It’s a large complex of monastic structures, but – as I said – the monastery is most famous for its Kumbum Stupa, the only one of its kind in Tibet. However, the monastery is also unique in Tibet in that it houses three separate schools of Tibetan Buddhism under its roofs: Sakya, Gelug, and Kadam. Unfortunately this time I couldn’t make pics any more inside the monastery. Till this year I always could although I had to pay for it. We also climbed up in the Kumbum Stupa.

After visiting Pelkor Chode Monastery we drove to Shigatse. About 20km before we reached Shigatse, we took a side road that brought us to Shalu Monastery. Shalu Monastery was founded in the 11th century. It’s a small but lovely monastery. When you look at the appearance of the temple, you see a mixture of Chinese Han and Tibetan architectural style. Shalu Monastery belongs to the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism (suborder Bodong/Buton). After visiting Shalu we drove to Shigatse and checked in to our hotel for two nights.

If you’re in the city of Shigatse, you of course have to visit the big Tashilhunpo Monastery. So did I. With the many pilgrims. There were many, many pilgrims who all wanted to enter the hall with the enormous statue of Maitreya Buddha at the same time. And there I was with my guide. Also trying to get in through the narrow entrances with its many stairs. I really thought a few times, I’m being crushed. And I couldn’t see the stairs. It was a bit of a matter of feeling putting your feet a bit higher. But it worked. And the statue of Maitreya Buddha is very impressive. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photos inside the monastery halls. We could enter the other halls of the monastery more easily. And the trees in the monastery are very old. The oldest tree in the monastery is about 440 years old. It was a great visit with again great, sunny weather.

The next day we drove back to Lhasa where that evening I walked my koras around the Jokhang Temple again with the many pilgrims.

Last days at Lhasa

The last two days of my Tibet trip I stayed at Lhasa. The first day I visited with my guide four monasteries in Lhasa. The first one was the Ramoche Temple. It dates back to the seventh century and is considered to be the most important temple in the city after the Jokhang Temple. Ramoche is considered to be the sister temple to the Jokhang which was completed about the same time. The temple houses the statue of the Jowo Mikyo Dorje, representing the present Buddha at the age of 8. The Jowo Mikyo Dorje was made in Nepal and brought to Tibet in circa the year 622 by the Nepali princess Bhrikuti, one of the wives of Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo. There was a long row of pilgrims, waiting to go inside the temple. Inside the temple a monk was gold painting the Jowo Mikyo Dorje statue. So the chapel of this statue was opened to the pilgrims and they could walk around the statue. So I was lucky and could join them.

The second visit was to the Xiami Simi Chengxiuyuan Temple on the Beijing East Road. And then it went on to Ani Tsankhung Nunnery, the biggest nunnery in Lhasa with about 100 nuns. Luckily it’s allowed to make pics inside. After lunch we visited the Tengyeling Monastery, but I didn’t take pics there.

And then it was my last day in Lhasa and Tibet. On this last day I visited the Tibet Museum. The Tibet museum was originally opened in 1999 to close for an extensive renovation project in 2016. It reopened in the summer of 2022. Before there had been a museum at the Potala Palace complex. But this was closed and the objects were moved to the renewed Tibet Museum. I hadn’t been visiting this museum before, so it was new for me. It’s a big and modern museum. On the ground floor is the exhibition of the Tibetan culture. Above is the exhibition of the Tibetan history, going back the whole way to the stone age. Not only objects and artefacts are displayed. But they also use modern communication methods and multi media to make stories visible. So this was a good conclusion of my Tibet trip.

That afternoon I enjoyed with my guide a rooftop terrace with views on the Jokhang Temple and Potala Palace.

Long travel home

On the 26^th day of my stay in Tibet, my long travel home began. In the morning my guide brought me to Gonggar Airport, about an hour drive from Lhasa. We had breakfast in the village where the airport is. My flight had a delay of two hours. Instead of about 12:00h I arrived at 14:00h at Chengdu’s Tianfu International Airport. But I didn’t mind. Because this time I had chosen to fly straight from Chengdu to Europe. Till now I always stayed a night at Chengdu before flying the next day home from Chengdu. But the new Tianfu Airport is about 60km away from the city centre of Chengdu, so it takes quite some time to go to Chengdu and back to the airport the next day. And my flight to Europe would be at 01:45h after midnight. So about 12 hours after arriving at Tianfu Airport. So I ate something at the airport and searched for a comfortable place to sit and rest till at 22.00h when I could check in for my flights to first Frankfurt and after that Amsterdam. The check in and passing security went smoothly. And after midnight my about 10 hour flight to Frankfurt started. At Frankfurt Airport (I really don’t like that airport) I waited about 3 hours for my connecting, short flight to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam I took the train, was picked up at the train station by a friend. And I was finally home. Only to discover that a few days later, we got a lot of snow (21 cm) and freezing weather in my part of my home country. Brrrrrrrrrrrr…. And I thought melancholic back to those wonderful days with sun and spring weather in Tibet.

This was the itinerary of my trip

Day	Itinerary
1	Start my flight to Chengdu.
2	Arrive very early in the morning at Chengdu, have a day at Chengdu.
3	Fly to Lhasa and have a relaxed day
4	Lhasa, visit Drepung and Sera Monastery
5	Lhasa, visit the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple. And make a tangka painting.
6	Day trip to Drak Yerpa Hermitage.
7	Driving from Lhasa through the Yarlung Tsangpo River Valley to the town of Tsedang. Visit Mindrolling Monastery. Staying two nights in Tsedang.
8	Visit the Tradruk Temple and the Yumbulakhang near Tsedang.
9	Driving to Samye and visit Samye Monastery. Stay one night at Samye.
10	Driving back to Lhasa and visit Dorje Drak Monastery on the way.
11	Day trip from Lhasa to Ganden Monastery.
12	Driving from Lhasa to Namtso Lake and visit the lake. Stay overnight at the town of Damxung.
13	Driving to and visit the monasteries Taklung and Reting today. After that return to Lhasa.
14	Day trip from Lhasa to Drigung Til Monastery and Tidrum Nunnery
15	Driving to the eastern part of Tibet, to the city of Nyingchi. Visit Basum Tso on the way. Stay two nights at Nyingchi.
16	Go to see the Namcha Barwa Himal range from the viewing platform and visit Lamaling Monastery.
17	Visit the Kadinggou Valley Scenic Area
18	Driving back from Nyingchi to Lhasa, Spend the next three days at Lhasa.
19	Lhasa: visit to Pabonka Hermitage and Chubsang Nunnery.
20	Lhasa: visit to Purbuchok Monastery, Negodong Nunnery and the Zhaji Temple
21	Day trip from Lhasa to Tsurphu Monastery.
22	Driving from Lhasa to the town of Gyantse and visiting Yamdrok Tso lake, Samding Monastery, the Karo La pass and lake Simu La on the way.
23	Visit to the Pelkor Chode Monastery with the Kumbum Stupa at Gyantse. Driving afterwards to the city of Shigatse and visit Shalu Monastery on the way.
24	Shigatse: visit Tashilhunpo Monastery.
25	Driving back from Shigatse to Lhasa.
26	Lhasa: visit the Ramoche Temple, the Xiami Simi Chengxiuyuan, Ani Tsankhung Nunnery and Tengyeling Monastery.
27	Lhasa: visit the Tibet Museum.
28	Fly back from Lhasa to Chengdu, Tianfu Airport and wait there for the flight home.
29	Flying back home.