Travel to Gyangze

Today October 18th we bid Lhasa farewell to go and explore Tibet. Hopefully acclimatized we were ready to climb to new heights.  The rest of our journey is to take place in cars with three people and a driver in each so will be different. For today Eric and I were with Yam so were very lucky as we got a lot of extra information plus he spotted some native animals that the others unfortunately did not see.  We started our drive along the Tsangpo River which is surrounded by farmland on both sides.  Here not only do the drivers have watch for other cars but also for cows and yaks which wander at will onto the roads.  The shepherds herd them on foot with slingshots.  They obviously get to be good shots.  We then started a magnificent hairpin turn drive up to 15,7000 feet.  Part way up at a lookout where we stopped to take pictures enterprising locals had set up picture opportunities with yak and with the local Tibetan mastiff.  When I saw a fellow with a Tibetan mastiff on the road before reaching this site I first thought it was a lion.  The pictures were too good of an opportunity to pass up so we did partake along with some wonderful ones of the valley below.  We then continued up to the top of the pass where we were treated to the most spectacular site of the sparkling turquoise waters of Lake Yandrok surrounded by are peaks dotted with the occasional small village and the looking down to the far end some spectacular snow covered peaks rising into the clear blue sky.  It simply took your breath away.

We descended down the pass to the lake shore where the advance crew had set up a wonderful lunch right beside the lake looking out at the peaks.  Anything would taste good here.  After lunch it was up up and away until we stopped for a walk to view a hanging glacier. Thick walls of ice hanging off the side of a mountain. Spectacular.  We reached a height of 16,432 feet before starting our descent through the dry farmlands of the Nyang Valley.  We stopped along the way to see the wild blue sheep and the mountain deer though they are so well camouflaged that one needs a keen eye.  The farmland was so dry but there were hundreds of sheep mixed with cows and yaks.  We saw several farmers picking up dung by hand which they lay out on their fences to dry and use for fuel.  

We arrived in Guangzhou which is the third largest city in Tibet and will be our home for the night at 12,956feet.  The hotel is definitely more of a local Tibetan style but that is why we are here.

We really noticed that the only trees were those that were planted as we were above the tree line but the barren hills had a beauty of their own. Hard to capture the colours on film

I don’t think I will take up yak riding. They are very wide and I know it would be hard to stand up if you stayed on one for very long

I have to say that these Tibetan mastiffs were pretty darn cute but darn huge

Very few farmers in Tibet use machinery.  Hard way to get by

River in the valley still has some water from the monsoon season in August 

Very mountainous country. Reread Seven Years in Tibet on my way here and it really made me appreciate his trek once I saw the landscape 

The colour of Lake Yandrok was incredible. The lake is glacier fed and many kilometres long

Our first look at a snow covered peak of one of the mountains of the Himalayas 

Eric enjoying the view from the top of the pass

Little villages were nestled all through the countryside 

Land flattened out in places and wherever possible was planted with grains

These mountain deer blended so well into the rocks that it took us a bit to spot them even when the guide first pointed them out. 


Glaciers hanging onto the sides of thee mountain 

These blue sheep are wild and protected in Tibet

We hiked up to the glacier in the distance.  The air was certainly fresh.  The tent like structures in the foreground are made of prayer flags and can be seen everywhere 

This river cut through the very dry landscape and 5e banks were used for planting and for grazing the animals.

The old fortress in Gyangze was visible from our hotel and though it is in very poor repair and thus no one is allowed to visit it looked quite spectacular at night. Amazing what a little light can do