The hotel provided a buffet breakfast and we were loaded and on the way soon after 9.00 a.m. We registered at the control point just outside the town and passed through similar country to that on yesterday's arrival – a series of rural villages set in a fertile valley with mountains on each side of the valley. We negotiated our way past a couple of large flocks of goats being moved, then the valley closed in and the terrain became significantly more mountainous.
"We negotiated our way past a couple of large flocks of goats being moved".
The road twisted and turned clinging to the increasingly rocky hillside as we climbed. A lake appeared on our right and a little later we passed a hydro-electric generating station. A large flock of goats was spread out across the opposite hillside, foraging for grass. Over the next few minutes, we saw a number of flocks. One was strung-out single file, led by the herdsman, aiming for higher ground where the grass appeared more lush. We emerged onto an upland plain where we found horses, cows and goats grazing. We passed through villages of varying sizes where all the dwellings followed the basic Tibetan design – rectangular, flat roofed with a square pillar at each corner projecting above the roof, each pillar festooned with sticks or branches entwined with prayer flags. According to the district (and perhaps age of the dwelling) the main building material could be shaped stone, mud bricks or concrete building blocks.
Tibetan-style dwellings.
A glacier came into view on a mountain ahead of us. Because of the time of year, the glacier didn't descend to lower altitudes but it becomes larger in winter. Our road was now well over 4,000 metres above sea level and the mountains we were looking at have elevations of six to seven thousand metres. We passed a prayer flag pole with prayer flags radiating in all directions looking a little like an English Maypole. There were four cairns at the base of the pole. Each cairn was topped with a set of yak horns and the surface of the cairns was covered with religious images. A pair of yaks were grazing nearby unconcernedly. Further on, we found other poles with prayer flags strung out and we saw other mountains which were still snow-clad at the higher altitudes. There was a group of buildings at one place which seemed to form a stopping place for travellers and there were quite elaborate displays of prayer flags here.
Snow-capped mountains and Prayer Flags.
At another place, the road passed through a short rock canyon. Hundreds of prayer flags had been stretched across the canyon, forming a colourful canopy. There was a large tent nearby which I think may have been offering souvenirs. And while all this natural grandeur was passing by, what did the driver decide to do? Use a dongle to receive streaming video of 'Gangnam Style'!
We arrived at a fairly large, modern town of Nangartse. At the entrance to the town, a large, tracked Komatsu PC210 excavator was being driven into town. These tracked vehicles are normally moved on a low loader to avoid damage to the road surface. In this case, the driver was assisted by four helpers with four motor tyres and a couple of large boards. The excavator was attempting to drive over tyres or boards. As the machine moved forwards, the released tyres and boards were carried to the front to be used again.
We passed the excavator, turned left and parked outside the Lhasa Restaurant. As it was still only about 11.30 a.m., my guide asked if I'd like to take a walk before lunch. After being thrown about on the mountain roads, I was glad to accept the offer. I walked back to the main road, just as a bus arrived. A number of local people got off and most headed for the nearest barley field, presumably to attend to 'personal needs'.
I watched a group of four men mixing concrete on the ground. They'd made a large heap of the materials on the ground and dry mixed them using long-handled shovels. What really intrigued me was the supervisor using a metal bowl to scoop water from a large puddle to a plastic container. When he judged he'd the right amount, mixing continued as normal practice.
A second bus arrived, going in the opposite direction. A few people got off, and a number of passengers suddenly appeared and boarded.
Nangartse - the arrival of a second bus.
The first bus had parked near an overflowing skip. An old man carrying a plastic sack wandered up to the skip and spent a few minutes rooting through the contents. Having added one or two items to his sack, he slowly crossed the road and disappeared.
I walked back up the side street to the Lhasa Restaurant and took a simple lunch of vegetable soup and sweet tea (it was still quite early for lunch). After a leisurely meal, we set off again, passing the Komatsu PC210 excavator still making its laborious way through the town.
The Komatsu excavator in Nangartse town.
On the outskirts of the town, we came to the police check point. The existing office was being extended and a wooden framework was almost complete. I watched a carpenter cutting a length of timber with an electric power saw while we obtained the paperwork for the next part of the journey.
We were now adjacent to Yamdrok Yumtso lake. The grassy margin between the road and the water's edge was being peacefully shared by a number of cows and horses.
Further along, we encountered another road work site where a gang were casting the rectangular concrete blocks set at the side of the carriageway to discourage drivers from going over the edge. Once dried out, the blocks are painted red with white stripes or chevrons. A simpler solution we found elsewhere was to place a rounded rock at the side of the road and paint it red.
We passed a viewpoint where a number of cars had parked and the occupants crossed a rocky foreshore to reach the lake margin. The rock-strewn margin was covered with small cairns built from the ample supply of rocks. A little further on, there was an 'official' viewpoint with perhaps 100 tourists. The elevation was given as 4,441 meters. This viewpoint was equipped with a car park, toilets, a small café, and various souvenir stalls on the landward side of the road. On the lake side of the road, a set of concrete steps led down to a proper concrete viewing platform. Either side of the platform on the rocky foreshore, visitors spread out to get close to the water and, again, there were lots of rock cairns. A huge, white Tibetan dog wandered around the steps for a while and then relaxed in the hot sun under a broken-down billiard table pressed into use as a souvenir display. Before I left, a local woman came to fill her plastic water container from the lake just next to me, before slowly making her way back to her home.
This viewpoint on Yamdrok Yumtso lake is popular with tourists.
The road climbed again, twisting and turning to gain height. We reached another high-level viewpoint. Here, there was an amazing display of prayer flags plus a large souvenir tent. Nearby, a brown Tibetan dog watched the visitors whilst a yak, decorated in full traditional regalia, totally ignored the visitors and concentrated on the serious business of resting.
A dog, a yak and prayer flags.
Further on we stopped where a complete village, traditionally dressed and carrying banners and a conch shell horn were carrying out a once-a-year ceremony. They go from field to field in an age-old ritual to secure good crops. The horn is supposed to ward off hail, which can be devastating to growing crops.
The ceremony to ensure healthy crops.
For the last lap back to Lhasa, we took the dual carriageway airport road. Back at the St. Regis, I was given the same room as before – 1611. Finally, I went for a walk in the rabbit's warren of a city. Lots of people were perambulating around the outside of the Jokhang Temple, many with prayer wheels. Tourists were still going into the temple and nearby a dozen or so Tibetan people were prostrating themselves outside the temple.
Perambulating clockwise around the outside of the Jokhang Temple.
The following day, I was to leave Tibet and fly to Shanghai for the last part of my trip.
My Pictures
Gyangtse - Nangartse by road
Nangartse, Tibet
Nangartse - Lhasa by road
Lhasa, Tibet St. Regis Hotel, Lhasa, Tibet
[Pictures inserted and links to pictures added 23-Aug-2013].
