The Big M Tour: From a mountain in Tibet

Before leaving Lhasa on Sunday we visited a couple more monasteries (just for a change) The first was Sera just 5kms from Lhasa were the young monks were busy debating. The topics were supposedly from the scriptures but they appeared to be having way too much fun for a serious debate, it was a bit more like a pantomime.

The next day we traveled 50 kms out to Ganden monastery, another very important monastery ( as they all are, apparently) Clinging to the side of 4,200 metre mountain, it made quite a sight as the bus chugged up the hill.

Ganden was almost completely destroyed during the cultural revolution so much of it has been under reconstruction for many years, not that I could tell, it all looks ancient.

After eating our lunch sitting under the prayer flags on the side of the mountain, we joined the pilgrims on the kora (circuit of the monastery) to try and earn some more good karma.

The path was about 4kms and took us right around the top of the mountain, past a sky burial site and many pilgrim shrines. Walking on level ground at that attitude is fine but when the track rises, we were soon gasping for air.

Good training for Everest Base Camp our leader Gopal assures us.

Back in Lhasa we returned to out favorite watering hole, the Dunya bar and restaurant run by a Dutch guy and his American wife. We ate there the first night and found the menu contained a lot more than yak burgers and curried lentils. They also serve icy cold Lhasa beer (The beer from the top of the world) a very light (3% alcohol) but refreshing drink. It must be the only place where the cocktails and spirits are cheaper than the beer.
Heading up the cocktail list was a Yeti ( Red bull and vodka) didn’t try one but it sounded interesting.

We got into a game of darts and ended up winning, - three non-dart playing females versus an inebriated Irish geologist who fancied himself as a darts champion. Loser had to shout the drinks.

Next; On a yak and a prayer