Day 11: October 8, 2006
Return to Lhasa, stopping at Drak Yerpa hermitage on the way....
















Nestled high up in the cliffs, strewn with prayer flags, about 30 km NE of Lhasa is Drak Yerpa hermitage. The series of caves were (and still are) used by meditating ascetics (including Guru Rinpoche and Atisha) as well as the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo at least as far back at the 7th century.
















Stupas on the drive up...
































Entrances to some of the small cave hermitages....
















A view inside one of the caves, roof blackened by butter lamp offerings.





































































A pilgrim from Kham in eastern Tibet--Check out those braids (108 to be exact, an auspicious number), even braided together to the hoop at the bottom...

















Fence to contain grazing yak visible on the other side of the valley.




Day 12: October 10, 2006
Last day in Lhasa




















View of the Potala from the little Chinese gyoza shop. $1 for a half pound, and yummy!

















The Jokhang in the evening

















Peter, Kabir (also a previous resident of the 1910 house in Seattle), me, and Cory at the Kyi Chu Hotel.
















Last supper, a fancy Chinese feast with Jampa and Joy of Tibet WindHorse Adventure [http://www.windhorsetibet.com/]