Day 5: October 2, 2006
Shigatse to Lhasa
















Entering Tashilhunpo Monastery, historical seat of the Panchen Lamas and founded in 1447.
















A family on pilgrimage poses for a group photo. The yellow bags they hold contain vegetable ghee to put as an offering in the myriad butter lanps..
















Pilgrims and tourists scramble their way up the stairs to get a look at the world's largest guilded statue--a 26 meter image of Maitreya, the future Buddha. It was made in 1914 under the ninth Panchen Lama and took 900 artisans four years to complete, using over 300 kg of gold for the coating...




















Ringing the bell on the way in....






















My only (illegal) photo of Maitreya





















In front of one of the chapels that house the funeral reliquaries of the previous Panchen Lamas. The current (11th) is said to be the youngest political prisoner in the world. The Chinese have propped up their own alternative choice instead..





























































































































Fashionable 'Lhasa ladies' distinguishable by their patterned aprons...





















Peeking inside one of the monks' quarters...
















Pilgrim with prayer wheel in motion, walking past stalls selling colored silk scarves ('kata').

















Bridge over the Brahmaputra (Yarlung Tsangpo) River on the way to Lhasa.
















Villagers selling apricots on the way to Lhasa...





































Rock carvings in the outskirts of Lhasa

































First sight of the famous new train line from Beijing to Lhasa, said to be bringing about 10,000 Chinese immigrants into Tibet per day....
















Houses near the railroad proudly display the Chinese communist flag...
















New rail line...
















Coming into modern Lhasa (or is it Los Angeles?)
















Wide avenues....
















"The Development Zone is Very Promising"

















Billboard advertising the new railway






































































Apartment buildings are going up all over the place...
















In the old Tibetan part of town (Barkhor)....
















In front of the Jokhang...





















An old women with her dogs prays in front of the Jokhang...





















Decked out pilgrim in the Barkhor

















Cory going for a stroll--everyone walks in the same direction-clockwise.
















Jokhang in the evening..






















Pete chatting with the neighbors as we are served steaming Chinese dumplings--yum!
















Maybe we really are in California after all?!

















First view of the Potala Palace--at night..





































































Pete's new friends....






















Bright lights of Lhasa






















Bicycle-powered cotton candy vendor!