Monday October 13, 2025 - 12,795 - 14,570-feet altitude
Today we drove to Shigatse where we
would spend the night at the Hilton.
Today it became clear that our
itinerary and our guide were not on the same page. In his defense, I’m not sure
how it all could have been done in the time that we had since the drive was
slow going on the windy roads. He also told us that due to road construction the
road would be closed for a for a couple of hours, so our timing was important.
(in hindsight, I’m not sure why we didn’t start an hour earlier)
The highlight of my day was our
comfort break where there were many photo ops, so Cathy and I had photos taken
on pretty yaks. There were also a few Tibetan mastiffs, the iconic dog of the
plateau that is known for guarding yak herds. We had about a half hour to see
the view, use the restroom and get our photo ops. It was quite touristy with
people with all kinds of critters to get a photo op.
I seemed to be having side effects
from the altitude meds and had “almost Diarrhea” all day which was fun with
squat toilets, and one was a squat outhouse with only a narrow rectangle hole
to the ground. I took lots of Pepto and finally an Imodium after 5 visits to squat
toilet. Luckily, I wasn't feeling badly just going like crazy.
We continued to Yomdrok Lake and soon stopped at another place for photo ops. Their yaks weren’t as pretty as the ones we sat on so glad we got them at our other stop. It was a beautiful view and there was a singer on top of a van entertaining the crowd.
Back in the van to Yomdrok Lake which where we were supposed to be a lunch picnic. It turned out to be just snacks. (so the guide had already planned just snacks and lunch later at a restaurant) We didn’t time
the road closure well as it was closed until 1:00. So, with traffic backed up
for miles we got out and had our picnic early in a less-than-ideal spot but
still beautiful. (just nowhere to sit) We sat on a couple of rocks and tried lots
of unusual snacks. Our guide couldn’t even tell us what some of them were. We
did find some that were quite good.
The lake has beautiful blue water and
is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Dotted with a dozen islands, Lake
Yamdrok is the largest habitat for water birds in Tibet, attracting countless
swans and gulls. There really weren’t many birds there but we did get a kick
out of the Himalayan marmots.
We got back in the van and traffic was flowing normally again and we came to a town where we stopped for lunch. The guide never helped with lunch menus and when we asked what came with the fried chicken, he just said he didn’t know. He could have asked the server since they spoke the same language, but he just wasn’t that helpful. The menu said fried chicken, but it turned out it was a stir fry with peanuts, peppers and onions. The chicken was round circles of bones and a small amount of meat which made it very hard to eat with lots of small splinters of bone. Tom asked why I wasn’t eating the blistered tomatoes, which I’m sure is what the chicken looked like. The rest of the dish was good, but Greg’s stir fry was better.
Our next stop was a viewpoint for Karuola
Glacier. It is one of the three continental glaciers (ice fields) in Tibet,
located on the border of Gyangze County and Nangarze County.
It was getting a bit late and the
guide wanted to skip the Palcho Monastery, but I wanted at least a quick stop
to see it. Built as a Tibetan monastery, its structural style is unique,
reputed as the lord of Tibetan stupas. In addition, it is famous for architecture,
sculpture, and mural painting art. Outside it has nine floors or tiers and each
tier has unique chapels, 76 chapels in total. We only did a few levels, and I
managed to get some photos in the small chapels. (mostly behind glass)
So, we missed the visit with a Tibetan
family and farm, which was something I specifically asked for when setting up
the tour. The guide didn’t even mention it so perhaps he didn’t know our
itinerary.
It was 8:00 at night when we got to
the Hilton and we were given a handicapped room where the toilet was in the
shower room. (so, the whole room got wet, and the shower head had to be
handheld). The room was hot as the A/C did not cool, so we opened windows. The
mini fridge was hot, and we turned off the O2 that was bubbling loudly and not
needed.
It was too late for dinner, and I was
still having GI issues, so we had some crackers and some elephant ears that we
bought in the attached market, and they sat well on my tummy.
Tomorrow, we will travel from Shigatse to Dingri.
Photo album: Yomdrok Lake, Karuola Glacier, Palcho Monastery - Lhasa to Shigatse, Tibet https://photos.app.goo.gl/mTcv1aVSnUNK7Dtq8
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