Tikal was one of the most powerful city-states in the ancient Maya civilization dating from 2000 BC to 950 AD. It was a major cultural, political, and military center doing trading and administering to other Mayan cities. Tikal means everyday or common people.
While we were walking through the site, we saw howler and spider monkeys, birds, and an agouti (like a raccoon).
The architecture here is amazing and the site includes pyramids, temples, palaces, and a grand plaza. Everything is symmetrical despite not having advanced tools. Only 20% of the site has been excavated since 1955. It also was first explored in the late 1800’s and officially in 1904.
Back of Temple 1
Blocks were hand cut in quarries and then carried as far as 25 km by hand. No domesticated animals were used for this. They also did not use slaves as too many workers were required. It is thought that everyday people completed the work. There is evidence of early cement being used in construction which has stood the test is time.
Residences here were for high class people which could contain 152 bedrooms and 25 courtyards.
This is actually a need that would be covered by ticking.View from the top of one section.The wood above the door is from the local tree that has sap that was used as early chewing gum. It is a very hard wood. Adams chewing gum was the inspiration from the chewing gum from sap here. That piece of wood is 1300 years old.
There are two temples here. Temple 2 is on the left, government offices would be in the middle, and Temple 1 is on the right. They are in a line from North to South.
Temple 2 is known as the temple of masks. The carvings show masks.Carvings are aboveTemple 1 actually had a burial site found by tunneling underneath. There are 9 levels of the pyramid which correspond to the 9 levels you descend to the Mayan underworld when you die before going upwards 13 towards heaven.
The astronomical pyramids are flat on top and offer a 360 degree view. Maybe stairs to climb to get to the top!
Pyramid 4 was the last we visited and was built by the son of the ruler that built 1 and 2. Each ruler had to have a bigger Temple than the ones before.
As we passed by the second of the twin astronomical pyramids, this one has not been uncovered on one side, but you can see the structures on the other.
Uncovered sideStill covered side
Cisterns were used to capture and divert water when the original sources dried up. Below the modern cement is the earlier mayan cement that had been broken up by tree roots.
The site features numerous stelae and altars depicting rulers portraits and their stories. Information found in Tikal and descendent stories help to understand the Mayan civilization.
Other structures
Early steam bathEarly mask This is Temple 3 that is still visible at the top and will be excavated in the future. It is the tallest of the pyramids.
Yaxhá is a name derived from the Maya language and means “blue-green water” or “turquoise water.” Lake Yaxhá was an important resource for the city though there are many crocodiles there. It is not the largest Mayan site and is very peaceful to walk around in.
The architectural style of the Yaxha people included the double pyramid construction. It was built in 600 BC teaching its peak in the 8th century with around 500 structures. It was discovered by the explorer Maler in 1904.
It felt a lot like being an explorer as well. Many of the structures are still underground and only a few are uncovered. The howler monkeys were really loud and seemed to follow us on our exploration.
Another structure under the grown jungle
Yaxha is laid out so that the temples and other structures are used strategically for solstices and equinoxes.
Ceremonial plazaViewing stands in front of the palace.This center area was where competition in a game using a ball was played. Many of the games could be for social, religious, or political reasons, often ending in sacrifice.The pyramid of sacrifice is just across the game area. South acropolisJaguar statueA structure used for astronomy
We climbed the stairs alongside one of the peanuts to get a look at the complex and the tallest pyramid we will be going to.
Lake YaxhaPyramid 216, the tallest where you can see the sunset on a good day
This structure was a residence of someone important like a shaman.
We climbed one of the pyramids directly. I learned not to go straight up in a line but to zig zag as you go up. It helps especially if you have big feet.
Aztec symbol An original stela that tells a story.The reproduction of the stela We climbed stairs alongside pyramid 216.Beautiful view but no view of the sunset today. Clouds were moving in again.A cicada
We had a great night at the house we were staying in. So beautiful here and listening to the birds in the morning…
If you come to the Douro valley, staying at Douroparadise owned by Pedro Ribeiro and using Daniel as a tour guide you cannot go wrong. Daniel owns Terra d’alma a personal tour company and he is also a budding Sommelier.
Quinta de Pacheco
We started off at a wine tasting at Quinta de Pacheco. It is a commercial operation which seemed a bit more impersonal. Not one of my favorite places so far but the landscape was beautiful.
You can actually stay in these wine barrel houses.
Sandeman is a well-known producer of wines in the world. It is know for its port wines, particularly its iconic Don (or Don Quixote) logo, which is recognized worldwide. The company was founded in 1790 and has a long history of producing high-quality port wines, including Tawny, Ruby, Vintage, and Late Bottled Vintage ports, among others. Sandeman also offers guided tours of its cellars in Porto, Portugal, providing visitors with an insight into the port wine-making process and the company’s rich heritage.
We also stopped at another church but as we approached the front door we realized that a funeral was taking place and did not go inside.
Santuario Nossa Senhora dos Remedi
The Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios is an important pilgrimage site in Portugal, located in Lamego. This sanctuary features an impressive Baroque staircase with 686 steps leading up to the church, offering beautiful views of the city and the surrounding landscape. Devotion to Nossa Senhora dos Remédios dates back to the 14th century, and the sanctuary is a significant destination for both believers and tourists visiting the region.
Tile work inside the cathedral can be seen all around the perimeter. The azulejo tile here in Portugal is beautiful.
Azulejo tiles are a type of ceramic tile that is commonly found in Portugal and Spain, particularly in decorative art and architecture. These tiles are known for their intricate designs and vibrant colors, often featuring geometric patterns, floral motifs, or historical scenes. Azulejos were introduced to Portugal by the Moors in the 15th century and have since become an integral part of Portuguese culture and architecture. They are commonly used to decorate walls, floors, and even ceilings in buildings such as churches, palaces, and public squares. The word “azulejo” itself comes from the Arabic word “al-zuleycha,” which means “polished stone.” Today, azulejo tiles are celebrated for their beauty and craftsmanship and are often considered a symbol of Portuguese and Spanish cultural identity.
The Santuario Nossa Senhora dos Remedios is perched on a hill above the town of Lamego. To reach the Church you climb up sets of zigzag stairs from the wide avenue at the edge of the town. The view is worth the climb. Due to the rain we were dropped off at the top and viewed the inside of the church first. I then started at the top of the stairs and went down instead.
At every level in the stairs there was tile work that is simply beautiful.
Down at the bottom in the square of the town.
Lamego Cathedral
Lamego Cathedral, also known as Sé de Lamego, is a beautiful cathedral located in the city of Lamego, Portugal. It’s known for its stunning Romanesque and Gothic architecture and is a significant landmark in the region. The cathedral dates back to the 12th century and is definitely worth a visit for anyone interested in history and architecture. It is the oldest cathedral in Portugal.
Views around the center of the town.
Pastelería da sé is a bread and pastry shop near the cathedral which is known for its pastries and bread with meat. I ordered some snacks and also the bread with salted cod.
Bread made with salted cod. They also have ones with ham and other meats.
Gueda winery is a small winery that goes back 30 generations. Currently a brother and sister run the winery and their passion or evident in how they manage and explain their process. A great end to the day. We had started the day with a commercial winery and ended the day with a small family winery.
The winery cat was so friendly. You know how much I love holding and petting animals.
One more night here in the Douro valley and then we are off to Lisbon for the last two nights.
I went with a friend to a museum with summer of the oldest artifacts in Ecuador.
It is dedicated to pre-Columbian art and artifacts and has a diverse collection of objects from various indigenous cultures from this region before the arrival of the Spanish. Its displays showcase authentic artifacts that depict the beliefs, rituals, and daily life of the ancient peoples. the exhibits were of pottery, sculptures, jewelry, and others.
These symbols seem to assist in other cultures on other continents as well This vessel was used for making morocho, a corn based drink.These were carried with people as good luck.
The building itself is beautiful and the original structure. New walls and structures were added as necessary to display the objects. The courtyards were equally amazing.
There are many things to do in Siem Reap but i needed to give my knee a break and many other activities required biking or more walking. I was happy to find a cooking class on Trip featuring two dishes i have ordered frequently in Cambodia: Fish Amok and green mango salad. A tuktuk picked me up at my hotel (a guarantee people arrive on time….) And a quick stop down the alley.
Tuk tuks are the way to travel. They zip in and out, are not expensive, and use less fuel.
Narong is my chef and she works for a restaurant owned by a French gentleman who has been here for 13 years.
With our finished dishes.
He owns the restaurant and the cooking school which also sells many of the ingredients. Helpful since I want to make it when I return home.
We started with a tour of the old market. Many items i already know from China wet markets. But we discussed different things useful to cook here differences in produce.
I have seen these peppercorns in many places.Fish, fish paste, dried meats.Lots of vegetables including baby corn and tamarind. These are two different types of eggplant.Bottom dwelling lake fish.
We started by chopping all of the ingredients. The cooking takes little time but the preparation is much longer as all of the ingredients are fresh. The recipes can be found at www.khmergourmetcookingclass.com
All of our ingredients.Chopping and more chopping.The ingredients used for the sauce of the Fish Amok are minced small and then pounded in a mortar until it becomes a paste.The paste made in the mortar is in the bottom left.
And now it is time to cook. I even made dessert. Glutinous rice balls with a palm sugar filling. They are boiled in hot water then cooled in cook water.
Cooking the shrimp for the green mango salad.Fish amok.Boiling the glutinous rice balls.
And then it was time to eat. Lots of food so some leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Asking with a great Angkor beer, a wonderful lunch.
Angkor Wat is actually a temple complex located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is the largest religious monument in the world and one of the seven wonders. The temple was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. It was later converted into a Buddhist temple in the 13th century.
The portion of the gate we entered into Angkor Wat complex. This is looking from the inside outwards.First views are breathtaking before we even see the full view of the Angkor temple. This is one of many temples inside this whole complex.In front of the temple created in the 12th century.
Angkor Wat is a vast complex of buildings and monuments, covering an area of over 400 acres. The temple itself is built on a rectangular plan, with a moat and an outer wall surrounding the central complex. The tallest of the towers inside is 65 meters high.
Stairs entering into the temple.These are an inside portion of the temple. I am already on the second floor of the structure. This goes to the third. On full moon days, only religious people can enter that floor. There are different stairs to climb as these are too dangerous.Around the temple are platforms for ceremonies and small buildings which were libraries.On the second and third floor are pools. From the central tower that would be quite a sight when filled. They represented the different elements.
Angkor Wat is a masterpiece of Khmer architecture. Ancient volcanoes left large amounts of volcanic stone which are used as the base of the buildings. The tops are made of sandstone which allows them to be carved. The temple is decorated with intricate carvings and sculptures, depicting scenes from Hindu mythology. The temple is also known for its intricate system of canals and reservoirs, which once provided water for the temple and its inhabitants.
I did see a few monks as it is a holy day.A sculpture of a dancer.Most of the scenes are from Hinduism that depicts good reigning over evil.Most of the statues of Buddha are the body but without a head. During invasions, armies would take everything of value but the statues were too heavy. Instead they took the heads off. The heads of most of the statues have not been found.This depicts the prince and demons holding Naga.The head of Naga rises alongside the stairs. The railings along the walkway in the courtyard are the body of the 7 headed snake.Leaving the complex you pass by the reflection pool.
I have so many pictures but shared just the best ones. It is an impressive place to visit. Also, it was amazing to see some of the reconstruction and cleaning of the stones. From the Angkor Temple we continued along the complex to Bayon temple.
The Bayon is a richly decorated Khmer temple related to Buddhism at Angkor. It was built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the state temple of the King Jayavarman VII. It is at the centre of the king’s capital, Angkor Thom.
The Bayon is best known for its 54 towers, each of which has at the top a four-faced head. The faces are believed to represent Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. (Bodhisattva are awaiting their reincarnation as Buddha). The faces are all slightly different, and they are said to represent the different aspects of Avalokiteśvara’s personality.
You can see a few of the faces more clearly.
The Bayon temple is also decorated with intricate carvings called bas-reliefs, which depict scenes from Hindu and Buddhist mythology. The bas-reliefs are some of the most famous examples of Khmer art. I haven’t seen other art, but I’ll take their opinion. They are amazing and depict scenes of daily life, good vs. evil stories, etc.
The base of the temple is lava stone with sandstone used for the carvings.The depiction of elephants used for daily tasks and even for fighting in wars.Dancers.More elephants and a Khmer army.A dragonboat!
We then traveled to another temple in the complex. Ta Prohm was built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and was originally called Rajavihara. It is one of the most popular temples at Angkor, partly because it was featured in the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. The guide said that Angkor Wat was largely unknown by the world until then.
Amazing. In the complex many of the walls have fallen and you can see which being to the roof and which blocks belong to the walls.Inside the Ta Prohm complex.This roof has been replaced. They are the original blocks but now held together by mortar. Countries have pledged and taken over the reconstruction of the various temples in Angkor Wat.A headless Buddha. Many of the rooms had gold buried and jewels in the walls but those have been removed and are long gone.Inner courtyard passage.Many walls and towers are in ruins.We were there when wedding photographs were taken. They take the pictures before the wedding and of course they have more than one dress.
Ta Prohm is known for its intricate stone carvings, which are often hidden by the roots of the trees that have grown around the temple. The temple is also home to a variety of wildlife, including monkeys, snakes, and birds.
This is the tree from the Tomb Raider movie. Angelina Jolie i am not …These are fig trees and in particular this is a strangler fig which can grow around a tree and surround it until it dies.
Baksei Chamkrong is a small Hindu temple located in the Angkor complex. We passed by it walking up the hill where we were to watch the sunset. It is dedicated to Shiva and used to hold a golden image of him.
The temple is named after a mythical bird that is said to have protected the city of Angkor from attack. The bird is said to have spread its wings over the city, and to have sheltered the people from harm.
We waited for the sunset and literally melted wherever we rested. It had been nearly 40 C which is 100 F with high humidity. I was grateful for the rest considering I needed to rest my knee from time to time. The slow ascent made it easier to get to the top of the hill.
The top of the tower.From the hill you can see the Angkor temple. We are still in the Angkor Wat complex from this point.
The sunset was okay as there were clouds in the horizon.
Our tour guide Sarak shared some other pictures he had taken during sunrises and sunsets.
You can see the highlights in one day but if you have the time and energy then two days would be great.
The Killing Fields are a series of sites in Cambodia where collectively more than one million people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979. The mass killings were part of a broad state-sponsored genocide.
The Khmer Rouge was a communist regime led by Pol Pot that ruled Cambodia during those years. The regime was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 2 million people (some from starvation), or about a quarter of the Cambodian population. The Khmer Rouge was known for its brutality and its radical policies, which included the forced relocation of the entire population of Cambodia to the countryside.
Once in the countryside, they were forced to be farmers. They eliminated all forms of religion and destroyed the country’s infrastructure. Workers in the country were then asked if they had been a professional. They believed they were going back to their jobs. Instead they were interrogated as potential spies and foreign agents and imprisoned and brutalized. Many “confessed” and were asked for family and friends names. There was more than one prison but the one I toured was S21. It is the site of a high school turned into a prison.
The bottom floor of that building held important prisoners who could give information. They were shackled to beds.
When the liberators came, they found 14 bodies still chained to the beds who had been killed. Each room used to be a classroom.The regime fled without leaving anyone alive.The 14 were buried here as a reminder. A gallows made from a school climbing structure and barrels of water for torture were found at the other end.
If one member of the family was suspected of being a traitor, the whole family was tortured and sent to the killing fields. His regime kept meticulous records and pictures of everyone interrogated and killed.
All the photographs were on display. I kept thinking that these children would normally be in school. The sheer inhumanity is unfathomable.Other prisoners were not as important and chained in a one meter by two meter cell. The box was used as a toilet. The tiles you normally see in a school made this all the more striking.This room held roughly 50 people.They were organized in such a manner.
If they survived starvation, torture, and hard labor, they were trucked to the killing fields. They were not imprisoned there, but one by one taken off of the trucks and killed.
The most well-known Killing Field is Choeung Ek, located just 10 kilometers outside of Phnom Penh. Choeung Ek was used as an execution site for the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to 1979. It is estimated that over 17,000 people were killed at Choeung Ek, including men, women, children, and the elderly. A farmer found the site days after the fall of the regime and pits had not even been covered at the time the regime fled.
Memorial stupa in the background.In the site are Cambodian palms. The edges of the young leaf have serrations. These were used to cut people’s throats. We were able to touch them and it felt like a metal serrated saw blade.The location was originally a Chinese grave yard. Many markers still exist.Pol Pot’s paranoia meant that even his own soldiers could be executed for nothing more than suspicion. Here they were killed and their heads removed from the bodies.Bones still evident in some areas. Not all bodies were excavated. Many felt that their souls should be left in peace with no further excavation.
The execution tree at Choeung Ek was a site where the Khmer Rouge executed children. The tree was a large Chankiri tree, and the Khmer Rouge would use it to bash the heads of children against the trunk of the tree. The children were often killed in front of their parents, and the parents were forced to watch as their children were killed. The execution tree was a symbol of the brutality of the Khmer Rouge, and it is a reminder of the horrors that the Khmer Rouge inflicted on the people of Cambodia.
This tree when found days after the downfall of the regime had blood, hair, and brain matter on it.This tree was used to broadcast other noises to not hear any of those being killed. They would be blindfolded and asked to kneel. Then they would be hit from behind until they fell into the pit where a second person slit their throat and belly. The latter prevented body bloat. The bodies were also covered in DDT to stop smell and kill anyone surviving.
Today, Choeung Ek is a memorial to the victims of the Khmer Rouge. The Buddhist stupa contains the remains of over 8,000 victims.
Those excavated were organized by age and sex.They also can be identified by how they died. No bullets were used and a hoe was a preferred tool.These are a few of the remains in the stupa.
Visiting the Killing Fields was a sobering experience. It is a reminder of the horrors of genocide and the importance of remembering the victims. It is also a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit, as evidenced by the fact that Cambodia has emerged from this dark period and is now a thriving democracy. Three survivors were at the genocide museum the day I went.
He is 94. He survived as he was an artist and painted for the soldiers. His painting of Pol Pot could be mistaken for an actual photograph.Here is a picture of him and his wife, who was killed at the prison.This man was a bit at the time of the regime. The rest of his family was killed.When the prison was found by liberators, only 7 survived. 2 of these men are alive today.
Finally, it is important to remember that the Killing Fields are just one part of Cambodia’s history. The country has come a long way since the Khmer Rouge, and there is much to see and do in Cambodia today.
Here are a few things those of us on the tour talked about (we had people from S. Africa, Australia, and many European countries). The Khmer Rouge regime and people denying past slavery in the west are similar in a number of ways. Both groups have sought to erase or deny a dark chapter in their history. Both groups have used violence and intimidation to silence dissent. And both groups have been met with resistance from those who seek to remember and learn from the past.
One of the Khmer Rouge’s most heinous crimes was its attempt to erase the country’s history. The regime destroyed libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions. It also killed or imprisoned intellectuals, artists, and anyone else who it perceived as a threat to its power. The Khmer Rouge sought to create a new society, one that was free from the taint of the past.
People who deny past slavery in the west are also seeking to erase a dark chapter in history. These people often claim that slavery was not as bad as it is often portrayed, or that it was a necessary evil. They may also argue that the victims of slavery were not really slaves, or that they were somehow complicit in their own enslavement.
Like the Khmer Rouge, people who deny past slavery are often motivated by a desire to create a new society, one that is free from the taint of the past. They may also be motivated by a desire to protect their own privilege. By denying the existence of slavery, they can avoid having to confront the uncomfortable truth about their own history.
By erasing the truth, they make it easier to repeat the same mistakes in the future. It is important to remember and learn from the past, so that we can prevent such atrocities from happening again.
It is also important to remember that the victims of the Khmer Rouge and of slavery are real people. They deserve to be remembered and honored. We should not let the perpetrators of these crimes get away with erasing their victims from history.
I am also aware that those of us on the tour are privileged and our governments have done horrible things. But we are also a portion of our countries who learn to understand and make a difference rather than ignore it.
The Leshan Giant Buddha is 71-meters tall. It is a stone statue, built between 713 and 803 AD. It is carved out of the cliff face of red sandstones found at the confluence of the Min River and Dadu River in the southern Sichuan province.
The entrance is beautiful.After climbing 36 steps you are at the top of the buddha head. It is suggested to not look back as you climb, only look forward.You can see the Buddha’s head on three sides before going down to the feet and back up again.The back side of the buddha head shows the detail of the hair. It is designed so that Easter runs off the back or side of the head and not in the face.You can see on the left side the zig zag stairs going from the head to the feet. On the upper right is okay of the path to return to the top After descending all the stairs, you can see the buddha but the light was not the best. We will be seeing it by boat as well. Check out the toenails!The pagoda at the top of the hill along the way to leaving the park.You can pay to burn a candle for prayer at the Temple.Back of the Temple.The Buddha’s taken from the top deck of a boat.Some of the Buddha’s were destroyed during the cultural revolution.In the bottom right is the tail of a dragon and right below the sun rays is the head of the dragon with water pouring out of its mouth. He is curled inside of the mountain.Symbol for happiness.Dragon fountain.Dancers at the entrance
We had a slower morning to relax a little and then assembled to go to Qingcheng mountain which has many Taoist temples. It is one of the four Taoist mountains in China and considered the birthplace of taoism. We visited the front mountain which contained the cultural and historical relics.
This is a shrine for prayers for a good harvest for local villagers.
These lions represent obtaining wealth (mouth open) and keeping that wealth ( mouth closed).
We took a cable car up to bypass much of the steepest parts. The gentleman here did not seem happy we were there and covered his mouth. Our tour guide seated next to him told him he should be wearing a mask which was required in the first place.
As we started climbing the stairs to the top, we passed through several temples.
Of course there are other ways to get up the stairs if you are willing to pay.
On each side of the Temple are other places to pray for something specific. In this one, the right side is for health. The left side is for fertility.
These are female monks or as we would know them as nuns.
At the next temple, there was a cute kitten that wanted some attention. It was so cute and playful I stopped to play on the way down too.
The Taoist monk at the Temple.
I’m folklore, the dragon had 9 children but they are a combination of dragon and turtle. It symbolizes strength and easy pace.
We stopped to enjoy the view from the top and cool off in the nice breezes.
We followed a different path down. Besides the temples, all other structures blend into nature.
From here, we learned our flight was cancelled and we had to book an earlier flight making the next day’s itinerary difficult to complete. We also need to get a COVID test to fly. So we headed to another panda base where testing was nearby and hoped we would see pandas. Of course they were all sleeping inside as it was very hot out. We were supposed to do this the next morning when it was cooler, but the change in flight changed those plans.
These are barely one year old. There were no births this year at the pandas base.
We went to the hotel to clean up then ride a bike 2 km to Jingli street. This is a pedestrian street similar to what we went to in the other town. It is a good place to people watch and eat street food. As it turned out, it was a great place for us to be watched. Many people took videos and our pictures which were slightly annoying.
We did not make it very far before we decided we should have a beer as we walked a lot today in hot conditions. Actually, who needs a reason? We also ate sticks with thin sliced veggies and dunked in a spicy sauce. Potato, lotus root, bitter melon…. We also stopped to try other food but I chose stinky tofu. It is fermented but does not taste as some people think. It was pretty spicy.
There was entertainment on the center stage.
There were places to buy and hang prayers for yourself or loved ones.
I have been wanting to try ear picking and they were set up everywhere along this street. They clean your ears and it feels so good as often the inner part of my ear is itchy. They do this thing with a tuning fork kind of device and it feels like the inside of your canal is being tumbled. Not sure how to describe it. In the end I didn’t feel a lot different but over the next few hours my ears felt less clogged.
We traveled 370 km on the last day. It was a lot of time in the van but a few gorgeous stops along the way.
Palcho monastery
Built in 1427, the most prominent feature is the giant stupa. This one is different from others and has 5 floors and 68 prayer rooms. It is named Gyantse Kumbum. In each of the tiny chapels are exquisite paintings (kumbum means 100,000 images). It is important to follow a clockwise route around which is the same in any of the monasteries. The murals survived the Cultural Revolution though some statues had to be restored.
The monastery is unique in Tibet as it houses three separate schools of Tibetan Buddhism under its roofs – Sakya, Gelug, and Kadam. The monastery has aspects of Chinese Han, Tibetan, and Nepali architecture, and is one of the highest status monasteries in Tibet. Inside the temples are beautiful statuary.
Simila pass and Manla reservoir
Simila Pass is at an elevation of 4200 meters. The pass is unique to others due to the greater amount of countless colorful Tibetan prayer flags decorating rock faces. In this winding mountain pass, the wind here waves the prayers in beautiful patterns. The Manla Reservoir is the biggest dam in Tibet.
Karola glacier
The glacier originates at Mt. Noijin Kangsang (7,191m), which is one of the four holy mountains of Tibet.
The monastery is unique in Tibet as it houses three separate schools of Tibetan Buddhism under its roofs – Sakya, Gelug, and Kadam. The monastery has aspects of Chinese Han, Tibetan, and Nepali architecture, and is one of the highest status monasteries in Tibet.
This stupa is just for decoration though monks did visit it when we were there
Yamdrotso lake
Yamdrok Yumtso, is a beautiful lake along the old Friendship Highway between Tibet and Nepal. It is at an altitude of 4,441 meters. Yamdrok is the largest inland freshwater lake in the northern Himalayan mountain range. Yamdrok Lake is one of the four largest sacred lakes of Tibet (the others are Lake Lhamo Latso, Lake Manasarovar, and Lake Namtso). According to Tibetans, the lake is a lifeline and if the lake dries up, Tibet would become an uninhabitable place. One is not to swim in it. Tibetans pilgrimage to the Lake and walk around the lake in seven days to remove their sins and earn merit. The lake’s spiritual energies are from the Second Buddha, Padmasambhava, who brought Buddhism to Tibet. It is also believed Lake Yamdrok helps to find the reincarnated soul of the Dalai Lama.
Tibetan mastiff! Yaks!
Along the way back to Lhasa, we made a few other stops due to traffic through the pass.
If you look closely in to the picture, yak poop is dried too use as fuel for cooking and heating.
