EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) 241 . Rawok-tso Galden Jampaling Monastery ), one of the ), one of the Riwoche Tsuglhakhang © Lonely Planet Publications Planet Lonely © Pomi ( p257 ), shaped like Guru ), shaped like Guru Tsedru Lamaling Temple Monastery ( p250 Nyingtri Draksum-tso ), ),

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Draksum-tso Tsedru Monastery Tsedru

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( p254 ( ( p251 ( Riwoche Tsuglhakhang ), Tibet’s most spectacularly sited monastery monastery most spectacularly sited ), Tibet’s Rinpoche’s celestial paradise a sublime alpine lake with a fairy-tale island a sublime alpine lake with a fairy-tale island monastery Rawok-tso remote shrines at the amazing to Pomi ( p262 snow-capped peaks Take a perfect photo of Take cal forest to alpine valleys and snowy passes cal forest largest monastic communities in Tibet monastic communities in Tibet largest of by the stunning turquoise waters Picnic up in awe at the towering statues of the Peer Clamber up wooden ladders to cliff-top Follow the pilgrims around the charming at Chamdo’s Join the monks in a debate the magnificent scenery from View Geographically the region varies from the lush subtropical jungle and raging rivers of the rivers varies from the lush subtropical jungle and raging Geographically the region in sheepskin KhampaKham cowboys, dressed of its charm from its people. gains much

HIGHLIGHTS

southern borderlands to the arid plateau and purple gorges of the east, where the head- of the east, where and purple gorges the arid plateau southern borderlands to – tumble off the and Yangzi – the Mekong, Salween rivers greatest Asia’s of some of waters of gorges Barwa (7756m) and the remote peaks of Namche glaciated The plateau. Tibetan corners. last secret the world’s deepest, form one of Asia’s Tsangpo, the Yarlung Kham highways on their motorbikes. sometimes cloaks and braided hair, cruise the region’s by Khampas like and the America’s Wild West, with the cowboys and buffalos replaced feels in a once-in-a-lifetime route offering through the region, two main routes are There yaks. important southern road takes and strategically busier in the best of The or out of Tibet. ride past ancient northern unpaved road is a higher roller-coaster the alpine scenery. The and herding communities. Bön monasteries remote temples,  Kham, is a land apart. flora geography, Its climate, as known of Tibet, region eastern The in more stone villages have The atmosphere. almost magical and fauna all lend it a unique, from Mustang in Nepal Bhutan, the chörtenscommon with neighbouring seem lifted (stupas) traditional Tibetan The plateau. Swiss Alps than high Tibetan scenery is more and the forested Si- western (TAR), Region Autonomous Tibetan of Kham the eastern province incorporates permits travel where TAR, only the eastern covers chapter This chuan and northwest Yunnan. p267 Sichuan, see through western travel For information on overland required. are E a s t e r n T i b e t ( K h a m ) EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) is fastaltering the face of the region. Off of newtowns(with multicoloured roofs) Hwy, where thecontroversial construction alongthe southernSichuan–TibetSinicised assistance. CIA resistance (inNepal)with from Mustang later toIndiaandNepal,organise armed therebelsand Litang, fledintoChamdoand bombedmonasteries inDaochengthe PLA ZhongdianandDaocheng. WhenLitang, Rebellion erupted spread andfighting to thenomads,Kangding andsettle Khampas the triedtodisarm When in1955theChinese ofincluding thecollectivisation monasteries. a programof landreforms wasintroduced, River wasmerged intoSichuan province and ern partof eastof Kham theupperYangzi control.In1954theeast- came underChinese andmuch oftion Army(PLA) eastern Tibet rule. nominal triedtoshake1933 theKhampas Lhasa’s off notallwerethough in againsttheChinese; frequently, in1918,1928and1932, notably rebellions(western Khampa Kham). occurred province uptheChinese ally toset of Xikang late 19th andearly20thcenturies,eventu- (modern-daywesternKham Sichuan) inthe theeasternLiu Wenhuisweptthrough partof tea in,andpastoral Chinese products out. to thetradecaravans, which carriedbricksof Relations withChinawere mostlyrestricted orhereditary(Litang) (Batang). chieftains small fiefdomsruledbykings(Derge), lamas recently, much many of comprised Kham enjoyed defactopoliticalindependence. Until butthemajorityassistance, of theregion has gained controlof thankstoMongol Kham and wanedover first thecenturies.Lhasa of diffusion Buddhism called second in Tibet. turning tocentralTibet tospearheadtheso- upinfluentialmonasteries, laterthey set re- incentralTibetpersecution where toKham, Karmapa schools. In1070,many Buddhistsfled including thefounders of theDrigungpaand of agriculture in the region. millethintsata5000-yeartradition Fossilised year-old Neolithicremains atnearbyKaro. inTibet,settled asattested tobythe5000- The area aroundChamdowasoneof the first 242 History Chinese warlordssuch asZhaoErfengChinese and Today eastern Tibet remains heavily In 1950Chamdofell tothePeople’s Libera- Lhasa’s controloverLhasa’s theregion haswaxed wasthehomeof Kham manyearlylamas, ATR IE KA) • itr (KHAM) ••History TIBET EASTERN ( p323 fistful of permit permits,includingamilitary anda Cruiser) transport (normallyaLand to foreigners unless youhave aguide,private The eastern partof theTAR closed isofficially a coupleof hours toafew days. roads temporarily blocked foranythingfrom November. Atothermonths youcanfindthe to earlyMay, toearly andfromSeptember crops. around Pomiare already filledwithverdant road remains dryandbleak,southernfarms minus 25°C.InMarch, whilethenorthern with January temperatures bottomingoutat temperatures range 3°Cand15°C, between in summer. Nagchu isTibet’s coldestcity;July winds year-round andsuddenblizzardseven areas SokandNagchu between receive strong Snowfall generally inOctober. starts Northern southern route isshrouded inmistandfog. whenmuch ofearly JunetoSeptember, the soon fromAssam bringsalotof rainfrom from therest of Tibet. Thesummermon- hasadramaticallydifferentKham climate strong. culturally Tibet withoutapermit, youwillhave tokeep for these. connections your agency military willneed gorges are toget very permitsfor; difficult der such andtheTsangpo asNamche Barwa name) islisted onyourpermits. specific monastery (notjustthelocaltown toinsistthatthe gaining accessyou’llneed Tsuglhakhang. thebestchance To stand of extent,Monastery theRiwoche and,toalesser still encounter problems visiting SokTsanden town islisted onyourpermit… onlythelocal access toamonastery because office ineastern Tibet maythendenyyou towns. Theoccasionalobstructive localPSB write monastery names ontheirpermits,only Bureau generally (PSB) doesn’t inLhasa which canbeareal pain. PSBcounty-level office alongyourroute, often wanttoregister yourgroupwithevery the main highways, Khampa life Khampa remainsthe mainhighways, Permits Climate If youdecide tohitch eastern through tothedisputed Indianbor-Places close Even withalltherequisite permits youwill isthatthePublicSecurity One irritation The besttimestotravel are fromlate March ). Once on the road nervous guideswill ).Onceontheroadnervous lonelyplanet.com the region than hitch in. See the region thanhitch in.See p337 back inthedirection fromwhich youcame. Y200andY500sent be finedbetween withoutapermit,youwillmostlikelycaught larger Ifyou’re townsandcountycapitals. a very lowprofile at allcheckpoints andin lonelyplanet.com an expedition to Kham. It’s the closest gate- It’stheclosest an expeditiontoKham. isthelogicalplacefromwhich tolaunch Lhasa Getting There&Around speaking,it’seasiertohitch Generally Markhamavoid andChamdo. includeBayi, Hot spotsthatpermitless travellers should slim volume recalling rebellion theKhampa inNyarong (western Sichuan). Tibetan agentsinColorado. ForaTibetan perspective, try Knaus.John Kenneth Knaus,a44-yearveteran oftheCIA,waspersonally involved intraining scenes wrangling,read and theendofTibetan armedresistance tothe Chinese. therebelsbase andtheDalaiLamaasked tosurrender. rebellion Itwastheend oftheKhampa monastery thanforanynational ideal.In1973theNepalisdemandedclosure oftheMustang feuds rebels –mostoftheKhampa hadalways beenfightingmore fortheirlocalvalley and outonalimb.Moreover, hadlefttheKhampas king theresistancepro-Chinese wasriddledwith climate hadchanged;USpresident Nixon’svisittoChinaandthecoronationofNepal’s Richard the Tibetans andbythemid-1960sCIAfundinghaddriedup.By1972international political Colorado fortraining. turned ablindeyetothemovement. Between1960and 1962over 150Tibetans were sentto to abaseinMustang,anethnicallyTibetan area inNepal,where initiallyatleasttheNepalis enough for2000people. in southernTibet whenhefledLhasain1959astheCIAreadied three planeloadsofarms– byguerrillasnearNyemo.Chinese soldierswere killed The movement metwiththeDalaiLama parachuted behindenemylinesintoSamyeandLitang. Pacific islandofSaipan,where theywere trainedtoorganise guerrillagroups. Agents were later trekked over were driven thebordertoKalimpong, toBangladeshandthenwere flowntothe meetings throughdeadletter dropsand secret messages. agents The firstbatchofsixKhampa Dhundup, bothbrothersoftheDalaiLama. Taiwan) andeven theCIA,wholiaisedwithTibetans throughThubten Norbuandlater Gyalo as welltheChineseKuomintang(KMT orNationalistParty; were someKhampas trainedin by GonboTashi, andanewflagwascreated. region. thetraditionallocalnameforKham Ranges), Soon15,000menwere assembled,led unityformedanorganisationmoment ofKhampa calledChizhiGangdrung(FourRivers, Six todisarm.WithoutorganisationKhampas orcohesive leadershiptherebellion wasrouted. for helpfell ondeafears. The the withtheChinese,asked toavoidconflict Dalai Lama,keen reforms. Newsofthearmedrebellion filtered throughtocentralTibet, pleas buttheKhampas’ By thelate warriorshadbeguntorebel 1950sthousandsofKhampa againstChineseruleand RESISTANCE KHAMPA THE RANGES: SIX RIVERS, FOUR For more onthe CIA’sfundingofTibetan resistance guerrillasandthediplomaticbehind-the- Yet theresistance waslivingonborrowed time. The Americansnever hadmuchconfidencein The asetbackfortheresistance flightoftheDalaiLamatoIndiamarked andthefocusswitched In 1957,guerrillaattackswere madeonChinesegarrisonsandroadcamps,in1958,700 Before long,Tibetan (Calcutta), leaderswere arranging liaisingwithCIAagentsinKolkata secret eventuallyThe Khampas attracted theattention ofexiledTibetan (India), leadersinKalimpong Yet acore fighters insouthernTibet, managedtoregroup ofKhampa inLhoka, andinarare EASTERN TIBET (KHAM)There &Around ••Getting TIBET EASTERN Orphans of the Cold War: AmericaOrphans oftheCold War: andtheTibetanStruggle forFreedom . out of of and permits.Ashorter six-dayloopfrom charges aroundY16,000fortransport,guides Foreign IndependentTraveller (FIT)inLhasa Pasho,Draksum-tso, Bayi, Riwoche andSok), vice versa). andZhongdian(and Lhasa road between and theone-wayshotalongsouthern and backalongthenorthernroadtoLhasa, route alongthesouthernroadtoChamdo tour. Themostpopularroutes are theloop to acquire, as longyouare onanorganised way cityandpermitsare relatively hassle-free For a two-week loop of Kham (taking in loopof (taking For atwo-week Kham Warriors ofTibet by JamyangNorbu, a

by

243 EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) (KHAM) TIBET EASTERN EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) 244 0 100 km EASTERN TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION (WESTERN KHAM) 0 60 miles EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) ••EasternTibet TIBET (Western Kham) EASTERN AutonomousRegion

Amdo Qinghai - Tibet To Golmud To Jyekundo To Sêrshu (220km); (701km) Nangchen (Yushu) (190km) Jvekundo (Yusho) (330km) Manigango To Ali Gangli Kundo-la QINGHAI (1249km) (4850m) Sok 317 Bachen Jiding Birong Xiang Yangan Derge A M D O Jiangge-la Shel-la To Ganzi (5km); (4929m) Gangduo (4905m) Chengdu (739km) Chaksamkha Tongpu Shagchu Sok Tsanden Chak-la Chongnye-la (4800m) Monastery (4500m) Zhamu (4460m) Kaji-la Jomda Nge-la Hwy Ronpo Sertsa Tengchen Monastery Tuoka-la (4640m) Riwoche Tsuglhakhang (4680m) Zong-la (4245m) Driru Gongsar Monastery (4481m) Nagchu Chayab 317 Tengchen Langtang Nyamaling Monastery Monastery Dragu Gele-la Pelyul (Baiyu) Monastery Lamutang Monastery Topa (4352m) Shala Jue'en Riwoche Reshe Rotung Monastery Jinkar Chamdo River) Monastery Train Line Chabi-la Qinghai-Lhasa Seya-la Nu Jiang (Salween Tsedru Dzonglho (4612m) Karo Monastery (4680m) Monastery See Ü Map (p145) SICHUAN Lhorong Nya-la (3465m) K H A M Kyitang K h a m Drayab Yushig Monastery Lang-la To Litang (97km); Tongkha (4572m) Chengdu (709km) Artsa Lhari ὄὄὄὄὄ Dri-chu (Jinsha 317 Jiang/Yangzi) To Damxung (10km); Yi'ong Kyidrup Monastery Nam-tso (76km); Tsangpo H Dza-chu (Mekong River) e Yangpachen (90km) Pomda Pomda n Drigung g Zar Gama-la crossroads d Til Monastery See Kongpo Region Map (p246) Tangmi (4618m) u a Batang Draksum-tso Lhorong n Drigung Qu Pelung Shel-la Jimda (4905m) Pasho Songdo Nyiba Katthar Thenthuk R Gyashing Lhorong Tashitse a (Songduo) 318 n Bahel (Namse) Monastery (4360m) 318 Druparong Medro-chu Gyamda Kongpo Gyala Bakhar Pomi Dzongsar g Bepa Lunang Pelri Sundzom Ngajuk-la e Markham Pa-la (Mi-la) Shol Gyamda Nyang-chuὄὄὄὄὄMonastery Dzogang Parlung Tsangpo Medro (5013m) Bayi (7151m) Yupu (4462m) Rongme Denpa Gongkar Rutok Dongda-la Juetu-la To Lhasa Nyingtri Namche Rawok (5008m) Buchu Barwa (3908m) (71km) Bönri Lhamo Monastery (7756m) Ngan-tso Rawok-tso Yu-chu Hong-la (4500m) Southern (4220m) La-tso Lamaling Sichuan-Tibet Hwy Temple Metok Tsetang Demu-la Nu Jiang (Salween River) Lhegu (4802m) Kyimpong Glacier Nang Yarlung TsangpoMiling Dzong Chongye Retob Kangri Lhegu Yanjing Gyatsa Xian ὄ(Kangri Karpo)ὄ (Brahmaputra River) Yarlung Tsangpo lonelyplanet.com Tsari (5735m) Kyigang Deqin Tsomei INDIA Dzayul ARUNACHAL PRADESH MYANMAR YUNNAN (BURMA) Kham ὄ allowed on buses. these tails oftails theroutes intotheregion from Zhongdian in Yunnan, see Zhongdian inYunnan,see p337 GAD (203KM) GYAMDA lonelyplanet.com Drigung Til (see p162 The first major stopafter to theturn-off make itthrough the region. with tent and food, permits, butself-sufficient tion changes (see p242 the maintowns,butunlesspermit situa- travelprivate minibuses manyof between and and Zhongdian(Y500),localbuses (Y100),Markhamto Chamdo,Bayi (Y340) ern route and southernroute, fromLhasa p337 see andNangchen. Fordetails, Yushu (Jyekundo) toRiwoche, viathetownsoffrom Qinghai into theregion isthenortheastern route (p267 chapter Routes FromSichuan theOverland see tang, Chengdu (Sichuan), viaeitherDerge orBa- tery ( p262 forexampletoTsedruthe mainroad, Monas- tospecifyinadvanceanydetoursportant off arranging anitinerarywithagency it’sim- of organising fairlyunusualtrips.When these share thecost of thecarcanbehardestpart Samye, costsaroundY6000.Findingothers to Xian,Tsetang Miling,Gyatsa tso, Bayi, and inDraksum- andback,taking toBayi Lhasa MEDRO GONGKARTOKONGPO The mostremote andleasttravelled route A surprisingnumberof cyclistswithout travel buses Long-distance thenorth- to ofFor details thetripfromLhasa old continuetohangonintheNyingtriregion. astating floodsdownstream inlowlandChina. ofancientcypresses Pockets upto2500years was formallybannedintheTibetan areas ofSichuanandYunnan in1998after aseriesofdev- the expeditionswere fundedbyforeign actually seedcompanies. fromeasternWest descendfromsamplestaken Tibet andneighbouringYunnan, andmanyof FM BaileyintheRong-chuValley in1913.Many oftherhododendronsandazaleasfoundin primula, nottomentionsuchrare flowersasthebluepoppy,discovered by theexplorer/spy flowers, burstingwith190speciesofrhododendrons,110typesgentiansand120 19th- and20th-centuryBritishplanthunters. FromMayonwardstheregion isariotofwild- all live inthetropicalandsubtropicalregions ofTibet’s southeastern borderlands. monals tragopans,pheasantsandHimalayan tahrs, Himalayan gorals, long-tailedleafmonkeys, Tibet’s largest concentrationofrare animalandplantspecies. Takins, red pandas,muskdeer, Warmer, wetter and more forested than anywhere elseinTibet, rangehides widevertical Kham’s WALK ONTHEWILDSIDE Overlogging isaseriousprobleminthetemperate forests ofeastern Tibet, thoughlogging Eastern Tibet isalsoabotanicalpowerhouseandearlyonattracted theattention ofintrepid . ) and Lhegu )andLhegu Glacier ( p254 ). EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) •• Medro Gongkar toKongpoGyamda(203km) Gongkar (KHAM) ••Medro TIBET EASTERN )is )you’llbeluckyto Rutok , intheupper .Forde- ). neries it’s welltended. Apath(a30-minute Likeand King TrisongDetsen. mostnun- chapel housinganimage of GuruRinpoche the northof nunsandasmall town, haseight decent range of accommodation. Thetownhasa tospendthenight. and need town, unless youget fromLhasa alate start There’s littlereason tostopinthismodern % 工布江达 13km to Kongpo Gyamda. into theYi’ong Tsangpo Valley. From here it’s branches north fromhere over themountains caravan trail,which the oldLhasa–Chamdo Gyamda Shol stopon wasonceanimportant Demo. Kongtsun of thelocalprotectorconsider ittheseat deity and toppedwitharhododendron bush.Locals dle of Nyang-chu, covered withprayerflags a huge, photogenic boulderstuckinthemid- rock carving while five-minute excursion uptoahillside lage of Nyiba,arickety bridge offers a worth- About 65kmafter thepass,justbefore thevil- before windingdowntoSongdo(Songduo). Pa-laviews fromthehigh (5013m;Mi-la), day trek toLhamo ( La-tso p179 Itisalsothetrailheadforsix- teahouses. the hillsidenorthof Tibetan townandseveral Medro-chu Valley, which hasamonastery on KNP GAD GYAMDA KONGPO From Rutoktheroadclimbstoimpressive Five kilometres further,thevillage of A further13kmdownstream bringsyouto The 0894 /pop4500elev3400m Kathok Nunnery Kathok of Sakyamuni (Sakya Thukpa). , located inthehillsto  ).

245 EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) (KHAM) TIBET EASTERN EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) This isprobably thebestbudget option,with te nunnery. the flags; ittakes 45 minutes to walkthere from as good. The Qingquan Bathhouse ( as good.The QingquanBathhouse side street; theoldoneon themainstreet isn’t downasmall is the‘new’grain guesthouse, inthecorners(and worse) of therooms.This quently, ifatall,so expectpilesof cigarette ash attached squattoilet.Roomsare cleanedinfre- decent dormbedsinroomsthatcome withan 所 Guesthouse Grain Department Eating & Sleeping town. Grain DepartmentGuesthouse. 话网吧 small forested which hasa Mountain, Baripo theoldquarterthrough tooffer fine views. climbingsomesteps andweavingGuesthouse, just tothenorthof theGrainDepartment walk) leadsuptothenunneryfromplaza 246 (Namse) Bahel Lhasa (250km) Gyamda (43km); To Kongpo KONGPO REGION The PSB isattheeastern office endof You canget onlineatthe The nunneryisbacked byacleftinthe ;

Shoka Liangshiju XinZhaodaisuo; ATR IE KA) • ogoGad (KHAM) ••KongpoGyamda TIBET EASTERN hermitage Xiuba ; perhrY3; Tsomjuk Guru RinpocheCave Bepa 6200m Buru Monastery marked byfluttering prayer Tsodzong

h To Tsetang Nyang-chu (300km) 24 hr) Draksum-tso Jom

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136-2894 9804;dmY20) 粮食局新招待 6750m

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Pelri Bayi

(4500m) Bönri Sigyal Monastery hot showers forY6. from the eastof town. (Y30) whenfull depart forBayi Minibuses 8am fromKongpo Gyamda’smainstreet. BusStation. Eastern Lhasa’s (Y60, fourhours, 8am)departs daily from Abus Kongpo Gyamdais277kmfromLhasa. Getting There&Away below theGrainDepartmentGuesthouse. restaurants. There’s agood Tibetan teahouse street towardsthegovernment offices. and hotwater It’sdownaside intheevenings. with soft carpets,Western-style bathrooms plush placeopenedin2006asthebesttown, 店 bank. ously nasty.It’sinacourtyardfrontof a the shared toiletattheendof thehallisseri- good qualitybedsbutthere’s noshower and d Y30-60) Takdrugtse Monastery 浴 Serkhym-la Yungdrungling Huating Kangsha Dajiudian Huating Kangsha Zhaodaisuo Yinye (4582m) Buses to Lhasa (Y50toY80)leave atabout toLhasa Buses The mainstreet islinedwithSichuanese ; QingquanLinyu)acrosstheroadoffers ; Langmulin Monastery Tamnyang

% Yi'ong Tsangpo Yi'ong Lunang Roomsonthe3rdfloorare cleanwith 541 3111;dY380,discountedtoY130;

Nyima-la Rong-chu Kongpo Lapsen Tongjuk Yigong Mt Gyala Pe ( 银叶招待所; Yigong-tso Pelung Gyala Pelri (7151m) 20miles 30km 0 0 Doshong-la (4115m) Namche Barwa Tsangpo Gorges (7756m) (

Tangmi 华庭康厦大酒

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Yarlung Tsangpo Yarlung Tsangpo Great Bendof

To Pomi(45km);

% Tsangpo a 541 2541; Metok Chamdo (300km) This ) Jixiang lonelyplanet.com hoofprint horse. of Thesteps tothe Gesar’s of tobeastone themonastery is whatsaid –see astery nearBayi p250 Rinpoche Mon- (nowresident atLamaling lama DudjomRinpoche and hissonChuni tion, before beingrestored bythefamous local by RedGuardsduringtheCultural Revolu- werestatues actuallyshot andthenburned Demo, alocalprotector, onhorseback. The Chenresig (Avalokiteshvara) andKongtsun Rinpoche of andsmallerstatues Sakyamuni, ofhas statues awrathfulandpeacefulGuru Lingpa inthe14thcentury.Themainchapel of floraandasprinkleof holysights. island isanorganic fusionof dozensof types genic thesouthernshore. islandjustoff The a smallNyingmapachapel sited onaphoto- Tsodzong Monastery your travel permits. and atthehotel bythelake willwanttosee and 4kmbefore of thelake. PSB officers here at atollgate atBahel, 33km pasttheturn-off tohavesaid resided atthelake. Rinpoche, the Indiansage, bothof whomare rulerofsemimythical eastern Tibet, andGuru of Ling,the has strongconnectionstoGesar and itssurrounding6000mpeaks,thesite beautyofHwy. Apartfromthesheer thelake theSichuan–Tibet41km one-waydetouroff anda isalongday’sdrivenese), fromLhasa inChi- depending onthedialect(Basongcuo as andPasum-tso,Draksum-tso, Bagsum-tso This beautifulalpinelake, knownvariously elev 3470m DRAKSUM-TSO The monastery wasfoundedbySangye The highlight of thelakeThe highlight isthecharming A Y50entrancefee tothearea ispayable brocade formen(knownasa strangerstostealroutinely drugunsuspecting theirsouls. been vilifiedbycentralTibetan rulersasalandofincestandpoison,whoseinhabitants would Tibet. oftheearlyYarlung Aformerkingdom andrivaltoLhasa,Kongpohasforcenturies kings The Kongpo region isculturally,ecologically andlinguisticallyquite fromtherest distinct of REGION KONGPO of prisonsandgulags,somewhichare stillinuse. years ago,duringtheCulturalprecedent. Revolution,Kongpowashometoavastnetwork Forty here bytheChinesetoprotect ecosystems attheupperreaches oftheYangzi. The planhassome Some ofthesenewvillageswere builttosettlenewcomersfromtheeastern borderlands,moved over 290,000people–10%ofTibet’s population–were moved intonewhomesacrossTibet. dieu The distinctive traditionalKongpodress features aroundhatwithanupturnedrimofgolden Kongpo is now the scene of a large-scale resettlementKongpo isnowthesceneofalarge-scale andrebuilding program.In2006alone ) forwomen.Menandwomenwearbrownwoollentunics,belted aroundthewaist. EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) ••Draksum-Tso TIBET EASTERN  (TheFortress intheLake),  ).Inthecorner gyasha

巴松措 ) andapretty pillbox hatwithwingededges(knownasa o Ling. of recite legends connecting themtoGesar to themas emptyandentryless.Localsreferthey stand theenigmatic towerspurpose were built– scrambling. No-onequite knowsforwhat towers, which canbereached with a bitof up tothelake three 12-sidedstone passes tall facilities. tions are underwayformore hotels andtourist of touristsandprepara- mainlandChinese Draksum-tso isvery popularwithbusloads away someof thecharm of thelowervalley. thatwilldoubtlesstaketric powerstation, the valley,spurred onbyanewhydroelec- boat foraone-hourlake tour(Y400). the islandisY25perperson oryoucanhire the kora views of tothenorth.Atwo-day themountains furthertoTsongoor even village forthe best couple of hours eastalongthesouthshore independent exploration.Youcouldwalka permithasslesgenerallythough impedemuch for hikes aroundthelake andupsidevalleys, point over thelake. There’s plentyof scope wooden boardwalksclimbuptoafineview- tree leaves whose bearmagicalsymbols. treasury of theKarmapa, atiger printanda site, anunderground a‘body print’of Gesar, toresemblesaid aconch horn,asky-burial hard-to-discern holysites, includingatree many circuit) aroundthemonastery passes male andfemale fertility symbols. monastery are flanked byancient-looking Massive isunderwayin development A smallkora(ritualcircumambulation About 12kmfromthe junction,theroad Just tothewestof thelake byasmallpass, ringsthelake. Amotorboattriparound dudkhang (demons’ houses) and (demons’houses)

247 EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) (KHAM) TIBET EASTERN EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) beds incosybutbasicwoodenroomsabove a 旅馆 Y100-120, dY240) % BAYI another 6kmtoTsodzong island. Tsomjuk Mouth).Theroadcontinues (Lake’s at The lake comes intoview35kmfromBahel takes youpast thefirst of thestonetowers. thenewdam site.road passes Afurther20km for thePangri Jokpahermitage. After 4kmthe look onthecliff, high Ontheright, Namse). Bridge (alsoknownas atBahel main highway The roadtoDraksum-tsobranches the off Getting There&Away Tibetans spurnforreligious reasons. fish restaurants,lined withChinese-run which 浴 places intown,aswellapublicshower restaurant. There are otherequallybasic several to Draksum-tso. on theSichuan–Tibet Hwyneartheturn-off restaurant here. rooms can’tbelocked. There’s aTibetan-style style roomswithprivate bathrooms.Most butoverpricedin comfortable portacabin- 度假村 the lake. a fee of Y100 forcampinganywhere around Local officialstrytoforceforeigners topay Eating & Sleeping claustrophobic oroverweight. the scramble. It’snotanexcursion forthe there are acoupleof hairymomentsduring up thehillside. Take atorch andmuch care, as asmallopeningfurther to thesurfacethrough cave wooden walkwaysleaduptoa reign of Gampo(r630–49). Songtsen magnificent towers are todate fromthe said Sichuan–Tibet atXiuba. highway Thefive sion Y10) 248 Draksum Lake Tourism Holiday Village Tourism Draksum Lake of aseries A further7kmtowardsBayi, A more accessiblecollectionof inferno. the inferno, is the through andBayi you haveTo get toparadise togo village, (Namse) atBahel It’s possibletostay ; linyu,Y5) 0894 /pop60,000elev2990m , which returning pilgrimscrawlthrough, ATR IE KA) • ai (KHAM) ••Bayi TIBET EASTERN  ; BasonghuLüguan; stands 7km east of Bahel, onthemain 7kmeastof stands Bahel, Hamid Sardar, quoted by Michael  ; BasongCuoDujiaCun; McCrae, and an internet café. The junction is and aninternet café.Thejunctionis Thissimpleresort offers beds

Draksum Dromkhang TheSiege of Shangri-la 八一 % 0894-541 3419;dmY20) % 0894-541 3508;dm Guru Rinpoche Guru Rinpoche towers (

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249 A2 A2 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A2 A3 A3 A2 A2 A2 A2 A3 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B3 B3 B3 B3 B2 B2 B3 B3 EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) (KHAM) TIBET EASTERN EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) Lu) buses every otherdaytoChamdo(Y240,two every buses h in frontof theKangfuyuan Dajiudian for teahouses 2d floor 2nd h ancient Gelugpa monastery ofancient Gelugpa Buchu (Bujiu Some 28km southof isthesmallbut Bayi Monastery Buchu BAYI AROUND foreigners. by to Chengdu(Y1510),butit’srarely used flightof nearMiling,hasaweekly Bayi Pomi (Y80toY100, five hours). Cruisers to Lunang (Y30),anddailyLand has frequent toNyingtri(Y7)and microbuses beside the Post Hotel. ling (Y10)andMiling(Y25)departfrom toPe(Y25). Private minibuses (Y50),Lama- Kongpo Gyamda(Y30,130km)andMiling Xian; Y105,7.30am), via Miling. One busadayrunstoNangDzong(Lang days), Chengdu(Y510)andMarkham (Y340). until 3pm)departfrom buying a ticket. foreignerstion, though have might troubles BusSta- East depart frequently fromLhasa’s hours) (Y80toY100,seven toBayi Buses Getting There&Away Store Lebailong Department Kodak Express Toread main producemarket issouthof the canal. Luisthemainshoppingdrag.The Xianggang Shopping locals. waltzing song-and-dance routinesandstone-faced, (entertainment club)funwithcomedyacts, Nongma Shangri-la Entertainment Dajiudian. Kangfuyuan 250 ad batteries and 布久寺 sleeping bagsand outdoor gear , inthesouthwestof town.There are also There are othersmall several A car park near the New Century Hotel A carparkneartheNewCentury leavePrivate minibuses whenfullfrom A taxi anywhereA taxi intowncostsY10. The newNyingtri(Linzhi)airport, south (Y60toY80,hourly backtoLhasa Buses 9.30am-10pm) There’s a good supermarket onthe 9.30am-10pm) There’s agoodsupermarket 9pm-4am) ATR IE KA) • rudBy (KHAM) ••AroundBayi TIBET EASTERN (Tanluzhe; (Tanluzhe;

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temple. of Thegroundfloorhasastatue stunning TempleLamaling Si). (Lamaning branches themainroadto 4km westoff About 1.5kmsouthof Buchu apaved road Temple Lamaling monastery. timeless each corner. Alovely korapathsurroundsthe che Kailash, Barwa, Tsari andKawa Karpo on which depictsthesacred of mountains Nam- Upstairs isacheesy, modern3-Dmandala, Shantarakshita andKingTrisongDetsen. ity of GuruRinpoche, theIndiantranslator in theleftcorner. isthetrin- these Behind resig (Avalokiteshvara), Gampo withSongtsen and KongtsunDemointhe left corner. of small statues theprotectors Lekpa Dorje a large Jampa (Maitreya), andthere are two formofstanding and GuruRinpoche (right) ofwheel life). of Themainhallhas statues the onhorseback, nexttothe(in thefarright including theKongpodeityKongtsunDemo by unusualmuralsof protector gods, several its striking golden roof. elbow.Themonastery isrecognisableright by duing temples ( p105 GampoasoneofSongtsen thedemoness-sub- when itwasbuiltatthecommandof King corner. Thechapel above statues thishouses withfour protectorlevel chapels ineach leadsuptoamezzaninebehind thealtar protector Tseumar totheleft.Apassageway foot!) andpuppet-likeright images of the of (curiously,boththe theguruonaltar Guru Rinpoche, withtwostonefootprints Don’t get tooclose: they buck. from Tsodzong Monastery atDraksum-tso. hereto afew goatsbrought dolefulmountain beads. Thegrassycourtyardinfrontishome strands of cannonball-sized woodenprayer Monastery. Thebuildingisdrapedinlong storeys, of bringingtomindtheÜtse Samye four through tion beganin1989)andrises wonderfullyrestoredhas been (reconstruc- 100 monks and nuns. his son-in-lawChuniRinpoche andhasover the Nyingmaorder. Itisnowlooked after by jom Rinpoche (1904-87),theformerheadof ofThe monastery theexiledDud- wastheseat 喇嘛宁寺 Si). Theoriginaldates fromthe7thcentury, Take offbefore yourshoes entering the of statues Chen- houses The innersanctum The entrancetothemainchapel isflanked The octagonal main Zangtok Pelri mainZangtok The octagonal temple );itpinsthedemoness’  lonelyplanet.com

admission Y5) cred asprawlingmassif where mountain, statue statue of Öpagme. (Vajrapani). Thetop-floor chapel a contains Jampelyang (Manjushri) andChanaDorje of Chenresig (Avalokiteshvara), flanked by lonelyplanet.com Bön founder TonpaShenrab andde- fought Bönri istheBön( p70 Bönri to thePSB office. Permitless travellers should knowthatit’snext caretaker swepther armacrossthehorizon. When weasked where thebathroom,was youaremiserable; inBayi. better staying off Zhaodaisuo; Pagyi (Bajie) village. (admission Y20) out foragroupof 2500-year-old direction.in ananticlockwise Shenrab. Remembertovisitthemonastery shrine dedicated totheBönfounderTonpa manicured courtyardincludesasmallside juniper tree thatissacred toBönpos.The 50 monks,isfamousforits2000-year-old of Nichi’. Thesmallmonastery, hometo ‘ClassicalElegancewooden signthatsays southwest of atthenew Nyingtri.Turn right actually thecountycapital. 18kmaway,butis much smallerthanBayi, This two-street is town(LinzhiinChinese) % Nyingtri on aclothabove thedoor. quake. LookoutfortheSakyamunifootprint before it wasdestroyedin1930anearth- TempleRi, where the originalLamaling stood minutes (followtheprayerflags)toNorbu and thenwindsupthehillsideforabout40 an atmosphericprayer-flag-draped chörten leads off fromthecornerof thecarparkto main temple. circumambulate boththisbuildingandthe ing hischaracteristic Pilgrims sunglasses. more images of DudjomRinpoche wear- nated byahuge of statue Sakyamuniand days of each lunarmonth.Thehallisdomi- are held, onthe10th,15thand25th services hall,whereis theassembly mostreligious The othermainbuilding,totheright, Neche GoshogMonastery If youwanttostretch yourlegs,atrail The roomsatthe andNyingtrilook Bayi En route between 0894 /pop3100elev2900m   %  isasmallBönmonastery 1km  justnorthof near thehighway 589 2340;dmY20) EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) •• Nyingtri ToPomi(220km) (KHAM) ••Nyingtri TIBET EASTERN

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diso fee. admission 1km later, butwithout thetourgroups orthe forested views thesame valleybelow.Get (admission Y10)leads tofineviewsover the (7756m) andGyalaPelri (7151m). views of shark-toothed MtNamche Barwa Onacleardaythere are La). dramatic (Seji of thekora)andupto4582m of theBönrikora(prayerflagsmarkend up theforested hillside,pastthefinalsections anauspicioustiger seeing monks decidedtobuildatemple here after ‘tiger pawprints’onit.Longago,legend says, alarge contains sanctuary centralstonewith Monastery walk (alongamotorable road)to into avillage fromwhere itisa3kmuphill kilometres outof townasideroadturnsright forestthrough intheshadowof Bönri.A few From Nyingtritheroadheadseastandclimbs (220KM) POMI TO NYINGTRI both of themonasteries onanicedaytrip. continue downtoYungdrungling,visiting sible tohike fromNyingtritoSigyaland then guide oraskvillagers fordirections. It’spos- and thenhike anhourfromthere). Take a down theroadtoYungdrunglingMonastery (alternatively, youcandrive partof theway Monastery and water-driven prayerwheels. monastery hidesomelovely ruinedchörtens ing aRubik’scube?).Theruinsbehindthe iconography (wasitusorisonedeityhold- tovisitorseven whoare ofhas aseries godsthatwillbeunfamiliar 1.5km upasidevalley.Themainmonastery (take theleftforkearlyon)andthenanother 7km southof Nyingtrialong amotorableroad monasteries is for babies. tumulus, a9th-centurystele andacemetery Tonpa Shenrab, aswellanancientburial manysites connectedday. Thekorapasses to climbing tothe4500mBönri-laonsecond direction. inananticlockwise mambulate themountain pilgrims comefromallover Tibet tocircu- Bönpo feated hisarch-rival Lagring. Khyabpa ing ontherock. The full60kmkoratakes twoorthree days, About 7km pastthepass,ashort walkway The otheraccessible Bön site here is The mosteasilyvisited of thekora’sBön The mainroadtowardsPomiswitchbacks , anotherBönpilgrimage site. The , atwo-hourhike fromNyingtri Taktse Yungdrungling Monastery au fait tak (tiger) crouch- withBuddhist Serkhym-la Serkhym-la Takdrugtse Sigyal 251

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EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) (KHAM) TIBET EASTERN EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) across fromthePSB office. Theplumbingis northern endof themainstreet, diagonally gets warmer, the insects getgets louderandyou warmer,theinsects main landslidearea begins.Fromhere theair suspension bridge. endsthe Whenthetarmac erside aphotogenic andafter 40kmpasses From Lunangtheroaddescendstoriv- posite the Lulang Binguan. are alsoavailable above thisrestaurant op- % (avoid theground-floor rooms). butroomsare andclean a bitiffy comfortable dm Y20-25,dY140) ginalised in Lunang. mar- totally local Tibetan communityseems 鸡 speciality pricey Sichuanese Han upthe restaurants, Chinese which serve (openweekends only)andseveral bathhouse surrounding valleyisperfect for camping. tothenorth.The views of MtKongpoLapsen found inneighbouring There Bhutan. are fine held inplacewithstones,similartothose lovely villages sporttraditionalwoodenroofs townoflogging dron bushesintotheRong-chu Valley andthe gorgeous alpinevalleyslinedwithrhododen- theroaddescendspast From theSerkhym-la % Lunang 252 Lnn t Pomi to Lunang Lulang Tese Shaguo Lulang Binguan Lunang hasaPSB anext-door office, Bend fromthebridge nearPelung (see above are allowed totrek betweenPe totheBig andGyala;theother mainaccesspointisthehike area istightly monitored bythePLAandgettingpermitsis very difficult.Chinesetourgroups ards, red tigersand virgin pandas, muskdeer,monkeys, forests. River.Brahmaputra point theriver narrowstoamere 20m,before bursting outintotheAssamese plainasthevast of 5382m(almostthree timesthedepthofGrandCanyon), withalengthof496km.At one Gyala Pelri toweringover thegorge eithersideofthegorge, records only27kmapart, adepth Chinese scientistsclaimistheworld’sdeepestgorge. With7756mNamcheBarwaand7151m Tsangpo adramaticU-turnandcrashesover makes falls,throughwhat aseriesofspectacular Hidden deep behindthemountainssouthandeastof Sichuan–Tibet Hwy,theswollen Yarlung GORGES TSANGPO THE environmental, socialandpolitical consequences forTibet, China, India andBangladesh. stationontheriver,edly hasplanstobuild ahugehydroelectric amove thatwouldhave significant ; stone-potchicken; Y80toY160).The 589 3018;dmY25) 0894 /pop3000elev3400m ATR IE KA) • yntiT oi(2k) ToPomi(220km) (KHAM) ••Nyingtri TIBET EASTERN A few Western explorers have trekked throughtheregion (see p16 The region remains oneoftheworld’sleastexplored cobras,leop- areas, andishometoking You mayneedtohurry. WhiletheChinesegovernment publiclyinsistsotherwise, Beijingreport-   The best place to stay isatthe Thebestplacetostay

Lunang Beds insimpletriplerooms Beds

鲁郎 ( 鲁郎宾馆

(Lulang). Thevalley’s ( 鲁郎特色砂锅 shiguoji ; % 589 9108; ( 石锅 ; ). a fineplaceforpicnic. chuan–Tibet Hwy(ataround2000m)andis Rivers. Thismarksthelowestpartof theSi- tion of theRong-chu andParlung Tsangpo trail for40minutes downtothefoamingjunc- four-day trek, it’sstillworthfollowingthe adventurous backpackers. Chinese this trek, it’sincreasingly though popularwith the ticket Few seller). foreigners have made Bridge andnearthebendatZhaqu(check with Y30) isavailable 30kmdownthetrackatYumei guide. Dormitoryaccommodation(Y20to posit andY100perdayforamandatoryMonpa Y80 foranentryfee, Y400asarefundable de- zangbu Daguaiwan).Trekkers topayup need the Yarlung Tsangpo (one-way) trek downriver tothe pension bridge of marksthestart the40km Monpa communityof conditions inLunangbefore off. setting soit’sbesttocheck during therainyseason, Roadwashoutsare logical instability. common around here are testament totheregion’s geo- in subtropicalfog.Theplentifulhotsprings by numerouslandslidesandare often hidden bends andsheer drops.Thehillsidesare scarred after Tangmi, are loadedwithtreacherous the toweringcliffsides. have theskybetween tocraneyourheadsee waterfall before crossing abridge atthespot river adrainpipe-straight junctionandpasses If youdon’thave timeforthethree- or The main highway swingsnorthaboveThe mainhighway the Around 56kmfromLunang,justpastthe The next17kmtoTangmi, andthe10km ( ),butthestrategic border 雅鲁藏布大拐弯 Pelung , poiet sus- prominent a , lonelyplanet.com Great Bend of Bendof Great ; Yalu- Tongmai) hasacoupleof simplebutdecent by alandslidein1900.Tea isproducedin ning buthard-to-reach lake thatwascreated up tothe poor-quality sideroadheads23kmnorthwest where theYi’ong Tsangpo joinsthevalley.A lonelyplanet.com Lüguan. h Yuandatou Linyu Information time.enough for exploringthenearbyvalleys,if youhave is stupendousandthere isplentyof scope is aneyesore butthesurroundingscenery Thetownitself cal placetospendthenight. hotels andrestaurants, makingitthelogi- haswell-stockedcapital shops andseveral Formerly calledTramo,thisbustlingcounty % POMI surrounds onfoot. to abandonthecarforawhileandexplore the tourof thisisoneplace Cruiser Kham, Land torush out ofneed here. Ifyouare onahired good-condition roadtoPomi,sothere isno monastery, atthefootof aforested knoll. also excellentriverside camping8kmwestof the will pointoutadecentcampingsite. There’s here,house but if youhave atent themonks Kangmi range. mountain There isnoguest- knoll above theriver, overlooked bythespiky Chöling; 2680m),stunninglylocated onagrassy old Gampo.Songtsen hernewhusbandKing 7th centurytomeet inthe as Powo,duringherjourneytoLhasa tohaveis said inthedistrict,known stayed increasingly spectacular. PrincessWencheng tlements return andthescenerybecomes Parlung Tsangpo Valley, pinetrees andset- truck fromthemire. August 1969–10diedtryingtodragtheir builders whowere trappedinamudslide the As youenter townfromthewestlookfor Jiudian guesthouse-restaurants, includingthe this area. As mainroadheadsupthe thetarmac From LunangtoPomiis160km. From themonastery it’sjust35kmalonga Some 64kmfromTangmi isthe800-year- Just 3kmpastthejunction, 8am-midnight) Bathhouse next totheJiaotong 8am-midnight) Bathhousenext 0894 /pop11,000elev2740m Bakhar Monastery Bakhar monument 

( 光辉酒店 . Yigong-tso dedicated toagroupof road ( EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) ••Pomi TIBET EASTERN 袁大头淋浴 (elevation 2150m),astun- (elevation ; (also called Orgyen Sanga (alsocalledOrgyen Sanga % 0894-542 3320;dmY20-25) Tangmi ; showerY5; ( 通麦 Guanghui . ; % has buses every otherday toChamdo(Y160) every has buses at thewestern endofThe bus station town Getting There& Away ens of simple restaurants.Sichuanese markets inthecentre of town,aswelldoz- tre of town. the sidestreet thatbranches northinthecen- hot-water Western-style bathrooms.It’sup the spaciousroomsare carpeted andhave Amazingly plush consideringwhere youare, Zhamucun Lu; d/trY288/368,discountedtoY200/260; tothebridge toDodungMonastery.close nings. Itislocated atthewestendof town, private bathroomshave hotwater intheeve- counted toY120) opposite thebridge. which isagooddeal.Itabove someshops you payperbedintheroomswithbathroom, has awiderange of roomsandwilloften let name,thisrecentlythe same renovated place withthelargerto beconfused nearbyhotel of s/d withoutbathroomY30/40,dwithY80-128) Jiaotong Lüguan Eating & Sleeping rickshawfromPomicostsaroundY10. wheel hill intothemonastery compound.Athree- fork. Adirtroadcontinuesupthebackof the posite theJiaotongLüguanandtake theright the roadbridge over theParlung Tsangpo, op- complex. makeprayer wheels) uptherest of thelovely eral lovely mani photos of thesixthTaksam Rinpoche. Sev- Monastery (see p262 Themonastery isabranchtayus). of Chayab as wellGuruRinpoche andTsepame (Ami- depicting thelife storyof twoformsof Gesar, a flaccidsnake (it’safake). Upstairs are murals acollectionofright, valley. Themainprayerhallincludes,tothe astery bank of theriver, isthetranquil Around 6kmwestof Pomi,ontheopposite Sights Kuaile Wangba the centralsquare. bytheXinhuaBookstore, near Internet caféinacourtyard 542 3040;dY60-80,trY80,withbathroomY280,dis- There are acoupleof well-stocked super- Zhongxing Binguan Jiaotong Dajiudian To reach themonastery fromPomi,cross , set onapine-cladhilloverlooking, set the Adecentoption,theroomswith ( ( 快乐网吧 交通旅馆 lhakhangs ( 交通大酒店

( cham )andsothere are some 众兴宾馆 (dance) masks and (dance)masksand (buildings holding (buildingsholding ; perhrY5; ; % 542 2798;dmY20, ; Dodung Mon- % ; TrafficHotel; h 542 3338; 24hr) Not 253 a

) EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) (KHAM) TIBET EASTERN EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) occasional bodypart(wefound ahumanskull and noodle joints,not tomentionthe houses The shortmaindrag isstrewn withguest- of afrontier outpost,butwithoutthecharm. hastheramshackleandtemporary feel Rawok % RAWOK and picnickingspotsby the lake. There areRawok-tso). wonderfulcamping and Ngan-tsoare commonlyreferred toas beachessandy of Ngan-tso(bothRawok-tso your first magicalviewsof thebluewaters and ble downalmosttotheroadside. Yousoonget glaciers alpineroute,on thishigh whose tum- Valley. There are stunningsidevalleys several climbs fromSundzomuptheParlung Tsangpo the Cultural Revolution. monastery thatwashometo200monks before Temple (43kmeastof Pomi),a15th-century The valley’scentrepiece isthesmallSundzom ley, surroundedbysnow-covered mountains. emerging SundzomVal- atthespectacular forests intheshadowof peaksuntil craggy pineFrom Pomitheroadwindsthrough chartered for other destinations. Y100),butcanbe (perseat 9am) andBayi main square runtoYigong Y100, (perseat former costsY80.Share parked jeeps bythe or Chengdu(Y450).AridetoPasho onthe 254 PM T RWK (131KM) RAWOK TO POMI The conditionof theroaddeteriorates asit Tibet inthe1950s. Pemako whentheChineseinvadedeastern secution orfamine. fledto ManyKhampas protection intimesofwar,religious per- the attained insuchplaces,and,somecases, terton (in thiscaseitwasthe17thcentury)by ings), toberediscovered atasuitabletime Guru Rinpoche as Guru Rinpoche get tothehiddenlandswere written by in timesofdanger. Guidebooksonhowto toprovideGuru Rinpoche hiddenretreats thatwereHimalaya rendered invisibleby ‘hidden lands’scattered throughoutthe of Pomiisa The lotus-shapedPemako region south LANDS HIDDEN TIBET’S 0895 /pop2900elev3880m ATR IE KA) • oiT ao 11m (131km) (KHAM) ••PomiToRawok TIBET EASTERN Spiritual realisation issaidtobeeasily beyul (treasure seekers).   also act as sanctuaries providing assanctuaries alsoact beyul 然乌 terma (or pelyul (concealedteach- ), oneof16 admission Y20, parking Y10) admission Y20, parking so popular, in fact, that you might findyour-so popular, infact,thatyou might leads intothewarren fromthenorthendof The pricierroomshere comewithabathroom Binguan; basic plywood rooms upstairs. mentioned here, mostof therestaurants offer ther of thetwolakes. Apartfromtheplaces clear, thebestoptionistocamparoundei- PomiandPasho.between Iftheweatheris enroute isthelogicalplacetostay Rawok Eating & Sleeping tourists, whocometowatch the sunrise. a picnic.It’spopularlocationforChinese views The here are excellentandit’sagreat placefor Rawok-tso . lake, second the to 6km thesideroadsoutheastforaround and taking (see below full of woodenplatformsfor drying barley. southeast of town.Thesurrounding fieldsare and smalltemple overlooking thelake inthe tothelargeway through chörten, maniwall strip.Fromhere youcanworkyour the Rawok so get here earlytoscore a hotel bed. popular stopover overlanders, withChinese isanincreasinglythe nearbylakes. Rawok and there are opportunitiesforwalkingto Still, thesurroundingsceneryisspectacular lying ignored inthegutter afew years back). to the is The mostpopular excursion fromRawok RAWOK AROUND from Pasho. is meagrehitch. Traffic at best. you haven’t organised atour you’llhave to soif There’s nopublictransporttoRawok, Getting There&Away right. the of and theTibetan theroad restaurants on restaurantsChinese ontheleft-handside form of culinaryapartheidexists,withthe the shared squattoilets are filthy. kets here, butit’sstilloverpriced, especiallyas Wooden floors, decentbedsandelectricblan- access. internet but noshower. It’stheonlyplaceintownwith Rawok is131kmfromPomiand92km Rawok Binguan Ranwu Even ifyou’re Glacier notboundforLhegu The oldtownisworthawander. Aroad Government Guesthouse Government Rawok haslotsof simpleplacestoeat.A Rawok Lhegu Glacier % 456 2666;dY80,trwithoutbathroomY50; ),it’sworthheadingnorthof town

( ( 然乌宾馆 来古冰川 , 31km from Rawok. It’s , 31kmfrom Rawok.

( 政府宾馆 lonelyplanet.com ; ;

Laigu Binchuan; r Y160; ; Zhengfu Zhengfu h i )

) the north,RetobKangri (Kangri Karpo). To of to theiceflowishiddenbymountain it tumblesintoapicturesque lake, butmost isimpressive,glacier itself especiallybecause the bestalongentire southernroad.The main drawisthestunningscenery,someof tourists.The racingaconvoyofself Beijing lonelyplanet.com makes foragood overnight stop. moderntown that is apleasant (Baima), Pasho formerlyknownasPema (Basu), % PASHO reds, reminiscent of orArizona. Utah to rockypurplesand colour fromaridkhakis As theroad descends,thelandscapechanges arealong thissection particularlycharming. Tashitse. Thetraditionalwhitewashed villages for theruined further westistheruinedYarlo Monastery. on thelookoutfordogshere. Onthehillside Monastery.west leadstotheactive Be Lhorong breaks withthelocals.A20-minute walktothe toallocateneed extratimeforyak-butter tea astery. Thisisavery friendlyvillage andyou’ll outside) andthefort-like Mon- ruinsof Ramo (recognisable sheep bythestuffed khang Lha- which hasthesmallSangha Dzongsar, detouring 2kmwesttothelovely village of flowingintoSoutheastAsia.and theSalween, waters of theBrahmaputra,flowingintoIndia, pass alsomarksthewatershed the between Tsangpo Valley plateau. ontothearidhigh The dramatic step upfromthesubtropicalParlung Ngajuk-la (Anju-la;4462m),which marksa mads’ campsandasmallazure lake tothe theroadclimbsnorthpastno- From Rawok RAWOK TOPASHO(90KM) on thisroad. anmar (Burma).Foreigners are notallowed region just20kmfromMy- of Dzayul(Zayu), on toPasho intheafternoon. possible tovisittheglacierandthencontinue it’s ride ahorse forY20.Withanearlystart a 20-minute walkuptoviewsof theglacier,or road foranother15km.Fromthecarparkit’s dirt andfollowthisrough 16km fromRawok fork take theright the roadeasttoRawok-tso, hike alongthemoraineforanhourorso. get fullviewsyou’llhave tocrossastream and Back on the main road, some 26km later look onthemainroad,some26kmlater look Back Around 13kmfromthepass it’sworth The leftbranch continuesintotheborder follow To get totheglacierfromRawok, 0895 /pop3700 elev 3270m   dzong EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) •• Rawok toPasho (KHAM) ••Rawok (90km) TIBET EASTERN

八宿 (fort)above thevillage of 20, dY50) There’s awiderange of reasonably clean % te hotel. the out onthe mainstreet; asyouleave turn right early onthebus.There’s apublic shower (Y5) option butit’sfine ifyouarrive late ordepart the western endof town.It’s notthequietest rooms onoffer here hotel in atthebusstation are fukang awful. (Y5; open8.30amto11pm).Theshared toilets a publicshower blockinthefrontcourtyard arch thatrunstheplaceishelpfulandthere’s this isthebestbudget bet.TheTibetan matri- that comewithcarpetandsofa. Eitherway floor quadsorquieter upper-floor doubles Lüguan Fukang Eating & Sleeping Dawa festival ( p319 a-block withjovial pilgrimsduringtheSaga koraischock- valley. Theleisurely half-day west toPasho town,withfineviewsof thearid toaplateaumountainside andthendescends localpilgrims.Akoraleadsupthe to meet andisagreatyak-hide prayerwheels place chapel issurroundedbychörtens andancient is highway, of town. can drive here viathesturdierbridge west of town,acrossapedestrianbridge, oryou astery isa 25-minute walk fromthecentre weaponry.Themon- loaded witholdKhampa a floor contains made bycraftsmenfromChamdo. Thetop has alarge Jampa seated (Maitreya) statue trulku is thefuneralchörten of themonastery’s last ofMonastery. Totheright themain chapel Pakhpala whopaidfortherestoration of Neru is agovernment minister. Itwasthecurrent current inChamdo,whose incarnation based the throneof thePakhpala, areligious leader hours. Therenovated centralchapel holds worth avisitifyouhave acoupleof spare is On thenorthwestern outskirtsof thetown Activities & Sights Wangyuan Wangba Information ment Hotel. hr) Internetcafédownasidestreet oppositetheGovern- Neru Monastery Jiaotong Binguan About 4kmeastof town,besidethemain 465 2235;dmY20-30,sY40,dwithbathroom Y160) (reincarnated lama) andthebackroom Thechoice here ground- isbetween Dola Monastery

( 富康旅馆 , a Gelugpa monastery that’s , aGelugpa gönkhang ( 网缘网吧

). ( 交通宾馆 (protector chapel) ; . Theolderlower % ; perhrY3; 456 2581;dmY15- ; TrafficHotel; h 255 24

EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) (KHAM) TIBET EASTERN EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) the Jiaotong Binguan. Y50/60) monastic dress codesand the hall hasexcellentmurals depicting assembly to 90monks.The mainentryhallwayof the rebuilt 1984and 1988.Itisnowhome between back 360years but wasdestroyedin1959and the edge of awidevalley. lovely village andmonastery of at Pomda,set Pomda is 97km. Pasho between and noon.Thedistance and hereChamdo passthrough 11am between 宾馆 and 越大酒店 cluding the restaurants here, andgoodguesthouses in- to Markham ( p279 southern Sichuan–Tibet Hwybranches off 达 scends 13kmtothePomdacrossroads( any motorable pass in Tibet. singlealtitudegainofmaking thisthehighest up tothe4618m of anepicseries 72switchbacksand starts you exit).Theroadleaves Valley theSalween grim trackontheothersideof theriver as into ashort tunnel (lookfortheancientpil- River)(Nu Jiang,orSalween anddisappears From here abridge leadsacrosstheNgul-chu check onroadconditionsbefore off. setting is particularlysusceptibletolandslides,so Thestretch ofLadakh. road32kmfromPasho villages andchörtens reminiscent of in those From Pasho picturesque theroadeastpasses PASHO TOCHAMDO(270KM) costs charter toRawok around Y150. Aone-way full fromoutsidethebusstation. when runtoPomi(Y100perseat) minibuses Pasho andmayhave Private emptyseats. (Y240) fromelsewhere inTibet overnight in (Y160 toY180),Zhongdian(Y300)andLhasa headedtoMarkham(Y80) at8am.Buses toChamdo hasdailybuses The busstation Getting There&Away goods, frommuffins to M&Ms. hotels, this supermarket hasthebestrange of h cent 256 Huashun Supermarket There are plentyof restaurants –try thede- Five kilometres fromthecrossroadslies the From thepass thenowpaved roadde- ; Bangda; elevation 4390m), where elevation the; Bangda; 8.30am-midnight) High Plateau SnowlionHotel Plateau High Piaoxiang FandianPiaoxiang ATR IE KA) • ah oCad 20m (KHAM) ••Pasho TIBET ToChamdo(270km) EASTERN . Buses toMarkham, Pasho,. Buses and Bayi ;

Gaoyuan XueshiBinguan; Gaoyuan ; Bangda Xueyue Dajiudian Bangda Xueyue % 0895-462 2416;dmY30-35,s/dY50/80) In between thetwomain Inbetween Zar Gama-la ).There are good several ( 飘香饭店

( Pomda Monastery 化顺连锁超市 % (Yala Shankou), gelong 0895-499 6166;d/tr

( 高原雪狮 ), opposite ( 邦达雪 examina- dates 邦 ;

hall contains imageshall contains of Sakyamuni,Marpa herds of grazing yaks. bridge. Thewideplainhere supportslarge is totheleft(west)about100mbefore the discussion! for themonastery Theturn-off more like apubbrawlthantheological takes placehere intheafternoons sounds and Milarepa. Thespirited debatingthat a discipleof Milarepa (see p176 is considered amanifestation of Rechungpa, trulkus tery to theremote andwelcoming turn-off ontoadirtroadthatheads7km highest civilian airport. At over 4300m,thisisreckoned tobeworld’s town. There’s ahotel attheairport(see p260 north, fromwhere it’sstill130kmtoChamdo minutes. 25 walktheregrassy plain;apleasant takes about acrossaglorious is visiblefromthehighway, Shongba GuenTashi Chöling Monastery. It cess totheyellow-painted andrather derelict A further10kmfromhere abridge gives ac- astery chapel). (prayer- wheel well asahuge maniwalland protector chapel andadebatingcourtyard,as tion thatallmonksmustpass.There isalsoa views of thechocolate-coloured Dza-chu a ridge over the3465m Nya-latobemet with is65km Kyitang from Chamdo. a look,ifonlyfor its interesting architecture. The Tibetan-style restaurant opposite isworth basic roomsandpittoiletsinanemergency. 祥宾馆 chörten. Thebarracks-style monastery ismarked byahuge newwhite forthe10-minuteThe turn-off walktothe hallisunderconstructionnext door.assembly old chapel islinedwithanimalskulls.Anew look. Thekoraaroundtheancient-feeling southeastern edge of thevillage, isworth a ( 29km, pastahot-springscomplex,to drainages, andthendescendsdramatically watershed andMekong theSalween between the tothe4572mLang-la, the mainroadrises Soon lows theformercaravan trailtoLhasa. (Luolong). Thisroadfol- off westforLhorong 吉塘 Some 16kmnorthof theairportisturn- Around 6kmnorthof theairportisa Chamdo airportisanother20kmfurther Another 12kmbringsyouto Travelling you cross northfromKyitang, , hometo50Kagyupa monks,andthree , home to seven monksandtwonuns. , hometoseven ; Jitang) village.; Jitang) (reincarnated lamas),oneof whom ; dmY15) atthenorthendof townoffers Tra’e Monastery Jixiang Binguan lonelyplanet.com Yushig Monas- ).Themain Kyidrup Mon- lhakhang , onthe Kyitang ( 吉

).

streams. Around7kmafter thepassisaturn- fields, raspberrypurplehillsandchocolate Wonka–esque landscapeof spearmintgreen now parallelstheMekong, passingaWilly Jiang),orMekong(Lancang River. Theroad lonelyplanet.com tured Chamdoin1909andruledtheregion Zhao Erfeng (the‘Butcher of cap- Kham’) with nearbyChina. warlord TheChinese travel.constant the logicalplacetotake adayoff fromthe are onalongloopof eastern Tibet, thisis and tradecentre of region. theKham Ifyou town isthemajor transport, administrative and1250kmfromChengdu,the from Lhasa 1000km newtown.Over sprawling Chinese tiny Tibetan oldtownandamuch larger, paling Monastery, belowwhich huddlesthe It isdominated bythehilltopGaldenJam- Ngon-chu, town. isasurprisinglypleasant egic river junctionof theDza-chu andthe atthestrat- ence’; ChangduinChinese), Chamdo (literally meaning‘river conflu- % CHAMDO brewery, 2km before town. the mirage-like appearanceof theSnowBeer tery to off leading42kmsoutheastalongadirttrack Drayab Chamdo hashadatroubledrelationship money and senthome. Itwasthe beginning of theendofanindependent Tibet. The Tibetan troopswere disarmed,given lectures onthebenefits ofsocialism,andthengiven cut theTibetans Riwoche. The offbytaking Tibetans surrendered withoutashoton 19October. atigertryingtocatchfly’)andhad alreadyChinese described the militaryoperationas‘like Chineseleaders knowthatspeedisoftheessence(thehorses) butthePLAwasonestep ahead. ever communication betweentheChamdoandLhasabranchesofTibetan government. radio operatorissaidtohave replied government members couldn’tbedisturbedbecausetheywere ‘onapicnic’.TothistheChamdo the Tibetan government inLhasato warnoftheChineseinvasion,hewascoollytoldthat Tibetan fashion–afrenzy ofprayerandreligious ritual.When thelocalTibetan leaderradioed three tothesouth. Derge directions: totheeastandMarkham Jyekundotothenorth, 1950 thePLAmoved Chamdofrom inearnest, as40,000troopscrossedtheDri-chuandattacked People’s DengoontheDri-chu(Yangzi LiberationArmy(PLA)attacked River). Then on7October in astrategy masterminded by,amongothers,DengXiaoping. fight. Chinesearmieswere moving inonTibet (nowSichuan)provinces fromXinjiangandXikang withouteven controlofmostKham a the communistChinesehadtaken Derge andMarkham, In spring1950,Chamdowasinreal trouble. Althoughthere were ofresistance stillpockets at CHAMDO OF FALL THE 0895 /pop80,000elev3300m . Theapproach toChamdoismarked by The citywasevacuated (withtheChamdogovernment commandeeringmost ofthetown’s As panicsweptthroughChamdo,thecityresponded tothemilitarythreat incharacteristic betweenChineseandTibetanThe firstskirmish troopstookplaceinMay1950whenthe ( 察雅   EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) ••Chamdo TIBET EASTERN ; Chaya)

昌都

and the Endun Monas- ‘skyag pa’iglingkha!’, the Jinchuan Binguan. Y3 Y4 per piece. thatwillwashclothesfor market cleaners inthepedestrian 7.30pm) pedestrian market. pedestrian ofthe two internetbarsacrossfromeachotherinheart shower Y5,bathY20; h of around1000monksdominates Chamdo. Si) (Qiangbalin monastery hilltop active This  MONASTERY JAMPALING GALDEN Shengjie Bathhouse PSB Laundry Jihua Wangluo China Telecom China Post Bentang Wangba Chamdo. There isnowhere to change moneyin (see below Chamdo fell tocommunisttroopsin1950 until theTibetans recaptured itin1917. Chamdo. are possible,providedyou havetravelpermitstobe in visaextensions Thirty-day 12.30pm &3-6.30pmMon-Fri) Sights Information 10am-9pm) Sells 10am-9pm) Sells phonecards. (Gong’anju; or‘shitthepicnic!’.Itwastobelast (Jiejieshi Ganxidian; Ganxidian; (Jiejieshi (ZhongguoYouzheng;ZhongLu; ). (ZhongguoDianxin;ChangduXilu; % (perhrY3.5; (perhrY3.5; 482 4794;ChangduXilu; h (Shengjie Linshi;BinjiangLu; 9am-midnight)

h h h 9.30am-10.30pm) Dry 24hr) Internetcafénear 强巴林寺 24hr) Oneof h h 9am- 9am-

257 EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) (KHAM) TIBET EASTERN EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) can enter. kitchen gion’s warriorpast. guns, knives of andpistols–echoes there- a atthe top.Thisleadsto and thenturnright in here, take an immediate leftupthestairs to theleftof thecollege isasideentrance;go behind which isadebatingcourtyard.Just pressive prayer-wheel repair workshops. ing, linedwithTibetan tailors and teahouses, east gate is one of thetown’smostinterest- over paved thecity.Thesteep roaduptothe trails leaduptoasky-burial site andviews themonastery, tothenorthofBehind town, worth followingthemonatleastonecircuit. the walledcompoundinmorningsandit’s Chamdo. built in1917,after theTibetan armyretook Itwasdestroyedin1912andthenre-khapa. Jangsem adiscipleof Sherab Tsong- Zangpo, The monastery wasfoundedin1444by 258 Airport Hotel(130km); 1 3 2 CHAMDO gönkhang Markham (436km); Back outside,themonastery’s enormous Back Pilgrims circumambulate theexterior of The first istheim- buildingontheright Airport (130km); Pomda (163km); Lhasa (1099km) ATR IE KA) • hmo (KHAM) ••Chamdo TIBET EASTERN To Bangda 3

iswellworth alook,but onlymen 31 Changdu Xilu Changdu Tsenyi Lhakhang Tsenyi Lhakhang 6 25 AC

(protector chapel) packed with Ngon-chu Nagchu (736km); Lhasa(1120km) 35

To Riwoche (105km); Wolong Jie Wolong 32 26 Tianjin Square 13 See Enlargement (Dialectic College), 36 Zhong Lu 4 Ὀ 20 27 Old Town

Dekyi Lam Tibetan Monastery Jampaling Galden Binjiang Lu

Dza-chu 28

B 34 Tsong Qing Zhong Lu Zhong Qing Tsong 30 Café Internet 2 1 33 Internet Café 29 5 7 To AirChina(CAAC) Ticket Office(375m) ularly impressive, especiallywhenitispacked also forthe skeleton andmonkey outfitsworn gravity-defying martialarts warriors. Look ofup onaseries pillars like acracksquadof collectionofwith afantastic protectors strung around theback of theinterior courtyard, to the The exitinthesouthwestcornerleads Lhasa. rently worksfortheTibetan government in of thePakhpala a large of newstatue Jampa (Maitreya). old armour. TheJamkhang tothesouthholds ofstatues protector gods,alongwithlotsof gönkhang, of themonastery’s founder. is astery. inthefarright The beardedstatue the lineof religious leaders thatheadthemon- totheleftisPakhpala, second The statue nated bySakyamuni,Tsongkhapa andAtisha. isdomi- times. Thegloriousinnersanctum inTibet days,outsidefestivalwill see these probably thelargest of assembly monksyou with hundreds of murmuringmonks.Thisis In themainmonastery courtyardisthe The main Behind the Behind To Jomda(228km); Derge (337km) Tsenkhang 200m 0.1miles 0 0 lined with fantastic muralsand linedwithfantastic dukhang dukhang Galden JampalingMonastery , whose 11threincarnation, whose cur- gönkhang

(earth spirit house), hidden (earthspirithouse), Zhong Lu 11 21 (assembly hall)ispartic- (assembly 0 12 23 isthe 17 14 16 10 9 Ὀ lonelyplanet.com 15 former residence former residence D 24 22 8 18 100 m 19 noodle dish). Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Hotel (a north sideof thesquare infrontof thePost the there’s acollectionof shaguo on tasty stalls rants 70meastof theJinchuan Binguan,and There are goodcheap several C Eating available 24hours. but have cave-like bathrooms.Hotwater is comfortable. Thecheaper roomsare small at thisthree-star place are overpriced though Changdu Xilu;dY380-480,discountedtoY300-380) The carpetsare of amosaic cigarette burns. smoke-filled mahjong at9pm. hallbutitcloses bathrooms. Roomsare arranged arounda groupsandcomewithtwohot-water Cruiser here are aparticularlygooddealforLand terconnected rooms( Y280/480, discountedtoY196/294) best value. toilet butnoshower (Y50) are perhaps the lessly flushing toilets.Thedoubleroomswith cheap rates withbroken fixtures andend- hot-water bathrooms butyou’llpayforyour in thecentre of town,offers cheap roomswith Jie; dY50,withbathroomY80-120) allowforeignersdoesn’t inthem. tostay Chamdo haslotsof cheap hostels, butthePSB Sleeping barley) mill. Around the backisasmall during cham bear. dances,aswellastuffed Chapel)...... Gönkhang (Protector ...... Statue Eagle Golden Former Residence of the Former Residence ofthe ...... Eight Chörtens Tratsang...... Dukhor (Kalachakra) Dukhang (Assembly Hall)...... (Assembly Dukhang Bathhouse Shengjie PSB Debating Courtyard...... Debating SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Laundry Jihua Wangluo China Telecom China Post Wangba Bentang INFORMATION Phakhpala ...... Phakhpala Chamdo Hotel Jinchuan Binguan Post Hotel ݀ᅝሔ Շ⋕຿ᑆ⋫ᑫ Ё೑䚂ᬓ ...... shaguo ௝ढ㔥㒰 ֵ⬉Ё೑

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( ...... % 联通房 ...... 484 4998;WolongJie;d/q 14 12 10 13 11 Thefour-bed in- Thisplace,smack 9 8 6 3 7 5 4 2 1 % D2 D2 D1 D2 D2 A3 A1 A2 C2 B3 B3 B3 B2 B3 tsampa (roa tsampa ; 484 4777;Changqing liantong fang % hinese restau-hinese Jinchuan Binguan Binguan Jinchuan Chamdo Hotel SLEEPING Tratsang...... Yamantaka Vairocana (Namse) Tratsang...... (Namse) Vairocana ...... Lhakhang Tsenyi ...... Site Burial Sky Flags...... Prayer ...... Kitchen Jamkhang...... Tratsang...... Hevajra Guhyasamaja Tratsang...... Guhyasamaja snhn ...... Tsenkhang Fruit Stalls...... Fruit Restaurants...... Chinese EATING Post Hotel 䞥Ꮁᆒ佚 EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) ••Chamdo TIBET EASTERN 482 5998;22 Rooms 䚂ᬓᆒ佚 ...... sted ᯠ䛑佁ᑫ ) ...... (see 2) 2) ...... (see digital photosontoaCDforY10. digital at theairport whenyou check in. stillbeaskedpermits but youmight for them you aticket willsell withoutchecking for Staff 11.30am) Shoupiaochu; Zhongguo Minhang The flights. toChengdu(Y930). All areweek morning a (Y930)andfourflights Monday) toLhasa (currentlyAir Chinaoperates flight aweekly AIR Getting There&Away canisters, bagsandthelike. sleeping luzhe; ChangduXilu) HuwaiYongpin;Pedestrian Market) (Jidi such asbatteries, andnormal foodstuffs. ground floorof theJinchuan Binguanhasitems The well-stocked Shopping ternoon and openlate. or inthenooksupstairs. It’squietintheaf- eitherbythewindow cosy placeforabeer, food inparticularisdisappointing. people watch over theWestern though abeer, here isvery andit’sagreat pleasant placeto Y6-15, mainsY20-58) FoodPlaza Friendship Drinking site thepostoffice. to thelarge covered vegetable market, oppo- ...... Outdoor shops like Come InBar There are neartheentrance goodfruitstalls Kodak Express is500msouthof theDza-chu River. 24 23 22 19 18 17 16 15 26 25 21 20 28 27 D1 D1 D2 D1 D2 D2 D1 D1 A3 A2 C2 B1 B2 B3 ticket office ticket

Bus Station Bus Station TRANSPORT Toread 26) (see Supermarket...... One Polar Outdoor Shop Kodak Express SHOPPING Friendship Plaza Food Come In Bar DRINKING Vegetable Market Market Vegetable Shaguo Stalls Stalls Shaguo (Laiba; ChangduXilu; offer downvests, campinggas Theopen-airriverside seating

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(Youyi Meishi Guangchang;beer Meishi (Youyi ᅶ䖤キ

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EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) (KHAM) TIBET EASTERN EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) around Y200andtakes two hours. on agrassyplateau ataround4200mand Trugu) Monastery climbing pastthestunninglylocated (Mekong River) andswingssouth,eventually well here. Soontheroadleaves theDza-chu mani the river of nearaseries chörtens andalarge weir 6kmoutsideChamdoandthencrosses a toNagchu passes The northernhighway CHAMDO TORIWOCHE(110KM) Taxis costaflatY5toanywhere intown. Around Getting infrequent. more toZhongdian(Y316,viaDeqin)areBuses Chengdu (Y450,60hours) otherday. every overnighting inTengchen andSok en route. days) runonMonday,WednesdayandFriday, toNagchuRiwoche (Y240,three (Y50).Buses (Y90), Jomda(Y70),Tengchen (Y100)and to Markham (Y130),Dzogang(Y65),Pasho otherday.Thereevery are alsodailybuses (Y220,twodays)runroute. toBayi Buses (Y310), overnighting inPasho en andBayi have apermit.There are toLhasa dailybuses mayratyouuptothePSB ifyoudon’t staff tion Purchasing bustickets atthe BUS dm/d/ste Y40/160/360). 场宾馆 the extremely crummy fore requiring flights, anovernight at stay opposite theCAAC officeat3pmthedaybe- of Chamdo. (Y40)departfrom Airportbuses 260 Sleeper buses operate buses nonstoptoSleeper (Pomda)airportis130kmsouth Bangda communities andoutsidespeculators. equipped withrestaurants andshops, it’snotunusualforfightstoerupt betweenthelocal than 60%ofthelocal GDP. Entire time, tent villagesspringup onthegrasslandsduringharvest Tibet. The businessis mostlucrative inTengchen county,where amazingly itaccountsformore itoneofthe mostexpensive commoditiesin making anywhere fromY3000toY40,000per kilo, in Tibetan andChinesemedicine asanaphrodisiacandtonicsimilartoginseng andfetches parasitic fungusthatmummifiesit.The Chinese namefortherootis that localssayishalf-vegetable, half-caterpillar. afusion ofacaterpillar Itisactually andthe passes ofeastern Tibet, digging forastrangerootknownas In earlysummer(MayandJune)youwillseenomadsentrepreneurs campedinthehigh FAUNA? OR FLORA 夏草

( % ATR IE KA) • hmoT ioh 10m (110km) (KHAM) ••ChamdoToRiwoche TIBET EASTERN lhakhang 482 7351) ; ‘ winter-worm, adirect summer-grass’), translationoftheTibet name. The rootisused ; BangdaJichangBinguan; is straightforward, though the though isstraightforward, . Kiss the tarmac afondfare-. Kiss thetarmac ( 朱吉寺 A taxi fromChamdocosts Ataxi Airport Hotel Hotel Airport ; ZhujiSi)perched % Chamdo BusSta- 0895-482 8228; (

邦达机 Dragu (or It’s important torealise earlyonthatthereIt’s important % RIWOCHE for 22kmtoRiwoche town. lovely chörtens andnewlyconstructed villages of theold withtheruins ofmonastery, atthebase abluff across theriver totheruinsof theoriginal you fancyawalk,suspensionbridge leads 洛兴旺林寺 village, istherestored past Chamdo,nexttotheroadnearReshe huts intoalovely alpinevalley.About 88km before making alongdescentpastherders’ est tocrossthe4612mChabi-la(Zhutong-la), of sections 1500-year-oldthrough juniperfor- road. main of themonastery are actuallyfromthe about 38kmpastChamdo. Thebestviews beforehouses, kilometre marker 1331,and justafter3km dirtroadtotheright some tery gate duringthe festival.Losar is unfurledonaplatformoutsidethemonas- in theupperprotector chapel. Ahuge thangka will pointoutthetiger andsnowleopardpelts peaks. The50orsomonksare friendlyand backed andsnow-capped bygranite bluffs Tsuglhakhang. fromwhich tovisittheRiwochecent base town isof littleinterest, butmakes ade- lhakhang 26km northwest,which ishometothe andthe highway, is the which andLeiwuqi), (also knownasRatsaka are twoplaces called Riwoche: Riwoche town From Reshe, the road leads past several From Reshe,theroadleadspastseveral The mainroadcontinuestoclimbfor17km To drive tothemonastery, take thesteep 0895 /pop2800elev3800m xian (literally ‘grand temple’). Riwoche dzong  (country capital) onthemain (countrycapital) yartsa gunbu (Cordicepsyartsa sinensis)  ; Zongluo XingwanglinSi atopit. dongchong xiacao zhen

类乌齐县 Dzonglho Monastery Dzonglho Monastery (village) of Riwoche lonelyplanet.com ( 冬虫 tsug- ( ) 宗 If finish. town whenthecurrent roundof renovations woche forthesix-hourdrive northtothe some of whose 600 nuns you’ll see wandering some of 600nunsyou’llsee whose the large Kaji Nunnery,15kmfromRiwoche, andchörtenwheels spires. It’sconnected to southeastern suburbsmanufactures prayer Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com new paved road north.Acouple of kilometres theriverway, crosses andfollowsawonderful road branches northwestoff themainhigh- From thewestern edge of Riwoche towna  plan. See p337 tocomewith aback-up but itwouldbewise well worthatryifyou’re properlyprepared, after heavy rain.It’sanadventurous trip and journey isunpaved and canbetreacherous halfofto Jyekundo(Yushu).Thesecond the hai province, fromwhere youcancontinue Y100;200km),acrosstheborderinQing- seat former Tibetan kingdomof Nangchen (per (great temple, 26km, 40minutes). Riwoche townandthe between Chamdo (Y50).There’s nopublictransport One busleaves Riwoche dailyaround8amfor Away & There Getting % the centralgovernment offices. directly belowit.It’scleanandquiet,opposite but don’tdropthesoapinsquattoilet floors, electricblankets andahotshower here, Y188/380, discountsof30%) single roomsare worthavoiding. are thewindowless small butclean,though town isthebestof cheapies. several Rooms This simplebutcleanplaceinthecentre of Zigong Binguan Sleeping Y5) Public bathhouseinthesamesquare Yushi Meijie Feixiang bar Internet Information Tibetan style‘culturalactivitiescentre’. around town.Theworkshopisnearthefaux- wangba; perhrY4; behind theSunshineHotel. RWCE TSUGLHAKHANG RIWOCHE An interesting Land Cruisers leaveLand whenfullfromRi- Sunshine Hotel Dashan Binguan 450 9004; ( a 美洁浴室 ) formore onthisroute. h Thiswillbethebesthotel in

( 自贡宾馆

( ( 阳光酒店 大山宾馆 9am-midnight) Inthesquare ( nunnery workshop 类乌齐寺 Spaciousrooms,wooden 飞翔网吧 ; h 9am-10pm, shower ; s/d/trY40/40/54) ; ; Yangguan Jiudian; % tsuglhakhang ; Feixiang EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) •• Riwoche Tsuglhakhang (KHAM) ••Riwoche TIBET EASTERN 450 4433;d/ste inthe

of Chenresig (Avalokiteshvara). Buddha and finallytwo1000-armed statues (Maitreya), Matrö Sakyamuni Bodhisattva, of amandala, agoldchörten, Jampa a seated white of (Vairocana) statue Namse infront ners wall is a madeof Alongtheright petals. are fronted byelephanttusksandlongban- andSangyeOntothe left.Thealtarsright early Talung lamas –SangyeYarjon onthe three Sakyamunis,twoabbots andthetwo has thefunerarychörten of alocalrinpoche, in hishand)andSakyamuni.The west wall one smallerwrathfulvarietywithascorpion GuruRinpochetayus), (onepeacefuland ofThe leftwallhasstatues Tsepame (Ami- pillar. downatyoufromahigh that peer bytwodramaticprotectorright masks (Maitreya) chörtens, andeight andonthe The entryisflanked ontheleftbyJampa huge thattoweroutof statues thehalf-light. are notallowedinthechapels. a breathtaking openinnercourtyard.Photos ture. Youenter huge through 20mdoors into grims whocircumambulate themassive struc- pil- village, dwarfingthemedieval-looking The huge Temple The your permit,ratherthanjust‘Riwoche’. Tsuglhakhang oratleastRiwoche Zhenon can take sometime. Ithelpstohave Riwoche ferent keys, fromthree different monks,which main floors totrackdownthree youneed dif- south of theTsuglhakhang. allthree Tosee Lingdao) atthegovernment compound,300m village leader( hall youmustfirst get permission fromthe To beallowedintothemainground-floor Information is hometo305monks. black vertical stripesof theTalung school, and two, retains thecharacteristic red, white and monasteries. Itisstillthemore vibrantof the now ranksasoneof Tibet’s most impressive it grew itsparent toeclipse monastery andit shoot of Talung Monastery inÜ.Eventually the Talung order,Riwoche asanoff- started Sangye Yarjon (1203–72),thethirdleaderof cated after toKham thedeathof hismaster golden-roofed and youget yourfirst viewsof theamazing before Riwoche village theroadcrests aridge The eyeisimmediately drawntothe Founded in1276bySangyeOn,whorelo- tsuglhakhang 乡政府领导 tsuglhakhang towers over Riwoche . ; XiangZhengfu

261 EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) (KHAM) TIBET EASTERN EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) to theremarkable chörten barleyfields, down and through a pathleadsfor about five minutes pasta hall are particularly worth visiting. workshop tothesideof themainassembly just before thebridge. Thekitchen andmetal To visitthemonastery take theroadtoleft, monastery ofsmall Gelugpa about30monks. reach rock gorges until,95kmfromRiwoche, you roots (see p260 employed inthelucrative formedicinal search summer manynomadscamparoundhere, as theChonyi-laorDzekri-la).During fore (alsoknown itcrests the4680m Seya-la be- astrikingwhite marblemountain passes village of Mardo. After another4km,theroad ruins of Dzongtotheleft, above Sibta the village of Pakhsa (Kamaduo), lookforthe are goodcamping sites nearby. cornerofin theright-hand thechapel). There portraitispaintedthe monastery (andwhose century incarnation of Taksam an18th- NudenDorje, photo of thecurrent Taksam Rinpoche, there- ( p250 chapel Temple issimilartothatof Lamaling and ashortkora. Thedesignof themain over 100chörtens, of thousands manistones Nyingma-school monastery issurroundedby after 17km. Thissmallbutvery charming reaching toclimb, west swingstothesouthandstarts atRiwoche townthemainhighwayBack RIWOCHE TOTENGCHEN(148KM) of the site. walking upthehillsidealittletoget overviews so you’llhave toasknicely get in. waist. Theroomislocked reasons, forsecurity of Chang(Vajradhara), Dorje withtheslender and hisgeneral. Lookforthevery oldstatue caretaker of claimsbelonged toGesar Ling thatthe andancientsaddles antique statues a locked grill,andincludesomebeautiful kept. Themostprecious items are behind Sakyamuni. and a 1000-armedChenresig (Avalokiteshvara) offine muralsandstatues GuruRinpoche, 262 Monks’ quarters lietothenorth.It’sworth The topflooriswhere thereal gems are The middlefloorisbare buthassome From thewestern endof themonastery of aseries red-The roaddescendsthrough A further 8km along the highway, pastthe A further8kmalongthehighway, ATR IE KA) • ioh oTnce 18m ToTengchen (KHAM) ••Riwoche TIBET EASTERN (148km) )butonamuch smallerscale. Lookfora Jinkar Monastery Jinkar terton Chayab (Taksam orDashang)Monastery Chayab (Taksam (treasure finder)whofounded ). Rotung Monastery ( 金卡寺 ; JinkaSi),a , atiny

lage cross 6kmpastthevillage of Lamutang, site inthe valley below. eagles andvultures, attracted bythesky-burial areThe skiesaroundthecliffs fullof soaring the korapathtopeakforamazingviews. reach asmallchapel onthesouthsideclimb totheeast.Whenyou Ngon Ri,themountain of aroundthebase worth walkingclockwise inlaid inthefloor. Ifyouhave time,it’salso a stonefootprintof themonastery’s founder to aprecarious ridgetop shrinethatfeatures ancient woodenladders leadupthecliff-face to thelarge naturalarch totheleft,where (there’s debating intheafternoon), walkup imagine. Onceyou’ve visited themainchapels caves isoneof youcan themostfantastical and ofridgeline belowaseries natural cliffs The monastery location,strungoutalonga Tibet’s largest andoldestBönmonastery. 珠寺 ing sites inthearea is excellentviewsof affords the valley. tery above tothewest,is theroad dusk. to Pilgrims circlethemonastery fromdawn of manistones. of thousands votive-carved monastery of 40monkssurroundedbytens centres of the Bönreligion. surrounding area of are Khyungpo strong pillar fungus’( p260 main sourceof incomeisthecurious‘cater- crete facilities.The blocks andhalf-broken qing) isaforlornoutpostof crumblingcon- The largely Tibetan townof Tengchen (Ding- % TENGCHEN Tengchen is 148km. Tengchen. before looking Bön-sect Monastery 30km stretch, includingthehillside for more monasteries dotted alongthenext from the main road. 25km detour recently. Alltold,it’sahalf-day, notmake rainingYou might itifit’sbeen switchbacks for10km,gainingalmost1000m. road thatbranches left.Theincredible road the bridge, enter agorge andtake thedirt Back onthemainroad,keep youreyesopen Back About 13kmpastRotung,easilyvisible To get toTsedru, take theturn-off byavil- If you’ve gottime,oneof themostamaz- The distance between Riwoche townand between The distance 0895 /pop8000elev3820m . The short walk to this Gelugpa monastery . TheshortwalktothisGelugpa ; ZizhuSi;4474m),considered tobe , Lharu Monastery   ).BothTengchen andthe

Langtang Gompa 丁青 Tsedru , andtheimpressive- lonelyplanet.com Nyamaling Monas-

Monastery Monastery , 7km Gongsar

( 孜 place onthemainjunctionhasedge over value intown. aren’t brilliant,butallinthisisthebest a basinandthermosof hotwater. Thebeds There are noshowers butyoucanwashwith thingthetownhastoabusstation. closest Binguan. bathhouse intheQiongbuHotel,acrossfromDingqing Qiongbu Linshi Ewang QingshenWangba Information Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com from Chamdo toNagchu (Y180)overnight in toChamdo (Y100)depart at8am.Buses Buses Getting There& Away lion’s den. makes a visithere feel like walkingintothe water. Theoverwhelming policepresence considering there’s anyrunning noteven place are butwayoverpriced comfortable, Binguan; dY160) ChairmanMaofantastic inthelobby. statue off themainroadare quieter. Checkoutthe running water youshould findaroomwithbothhot enough, long ifyousearch the competitionbecause Y25-30) Gonglu Binguan Sleeping town andmonastery. that leadsnorthof Tengchen, the between mounts. There are fineviews fromtheroof. displays arowof sixBöngodsonavarietyof founder of themonastery. Anotherchapel Palpa Phurbu of andastatue MonlamTai, the three funerarychörtens, anothermany-armed contains 1180. Themainchapel, theSerdung, consists of aritualdagger. an amazingPalpa lowerhalf Phurbu, whose Bön deitieshere includeTonpaShenrab and pressive hall andupper-floor assembly chapel. main building,foundedin1110,hasanim- ally madeupof institutions.The twoseparate town. Thisinteresting Bönmonastery isactu- Tengchen Monastery The mainreason tostophere istovisitthe Activities & Sights hr Y4; the sideofDingingBinguan. Dingqing Binguan Government Guesthouse Government There are tobe said builtin To theeastisRitroLhakhang, h Simplebutspaciousroomsabove the 10am-midnight) Internetcafédownanalleyto ( The roomsatthisremodelled 琼布淋室

and ( 公路宾馆 , onahillside4kmwestof electricity–score! Rooms ( 丁青宾馆 (E hot springs 网情深网吧

( 迎宾宾馆 ; showerY10)Public ; % ; Y80-128) inthevalley EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) ••Tengchen TIBET EASTERN toSok(270km) 459 3389;dm ; Yingbin This ; per lection of basicteahouses. d Y100-160, trY120) Binguan overnight attheaircraft hanger-like toilets.Buspassengersclean roomsbutdistant 苑宾馆 at the by themainroad.Ifit’slate, youcanstay 青 to past scattered nomadcampsandachörten Theroadthenmakestaries. along descent matic viewof oneof manytribu- theSalween’s Chak-la, where youturnacornerfordra- Redeng Si)isa13kmdetourtothesouth. Monastery ( Rabde Gelugpa-school mani wallatthewestern endof town.The 餐 the atmospheric that offers foodandbasicaccommodationat Ronpo Some 40kmpasttheShel-la bringsyouto most dramaticpassalongthenorthernroute. 102km pastTengchen and andthehighest to climbupthestunning4905m and anotherguesthouse. remarkable townof hassomeshops Choedo ridge.high Some66kmpastTengchen theun- dramatically acrossthevalleyonfaceof a out fortheBönsect corner. About keep aneye 14kmfromSertsa collection of manistonesinthesouthwest a coupleof andalarge simpleguesthouses 扎 Tengchen, isthemoderntownof Monastery. TashilingMonastery andtheGelugpa-sect Yongdzongexplore Bön-sect theclifftop the lovely village of Bajung, where youcan range. The roadthendescendsfor9kmto westward totheNyenchen Tanglha (Tangula) givesthe south.The4460mpassitself views herds tothehuge range of snowypeaksto fabulous viewsacrossnomadcampsandyak ofthe highlands northeastern Tibet, offering (Chuni-la orTsuni-la) launches youupinto The 33kmfromTengchen totheChongnye-la TENGCHEN TOSOK(270KM) quire andbuytickets attheGongluBinguan. Tengchen before continuingviaSok(Y130).En- From here it’sanother48kmto The roadclimbsyetagaintothe4500m Here theroadswingsnorthandstarts Just belowBajung, and44kmfrom Yangan ; ; Baqing), a dull country town bypassed adullcountrytownbypassed ; Baqing), ; Khardong), which; Khardong), offers restaurants, % ( Da’ertang XinyuanBinguan Da’ertang 0896-391 0522;dmY15-20) 荣布

( 交通宾馆 ; (Ya’an) village, where there isacol- % ; Rongbu),asmallcrossroads 0896-361 2222;dmY58), . There isaBönmonastery on Changsheng Zangcan ;

Targye Monastery Traffic Hotel; . There is a large %

( 达尔塘信 0896-398 6065; which has Bachen Sertsa 热登寺 (

昌盛藏 perched Jiaotong Shel-la 263 ( ( 色 巴

; , EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) (KHAM) TIBET EASTERN EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) corridors here hidesurprisingly decentrooms. % bathroom. shared thewashingmachine intheGuests canuse shared thesame squattoilets.rooms use air-con are abitoverpriced consideringall and groups.Thedoubleswith TV Cruiser rooms are perfect foraccommodating Land the DianxinBinguan.Thefour-bed economy on thewestsideof townandisalsoknownas is located behindtheChinaTelecom office d Y150-200; 信苑酒店/电信宾馆 None of Sok’shotels have runningwater. Sleeping h Xinshiji Wangba Xinji LinyuBathhouse PSB Information town isalsotechnically off limits. hands. local police willcontend thatthematter isin mits. Even of thisisnoguarantee entryas is specificallywritten onyourtravel per- sure thatSokMonastery (notjustthetown) get permissiontovisitthemonastery, make into themonastery! Ifyouwanttotry a Y20,000fineforanyonetryingtosneak suspicious of foreign visitors andthreaten LocalauthoritiesremainDalai Lama. very out aletter fromthemonksof Soktothe foreigners in2001after touristssmuggled the south,asyou leave town. ThebestviewsofPotala. thebuilding are from lookslikeKhan, aminiature version of the monks, foundedbytheMongolleaderGushri the southernsuburbs.Themonastery of 270 Tsanden Monastery Sok’s claimtofameistheimpressive % SOK 33km to Sok. Bachen’s western fringe. FromBachen it’s 264 crossroads. oftown,notfarfromthe compound inthenorth main shower Y8)Justsouthofthe central crossroads. The monastery limitsto wasmadeoff Electricity Hotel Hotel Electricity Yala XinyuanJiudian/Telecom Hotel The RepungNunnerytothenortheastof 370 2694;dmY35-50) 24hr) Internetaccessbelowthe Hotel. Electricity 0896 /pop4500elev4000m ( 公安局  ATR IE KA) • o (KHAM) ••Sok TIBET EASTERN  a

索县 ) Easily thebestchoice, thisplace Easily ; Gong’anju; ( 新世纪网吧 , perched on anoutcropin ( 电力宾馆 ( The breathtakingly filthy 新纪淋浴 h ; 10am-5pm) Insidea

% 370 3000;dmY30, ; perhrY5; ; ; XinjiLinyu; Dianli Binguan;

( 亚拉 Sok are nowwell andtrulyinthegrasslands of tents, above allthetimestaying 4500m.You and pastherdsof yaksandblackherders’ grassland, over acoupleof gentle passes Sok. Fromhere it’s100kmof plateau high 22kmlatertaurants at further, butyouget abetter choice of res- ofcounty capital Driru (Biru). lefttothe then descends36kmpastaturn-off gli Kundo-la(GanglaShankou). Theroad before ascendinggraduallytothe4850mGan- asteries andapicturesque roadsidechörten twomon- South fromSoktheroadpasses SOK TONAGCHU(237KM) before overnighting in Bachen. to Tengchen ataround6pm, passthrough departat8amforNagchu (Y75).Buses Buses Getting There&Away a pleasant traditional interior. thugba 藏餐馆 option bythe main junction. best restaurant intownisthisrelatively pricey water! running you are itsincethere’s notallowedtouse no The roomscomewithaprivate bathroombut 10,000 nomads andtheirtents from all over 16 August,when the townswellswithupto in summer. sickness (AMS).Bringwarmclothes,even aches andwatch forthesymptomsof altitude so beprepared level, atsea those forhead- ing place:oxygen here levels are only60%of andTibet.Qinghai It’saliterally breathtak- on boththeroadandrailwayline between and concrete, stop butisstillanimportant plateau), itisanoften dismaltownof mud on theedge of (northern theChangtang and mostwindswepttownsinTibet. Perched Nagchu (Naqu)isoneof coldest thehighest, % NAGCHU you. thecityof Nagchuto see sprawlingbelow you crest the gateway of the4640mTuoka-la Tibet. northern Nagchu hasa Snowland HappyTibet Restaurant There’s arestaurant atBirongXiang,2km Dongpo Jiulou At thefinalpass,just4kmbefore Nagchu, 0896 /pop70,000elev4500m comesTibetan-style atthisplacewith ; Xueyu Xingfu Zangcanguan) ; XueyuXingfu Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com 

( horse-racing festival horse-racing 东坡酒楼

那曲 Shagchu ;

mains Y18-38) The tea and Thetea , 135kmfrom (

雪域幸福 from10to The 1814), a branch of Lhasa’s Sera Monastery Sera 1814), abranch of Lhasa’s surprisingly large atthistime.tight Accommodationcanbeverythe Changtang. Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com under renovation. This isthetown’s besthotel, butiscurrently 店 nicer décor. end of thepricerange) are similar,butwith water shower. Thedeluxe rooms(thehigher with squattoilets,grubbycarpetsand ahot- and foreign. Theordinarydoublesare tired, is often booked outwithgroups, bothlocal style toiletsY328-368,discountsof25%; fax 3821898;262ZhejiangDonglu;dY238,withWestern- works before youcommittoaroom. and share agrimbathroom.Checkeverything was justfine!Thecheaper roomsare darker electrical supplyinourroom;after thatit showerwater headandentire boiler,lights, a gooddeal.Themanager hadtofixthehot- discounted Y120,which toY200,oreven is the roomswithprivate bathroomare often with bathroomY288-388; % foreigners. fewon themaindrag,though accept decentbudgetNagchu hotels hasseveral Sleeping WangluoShijie Kangda Telecom. shower Y7)BathhousediagonallyacrossfromChina Jishen Linyu China Telecom China Post Information goods. forpotsandpansother trading fleeces occasional northernnomadinthebazaars, the the Qinghai–Tibet see Hwy.Youmight is a30-minute walknorthwestof here above is justacrossthecanal.The ,with 130monks.ThesmallTsenkhang chapel internet access. cnr Zhejiang&ChaodanLu; perhrY3-4, Zhejiang Lu &LiaoningLu; blocks westoftheNaquHotel. Zhejiang Lu; Naqu Hotel China Tibet GrasslandTelecom Hotel Post Hotel On thewestern outskirtsof thetownis ; XinyuanJiudian; 382 0999;cnrZhejiangLu &LiaoningLu; d/trY120/150,d ( h 中国邮局 (

洁神淋浴 ( (

邮苑宾馆 那曲饭店 ( 9.30am-12.30pm &4-7pm)Situated1½ 中国电信 % Shabten Monastery Shabten a 382 8888;cnrZhejiang& Chaodan Lu) h ( 康达网络世界 ) Next to the post office, Next tothepostoffice, ; ZhongguoYouzheng;cnr 9.30am-7pm) ; NaquFandian; ; ; YouyuanFandian Binguan; h ; ZhongguoDianxin;14 Samtenling Nunnery Samtenling 10am-midnight; a h EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) ••NagchuToLhasa(328km) TIBET EASTERN Thisplace ) 24hr) Fast

( % (founded 信苑酒 382 2424; 382 2424; ;

even arrangeeven alocal eldertocome your The localEnglish-speaker guide/fixer can in Tibetan-style tents orthePilgrim Lodge. of Nam-tso’. Accommodationisprovided to nearbyYam-tso, knownasthe‘mother nunnery, andyoucanrent horses andtrek families. Thevalleyhasamonastery and profitswhose are distributed amongnomad ecotourismcooperative,cently established of roadisthe 3658). Further5kmsouth,onthe west side ship, 100kmfromNagchu (kilometre marker Nakchu Dairy Cooperative inGuluktown- isthesignpostedand trysomelocalyoghurt beautifulingoodlight. takingly completely dismalinbadweathertobreath- land sceneryalongtheroadswingsfrom most strategicinTibet. highway Thehigh- Tibet Hwy(Tso-Bö thebusiest and Lam), The roadsouthof Nagchu istheQinghai– NAGCHU TOLHASA(328KM) hereA taxi costsY20. is openfrom8am;get here earlytobuytickets. Y279)andbeyond.Theticketsleeper office are alsomorningtrainstoGolmud(hard noonand5.30pm.There4½ hours) between There (Y51hardseat, are fourtrainstoLhasa foraboutY100perseat. cars runtoLhasa Tengchen coupleof (Y180)every days.Private runtoChamdo(Y260)via (Y75).Buses Lhari around 8amforDriru(Y75),Sok(Y70)and hours) untilnoon,andthere are departures (Y55toY80,seven runtoLhasa Y10. Buses of fromthe towncentre town.Ataxi costs The Getting There&Away the bestsupermarket intown. Located 50msouthof thePost Hotel, thisis andrice). (yoghurt stretches to andamenuthat traditional-style seating this cosyandcleanTibetan with teahouse, Zangcan; LiaoningLu; snacksY7,mainsY15-25) of thePostHotel. lar dishes are alsoavailable. It’s100msouth clean andfriendlyrestaurant place,butregu- baozi One recommended placetobreak thetrip is8kmsouthofThe trainstation town. Changsheng Chaoshi Lhasa NolaBozee Erjie Baozidian main busstation (dumplings) are thespecialityinthis shemdre Drölma Valley (

二姐包子店 (

拉萨财神藏餐

( % (yakcurry)and

( 昌盛超市 382 2159) (admission Y50)

isinthesouth ; LiaoningLu) ; LiaoningLu) Nearbyis ; LasaCaishen shomdre , are- The 265

EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) (KHAM) TIBET EASTERN EASTERN TIBET (KHAM) nomad tents of andthousands grazing whereChokse-la, Tibetans throwintothe the above - ‘Do the right thingwithourcontent.’ the above -‘Dotheright thetermsandconditions onoursiteforalongerwayofsaying youknow,orresell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inotherwords, pleasedon’tuploadthischapterto apeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapterisnotdigitally Tomake life of Sakyamuni. inthe mainevents commemorate theeight alineof chörtens eight Chörten that Rango, chu Onekilometre busstation. furtheristhe air thepaperprayers atNag- theybought erntibet.com for details. thewebsite www.holylandnorth of Ling.See aboutKingGesar andspintales tent atnight 266 © LonelyPlanetPublications From here ontheplainisdotted with From Goluktheroadclimbsto4646m ATR IE KA) • acuT hs 38m (KHAM) ••NagchuToLhasa(328km) TIBET EASTERN road branches offtotheeasttowardsReting Monastery ( p144 the railwaylinesouthtoYangpachen, Tsurphu of Shalung, follows whilethemainhighway Monastery ( p151 (p149 lunch forNam-tsoandagoodplacetogetoff necked cranesalongtheroadside in May. spotendangeredscenery. Youmight black- yaks, offering northTibetan quintessential About 20kmsouthof Damxungasidedirt Damxung , 40kmfromthepass,isturn- ) ), past the cliffside monastery ),pastthecliffside ) and Lhasa. lonelyplanet.com