Lhasa can be reached overland from Zhongdian (nowadays called Shangri La) in Yunnan. The trip is adventurous and takes you through places that are quite non-touristy with a lot of interesting stops on the way: monasteries, people prostrating while still many hundreds of kilometers and months away and (depending on the weather) great views. An amazing and wonderful trip.

Rawok to Pomi

A scenic ride, the forest almost looks tropical. Pomi is a nice town and there is a nice monastery a steep walk up the hill on the other side of the river. Just follow the trail of prayer flags that are attached to the trees.

Pomi to Lunang

The road follows the Bhramaputra river with a quite spectacular bridge crossing it. And another Monastery named Dak tro Sa.

Lunang to Kongpo Gyamda

High passes, snow with prayer flags and two bon monasteries, Nenshe Goshing and Yundruling. Bon is the indigenous animist religion of the Tibetan region. When Buddhism came a lot of the Bon deities were incorporated in the religion, together with a lot of Hindu elements, resulting in the abundant Tibetan pantheon. On the surface the difference with Buddhist monasteries is not that big. But the statues are a little different and the Bon circumnavigate their Kora's (prayer-routes) anti-clockwise.

Kongpo Gyamda to Lhasa

The landscape becomes what you might call 'classic Tibetan', a high altitude desert, with blue skies and colored rocks and mountain peaks covered with snow. On the way lies the Ganden monastery, the first Gelukpa monastery and one of the biggest, founded in 1409.

The pictures in this album are not selected for being the best pictures I had. In some places the weather made it hard to produce really good images. But it is a travel album not a photography album. And though not every picture tells a story together they should.