Shigatse...again...

Today we were taken for a look around the Shigatse Monastery, but at a cost of 85 Yuan (about 8 pounds 50) my enthusiasm for monasteries was starting to run out, and I decided to give it a miss.

But then, I had second thoughts and decided to take a little peak before deciding whether to get a ticket. So I sneaked in through the main gate and no one stopped me so I just carried on.

And it turned out to be a really amazing place. There were loads of pilgrims walking around, and this was a lot more than a monastery: it was a small town with monasteries inside it.

Here are some pics:

Spinning the wheels:



Monks shoes:



Monk's going for lunch:



Holy symbol carved in the rock:



Pilgrims:



So glad I decided to take a look – but sneaking into a monastery – that has to be bad karma right...my name is Tim – I'm just trying to be a better person...so I left a donation at one of the other monasteries we visited...

And then the fun begins. Everything is super controlled in Tibet. On the road back to Lhasa they have all these check points, and your supposed to go through the check points at a particular time. Which means – if your ahead of schedule the van pulls up at the side of the road and you have to wait.

Check out all of these vans waiting for the check point time to arrive:



And your not allowed to go wandering off - even if there's something you really want to see. Although to be fair – this hadn't been explained to us.

At one of the stops – I got totally bored and decided to stretch my legs. When I spotted a little village I set off to take a look. Everyone else had decided to explore as well, and the tour guide went ballistic as it was against the rules.

And here was what I saw:



But being stuck in a car in the searing heat isn't fun. So before the next check point I asked if I could walk down the road - which I was allowed to do – on the condition I didn't step off the road (yes - really).

So each time the car stops I jump out and head down the road. At the last stop, I could see the check point about 100 yards ahead, and wondered what would happen if I reached it before the van. So I set off at a fair pace, but just as I'm about to make it, the van comes screaming up and I have to get in...

Making a break for the check point:



Here's the check point:



And finally – we made it back to Lhasa and went for dinner and had...Indian – you can't beat a good curry... :-)

Some random Tibet shots:

















And the local transport: