Gyantse and Yamdrok Lake

On September 9 we headed to the town of Gyantse through Yamdrok Lake. We drove along the Gangbala Pass (very windy and steep road) to get a good view of the lake. Despite the overcast skies, the lake was a beautiful bright blue.

Lots of dogs in the middle of the road

They would just be roaming around

Yamdrok Lake

It was a really pretty blue

Zoomed in shot of the hills and lake

Can you tell we were a little cold? 

We also stopped here to get a closer view of the lake; and no, we did not pay to take a photo with this poor dog

You can see the snow on the mountains in the distance

This was our vehicle during our Tibet tour - yes, 6 people fit in here

I was lucky enough to sit in front

Overcast but pretty views

Summit of Ninjingkangsan

Yes, our driver would often like to drive in the middle of the road despite there being two lanes

We stopped to take some photos

Reflections in a puddle of garbage

Yakity Yak

It felt weird to wear the fleece after being in hot weather since January

The yaks seemed aggressive

Yak yak yak

Our new friends from New Zealand (Andy) decided to get a closer shot of the yak

I used my zoom lens...he didn't seem happy with Andy

I think he was ready to attack

Bye bye yaks

More driving

I thought that guy was real

You know, just waiting for the goats to cross the street

Yes, driving in the middle of the road (at least this time we had to go around this guy)

We stopped for more pictures - these are prayer flags

We bought one

The colors were amazing

Lots of prayer flags

The scenery was very pretty

We finally made it to Gyantse, home of Kumpa Stupa, the largest stupa in Tibet. The nearby dzong (castle) was the location of the battlefield where Tibetans fought against the British invasion.

I don't think this dog realizes his tongue is not long enough to reach the water from there

After spending a lot of time seeing monks, I decided I would like to make a movie about monks versus vampires

Kumpa Stupa (ten thousand stupa)

Flowers

Pretty flowers

The main attraction is the Kumpa Stupa

Another old door

The largest stupa in Tibet - Kumpa Stupa

Paul kept referring to this as Jabba's Palace but I think it's the Gyantse Dzong (castle)

Of course we had to take a photo with it

Within the walls of Gyantse

The pigeons don't like the statues very much

Close up of Gyantse Dzong

Walking on various levels of the stupa

Stray dog

Driving in Tibet is interesting because there are many check points along the way. These check points are a way for authorities to make sure drivers aren't speeding (by providing a time stamped piece of paper) but it's quite ineffective. Our driver would always be ahead of schedule so we would often stop along the side of the road (like all the other cars) and wait until it was OK to arrive at the next check point.

This would give everyone time to either take photos...

...or pee - I always took photos - I'm not used to peeing on the side of the road