After recuperating from our Namtso journey by sleeping in until 8:00 am the next morning, we set off on an overnight journey to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet. At the midway point of our westerly itinerary, we began a winding, stomach-churning foray over impossibly-high peaks that managed to rise well above the thick, shrouded cloudline. While Kaberi curled up for a nap in the back seat, Vik took in the magnificent visual of sod-covered rockface stretching up toward the heavens against a backdrop of foggy gray skies.After an hour of undulating curves, we found ourselves standing at the muddy banks of the turquoise waters of Lake Yamdrok Yumtso, the second largest lake in Tibet. Unlike Namtso’s expansive scale, Yamdrok Yumtso was thin and long as it stretched northwest and southeast. Nestled into a mist-covered backdrop of mountains, Yamdrok Yumtso’s setting very much reminded Vik of the view of the Crystal Springs Reservoir from interstate 280, about 30 minutes south of San Francisco.
According to Tibetan legend, Lake Yamdrok Yumtso was created when a goddess descended to earth. Her husband followed suit, and transformed into the mountain anchoring the lake. Yamdrok Yumtso is also the location for a controversial hydroelectric power plant centered at the lake’s western edge. The power station is the largest in Tibet, and its construction is contributing to a precipitous fall in Lake Yamdrok Yumtso’s water level.
From Yamdrok Yumtso, we made a beeline for Shigatse by traversing a valley ensconced between an endless line of stark brown Himalayan peaks. Staring out the window at the magnificent passing scenery, we both found it quite easy to lose ourselves in our thoughts. Vik used the drive to come up with a formal business plan for an investment partnership while Kaberi considered the seemingly-overwhelming adversities facing the Tibetan people. Soon, we happened upon the outskirts of Shigatse with the distinctive Dzong Fortress coming into view. Our day ended with a quick meal shared with Phuntsok and an evening spent in an unremarkable Shigatse hotel catering to tour groups (we lost power for most of our brief stay).
The next day, we headed to Shigatse’s old city to tour the Tashilhunpo Monastery, founded over 500 years ago by the first Tibetan Dalai Lama. The monastery was closed by the Chinese army in the 1960’s. In response, Tibetan exiles built a new Tashilhunpo campus in the Indian state of Karnataka (where Vik was born). Before its closure, Tashilhunpo was the traditional home of the Panchen Lama, the second most influential lama after the Dalai Lama and the figure responsible for identifying the next Dalai Lama.
We first visited the Maitreya Chapel, which houses an imposing 86 foot tall golden Buddha statue. Also during the visit, we saw three stupas commemorating the graves of the three Panchen Lamas. Given the context, we couldn’t help but wonder about the plight of the most recent Panchen Lama. Sadly, the 10th Panchen Lama has been imprisoned by the Chinese for a number of years now (both his whereabouts and condition are unknown). In an incredibly-impudent move, the Chinese government has gone so far as to recognize on its own a young boy as the 11th Panchen Lama. To no one’s surprise, the Tibetan people refuse to accept or recognize him as the real Panchen Lama (in an ironic recent event, the visit of the 10th Panchen Lama’s daughter to Tibet significantly overshadowed a concurrent formal visit by the Chinese-recognized Panchen Lama). Nevertheless, the attempted polarization of Tibetan Buddhism by the Chinese government is both notably galling and infuriating.
From Shigatse, we retraced our route to return back to Lhasa. Once back in Lhasa, we celebrated the conclusion of our grueling Tibetan travels and the imminent end of high altitude living by sharing a decent Indian meal in the Jokhang and a Tibetan beer on the rooftop of our hotel.
