It was set up by Tsongkapa, the chap who created the Yellow Hat Sect (and the reincarnation of the Wisdom Buddha, his two disciples are the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama - really getting the hang of this now...!) as a quiet sanctuary for study and mediation. Being right at the top of a mountain clearly helped, although it did not save them from their "local difficulties".
It was bloody freezing up there too and of course I had no suitable gear - everyone else had mountain equipment and I was in shorts and t-shirt :) Anyway, it was interesting walking around and the views - when the mist and clouds cleared - were fantastic.
This afternoon I did an optional visit with another chap off the tour to the Drepung Monastery. This time closer to Lhasa and was the Lamas Palace up to the fifth Dalai Lama when they built and moved to the Potala in the town itself.
This was probably the best monastery I have seen in Tibet because it was on a hill, felt like a real town, had fantastic views of Lhasa and was quiet - the monks were friendly too, one was telling me all about his philosophy classes!
On a lighter note, taxi hell there and back - they drive like crazies here (worse than Moscow for those who shared that experience with me) but we're still alive. On the way back we actually shared with two monks so I was hoping there was a Taxi Buddha looking down on me :)
This evening I went to a Tibetan Dinner Dance - and no, I did not dance! The food was great, but I had the impression the entertainment was a little too scripted if you get my drift. Spent the rest of the evening sorting out the next stage of my travels - since the tour ends in Beijing on Saturday evening. More on this tomorrow as now have to dash and call the bank as suspect they have blocked my Visa card (good to see they're keeping track of odd withdrawals, but irritating when in Lhasa...).
More to follow.Rob
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