Tibet
Descending to Yamdrok Lake (Yamdrok tso), the road from the Ganga la Pass (4800m) makes a series of sweeping turns around the ridges. The lake and associated area are associated with the Second Buddha, Padmasambhava, who brought Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century AD.
Mount Everest from the Rongbuk Monastery, Tibet
Founded in 1902 and situated at 16,340 ft, the Rongbuk (Rongphu) Monastery claims to be the highest in the world and gives superb views of the north face and north east ridge of Everest, rising over 12,000 feet above and some 19 miles away. The monastery was historically significant to the British pre- World War 2 expeditions attempting to climb Everest from the Tibetan side, where they would stop to seek blessings from the monks before proceeding to setup base camp on the way to Advanced Base Camp below the North Col. Today base camp is around 5 miles further on down the valley, with only those holding a climbing permit allowed to proceed further than this point.
Youngsters prepare to share a juice box donated from our lunch boxes while visiting Chiu Monastery and nearby school, near Lake Manasarovar, Tibet.
Visitors, Leshan Giant Buddha Staircase
The Leshan Giant Buddha, a 71-metre (233 foot) stone statue, lies at the confluence of the Min and Dadu rivers in Sichuan province, China. It is the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world and was built between 713 and 803, taking 90 years to carve. Visitors to the statue walk along a riverside path before climbing this stairwell, composed of 250 steps, carved into the rockface to view the Buddha's head, a trip which, based on crowds, can take a couple of hours to complete. A second stairwell, on the other side of the statue, brings them back to riverside on the return trip.
A local takes a break in a street barbers, Leshan
Girl on Kora, Jokhang Temple, Lhasa
A young girl with infant performing their daily Kora, or circumambulation, around the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. Considered the most sacred temple due to its role in the development of Tibetan Buddhism, the Jokhang stands in Barkhor Square around 1000m from the Potala Palace and is around 1,300 years old. From first to last light, Tibetans from many different parts come to circumambulate the temple, some prostrating every few steps, to earn religious merit on the Kora, the sacred path of worship.
A Leshan local's embroidered shirt
An elderly tea plantation owner rolls the just-picked leaves in a heated wok, the first stage in making green tea.
A young girl prays during her late evening Kora around the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet.
From the top of the Pang la Pass, 5,205m, the Himalaya are framed through a windblown and tattered collection of prayer flags.
Sunlight streaming through partial cloud catches the ridges of a set of Tibetan foothills stretching away to the east from the Gawu la Pass (5198m), following the chain of the Himalaya. Mounts Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Cho Oyu, all above 8000m above sea level, lie just to the south.
The Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world, is 71-metres (233 ft) high, and overlooks the confluence of the Min and Dadu rivers, in Leshan, Sichuan Province, China. The statue was built between 713 and 803 AD, during the Tang Dynasty, and is carved out of red sandstone from the Cretaceous era.
Telephoto shot of the summit of Mount Everest, from the Rongbuk Monastery almost 20 miles away. The North-East ridge, the main climbing route on the Tibetan side, is to the left of the summit pyramid. Prominent in the center of the ridge line is the second step, almost 40 meters high, and a pretty hard rock climb with serious exposure! The Chinese fixed a ladder here in their 1960 ascent, which has since been replaced, yet this is still a bottleneck point on the route if there are many climbing parties on the route. Just below the summit pyramid is the third step, around 10m high (the first step is just out out of sight on the left of the image). The flat peak center left is Changtse (Bei Peak) which connects to Everest via the North Col (out of sight behind the peak).
