The Cube

Start: Lhasa

1. Yarlung Tsangpo Valley Viewing Platform 雅江河谷观景台

2. Kambala Pass 崗巴拉山口

3. Yamdrok-tso 羊卓雍錯

4. Karola Glacier 卡若拉冰川

5. Pelkor Chode Monastery 白居寺

6. Gyantse Kumbum 江孜千佛塔

End: Gyatse Old Town 江孜鎮


Yarlung Tsangpo Valley Viewing Platform 雅江河谷观景台
The Yarlung Zangbo River Valley Viewing Platform (Yarlung Zangbo River is also known as Brahmaputra River) is located on the way from Lhasa to Yamdrok-tso. This 4280 metres above sea level observation deck is located halfway up Kambala Mountain in Gangba Village. Along the walk to the viewing platform, there were vendors selling handicrafts and snacks like fries and fruits. There were also vendors offering photo opportunities with Tibetan mastiffs, little lambs or white yaks at a cost. 

Kambala Mountain or Gangbala Mountain or Gambala Mountain is located between Nagarze County and Gonggar County in Shannan Prefecture. It sits at 4794 metres high and provides first sight Yamdrok-tso holy lake. 

Yamdrok-tso or Yangzhuo Yongcuo is normally first seen from Kambala pass as were we. The lake lies several hundred metres below the road, and in clear weather is a fabulous shade of deep turquoise. In the far distance is the huge massif of Mt Nojin Kangtsang (7191 m). 

Yamdrok-tso is shaped like a coiling scorpion. It is one of the four holy lakes (the others are Lhasa La-tso, Nam-tso and Manasarovar) and home to wrathful deities. Devout Tibetan pilgrims do a kora around the lake in seven days. 

The Karola Glacier is one of Tibet's three major continental glaciers and located at the junction of Nanggarze and Gyantse of Tibet. It is a little further away from Yamdrok-tso and along the way from Gyantse. This glacier is the source of the eastern part of the Nianchu River. The Karola Glacier is backed by the southern slope of Nojin Kangsang Peak (7191 metres), one of the four highest peaks in Tibet. The entire glacier covers an area of 9.4 sq km.

Pelkor Chode Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum are within the same complex but we visited Pelkor Chode Monastery first. It was a long day, the visit was initially scheduled the next day but guide said that we wouldn't have enough time the next day so we continued on. 

Pelkor Chode Monastery was built in 1418 by Dharma King of Gyantse Rabtan Kunsang Phag and the first Panchen Lama Kedrup Geleg Pesang. The red-walled Pelkor Chode was once a compound of 15 monasteries that brought together three different orders of Tibetan Buddhism. Nine of the monasteries were Gelugpa, three were Sakyapa and three belonged to the obscure Buton suborder whose head monastery was Shalu near Shigatse. 

The main assemblu hall is the main attraction and is where most people begin their exploration as it is straight ahead when one walk into the compound. The entrance has statues of the Four Guardian Kings instead of paintings and a large Wheel of Life mural. 

Start/End: Banak Shol Hotel

1: Barkhor Street 八廓街

1. Drepung Monastery 哲蚌寺

2. Sera Monastery 色拉寺

Start/End: Banak Shol Hotel

1. Jokhang Temple 大昭寺

2. Barkhor Street 八廓街

3. Guangming Gangqiongtian Tea House 老光明岗琼甜茶馆

4. Potala Palace 布达拉宫

'Lha' translates to "deity", "god" or "divine" while 'sa' translates to "land", "soil" or "earth". So Lhasa - the Land of the Gods. 

Lhasa rose as an important administrative centre in the 7th century AD, when the 33rd Tibetan king of the Yarlung dynasty, King Songtsen Gampo (601- 683 CE, reign 614 - 648) moved his capital from Yarlung Valley to Lhasa and built a palace on the site now occupied by the Potala. It was also at this time that the temples of Ramache and the Jokhang were founded to house the priceless first Buddha statues brought to Tibet as the dowries of King Songtsen Gampo's Chinese and Nepali queens - Princess Wencheng and Princess Bhrikuti. 

Following the fall of the monarchy in the 9th century, the centre of the political power of the Tibetan region was shifted to Sakya, Nedong (Ü) and then Shigatse (Tsang) till the 5th Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso (1617 - 1682) unified Tibet and moved the centre of his administration to Lhasa in 1642 with Mongol support. 

Drepung onastery,lso ed Tashi-Megyur-Chakju-Ling is one of the six largest monasteries of the Gelupa Sect. It is located at the foot of the West Valley Mountain (Gyepbel-Ou-Tse) about 10 km from Lhasa. Drepung translates as 'rice heap', referring to a huge numbers of white monastic buldings that once piled up in the hillside. 

Drepung was founded in 1416 by Jamyang Choge Tashi Palden, one of Tsongkhapa's main disciple. Over ten thousand monks resided there before Liberation, making it the largest monastery in Tibet. It has six main temples - Ganden Palace (Ganden Phodrang), Toschen, Ngakpa, Losaling, Gomang and Dyeyang.  The Ganden Phodrang in Drepung was the residence of the Dalai Lamas until the Great Fifth Dalai Lama constructed the Potala.

On weekday afternoons from around 3 pm to 5 pm, there is a debating practice at Sera Monastery's debating courtyard. The debate is an important session to study and discuss about five major text in Tibetan Buddhism. During the debate, monks would debate vigorously by employing some gestures like hand clapping to enliven the ambience. 

Jokhang Temple is situated in the center of old Lhasa. The estimation of Jokhang's founding range from 639 to 647 A.D. during the time of Tibetan King Songtsan Gampo to house an image of Mikyoba (Akshobhya) brought to Tibet as part of the dowry of his Nepali wife Princess Bhrikuti. The Ramache Temple was constructed at the same time to house another Buddha image, the Jowo Sakyamuni, brought to Tibet by his Chinese wife Princess Wencheng. 

It is said that the Jowo Sakyamuni was moved from Ramoche for its protection and hidden in the Jokhang by Princess Wencheng after the death of Songtsen Gampo. The image has remained in the Jokhang ever since. The Jokhang takes the size like it is today after extensions in later period. 

Our visit coincided with the 2025 Tibetan Buddhist academic degree Geshe Lharampa award ceremony. "Geshe" means intellectual in Tibetan language and "lharampa" title is the highest of four levels in Gelug school degree teaching. The academic tradition of Geshe degrees dates back roughly 900 years, with the Lharampa title established about 400 years ago.

In 2025, thirteen monks were awarded the prestigious Geshe Lharampa, equivalent to a doctorate in mainstream higher education. The monks, hailing from temples across Tibet and Yunnan Province, participated in the formal debate and award ceremony. During our visit, the debate already started and still ongoing when we left. 

Barkhor is a quadrangle of streets that surrounds the Jokhang complex. Barkhor Street was first a circumambulation circuit around the Jokhang Temple. This circumambulation circuit refers to walking around the Jokhang Temple in the clockwise direction, which shows worship to the bronze statue of Sakyamuni enshrined in the temple. It is one of the three famous circumambulation circuits in Lhasa. The other two being Lingkhor (outer circumambulation circuit) around the old city zone; and Nangkhor which is the circumambulation corridor encircles the inner precincts of the Jokhang Temple.

We went to the Barkhor Street on the day we arrived in Lhasa and our guide were pleased that we did two rounds of kora. This was mainly because we wanted to go back to one of the shops and the right way is going clockwise. We also did one round of kora after visiting the Jokhang Temple. 

Tea is a big thing in Tibet with option of butter tea and sweet tea. We were told that outside of the city area, most locals drink butter tea but sweet tea is more popular in city area. Sweet tea is made of black tea, milk and white sugar. We had a stop at a local tea house before lunch. Most people just drink tea, only a handful ordered food. 

The guide found us seats at a table, grabbed 3 glasses from the counter and left some notes on the table. The staffs went around with a kettle and poured tea to empty glasses and payment is made to the staff directly.