Start: Gyantse Old Town

1. Tashilhunpo Monastery 扎什伦布寺

2. Tibet Lazi People's Square 西藏拉孜-5000 KM-上海人民广场

End: Sakya


Tashilhunpo Monastery 扎什伦布寺
Tashilhunpo Monastery was founded by the first Dalai Lama, Gedun Drupa in 1447. It is the largest monastery in Tsang Area as well as the traditional seat of successive Panchen Lamas, Tibet's second highest incarnation. It is one of the few monasteries in Tibet to weather the Cultural Revolution. Covering 70,000 sq metres, the monastery is the largest functioning religious institution in Tibet and one of the Great Six Gelugpa Monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism (the others are Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, Ganden Monastery, Kumbum Monastery and Labrang Monastery). 

Chapel of Jampa (Jamkhang Chenmo) houses a huge golden statue of the Future Buddha, Maitreya Buddha or Jampa in Tibetan, the largest glided status in the world. The 26 metres statue is made of 279 kilograms of gold and 230,000 kilograms of copper, and is adorned with precious stones. 

Monks start to lock chapels up for lunch at midday. As we were about to leave, some of the doors were being locked up so we went through a different way. 

We didn't stay in Shigatse but had a day's stay when we returned to Lhasa before leaving Tibet. This round we continued on to Sakya. Tibet Lazi People's Square is actually one of the stop on route to Sakya. We were mostly at the rest stop at highway 318 route, and this one was at 5000 km from Shanghai.

We had been looking for yak yoghurt since we were in Lhasa. The shop we went to didn't have them even though it was on their menu. Guide said that there was a stall that sells good yoghurt in Lhasa but he thinks the stall had closed as he didn't see it when we walked passed when leaving Potala Palace. One of the stalls at this rest stop sells snacks including yoghurt and the driver got us one each. We then got some yoghurt lollipops to try.