We go To Yamdrok Lake and Kampala Pass

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Yamdrok Lake

Yamdrok Lake is also known as the Turquoise Lake such is its stunning colour. The lake is 130 kilometres long and 70 kilometres wide with an altitude of 4441 metres. Lakes are very special to Tibetans as they are the dwelling places of the spirits that protect the people. Down near the waters edge there were little piles of stones shaped into cairns. Jeremy headed down there and built his own cairn. The wind was very cold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kampala Pass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continued driving higher and higher into the mountains. The roads were surprisingly good quality but there were lots of bends. There was brown rock everywhere interspersed with ribbons of roads. Kampala Pass is about 5000 metres above sea level.

We stopped there to take photographs. I took a picture of one of the yaks and a lady from a building shot over towards me and asked for money. I paid her the 10 Yuan she wanted. There were some beautiful fluffy dogs there with red, equally fluffy collars so I took a photo of one of them but the lady didn’t march back looking for more money. Perhaps she didn’t see me. I understand you can hop on the back of the yaks and have your photo taken (by your companions) for a higher fee.

 

Right on the top of the ridge it was exceedingly windy. Jeremy found his tears were being blown from his eyes and down onto his cheeks by the wind!

Ian talked to a couple of Swiss tourists who work in Nepal but were travelling through Tibet like us. They had actually been to our home town of Bunbury. When they are “home” in Nepal they buy our local Harvey Fresh milk. They reckoned it was the best milk you could buy in Nepal. How’s that for a small world?

 

 

We leave the high mountain areas

We then started driving downhill into valleys. We were thankful to see trees once again. No tree could ever grow up on those high mountains. We saw big excavations of what appeared to be sand. There were lots of trucks shifting it. We then realized we were looking at the creation of the railway line from Lhasa to Shigatse. We saw tunnels for the trains to run through and bridges. Ian, being a train buff, was delighted to see this.

 

Next page - We arrive in Lhasa

 

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