Gangjian Guoyuan Linka Hotel Xigaze

... said many Tibetans believe that<br>the Panchen Lama died not of a heart attack but by poisoning. <br><br><br><br><br>So<br>who is the current Panchen Lama? Depends on who you ask. In May<br>1995 the Dalai Lama identified a boy as the next Panchen Lama. The<br>Chinese &#8220;relocated&#8221; this kid to a government compound in Beijing<br>and came up with a second choice &#8211; the son of a Communist party<br>member. The pictures of the 11th Panchen ...

... seed and potato plants, colouring the land illuminous yellow and stark white. The road out to the lake was built in 2006 and was impressive as it safely took us up, over, and through the mountain range and Kamba-la Pass, shaving some 9 hours off the previous journey time. We had to pay Y40 per person to use the road and view the lake from the top. You could also pay to have your picture taken with a yak in ...

... continually rising up and down from the ground heedless of the uneven dusty stony path. Clearly well-practised they contine in this fashion even down the steep downward gradient that would have your average climber watching his step and grasping for handholds - impressive!<br><br>We wandered back through a food market, swerving round animal carcasses, trussed chickens, buckets of indeterminate fish, blood and guts and ...

... of the Panchen Lamas have their jewel-encrusted tombs here and there's also the obligatory big Buddha statue on display. After being overwhelmed by murals, golden roofs, jewels, statues, and the sickly smell of yakbutterlamps we head into town to locate a bank and get some more cash. The bank closes at 18.30 so we have to hurry. But we can't find a bank or anyone who understands English and get hopelessly lost following a myriad of ...

... at first we thought that the only way to get to the lake was a jeep tour as well (1500 yuan for two days) but we discovered that there are minibuses that make the trip for 120 + 80 entrance fee. accommodation at the lake is basic and rugged, but cheap. it sounded perfect until we met a couple of people in our hostel who had made the four hour journey to the lake only to be turned back. no permit is necessary for nam tso, but the gate attendants claimed that bad weather was ...

... to the temple, the Kumbum was a multi-floor stupa with small temple rooms running along the circumference n every floor. Jo, Ivan and I went with our guide Samden round every temple and played 'name that buddah'! There are sooo many diff kinds it's unbelievable, but by the end we were getting alright at it. The top had cool views of the surrounding area, aswell as Buddah's eyes watching everything from above. We then got in the jeeps for ...

... to accept the China that's being manufactured in Tibet, or just a natural aversion to a pretty repulsive piece of central planning... but it made me smile to see the broken statues lying in the tall grass, the black cesspool the pond had become, and the combination of dust, water stains, and sun bleaching on the white tile and stone in the main square making it look ten times older than it probably is. It actually reminded ...

... window. He plays the same cassette tape of Tibetan pop music on a continuous loop. And he sings along to every song as he drives seemingly unaffected by the mayhem he's causing in the backseat. The best part though, is his car. Not all Land Cruisers are created equal. The ones you're probably familiar with are the bubble cars introduced after the SUV revolution of the 80s, brimming with frivolous luxuries like CD players, air conditioning and seatbelts. Ha! You and ...

As mentioned on the previous journal, yesterday we traveled from Gyagtse to Xigaze (Shigatse) and that is where I am now. Xigaze is the second largest Tibetan town after Lhasa. By the way, the silly pin map on this website only recognizes Lhasa, and not anywhere else in Tibet. So it will always show me as being in Lhasa (even though I am not) I will put my location under the title though. Yesterday, before we left for Xigaze, I took the opportunity to ...

... Apparently there are government spies everywhere and Western visitors, especially Americans and Brits are seen as suspicious. With a political activist background, I recoil at having to watch what I say and where I can say it. However, this is a place where I do not want to go to prison, never to be seen again. According to Amnesty International, China holds more than 500,000 people without charge or trial, and several Tibetans go to jail for life for little reason ...