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Day 01 : Fly by CSWA
55minutes flight to Lhasa from Kathmandu. Arrive
Lhasa and check in at hotel. Overnight. Lhasa
(11,850 ft.) was and still is the Religious,
cultural and economic center of Tibet. Places of
interest including the Potala, the 13 storey,
1000 rooms palace of the Dalai lama, Norbulingka,
and the Jokhang, the holiest shrine of Tibet.
The circular Barkhor Street with innumerable
shops and wayside Pedlars intermingled with the
devotees walking clockwise around the Jokhang
infuses the magic and experience of Tibet.
Day 02 : Morning
sightseeing tours of Sera monastery. Sera means
hail stone in Tibetan. Set in the foot of the
Wudu hill to the north of Lhasa city, sera
comprise of a great sutra-chanting hall a
college and 32 sections. Afternoon sightseeing
tours of Potala Palace and Norbulingka. Potala
Palace located on the red hill was built in 640
during the reign of Songtsan Gompa. The original
Potala was destroyed on 9th century but was
rebuilt in 17th century during the reign of 5th
Dalai Lama.
Day 03 : Morning
sightseeing tour of the Drepung Monastery.
Drepung Monastery situate to the west of Lhasa
city was found in 1416 by one of the disciples
of Tsongkhapa. It is the largest and richest of
the three major yellow sect Monasteries in Lhasa.
Afternoon sightseeing tour of the Jokhang temple
and Barkhor Market.
Day 04 : Day Trip of
Ganden or Tsurpu
Ganden Monastery located in Takste country,
found in 1409 by Tsongkapa, the founder of the
Gelugpa sect; it is the earliest of the three
great monasteries in Tibet. Tsurpu Monastery
situated in the upper reaches of the Drowolung
valley, was an impressive complex, one of the
most handsome of central Tibet. The ravages of
the 1960s badly damaged most of its buildings.
Today, among extensive ruins, are huge cavernous
shells with walls reaching to 10 m. before the
devastation, the 16th karmapa, Rangjung Rrikpai
Dorjee(1924 -81) escaped to sikkim with many of
Tsupu's treasures. A new karmapa center was
founded in Rumtek.
Day 05 : Lhasa - Xigatse
(Drive 352 kms)
Xigatse (12,600 ft) is most famous for its
Tashihunpo monastery - the seat of the Panchen
Lama, who is regarded as the reincarnation of
the Buddha of endless enlightenment. Items of
interest inside this monastery Built in 1447 by
the first Dalai Lama are: the relics of
Sakyamuni, the hall of Maitreya, and a mind -
boggling collection of thankas, frescoes and
statues. There is a bustling `free' market at
the foot of the ruins of the Xigaze fortress
where on can buy local handicrafts embedded with
coral and turquoise, Tibetan daggers, Chinese
porcelain and yak butter.
Day 06 : Xigatse - Xegar.
(Drive 245 km)
Xegar (13,800 ft) is a new Chinese commune built
at the foot of the ruins of Xegar Dzong, and is
7 km from the main road. With a population of
3000, its importance lies in the fact that it is
the center of this large and remote country and
also because it is the base from where
expeditions to Mt. Everest and other peals are
launched.
Day 07 : Xegar - Rongbuk
(105). Explore to Base camp
Rongbuk Monastery: founded in 1902, this largest
monastery of the region once had over 500 monks
and nun. It is located at the foot of the
Rongbuk Glacier, near Mt. Everest's north face
Base camp. A couple of centuries before the
complex was built, a small group of nuns in
meditation huts braved the severe conditions
regularly experienced at this sobering altitude
of 4980 m this religious community of nuns was
the precursor of the Dzarong Monastery. In the
yearly year of the 20th C., Ngawang Tenzin Norbu
catalyzed the flowering of Rongbuk. He also went
ro the Nepal to start the khumbu area of Nepal
to start the monasteries of Thame, Tengboche,
Takshingdu, and Chiwong. These became Rongbuk's
satellite monastery.
Day 08 : Drive Rongbuk to
Nyalam (325)
Overnight at Nyalam Guest house - 9hrs.
Day 09 : Drive Nylam to
Zhangmu
Drop at Friendship Bridge and to Nepal Boarder
and to Kathmandu.
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