Alan and Jonna's trekking trip to Tibet

Jonna and Alan took a three week trip to China this August, primarily to go trekking in Tibet. Jonna then spent an additional two weeks going to India afterwards. We both flew to Beijing together and then spent a rainy day playing tourist there. We then flew to Lhasa in Tibet. We spent three days in Lhasa, then left for a 12 day trip into Far Western Tibet. We drove from Lhasa to Shigatse to Lhartse to Saga to Puryang to Darchen. We stopped at the Tashilingo and Sakye monasteries on the way out. We then spent three days at Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, including visiting the Chiu monastery. We then drove back from Darchen to Puryang to Saga to Lhartse to Lhasa. We then spent five more days in Lhasa, including visiting the Samye monastery. From there we flew back to Beijing where we had a day to to a bicycle trip to the Great Wall. Then Alan flew back to the US. Jonna spent two more days in Beijing doing a bicycle tour through the hutongs and visiting the Temple of Heaven. She then flew to Delhi, where she had day exploring Old Delhi, the Gandhi Museum and wandering around the new part of the city. Then she took the train to Dharamsala in northern India. She spent one week there, before taking the train back to Delhi and then flying back to the US.

Here are some of our photos from the trip. (Because of the length of this trip, I am breaking the photos up into several different pages. This eleventh section will eventually show Jonna's days in Mcleoud-Ganj and Dharamsala.)

1) On the five hour bus ride that took Jonna from Pathankot (where the 12 hour train ride ended) to Dharamsala, there were many vegetable stands beside the road. Jonna liked this one - bursting at the seams with produce and with many children running around it.

2) Here is Jonna's room at Pema Thang guesthouse in McLeoud Ganj. It was a treat for her to stay in the same place for four nights. It had running water and sporatic electricity, along with a very pleasant Tibetan manager. McLeoud Ganj holds the seat of the Dalai Lama and is the place where all of the Buddhist pilgrims go. Dharamsala is a larger town just down the hill from McLeoud Ganj.

3) In addition to having a view of the Dalai Lama's compound from the guesthouse, jonna could also look down the gorgeous, green Kangra valley.

4) Jonna took this panorama photo from the deck of her guesthouse room.

5) Here is the Tsuglakhang Temple, a part of the Dalai Lama's complex. The Dalai Lama was teaching in Mongolia when Jonna was in the area, so she did not get to see him but she loved spending time at and around his complex.

6) Another, more quiet and quite hidden temple in McLeoud Ganj is the Tsechokling Temple. Jonna saw no westerners here, just laughing and smiling monks eating curried veggies and rice.

7) Mani stones at the Tsechokling Temple.

8) Thousands of prayer flags on the kora (hike around) the Dalai Lama's complex. Jonna did this 20 minute hike at least twice daily while in McLeoud Ganj. It was a haven.

9) Royal Enfield motorcycles parked in front of Pema Thang Guesthouse. It was a group of Brits on a tour of Northern India.

10) Two very talented tailors sewing a large tankha at Norbulinka Institute. Norbulinka trains Tibetans in traditional Tibetan arts and crafts.

11) Temple of the 17th Karmapa at Gyuto Ramoche Tantric University. Go to www.kagyuoffice.org for more information.

12) Jonna got to meet with two of her teacher's relatives after a public audience with His Holiness the 17th Karmapa. The tall fellow is the Venerable Drupon Rinpoche (brother of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and general secretary for His Holiness the 17th Karmapa) and the man on Jonna's left is Lama Phuntsok (uncle of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and private secretary for His Holiness the 17th Karmapa). They were very kind to Jonna during her visit.

13) A cow and pilgrim on the kora around the Dalai Lama's compound.

14) A billboard about the Panchen Lama at the Dalai Lama's complex. The Panchen Lama is the youngest political prisoner in the world - taken by the Chinese from a monastery in Tibet. Go to www.panchenlama.info for more information.

Go back to the tenth '06 Tibet Photo Page.

Go forward to the final '06 Tibet Photo Page.

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Alan Fleming