“Going to the Mountains Is Going Home” – John Muir
No – I’m not cutting corners. Not much happened for me on day 4. Infact, I took less than 100 pictures that day. Why? Well, part of leading a tour in central Tibet is the dirty work – the business side. Keeping our workmates happy and going over all sorts of business “stuff”. The typical trying to keep lot’s of balls in the air while shooting and teaching. I spent six hours of this day in an office.That was day four. Fun times. Moving on…
Day 5, however, was a blast. On day five we headed out of Lhasa to wind our way down to the Nepal board with a 2 day stop over at Mount Everest. I love leaving Lhasa – not because I dislike Lhasa, but because the excitement of starting any journey into the Himalaya is palatable. Having done this trip several times, I’m never disappointed. I love being on the road – the open road and the sense that you are seeing something hidden and mysteries is unmatchable.
Just a few hours out of Lhasa we get our first views of majesty. Just over the KamBa La pass (~14,700ft) sits Yamdrok Lake – a holy lake – shadowed by Nojin Kangtsang Mountain, elevation 23,593 feet. For most of the participants, if not all, that was the largest mountain they’d ever seen. Finally we arrive as the sun is setting in Gyantse to see the dzong (Tibetan castle) with the sun setting over it. A great day to say the least.
Lhasa, Nepal, Everest, Nepal Tour – Day 4,5 – Images by Brian Hirschy