Day 14- 15
It was about one and half hours easy drive to Shigatse, which is the second largest city in Tibet. It is a city full of history and culture. Like many Tibetan regions, it has undergone major modernization over the past few decades. The town is divided into an old authentic Tibetan quarter, and a newer Chinatown. It is very interesting to see the difference between ancient Tibetan culture and the modern one. It is like a smaller version of Lhasa.
The big draw in Shigatse is Tashilunpo Monastery, the largest functioning monastic institution in Tibet. It is also the home of Panchen Lama.
Tashilunpo is a huge 
monastery with many attractions, we only visited the two main ones, the "Thangka Wall” which displays images of Lord Buddha for 
three days in the month of May, 14th, 15
th and 16th of the Tibetan Lunar calendar, and the giant statue of the Maitreya Buddha which is crafted with gold and copper and encrusted with pearl, diamonds and other precious stones. As we were enjoying the tranquil and peaceful; suddenly...beep beep... a monk receiving sms!!
monastery with many attractions, we only visited the two main ones, the "Thangka Wall” which displays images of Lord Buddha for 
three days in the month of May, 14th, 15
th and 16th of the Tibetan Lunar calendar, and the giant statue of the Maitreya Buddha which is crafted with gold and copper and encrusted with pearl, diamonds and other precious stones. As we were enjoying the tranquil and peaceful; suddenly...beep beep... a monk receiving sms!! We then visited the local free market and bought some souvenirs before we continued our journey through the Tibetan plateau.
It was a further 7 hours bumpy road drive. We drove through empty landscapes, small Tibetan settlements, nomadic herdsmen wandering across the wide arid plains, sand dunes, snow-capped mountain peaks and crossed over Gyatsola Pass at 5,220 m. We finally arrived Tingri, the last stop before Everest Base Camp.
Tingri is a sm
all town which lies at an altitude of 4390m, overlooking a sweeping plain and
the towering peaks of Mt. Everest and Cho-Oyu. After a short night’s rest at a primitive guesthouse, we were back on the Friendship Highway heading towards Everest Base Camp. It took us 5 hours for just 100 km trip as we had to drive over cracked winding roads, scree and grass. But the views were stupendous. Finally, we reached Everest Base Camp, the first sight of the mighty Everest left us speechless. I’d run out of word to describe it.
all town which lies at an altitude of 4390m, overlooking a sweeping plain and
the towering peaks of Mt. Everest and Cho-Oyu. After a short night’s rest at a primitive guesthouse, we were back on the Friendship Highway heading towards Everest Base Camp. It took us 5 hours for just 100 km trip as we had to drive over cracked winding roads, scree and grass. But the views were stupendous. Finally, we reached Everest Base Camp, the first sight of the mighty Everest left us speechless. I’d run out of word to describe it.
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