Lhasa
Lhasa, the heart and soul of Tibet and an object of devout pilgrimage, is still a city of wonders. "Lhasa" in Tibetan means "the land of gods" and is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region is located between 29o 36'N and 19o 06' E at the north bank of Kyichu river, a tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, at an altitude of 3650 meters above the sea level. Lhasa has history of Lhasa, the heart and soul of Tibet and an object of devout pilgrimage, is still a city of wonders. "Lhasa" in Tibetan means "the land of gods" and is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region is located between 29o 36'N and 19o 06' E at the north bank of Kyichu river, a tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, at an altitude of 3650 meters above he sea level. Lhasa has history of more than 1300 years and it's been the center of politics, economy, culture and religion in Tibet since ancient times. Places of interest include the Potala, the 13 storey vast white and ochre fortress of the Dalai Lama, dominates the Lhasa skyline.


Sakya Monastery
The monastery is a place that visitors cannot miss. The monastery lies 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Shigatse. Sakya, meaning "Grey Soil" in Tibetan, since the soil around is grey. It is the center monastery of Sakyapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Its wall was painted with red, white and grey strips, which represent Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani respectively. Since the monastery has a colossal collection of highly valuable art pieces, it is deemed as "Second Dunhuang". The monastery is divided into the Northern Monastery and the Southern Monastery by Drum River.The Southern Monastery remains in better condition.


Lakhang Chenmo, the Main Changing Hall, is the central structure in the inner courtyard. The hall, 5,700 square meters, has 40 huge pillars, four of which are 1.2 meters (4 feet) in diameter and are said pillars send to the monastery by Chinese Emperor, tiger, Nereus and wild yak respectively. Murals on the wall in the hall depict the stories about the pillars.Sakya has countless murals, mostly of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). Among them, murals of mandalas and former Sakya Throne Holders are outstanding.


Gyantse
GYANTSE (13,050 ft.) is a small agricultural town famous for its wool carpets and the Palkhor Choide Chorten. It is small as cities go (population perhaps 10,000) and largely Tibetan in character - for a change. The town is situated about two small hills which lie east and west, and is united by a saddle; the western hill is further connected with a chain of mountains to the north. On the eastern hill, which is about 600 feet above the surrounding plain, is a large fort, which towers above the village offers a fine view over the valley and on the western hill is a Gomba inhabited by five hundred Dabas. In this Gomba there is a chorten, called Pangon Chorten, which is considered by the Tibetans a most holy place and is notable for its superb Kumbum (10,000 images) stupa. Besides the fort and temple, there are about one thousand dwelling houses on three sides of the double hill. Before 1959, traders coming from Kalimpong and Gangtok (India) used to enter Tibet through Yadong and then to Gyantse, enroute to Lhasa.


Lhaze
LHAZE (13100 ft) is situated at the crossroads from where the road turns westwards towards Mt. Kailash and Mansarovar Lake. There is not much to see except the plains below. Approximately 150km south-west of Shigatse and some 30km west of the Sakya turn-off, Lhatse is a spread-out town lining the Friendship Highway. It has some good restaurants, well-stocked shops and a few guesthouses. Most of the traffic here is enroute to Zangmu on the Nepali border, but some vehicles take the turn-off 6km down the road for Ali in western Tibet; see the Holy Mt. Kailash. At the western end of town is the small Changmoche Monastery. One can also hike 10km out to the Dongaba Hot Springs or visit Lhatse Chode and Drampa Gyang Temple.


Shigatse
Shigatse (12,600 ft.) is most famous for its Tashilhunpo Monastery - the seat of the Panchen Lama. Places of interest within this monastery include the relics sakyamuni, the hall of maitreya and mind-boggling collection of thankas, etc within the Tashilhunpo Monastery. There is also bustling "free" market at the foot of the ruins of the xigaze fortress and one can buy local handicrafts embedded with coral and torquoise, Chinese porcelain and yak butter etc. The highlight of Shigatse is surprisingly high snow capped peaks. Most of the highest peaks in Tibet, including Mt. Everest, lie around Shigatse. The other wonderful monastery near Shigatse is the Sakya Monastery and Shalu Monastery.


Tsedang
This town is about 195 km from Lhasa in the Yarlung Valley which is considered the cradle for Tibetan culture. Zetang, the capital of Shannan prefecture, has merged with Ndong into a sprawl of Tibetan and Chinese buildings. There are various sights to see around like the monkey cave and Yumbulagang, and they can be used as a base for trips to Qonggyai where the Tombs of the Tibetan kings are located and the Samye monastery. The market in Tsedang, is worth a visit since all sorts of Tibetans trek in from outlaying areas. Behind the hospital there is the First Field in Tibet. According to legend, this field was planted by Chenrezig's monkey incarnation, Trehu. Tibetan farmers make an annual pilgrimage here before the planting season, to take back a handful of earth which they sprinkle on their own fields to increase fertility.


Xegar
About 13,800 ft above sea level, Xegar is a new Chinese commune built at a the foot of the ruins of Xegar Dzong, and is 7 kms from the main road. With a population of 3000, its importance lies in the fact that it is the centre of this large and remote country and also a base from where expeditions to Mt. Everest and other peaks are launched. The total distance form Xegar to Everest Base Camp is about 110 km. in a vehicle it's about seven hours from Xegar to Rongbuk; on foot it's abut three days of hiking from the Chinese checkpoint (to the west of Xegar) onto rongbuk. Rongbuk is the last inhabitaed place before the Everest base camp. The Rongbuk monastery, the highest monastery on the earth must be visited before u start your trek. Presently accommodation is very Spartan in rooms with mud-floors and dry latrines. However, there are plans to build a modest lodge in its vicinity within a year's time.


Zhangmu
Also known as Khasa, Zhangmu perches on a mountain side 10km (6 miles) inland from the Friendship Bridge across the Bhotekoshi River (Sun Kosi River). The small town has become the major trading post between Tibet and Nepal. The subtropical oceanic climate endows the small town a warm, and humid weather and beautiful scenery throughout the year. A road snakes through the small border town. Along the only street in the town, private houses, shops, restaurant and government buildings are built. The booming border trade attracts merchants from inland China, Tibet and Nepal running business here. Nepalese merchants export rice, flour, pepper, vegetables, and perfumes while Chinese merchants sell wool, tea, salt and Tibetan medicine. Nepalese even run Nepalese restaurants in the small town, serving Nepalese dishes, instant noodles and beer produced in Nepal. A free trade market formed near the Friendship Bridge spontaneously 8 years ago, which is now still developing. According to an agreement between Chinese and Nepalese governments, people living near the border may cross the border freely within 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border.