Eric, Sigbjørn, Jardar and Lyngve in front of Potala Palace on departure day
Lyngve before he waves goodbye to Potala and Lhasa
A Buddha figure carved out in a rock wall outside of Lhasa
Jardar is passing a small village outside of Lhasa
Even a barren landscape can be suitable for farming. Note the sand dunes behind.
We have arrived Chusul, a very desolate town approx 50 km southwest of Lhasa. The streets were totally lifeless, like a ghost town....
A funny black pig in Chusul
It's soon dark and we are looking for a suitable place to camp before the uphills to Kampa-la
Jardar gave away a chocolate bar to this hungry kid
A Tibetan girl, but also a notorious thief. We wondered why she didn't go to school together with the other girls at her age.
Tibetan kids applying sunscreen in their face. Probably they didn't understand the purpose of it.
A Dutchman, 3 Australians and 8 Tibetans of different ages in front of a Landcruiser. The Kampa-la Pass can be seen in the background.
An Australian backpacker with a Tibetan kid in his arms
Sigbjørn has started the tough uphills to Kampa-la
The first hairpin turns of Kampa-la. Sigbjørn and Eric can be seen on their way up. Note the wonderful paved road.
Sigbjørn is halfway to Kampa-la, and one can tell from the expression of his face, that he's struggling.
At the top of Kampa-la (4787m) a group of Tibetans wait patiently for tourists. You can sit on this yak bull if you're willing to pay. The lake Yamdrok Tso can be seen in the background on the other side of the pass.
Lyngve was the first to reach Kampa-la pass at 4787 m, a rise of nearly 1200m across a distance of 23 km. He recorded 2 hours and 15 minutes, much less than the stipulated 4-5 hours.
A Tibetan boy below Kampa-la
Jardar arrives Kampa-la approx 15 minutes after Lyngve, in little less than 2.5 hours from the start.
A truck is overtaking a bus in the steep uphills to Kampa-la
A Tibetan boy welcomes Eric and Sigbjørn to Kampa-la with a victory sign
Tibetan kids at Kampa-la (4787m)
A village at the shores of Yamdrok Tso
Jardar and Lyngve are waiting for Sigbjørn and Eric. They arrived 2-3 hours later.
A beautiful campsite on a green medow close to Yamdrok Tso
The morning at Yamdrok Tso was pretty cold, and we could even see fresh snow in the mountains.
Grazing sheep at Yamdrok Tso
Eric and a local herdsman at Yamdrok Tso
The herdsman takes a look inside our small home, while Lyngve starts to pack his gear for departure.
The beautiful blue Yamdrok Tso, one of three major Tibetan holy lakes
Except from some local traffic, we had the road almost entirely for ourselves
A Chinese style jeep at Yamdrok Tso
The scenic road along Yamdrok Tso
Sigbjørn in front of Yamdrok Tso
More idyl at Yamdrok Tso
Tibetan girls at Yamdrok Tso
Grazing horses on a green medow near Yamdrok Tso
The village Nangartse (or Nakartse), where we stayed for lunch. When we left, Eric was crashed into by an inattentive Chinese youth. The crazy youth wrongly blamed Eric for the accident and started to kick Eric's bike. Jardar and Lyngve had to position themselves between the youth and Eric, so that Eric was able to ride away without being knocked down.
About 10 km outside of Nangartse the pavement ends
Eric and Sigbjørn on their way up towards the Karo-la pass (5050 m) in beautiful mountain landscape
The weather starts to clear up as Lyngve is nearing Karo-la
A Tibetan boy along the road to Karo-la
Impressive mountain sceneries below Karo-la. One of the peaks strikingly resembles the Matterhorn in ouline.
The hanging glaciers of Noijin Kangsang (7191m) towers above the beautiful valley
The white shoulder of Noijin Kangsang (7191m). The actual summit cannot be seen from the valley.
Jardar has reached the top of the Karo-la pass and also gotten rid of the two most tiresome Tibetan women
The massive hanging glacier of Noijin Kangsang (7191m) against a blue sky
Green medows at 5000 meters elevation. What a beautiful summer-day in Tibet.
The Vetta computer measures the elevation of Karo-la to be 5049m
Lyngve together with Tibetan hawkers at Karo-la. Everything is for sale, even women. But Lyngve seems more worried about a troubled stomach after having eaten an almost raw egg in Nangartse.
The Tibetan camp at Karo La, was actually a bunch of hawkers aiming for the increasing tourist traffic along the Southern Friendship Highway between Lhasa and Gyantse.
Sigbjørn in front of the glacier fall of Noijin Kangsang
Jardar and Sigbjørn on their way down from Karo-la. Behind them towers Noijin Kangsang (7191m)
Lyngve on the dirtroad below Karo-la
Sunset at camp below Karo-la
Nice landscapes and a mainly good dirt road, at least in the beginning of the day.
A Tibetan village below Karo-la
A Tibetan village along the muddy river which originates from the melting glaciers of Noijin Kangsang
Horse power is still the common mode of transportation in the remote parts of Tibet
Landslides and floods frequently destroy and alter the roads
Without a river to nurture the green grass, it would indeed have been a very barren landscape here.
One of few shops along the road
Lyngve is being passed by a Landcruiser on his way up Simi-la (4358 m)
The green artificial lake below Simi-la
Jardar fraternizes with the ladies at the top of Simi-la
Chinese tourists at the Simi-la pass. The official height according to the sign (left) is 4330 metres.
Two Tibetans with a horse and carriage on their way up Simi-la Pass. The beautiful artificial lake can be seen in the background.
The previous river canyons of Simi-la, which now hold an artificial lake.
On top of a small hill and viewpoint above Simi-la
Jardar along the green lake west of Simi-la
Sigbjørn on his way down Simi-la. Parts of the dam can be seen in the background.
A village below Simi-la, at the base of the dam
Sigbjørn and a Tibetan troubadour
We gladly listened to the Tibetan music
Lyngve and Eric next to a Tibetan style house
Farmers east of Gyantse
A horse cart and a sleeping driver. The auto-pilot mode seemed to work fine. The horse was probably familiar with the road and direction anyway...
The city of Gyantse is seen in the background. On the top of a small hill in the middle of the picture is a glimpse of the fortress, Gyantse Dzong.
We have finally arrived the city of Gyantse and can easily see the famous fortress looming on a hill above.
