Ü - Tibet - page 224

Sakyamuni. The old B&W photo by the entryway shows the extents of the original monas-
tery.
The Samsum Namgyel Gönkhang to the right has five butter sculptures representing the
chapel's five protectors. A cabinet holds the monastery's treasures, including a fragment of
a staff belonging to Milarepa that was smashed in the Cultural Revolution.
Dorje Drak kora WALK
A demanding 1½ hour kora leads around the back of the dorje -shaped rock ( dorje means
thunderbolt) behind the monastery, up to the ruined Sengye Dzong atop the rock. The path
overlooks some dramatic sand dunes and the views from the retreat are simply stunning
but the faint, sandy trail is a hard slog up and a steep scramble down. You need to scale a
fence to get to the dzong ruins.
Dorje Drak is on the northern bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo, 18km east of the Gālá Shān
tunnel and bridge leading to the airport, along a road that is currently being upgraded. Very
few people still take the ferry across the Yarlung Tsangpo, which until just a few years ago
was the only way to reach the monastery. Hard-core trekkers can approach Dorje Drak
from Lhasa, a trek of around four days.
Drak Yangdzong
For an adventurous off-the-beaten-track trip, pack your sleeping bag and a head torch and
budget a couple of days to explore the cave complexes of the Drak Valley (Drakyul).
Several sacred sites pepper the valley and all are visited by pilgrims en route to the caves.
Our best advice is to try to visit the sites and caves with a band of Tibetan pilgrims.
The first stop is 4km off the main road at the Dromochen Lhakhang, from where it's an-
other 6km to Tsogyel La-tso. The road continues a further 6km to Ngadrak village (pro-
nounced Na-dra), which has several shops and a monastery. The dirt road then continues
up the valley past Gyarong village at the base of the ruined Pema Dzong, and turns west
up the valley at Ngalu village for the final climb to Chusi Nunnery.
If you arrive in Chusi Nunnery by lunchtime you can visit Drak Yangdzong in the after-
noon and Dzong Kumbum the next morning, before heading off after a late lunch.
Sights