Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Similar to the Lhasa Restaurant, this place serves credible Western, Indian and Chinese
dishes, including French toast and bacon sandwiches, as well as a lunch buffet. The res-
taurant is located on the road into town, just after you turn off the highway when coming
from Lhasa.
Getting There & Away
The main road from Lhasa climbs from the Yarlung Valley to the 4794m Khamba-la, be-
fore dropping to Yamdrok-tso. Lhasa to Nangartse is around 150km.
From Nangartse the highway climbs again to the dramatic roadside glaciers of the
5050m Karo-la. Avoid the ridiculous 'entry fee' (¥50) by parking 200m further along the
road. About 60km before Gyantse you will pass a viewpoint over scenic Manak Reservoir,
and 11km before Gyantse is a passport check at Niandui. From Nangartse to Gyantse it's
around 95km.
WORTH A TRIP
RALUNG MONASTERY
If you want to get off the beaten track, make an 8km detour south across the huge,
sweeping plain to
Ralung Monastery
(, Rèlóng Sì admission ¥15) from the road between
Nangartse and Gyantse. Ralung (4750m) was founded in 1180 and gets its name from the
'self-arising' image of a ra(goat) that spurred the monastery's construction. It was from
Ralung that the religious leader Nawang Namgyel (1594-1651) fled Tibet, finally arriving
in Bhutan in 1616 to reshape that country's identity as its top religious leader, the Zhab-
drung.
The original tsuglhakhang(great temple) stands in ruins, as does a multi-storied, multi-
chambered chörten (stupa) visible from the roof. As you wander around, look for images
of the yellow-hatted founder, Tsanpa Gyare, and the Drukpa Rinpoche (head of the mon-
astery's Drukpa Kagyud school), who resides in India. In the far left corner is the local
protector Ralung Gyelpo riding a snow lion, beside the mountain deity Nojin Gangtsang,
who rides a blue mule.
The monastery is home to 12 monks. Ask one of them to point out the meaning of the
mountains behind the monastery; each one stands for one of the eight auspicious sym-
bols. The dramatic snowcapped peak to the north-east is 7191m-high Nojin Gangtsang.
There are chamdances here between the 13th and 15th of the sixth Tibetan month.
