This morning we hit up the Gyantse Fort. The palace is placed on top of a mountain in the center of town and is in the middle of a rebuild given the Cultural Revolution. We were able to walk almost to the top and the views of the city were great. After that we hit the road to about 90km. During the drive we stopped along the way and saw a traditional barley mill. Powered by water, stones spin and grind the barley into a fine powder. Good tasting but kind of different.

We made it to Shigatse around 2:00pm and decided to visit the monastery on our own. This monastery is the largest in Tibet covering 300,000 square meters. Inside is the largest budda within Tibet measuring 22.5 meters high. In addition we caught a rare sight of a monks dancing and a music festival in the park. The band played with traditional drums, bells and horns. I’ll be honest it sounded like the worst high school garage band, but had heart.

Had a couple little “hick-ups” with the guide, but hoping it works itself out.  The guide is about 140 lbs and has the voice of a gospel singer when it comes to money.