Alpine Ascents Cho Oyu Autumn 2006: Two new dispatches

We explore historic Gyanste   
Shigatse Hello Friends, family and loved ones,

We walked from our hotel across the main street of Shigatse to the glorious Tashilhunpo Monastery. This active religious center survived the Cultural Revolution relatively unscathed. It is surrounded by a castle like wall and houses the tombs of many of the Panchen Lamas. Then we were off to Gyanste to view the truly unique Kumbum Chorten. This fourteenth century monastery and its accompanying Dzong (fort) filled our afternoon with exploration and photo documentation.

Team is enjoying this overland part so far as there is lots of interesting scenery. Everyone is in good health, knock on wood….it’s one of our goals to arrive at base camp well. The dusty road to Gyanste wasn’t so good for lungs or eyes; however that seems to be a temporary condition. We are redoubling our effort to stay hygienic as we move further from civilization. So keep sending those best wishes our way and stay tuned for the further adventures of “Team We’ll Cho-oyu”.

Kale Pa and sweet dreams,
Vern Tejas

Overland to Shigatse: Greetings friends, family and loved ones,

We are on the road again. We drove 250km Southwest to Tibet’s second largest city, Shigatse. Both Mustafa and I have passed this way before and were impressed with the new highway running up the river valley of the mighty Yarlung Tsangpo. Irrigation has turned this arid land into a veritable cornucopia of produce. The wheat harvest is underway with farmers cutting and thrashing the grain by hand. Serious work!

We are excited to be moving and having fun meeting the locals. Each few kilometers we see something strange and new. The Panchen Lama, the Tibetan leader of Buddhism, is also visiting Shigatse today so there is a bit celebration in the air. Speaking of air, we are now at 12,800ft., but everyone is breathing, eating and sleeping well. We must be doing something right.

Kale Pa! (goodbye) Vern

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