city towers the Potala Palace. The city features a combination of traditional and modern things, including prayer wheels and computers.

Located at the bottom of a small basin surrounded by mountains, Lhasa has an elevation of 3,650 meters and sits at 91'06E and 29'36N, the center of the Tibet Plateau. Blessed with flat land and mild weather, Lhasa is free of frigid winters and unbearably hot summers, having an annual average daily temperature of 8 degrees C (43 degrees F). It enjoys 3,000 hours of sunlight annually, much more than all other cities in this regard, giving the city its title of "sunlit city."

Lhasa enjoys an annual precipitation of 500 mm. It rains mainly in July, August and September. The rainy seasons in the summer and fall are the best seasons of the year, when it rains mostly at night, and is sunny in the daytime.

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Tsedang (Zetang) is the birthplace of earliest Tibetans and the political and economical centre of Shangnan prefecture. It sits on the south bank in the middle section of the Yarlung Tsangbo River with a moderate climate at an altitude of 3,600 meters.

The nearby Yarlung River scenic area is a national scenic park with Samye Monastery, Yumbu Lhakang Palace, burial site for Tsampos and Traduk Monastery spotting the region. It is located between two mountain ranges at the northern side of Himalayas, to the south of Nyanchen Tanggula mountains, just by the Yalong zangbu river, with land area over 800,000 square kilometers. The Yalong river flows from the south through the area and empty itself into Yalong zangbu river, hence the Yalong river formed a huge river delta at its end when it merges into another.

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Shigatse, also Xigatse, means "fertile land" and stands at the junction of the Yarlong Tsangpo and Nyangchu River. It used to be the capital of Tsang and now is the capital of Shigatse prefecture. The 600 year old city is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, who is one of the two prestigious spiritual leaders in Tibet and the abbot of the Tashilhunpo Monastery. About 300 km from Lhasa, it is an important stop between Lhasa and west Tibet where pilgrims and tourists often wander. Shigatse has a population of over 80,000, of which 97% are Tibetan. It is the second largest city within Tibet has undergone large scale development. Most tourist facilities stand along Jiefang Dong Lu, Beijing Bei Lu, Zhufeng Lu and Shandong Lu. West of the market and below the Dzong is the old Tibetan quarter where many people like to visit.

Shigatse, the second biggest city in Tibet is situated at the altitude of 12,600 ft. It is the famous city for its great Tashilhunpo Monastery - the seat of the Panchen Lama, who is regarded as the reincarnation of the Buddha of Endless Enlightenment. Items of interest inside this monastery built in 1447 by the First Dalai Lama are: the relics of Sakyamuni, the Hall of Maitreya, and a incredible collection of thanks, frescoes and statues. There is also a dynamic 'free' market where one can buy local handicraft embedded with coral and turquoise, Tibetan Daggers, Chinese pottery and yak butter. Since it is the second biggest city of Tibet, it is the center for transportation and distribution of agriculture and other products.

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Gyantse is a small town south west of Lhasa. It is one of the few places where the Chinese have not changed much. Gyantse is known because of its Fortress, the Dzong, a very special building, the Kimbum, and a monastery, the Pelkor Chode. The reason why people build a town there is because of the trade in wool. The location was good because Gyantse was on the road to India. Nowadays it is close to the Friendship Highway. This is a road that literally makes its name true. It is a road that runs at a height of approximate 3500 m above sea level. But for the rest it does not look like a highway as we know it. It is a sandy road that now and than turns out to be jammed because of erosion. The Dzong Fort is build on a hill. You can visit it but than you must walk.

A little further down the road is a wall build around a monastery and a strange building called the Kumbum.

The monastery is called Pelkor Chode. It was founded in 1418. Formally there were a number of monasteries inside the walls but today there is just one left. It is visited by Gelugpa monks. The Kumbum is a building with a strange form. Inside it is even more strage because on the first 4 floors there are rooms that are only on 1 floor but also rooms that extend over 2 floors. Inside you can find a large number of statues. In the gallery of pictures attached to this page you can see a number of the thousand statues.

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Mount Qomolangma, also known as Mt. Everest, meaning Mother Goddess of the Universe in Tibetan, is the highest peak in the world. Standing at 8848 meters (29028 feet), snow capped throughout the year, she lies at the border between China and Nepal. The North Col of Everest is located in Tinggri (Shegar). Massive glaciers and seracs feature a thrilling splendor. The peak has been a holy climbing attraction for world's mountaineers. In recent years, more and more mountaineers start from the Everest Base Camp trying to conquer the world's highest peak while tourists trek to the foot of the peak to enjoy its beauty.

Starting 30 kilometers (20 miles) south from New Tinggri, one will reach a checkpoint. 11 kilometers (7miles) west of the checkpoint, a new road and an old one turn off south to Everest Base Camp. A 78-kilometer (48-mile) trek leads to Rongbuk Monastery, which is the highest monastery on the earth. Its altitude is 5,100 meters (16728 feet). The monastery was founded in 1899, as a Nyingmapa monastery, it was said that once Padmasambhava, founder of Nyingmapa, proceeded his religious cultivation here. The monastery, having 8 sub-monasteries including a nunnery, was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution, is gradually being restored. It houses Lamas and nuns in the same monastery. Sakyamuni and Padmasambhava are enshrined in the small temple. Pilgrims treks a long way to pay votive offerings or see lamas playing operas during big Buddhist days.

Rongbuk has a hostel having 100 beds. A dinning room and a store, where tourists and mountaineers could cook and beer are also available. 300 meters (980 feet) south of the monastery is the famous Rongbuk Glacier. A distance of 10 kilometers (6 miles) lies between the monastery and Everest Base Camp.