South America

Potala Kora

  Like any other Kora, this one circumnavigates the Potala. Many locals and pilgrims walk or prostrate the Kora daily. Walking in a clockwise direction, people start from either front corner of the Potala. Continue until you reach where you started. In total it is about one mile long with many prayer wheels along the […]

Jokhang Monastery

  Many locals, pilgrims and tourist come to Jokhang everyday. For tourists, it is best to visit the temple in the afternoon. Many Tibetans will go to Jokhang in the morning for blessings. Construction on the monastery began in 642 AD. It is a beautiful monastery and one of the most important in the Tibetan […]

Ga Ma Shar Monastery

  This is the smallest monastery I every visited. It is situated in the heart of Lhasa old town section, near Jokhang. As you walk in, there is a man monitoring who enters. He is a nice guy and saw I was carrying an old Lonely Planet Tibet guide book. He pointed at it and […]

Hike to Yungdrungling Monastery

  This is the preferable way to get to Yungdrungling Monastery. Our driving pulled off the Friendship Highway and parked near an awesome stone suspension bridge. Vehicles cannot cross this. The bridge crosses a tributary that feeds into Yarlung Tsangpo. Once across the bridge follow this road to the right. It is mostly used by […]

Hiking

Hike to Yungdrungling

Yungdrungling Monastery

  This is a much different monastery than you might think. By just looking at Yungdrungling, it appears as a typical Buddhist Monastery. but it is not! It is a Bon Monastery. Bon is the original religion of the Tibetan people dating back thousands of years. In the past, the two religions were in a […]

Ralung Monastery

  If visiting monasteries that are seldom visited is your goal, put Ralung on your list. It is a small monastery but it is said to be the location where the red-hat sect of monks was originated. That makes Ralung a very sacred location.  Aside from that, Many of the ruins from the cultural revolution […]

Langtang Monastery

  Langtang is only a mile or so from Nalendra. It is a much smaller monastery but if you are in the are to see Nalendra, you should stop in at Langtang.  Some guide books state there are two temples and ruins from the cultural revolution. It seems the cleanup is near complete at this […]

Kora