Yumbulagang

The Yarlung Valley south of Tsetang	Yumbulagang, 13 km south of Tsetang	Yumbulagang, considered to be the oldest building in Tibet	Yarlung Valley, the "Cradle of Tibetan Civilization"
Most of the current structure was reconstructed in 1982 after damage from the Cultural Revolution	Yumbulagang - summer palace of King Songsten Gampo and Princess Wencheng, 7th Century	The road from Tsetang	Yumbulagang, worth the drive from Lhasa
You can walk to the top, take a 2 humped camel, a small horse, or....	....a highly decorated Yak!	I voted for the yak	Although the yak was mentioned in my itinerary, the guide insisted it was not included
...another set of annoying phone calls back to the office and yes, the yak was included	Me on a yak	The tourist village below Yumbulagang	Riding the yak to the Yumbulagang
Yumbulagang village	Hoopoe, a very distinctive and colorful bird (Upupa epops)	It's a bit like what I'd imaging it's like to ride a cow	I can't say the yak was too enthousiastic about the whole thing
Tourist Tibet	The climb to Yumbulagang	View of Yumbulagang Village from the yak trail	Yumbulagang Village
Yak and yak-man	Legend puts the founding of Yumbulagang to the first king of Tibet, Nyatri Tsenpo in the 2nd Century BC	Yumbulagang now houses a shrine	The rocky peaks behind Yumbulagang covered with prayer flags
Climbing behind Yumbulagang	Fellow tourists at Yumbulagang	Prayer-flag covered mountain behind Yumbulagang	Each piece of colored cloth is printed with a Tibetan prayer
View of Yumbulagang from the behind	Yumbulagang	Yumbulagang's tower 11m tall	Prayer flags at Yumbulagang
Prayer flags are only used in Tibetan Buddhism	Prayer flags come in 5 colors	Kids climbing the mountain at Yumbulagang	Prayer flags blowing in the strong wind
View from the second peak	The wind blowing prayers to heaven and blessing the countryside	Yumbulagang and prayer flags	Yumbulagang
It's worth the effort to climb the mountain behind Yumbulagang	Yumbulagang and the Yarlung Valley	Yumbulagang and the Yarlung Valley	Looking south across the Yarlung Valley
Prayer flags with colors representing the elements	Tower of Yumbulagang with prayer flags	The road climbing to Yumbulagang	Colorful Tibetan prayer flags
Small outlying building, Yumbulagang	The tower of Yumbulagang	Prayer wheels, Yumbulagang	South side of Yumbulagang
Yarlung Valley	Chörten (chedi, stupa)	Yumbulagang is rather small close up	Prayer wheels and oven, Yumbulagang
Yumbulagang from the forecourt	Old woman being helped down the steep steps	Interior chapel dedicated to the kings of Tibet with Buddha statue (Jowo Norbu Sampel Gulyendho)	2nd level terrace, Yumbulagung
Yarlung Zorthang, the first cultivated field in Tibet marked by a stone monument	Yumbulagang	Yumbulagang	Yumbulagang
Yumbulagang	I'll walk down, thanks	Stones piled along the trail	Yak with Yumbulagang
Sign at Yumbulagang	Tibetan visitor to Yumbulagang	China Post, Yumbulagang	Driver paying the parking fee
Men passing time playing a game	A small monastery, Riwo Cholung Gompa, high on a hill above the Yarlung Valley (N29.179/E91.791)	Small temple with a Chinese-style roof, Yarlung Valley