Tingri to Zhangmu

Looking back for a last view of Cho Oyu (8153m)	Paving the Friendship Highway west of Old Tingri headed to Nepal	The roadside from Tingri to Nepal is littered with the ruins of old mudbrick buildings	Ruins of a mudbrick fort melting back into the landscape
Road construction, Friendship Highway	Cyclists passing km 5219 on the Friendship Highway - 167 km to go to the Nepal border	Ruins which may date to the 1791 invasion of Tibet by Nepal	Construction of a small bridge along the Friendship Highway
Small bridge under construction, Friendship Highway	Tibetan working on the road crew	More ruins off the Friendship Highway near Gutso	More ruins off the Friendship Highway near Gutso
Tibetan village Gutsuo	Tibetan village Gutso	Village painted with the Sakyapa colors	Kids in Gutso
Looking back along the Friendship Highway with the High Himalaya from Everest to Cho Oyu	Tibetan farmer plowing a brown field with a pair of yaks	Men Chu River, Tibet	Soon the entire Friendship Highway will be paved all the way to the Nepal border
Gateway across the Friendship Highway	More ruins in the distance	Ruins along the friendship Highway	Tibetan nomad tents along the river across from the ruins
Passing through another Tibetan village along the Friendship Highway	Another group of cyclists bound for Nepal	Roadside ruins	Soon, these ruins will entirely melt away
Men Chu River valley along the Friendship Highway	Tibetan man walking his yaks	Whitewashed Tibetan house along the Friendship Highway	The camp of a Chinese road crew along the Friendship Highway
Road construction on the Friendship Highway	Roadside village, Tibet	Camp set up for the cyclists we passed	Sign for Mt Shishapangma (Mt. Xixiabangma) and the road through the Kyirong Valley, 5263
Road leading west through the Kyirong Valley and Mt. Xixiabangma base camp	Not Mt. Xixiabangma but rather Gang Benchen (7299m) in the Langtang Himal at N28.555/E85.543	Looking back down to the base of La Lung-la Pass and the junction for Kyirong Valley	Road crew working on the Friendship Highway as it climbs the La Lung-la Pass
Mt. Shishapangma ( Xixiabangma) 8013m / 26,289ft	Sheep grazing at 5000m with the Lapche Kang massif	Mt. Shishapangma (8013m / 26,289ft)	Friendship Highway with Lapche Kang massif
La Lung-la Pass (5124m / 16,811 ft)	La Long-la Pass (N28.614/E86.136) km 5276	Lapche Kang I (7367m) (Labuche Kanga I), Rolwaling Himal	Friendship Highway descending La Long-la Pass in front of the Lapche Kang massif
Road equipment on an unpaved section of the Friendship Highway	Gate over the Friendship Highway near La Long-la Pass	Friendship Highway, La Lung-la Pass	Friendship Highway in front of the Lapche Kang massif
The small valley between the La Lung-la and Tong-la passes	Friendship Highway climbing towards Tong-la Pass in front with Lapche Kang (7367m / 24,156 ft) on the left	Land Cruiser fording a small stream at km 5282	A new bridge underconstruction as part of improvements to the Friendship Highway (N28.581/E86.149)
Mt. Shishapangma (8013m / 26,289ft)	Friendship Highway headed for the Lapche Kang massif with Lapche Kang (7367m) on the left	Mt. Shishapangma and the nearby peaks Nyanang ri, Phola Gangchen,	Attention! Do not shortcut and destroy rangelan. Insist your driver follow the road. Nomads and wildlife depend on grassland...
Tong-la Pass (5120m / 16,797 ft) km 5289	Shrines of Tong-la Pass with Mt. Shishapangma (8013m	Lapche Kang massif with prayer flags on windy Tong-la Pass	Lapche Kang massif south of Tong-la Pass (N28.309/E86.241)
Lapche Kang massif south of Tong-la Pass (N28.304/E86.320)	Lapche Kang massif south of Tong-la Pass (N28.309/E86.241)	Tong-la Pass (N28.510/E86.156) with Mt. Shishapangma (8013m	Wind-powered prayer wheels, Tong-la Pass (5120m)
Shrines at Tong-la Pass (5120m)	Descent from Tong-la Pass at 5120m (16,797ft) to the Zhangmu at 2350m (7710 ft) in 89km of road	View of the Lapche Kang massif from Tong-la Pass looking south	Falcon of some type soaring in front of Mt.Shishapangma (8013m)
Off-road down the Tong-la Pass with Mt. Shishapangma (8013m / 26,289ft) 40 km away	A sign told drivers to stick to the main road but of course my driver ignored this	Friendship Highway is all downhill now headed for Nepal	Descending the Tong-la Pass offroad
Village at the base of the Lalung-la Pass, Tibet	Ruins of a fortress (N28.401/E86.108)	Phola Gangchen (7716m / 25,314ft) from the east	Friendship highway at N28.363/E86.086 with the summit of Phola Gangchen blocking the view of Shishapangma
Village of Ru Jia Cun (N28.363/E86.070) elevation 13,960 ft	Gravel quarry along the Matsang Tsangpo river (N28.334/E86.047)	Clouds forming along the Tibet-Nepal border from the warm humid air of the Indian Subcontinent	Quarry in the Tibetan farmer plowing a field along the Matsang Tsangpo river
Yak with plow on break	Himalaya along the Friendship Highway	Tibetan farmer plowing a field along the Matsang Tsangpo river with a pair of yaks	Tibetan farmer plowing a field along the Matsang Tsangpo river with a pair of yaks
Double yak plow, Tibet	Bridge across the Matsang Tsangpo river on the Friendship Highway (N28.3007/E86.0313)	Blue sky with snowy peaks to the west of the Friendship Highway	Matsang Tsangpo river valley descending towards Nyalam and Nepal (N28.254/E86.015)
Clouds forming along the Tibet-Nepal border from the warm humid air of the Indian Subcontinent	Tangdong (Za Xigang) Village, Tibet (N28.251/E86.024)	Zig zag road cut into the mountain south of Tangdong (Za Xigang) Village	Snowy peak southeast of Tangdong (Za Xigang) Village
Village at Milarepa's Cave, 10 km north of Nyalam	We stopped here for a short walk down the slope to Milarepa's Cave	Village kids tagged along	Village at Milarepa's Cave
Path to Milarepa's Cave and Nyalam Pelgye Ling temple	Along the path to Milarepa's Cave	Milarepa's Cave and Nyalam Pelgye Ling temple	The monks were on holiday so we could just peek in through the window
Matsang Tsangpo river valley looking north	Buddhist shrine near Milarepa's Cave	Villagers at Milarepa's Cave processing the harvest	Tractor in the village of Milarepa's Cave
Nyalam, a large town at 3,750 metres (12,300ft) on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau	Nyalam, Tibet, 35km from the Nepali border	Nga-dhon Hotel, Nyalam	Friendship Highway passing through Nyalam, Tibet
The final descent to Nepal 35km of treacherous road	As the road descends, the vegetation changes and becomes significantly greener	Friendship Highway from Nyalam to Zhangmu	Parts of the Friendship Highway the Nepal border have been paved easing what had been a very adventerous road
Friendship Highway to Nepal	From Nyalam to Zhangmu, the Friendship Highway descends 1450m (4757ft)	Freshly paved portion of the Friendship Highway north of Zhangmu	Friendship Highway descending with the Matsang Tsangpo river
Matsang Tsangpo River, Nepal's Sun Kosi River	Chinese construction crew working on the Friendship Highway	Road crew blocking most of the road with their dump truck	Right on the edge...I'll walk this part, thanks
Guiding the driver along the edge	Fresh rock slide partially blocking the newly paved road	Into the clouds	A sharp snow covered peak in front of clouds formed by the warm humid air of the Indian subcontinent
This road first opened in May 1967 linking Tibet and Nepal	A new bridge on the Sino-Nepal Friendship Highway (N28.079/E86.000)	Clouds giving the valley an eerie look	Waterfalls
The Matsang Tsangpo River far below	Matsang Tsangpo River valley leading to Nepal	This must be impressive in the rainy season	Unpaved section of the narrow Sino-Nepal Friendship Highway leading to Zhangmu
Matsang Tsangpo River valley	The road far below (N28.038/E85.986)	Hairpin curve on the Friendship Highway	Unimproved stretch of the Friendship Highway
Waterfall along the Friendship Highway	Friendship Highway cut out of the mountain in the 1960s	Descending towards Zhangmu and the Nepal border	Waterfalls feeding the Matsang Tsangpo River
Matsang Tsangpo River	Original 1960s portion of the Friendship Highway outside Zhangmu	The Friendship Highway passing under a waterfall	Welcome to Zhangmu, China Post
Narrow street of Zhangmu	Trucks from Nepal clog up Zhangmu's narrow main street	The Nepali trucks aren't allowed further into Tibet	Zhangmu clings to the side of a mountain
Trucks making the road through Zhangmu nearly impassable	Zhangmu. Tibet's border town	Zhangmu, Tibet	Zhangmu, Tibet
Zhangmu clinging to the side of the mountain high above the river valley	Zhangmu, Tibet elevation 2300m (7545 ft)	Zhangmu, Tibet	Zhang Mu Hotel, the last night in Tibet
Base Camp western food and coffee bar	Zhangmu is 10 km from the Friendship Bridge, the border wtih Nepal	In front of the Zhangmu Hotel	Trucks lined up along the Friendship Highway
Leaving Zhangmu in the morning for Tibet	Zhangmu, like all of China, is on Beijing time so there's a 2hr 15 min time change at the border	Waterfall in a narrow slot canyon outside Zhangmu	Driving the last few km to the Nepal border
The green around Zhangmu is a stark contrast to the brown of the Tibetan Plateau	Zhangmu behind us	A temple on the Nepal side of the border (N27.975/E85.963)	The transition to Nepal is visible with terraced fields built right up to the border
The Friendship Highway has run 740km from Lhasa to here the last few km	The Friendship Bridge - the border with Nepal (left) and China (right)