Giant Panda Base and Tibet

Before traveling home for the summer holiday we took one more trip. And what a trip it was!  We first visited the city of Chengdu. Chengdu is the home of the Giant Panda Base. This is one of two places where China raises and protects their famous pandas. 

The baby pandas are raised in a very controlled environment. It was really interesting to see so many newborn babies. 

Pandas are a lot of fun to watch as they wander around or just hang out in a favorite tree.

We then flew to Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. The elevation of Lhasa is 12,000 ft. We stayed there a couple of days to adjust to the altitude before heading to Mt. Everest. It was a very fun city full of colorful people that were so unique in their dress and actions. The shopping was good and the food was much better than anywhere else in China.

Typical attire for the women. 

Trying on a blouse with the help of this beautiful shop owner. 

A wonderful lunch in a very unique hotel. 

On our second day in Lhasa we visited the Potala Palace. It was built in the 17th century as the center of Tibetan Buddhism. It was the home of the Dalai Lama until China took over the country in 1959. It is a huge structure with over 1000 rooms. 

It is on the back of the 50 Yuan note which is worth about $8.00. 

We really felt the altitude as we climbed the hundreds of stairs to the top of the palace. 

No pictures were allowed inside what was once the center of their religion as well as the center of their government. It is now a state museum. 

We also visited the Jokhang Temple in downtown Lhasa.

Here is our travel group inside the temple. The Jokhang Temple dates back to the 7th century and is the holiest place in Tibet. 

People worship outside the temple in the Barkhor plaza all day long. 

We then began our bus trip to Mt. Everest. We saw this double rainbow as we were traveling and had to stop for pictures.  

Sue and Teri Zenger. 

It took 2 full days of driving and 10, yes 10, checkpoints to get to the Mt. Everest base camp. 

Tibetan prayer flags and Yak along the way. 

We spent the night in Shigaze and visited the Tashilhunpo Monastary. 

A group of locals resting in the Monastary. 

A traditional restaurant where we ate the usual yak on our drive to Mt. Everest. 

Our next post will be of our time at Mt. Everest!