Gyangze Kumbum 2000.  [Photo by Bruce Connolly/chinadaily.com.cn]

The 5,045-meter-high Karo La Pass was the highest point. There the mouth of a glacier, cracked into deep crevasses, clung to rocks above a small, semi-nomadic encampment. Stopping there I sat on a rock while looking at features I had studied and written about during my university days. I was also quietly amused at how the locals had turned a tent into a restaurant for occasional passing tourists, while also selling polished stones and beads.

Again, sad to leave, the road started descending an equally impressive u-shaped valley, passing slopes of shattered rock, pierced by crashing meltwater streams. I was enthralled by the scene. As the land started leveling out, we rounded a bend to see the calm waters of Yamzho Yumco, its name deriving from its turquoise color. As we crossed a plain passing through Nagarze, a small lake-side town, snowy mountains formed the backdrop. A modern middle school sat among primarily traditional highland architecture.

Sitting there for a few moments, looking across the expanse of the lake, one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet, I was momentarily taken back to the western coasts and islands of my homeland, Scotland. The waters blue, the hills green. The flocks of sheep grazing by the waterside contributed to these thoughts. Looking closer however I saw the dark tents of the pastoralists, some of whom came over, curious at the sight of me staring across the landscape.

As we slowly wound around the lake shores with its sweeping bays and grand vistas, it seemed difficult to imagine that this had been the main highway from Lhasa westwards. It was so quiet and peaceful. I had found another Shangri-La within myself, again the desire to spend time, just taking in nature. It was a stunning landscape enhanced by the now-distant snowy mountains.

A few small villages sat close to the road, some with small local temples adorned with prayer flags, – prayer flags were also placed along parts of the shoreline. Packhorse trains were gathered up, preparing to head to remote, road-less communities. I noticed small ferries crossing to the far shores.