In the late
afternoon, we leave the valley of the Tsangpo River, and turn
south up a narrow valley of a minor tributary stream towards
Lagpa-la Pass. We pass several small slate quarries, and the road
surface shines in the sunlight. Rock fragments tinkle under the
pressure of our tires. The slate carries lovely little brownish
metallic cubes, which one can find loose on the ground. The
original rock had formed in a oxygen-poor environment and iron
had bonded with sulfur, rather than oxygen, to form pyrite.
Subsequently, the pyrite crystals had reacted in an oxygen-rich
environment to produce hematite, a form of iron oxide, but had
retained the original shape of the pyrite. While we study the
rocks, as is always the case, a Tibetan appears almost magically
from the bleak rocky surroundings. He is peddling some large
yellow quartz crystals, but no one expresses any interest in
them. 
At around 6:00 pm, we reach the top of Lagpa-la
Pass (5250 m), one of the highest points we would attain during
the entire trip. The pass is a broad saddle covered with
shattered slabs and trash. To the north, a horizontal band of
mountains reveals the flattness of the Tibetan Plateau.
Parts of the road decending the soutrh side of the pass
are very rutted and we walk in the cool of descending twilight
while the drivers negotiate the surface. Coming around a ridge,
we see a prominent snow-covered peak at the horizon (left). It is
our first view of Mount Everest, which is more properly called
Chomolungma, Tibetan for "Mother Goddess of the World". We are
bathed in twilight, the surrounding mountains casting long
shadows across the road, while Chomolungma is a brilliant white
pyramid, still shining in the setting sun. To its left is Lhotse,
Lhotse is separated from Chomolungma by the South Col, the high
pass from which Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first
reached the summit of Everest in 1953.
A long, but beautiful trip, takes us to our hotel near
Shegar. It is not actually located in town, but at the road
junction about 10 km away. We drive past a sign that promises
delight to our weary group: hot water. Unfortunately, the
plumbing leaves something to be desired; there is hot
water, but the power fails and the cold water stops during our
showers! The maintenance man twists valves in the dark hall, but
since these have not been turned recently, it seems unlikely that
this will fix the problem. After about 10 minutes, the power
comes on, and the cold water flows once more.
