The walls of the courtyard before the main assembly hall
are painted. Images of a thousand Buddhas surround the open
space; beneath them are religious texts painted in gold script
(left).
We emerge from the gorge at Duzhuke. This small
village located at a ferry crossing is in the Indus-Tsangpo
Suture. To the south, great sheets of oceanic rocks, called
ophiolites, are thrust over deformed Cretaceous flysch. 
The Tashilhunpo Monastery (right) is the residence of the Panchen
Lama and appears very prosperous, although I know that it
suffered extensive damage during the Cultural Revolution. We
enter through the main gate on its south side and find ourselves
in a large flagstone courtyard. The three principal buildings at
Tashilhunpo are (left to right) the Maitreya Temple, the Tomb of
the Tenth Panchen Lama, and the Main Assembly Hall, with its
associated temple. The buildings are freshly painted and
well-maintained. The monastery, located at the foot of Mount
Niseri, was founded in 1447. It is the seat of the Panchen Lama, whose prestige ranks second only
to his Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The walls of the courtyard before the main assembly hall
are painted. Images of a thousand Buddhas surround the open
space; beneath them are religious texts painted in gold script
(left).
Outside the main gate, two women are prostrating their way
around the monastery wall. Each performs a full prostration and
leave a small stick at the farthest point her hands had reached.
Then they rise, move to the position of the stick, pick it up,
and repeat the process. I find it a remarkable sight, even more
so that none of the Tibetans nearby pay any heed to the pair.
The folding along the stretch of the Tsangpo west
of Shigatse is particularly spectacular. We stop for photography
repeatedly, much to Mr. He's dismay. 
Further along the valley, the sparse vegetation
hides none of the complexly deformed Angren Formation, which is
composed of submarine fan turbidites. The rocks glow in the
morning light.
