Lhasa, Tibet
Drepung Monastery, about 5 miles northwest of Lhasa -- a Central Asian holy city of nearly 475,000 -- was a stronghold of the Gelugpa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded in 1416 by a disciple of the sect’s founder, Tsongkhapa. (Susan Spano / LAT)
Souvenir stores abound along the Barkhor circumambulation route that surrounds Jokhang Temple. (Susan Spano / LAT)
Three nuns relax on the steps of the temple at Tsamkhung Convent near the Barkhor. The convent, with approximately 120 nuns in residence, has a teahouse and gift shop. (Susan Spano / LAT)
A giant Buddha statue inhabits the Palchoi Temple in Gyantse. (Susan Spano / LAT)
Two young street musicians entertain at Norbulinka, a public park that was once the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas. (Susan Spano / LAT)
Among the attractions of the tent encampment at the 15,728-elevation Gampala Pass is an open-air pool parlor. (Susan Spano / LAT)
A farmer and his yak team plow a field in the fertile Nyangchu River valley between Gyantse and Shigatse. (Susan Spano / LAT)
The air’s not too thin at 15,728 feet in Gampala Pass for a souvenir stand, one that overlooks the sacred lake Yamdrok Tso in central Tibet. (Susan Spano / LAT)
The Yamdrok Tso lies in the long shadow of Nojin Gangsang, one of the many peaks that rise more than 20,000 feet in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. (Susan Spano / LAT)
A yak-borne tourist proves she’s been there, done that at Gampala Pass. (Susan Spano / LAT)