Songzanlin Temple 松赞林寺 at Shangrila 香格里拉
I am planning to really take my time here at Dukezong Ancient Town, relatively, that is. I was terrified to getting altitude sickness that I would practically do most things in slow motion, afraid strenuous activity might trigger it. I spent the rest of the afternoon resting at the hostel. Way to spend my vacation. The weather here was great but one would probably need a jacket here but it was still tolerable during the summer. I could imagine that winter here would be absolutely frigid. These are the times that I would appreciate company when travelling. Mid afternoon head out again to visit one of the most important sites in this area – the Songzanlin Temple.
Songzanlin Temple 松赞林寺 Up Close
The Songzanlin Temple also goes by its Tibetan name Ganden Sumtseling Monastery and it is the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan. I always wanted to visit the Potala Palace in Lhasa but because of stringent requirements in entering the area, I have practically given up hope on visiting that place. The Songzanlin Temple is the next best place. One of the three buses along the main road outside the ancient town goes to the monastery. I forgot which one. The name of the monastery was on the bus stop so I knew which one to take. This is one of the advantages of being able to read Chinese, I am able to take advantage of low cost public transport instead of needing to hire a taxi cab.
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