View of the Songzanlin Temple and the Surrounding Countryside
It took ma a while to climb up the long flight of stairs at the Songzanlin Temple or Ganden Sumtseling. It was primarily because of my dislike for long flights of stairs and also for a more practical reason. I only got to Shangrila that morning and since I only came up from sea level the previous day I don’t want to gamble with fate to see if I would get altitude sickness. I was travelling alone and it would be troublesome or downright dangerous if something would happen to me. So I took my sweet time to climb up the stairs all the time wondering whether my shortness of breath was merely due to fatigue or early symptoms of altitude sickness.
Nearby Mountains at the Songzanlin Temple 松赞林寺
Eventually my patience paid off. I reached the main platform of the Songzanlin Temple and I was greeted with sweeping views of the surrounding country side. There was really nothing around that area and it was just the temple here. Maybe it was also part of the plan to insulate the resident monks from the follies of the outside world. The Songzanlin Temple was built on a basin formed by the neighboring mountains. There is a small lake in front of the temple where it seems you can do a little exploration. I would probably want to see that when I get down. From he it is easy to forget about your worries. Could this be the real Shangrila?
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