A trip to Tibet that defied expectation

The destination was Yumbu La Gang, regarded as the first palace built in Tibet. This narrow towering structure, perched on a craggy ridge, resembles a small European castle. Now a temple, its foundations were apparently laid more than 2,000 years ago. It was quite a climb up a stone track to the structure where I stood looking out over the scene, particularly of fields that had been cultivated for generations. Again, it was so different to earlier views I had of Tibet. Some local people had gathered on a small square outside the temple buildings. A monk came out giving me a greeting of "Hello" and invited me inside its small hall almost filled with statues. Reluctantly I had to leave, following the path back down to a village where I stopped to watch a wall being built. People sang as they worked, something I noticed several times on this journey.