Gyantse, Tibet
Gyantse which lies at an elevation of 4025 meters on the edge of the beautiful Nyang Chu Valley has been an imparting town of ancient trade route linking Gangtok, Sikkim with Lhasa and now, it is a main stopping point if you travel Lhasa to Kathmandu by land route.
This town is quite small and you can walk the entire town in just a little over an hour. The famous Pelkhor Chode Monastery is here. This monastery is one of Tibet’s most famous and most respected. This monestry is a blend of Tibetan, Nepali and Chinese architecture
ou visit the Gyantse Dzong fortresses here. This fortress is built on mountain like we see in the Disney movies and was built in the late 14th century. The Gyantse Dzong was attacked by British forces during the British Expedition to Tibet in 1903-04. It is historical place which canvas the old picture in the mind.
Pokhara, Nepal
Pokhara has honor of being the second largest city of Nepal and loosely spread out across a long valley. Three of the world’s ten highest peaks lie within 50 kilometers of Pokhara and beauty of this town is unmatched.
The famous Fewa Lake is here, which Nepal’s second largest lake. You can enjoy on walking and cycling path around the lake or you can rent a small boat or kayak to behold the natural beauty.
The popular treks to Annapurna Base Camp, Poon Hill and others start in Pokhara. The Sarangkot view point is very famous and in the clear weather you can get a far-reaching view of the Himalaya, counting Dhaulagiri, Machhupucchare and Annapurna II. You can hire taxi to go this view point. There is another viewpoint is known as the world Peace Pagoda (Shanti Stupa).
Kangding (Dartsedo) Tibet
Kangding which is known Dartsedo in Tibetan is the gateway to the agriculturally rich Kham region of the Tibet. This town is located in a narrow valley surrounded by high mountains. Peaks here rise to 6000 meters or higher, including Minya Konka, which tops out at 7556 meters. This town has a population of around 100,000 which is a mixed population of Tibetan, Chinese, Qiang and Hui peoples.
Ngachu and Lhamo Tse Monasteries are here. Dordrak Monastery (Jingang Si) is a little west of Lhamo Tse and Dentok Monastery (Paoma Si) is on top of Paoma Mountain, which you can visit by the cable car up the mountain or take the hiking trail. The best thing here is Tibetan dancing in the Center Square in Kangding.
Generally a couple hundred people dance popular Tibetan songs. Kangding is not very big and you can easily navigate it on foot. It is the top height of the joy to dance amid the Tibetan people on the indigenous songs at night.