After giving the van a good wash, we set off for Bome, and reached Rawu Lake within two hours. Rawu means “five goats” in Tibetan and refers to the second Buddha who travelled from India 1,200 years ago to found the Ningmapa (Red Hat) sect in Lhasa. He wanted to travel all over Tibet to defeat the demons, but they were too strong for him in this eastern region of Tibet and he kept getting lost. However five goats showed him the way to the lake where he defeated the demons and it came to be knowm as Rawu Lake. It is alternatively known as the Milky Lake because of its colour, which derives from the snow melt feeding the lake. It is now a major tourist centre because the lake and its surrounding forests are very beautiful. The road to Bome passes through a forest which is pretty but gets a bit boring after a while. We saw what looked like a leopard at the side of the road. It had spots and could have been a cat or a baby leopard, but was definitely dead.
We got to Bome and embarked on a long odyssey to find a hotel where we could park in the carpark. We found one for £2 but the owners wanted more money and threatened to call the police. Heard nothing more from them!
