A brand new motorway has been built between Nyingchi and Lhasa alongside the old G318, which is fast and toll-free, but not quite as interesting as the old road. I would have liked to have turned off and visited the Shulba castles and the Taizhao old town perched on the hillside. The landscape soon changed from the mixed coniferous and deiduous forest of the past two days, although it was more beautiful with the leaves turning yellow, and as the road climbed gradually the towering hills became covered in small bushes. A handful of hairpins and we reached a pass crowded with Chinese tourists and their buses, with a stone marking the height of 5,013 metres. The pass was surrounded by snow-covered peaks an there was some fine sleet in the wind. The motorway into Lhasa passed Ganden monastery and we could see the road winding its way up the hillside, but our permit didnt cover it and the guide wasnt too keen on going. Ganden is now a supporter of the Panchen Lama against the Dalai Lama. Tensing got us into the £40 a night Gang Guan hotel for £28 for three nights consisting of one in the hotel and two in the van in the car park. £9 a night for a 4-star hotel is pretty good.
