A couple of days after our core workout, to our great surprise, our muscles weren’t sore, so we headed further northwest to visit hot springs and soak our feet in the super-hot water alongside locals from surrounding villages. We also explored a few new monasteries and felt the shift to autumn, with heavy rain as we visited the ruins of the once-great Guge Kingdom. The ruins are the only well-preserved remnants of ancient Tibet, existing from the 9th to the 17th centuries before Tibet was unified.
Even in the rain, the view from the top was breathtaking: a dried-up riverbed stretched out before us, along with the remains of palaces and temples (sadly, many relics were damaged during the cultural revolution, a topic our Tibetan guide avoided discussing). We also glimpsed the medieval caves where people lived and Teachers meditated during the kingdom’s golden era.
P.S. We've lost count of how many times we've felt incredibly lucky to have walked around Kailash just one day before the snow hit. Thank you 🙏🏼 And yet, had we flown, I wouldn’t have seen that unreal husky at the café I’ve come to love on the way back 🥹
