"Before the Chinese interpreter, who had accompanied us to Lhasa, left to returnto Golmud, we managed to get him to arrange a permit for our group to make a visit to this otherwise out of bounds area. Still as a full group we left Lhasa on a local bus at 7:00 am. It was only a few days after our arrival in the city and I was still feeling a bit under the weather, but I was determined not to miss it, and somehow managed to find the strength. The route to Samye first took us along the main road to the airport, about 50 miles of good road offering some beautiful scenery. From there the road deteriorated and became very bumpy and dusty. To add to the discomfort more passengers got on, making the bus very crowded. Despite this it was an enjoyable ride passing through some interesting looking villages, though by the time we got off I had had enough. The journey on was a real experience. We first had to squeeze onto a small ferry to cross a wide river. The ferry, that was more like a barge with a motor on the back, took over an hour making its way between large sand dunes. When we reached the other bank there seemed little but a small jetty, made from a few old planks, that jutted from a beach with barren mountains behind. By the time we had clambered ashore a truck appeared in the distance and soon arrived. We climbed up onto the back, and an even more dusty and bumpy ride along a narrow track followed. After about 40 minutes we reached a fertile valley and a small town. This was Samye. The monastery, that was square in plan, was in the centre and dominated the town. We were shown by a local the way to the hotel! just a courtyard with 4 rooms on two sides. The rooms had beds on them and nothing else, though we were brought the usual thermos flask of hot water." - MH