Trailhead at Samda Monastery
Samda is everything most Westerners imagine Tibet to be - rugged hills with junipers; rustic Buddhist monastery atop a grassy knoll adorned with prayer flags; slatey piles of mani stones - flat rock plates engraved with prayers - piled four feet high; lammergeyers (vultures) soaring on nine-foot wingspans.

"Today was the first day of exercise in 10 days. No headache now - a great sign. Tomorrow packing yak loads- very relaxed here at the Samda monastery."
- Carlos Buhler, 11 September 2002

The drive here was painful, but beautiful. Wide open spaces, and an amazing landscape. The one thing I find hard to deal with is the Tibetan’s curiosity. They are not shy at all; they keep following us around like we’re some kind of circus. Which I guess we are in a way."
- Carina Ostberg, 12 September 2002

"The road descended gently from the pass back into another deep river valley. At times the road was pretty smooth, other times landslides had pushed across it and streams had gouged gullies across it, jouncing all occupants and contents of the jeep up in the air, or tilting us precariously towards the river - especially intimidating for the people on the river side of the jeep.

The jeep pulled up next to a roadside shop with a snow leopard skin hanging up outside and a robe with a rim of snow leopard fur hanging beside it. After milling around shooting a gazillion photos (that we later found out we weren’t supposed to take), and staring at them (locals) staring at us (the usual thing - Carina’s blue eyes, hair on the arms being some of the more premier items of interest), we were off."
- Mark Newcomb, 12 September 2002