15.: As we had seen enough monasteries and temples already, we went back to Kandzê (12.000 people / 3580m) and not further to Dergê (8000 people / 3220m), which is maybe the most important center of Tibetan culture. This would have cost us three days, as one has to pass a nearly 6000m high pass to get to the city.
In Kandzê we visited the big monastery (over 500 monks) where we saw a meeting in the monastery with the lama sitting on a high chair and two other monks to his feet. Lots of other monks were sitting at one side and after some time of humming there were three monks standing in the hall in front of the lama. The were discussing in a way that at least two people were always talking at the same time (the three standing monks and the two at the feet of the lama). The funniest thing was that the three standing monks always went a few steps forward and backward again without looking away from the front while clapping their hands with huge movements of there arms every 10 seconds. The way they all laughed, these kinds of meetings seemed to make a lot of fun for the ones talking. The lama and the other monks looked rather bored.