Once you have read this post, I recommend viewing the series of 5 photos in slide show mode by clicking on one of them and scrolling to next.

As I started my westward journey on road from Lhasa, that would keep me on the wheels for 10 days, the first photographic opportunity arose a few kilometers on the road. In the far distance I could see an interesting play of light on a group of cliffs, that appeared to be peeping through the clouds. We were on the highway and I could see the police ahead of us. Risking being called out, we stopped to get a quick shot.

Government controls basically everything in Tibet. So on the road from Lhasa, one would find many police check posts at designated points. Now at each check post they record what time you left, that’s because if you reach the next stop any earlier than what they would expect, that means you were speeding!!! Interesting way to control speed. However people always find ways to beat the system. Basically drive at top speed and keep an eye on the watch. If you are arriving early than expected, then stop for a break at around 5 – 10 km prior to the next check post.

So we were indeed speeding. As we stopped for a 20 min break to catch-up on time, I saw groups of men and ladies doing Kora around a small mountain. Kora is a type of pilgrimage in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, performed by walking around a sacred site. Exactly at the point of our stop, the path of Kora merged with the road. People at a distance and the roads edge lines leading into them offered a great compositional opportunity. As you will see in this series, I have 3 photographs that leverage the leading lines into the groups of people performing Kora.