Tashilhunpo Monastery, Shigatse, Tibet

The huge monastery is a walled town in its own right. Its cobbled lanes throng with the murmur of pilgrims queueing to enter the golden-topped ochre buildings containing the tombs of past Panchen Lamas. At its peak Tashilhunpo was home to 5000 monks. These days it houses around 600. Many of the monks here are English-speaking and said to be in cahoots with the Chinese authorities. We are warned not to say anything controversial inside or show pictures of the Dalai Lama.