Shigatse (12,600 ft.) is most famous for its Tashilhunpo monastery - the seat of the Panchen Lama, who is regarded as the reincarnation of the Buddha of endless enlightenment. Items of interest inside this monastery built in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama are the relics of Sakyamuni, the hall of Maitreya, and a mind-boggling collection of thanks, frescoes and statues. There is a bustling `free' market at the foot of the ruins of the Shigatse fortress where one can buy local handicrafts embedded with coral and turquoise, Tibetan daggers, Chinese porcelain and yak butter.