It has a well-developed and mostly paved pilgrim walk which circumnavigates the monastery, leading past hundreds, maybe thousands, of 2m-high prayer wheels lined up in sheltered corridors, with a few even bigger prayer wheels at the corners, and then there are about a dozen white stupas to be circled.
Most of those walking the circuit appeared to be Tibetans, the women sporting Stetson hats, the men in their distinctive long-sleeved coats, but by the look of the faces and dress styles many races were represented.
Most of the pilgrims merely walked the route spinning the wheels. A few sang what I assumed to be Buddhist chants. Some also stopped at spots on the monastery wall — whose dark colour indicated they received a lot of attention — and touched their heads.
But some prostrated themselves the full 3km pilgrim route. After a while, I could easily identify them because they had wooden pads strapped to their hands and thick pads on their knees, and a few also wore aprons to protect their clothes from the cloying dust.
They would kneel, touch their heads to the ground, then spread themselves full length on the ground, sometimes repeating the process a second time before rising, taking two steps forward, and kneeling again.
A monk I asked about this later said there were different rules for this ritual "but at this monastery it has been decided you have to do 10,000 circuits just walking or 500 prostrating. You can do maybe 300 circuits a day so it can take one or two months".
The monk said that there were more pilgrims these days.
"Many used to go to Lhasa but that is more difficult now."
And what, I wondered, did pilgrims gain from this?
"Oh, you can confess your sins," he said. "It is good for you."
Walking round the circuit was a bit tiring — well, it was for me, because Labrang is 3000m up and the air is thin and cold — and some of the prayer wheels were stiff so they took a bit of effort to push. Some pilgrims, presumably those planning to do 300 circuits a day, wore gloves to protect their hands.
But there was a pleasant spirit of camaraderie among those walking. I was one of the few obvious outsiders actually doing my bit to turn the wheels, thus generating the prayers written on them, and the locals generally seemed pleased to have the extra help.
One man took a break from spinning to say hello and ask "What country you from?" Unfortunately, New Zealand was a bit too obscure, so he asked, "From England?" When I said I was from New Zealand, he gave up.
Quite a few monks were doing the circuit and to them the presence of a foreigner seemed a source of amusement more than anything. The young ones mostly smiled shyly, burst into huge grins when I smiled back, then exchanged a few comments among themselves and burst into laughter.
After initially feeling a bit nervous, by the time I had finished a circuit I was enjoying the experience, and almost felt I was a real pilgrim.
At the end I gave the money (about 20c) from the Japanese girl to a toothless old man, one of many beggars lining the circuit, and he gave a beaming smile and a gesture of blessing in response.
I don't suppose one circuit did much for my sins ... but every little helps.
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Singapore Airlines operates several times a week between Auckland and Singapore, then on to many destinations, including China.
Getting around: World Expeditions' 'Silk Road to Samarkand' journeys travel from Beijing to Samarkand including Labrang.
Jim Eagles visited Labrang with help from Singapore Airlines and World Expeditions.
