Monks inside the Tashilumpo Monastery, located in Shigatse, Tibet. Founded in 1447, Tashilumpo is reason enough to Shigatse shown on the maps. Upon entering the main avenue, the golden roofs of the tombs of Panchen Lamas immediately call the attention of visitors. To the left is the Chapel of Jampa (Maitreya), the Buddha of Kindness, immortalized with a statue towering 26 meters high. Erected in 1914 under the auspices of the ninth Panchen Lama, nearly a thousand of artisans and workers involved in construction for four long years. It is really overwhelming presence of this Buddha bathed in 300 kilos of gold and precious stones. In one corner, a monk sitting cross-legged on a mat keeps a watchful eye. For every photo you have to pay 30 yuan and this "debt collection" Buddhist does not lower our guard. Faced with such magnificence, surprised to see rats walking at will by the sacred images. In the ancient hall meetings, where the monks gather to pray after meals, two huge rodents climb, the indifference of the religious, the image of Sakyamuni, "Sage of Sakya", the original Buddha, known by Tibetans as Thukpa Sakya. Beware: dozens of stories circulating related to Beijing monks willing to report to the pilgrim or tourist caught with a photo of the Dalai Lama or censoring China's policy in Tibet. The Assembly Hall is a good place to sit and watch the monks and listen to their spiritual litanies. On a small stand placed the scrolls with prayers. Stay lit only by a few yak butter lamps, the atmosphere surrounding the visitor has an aura of unreality, of pleasant pinch of another era. That mysticism envelope is not eternal, grotesquely dissipates when the monk who leads the prayers gets to count the Yuan bundles left by tourists. Is the toll of globalization.