Dates Traveled: April-May 2008

Once again it’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but this entry should be comparatively short - famous last words. I did just return from a long break of almost two months, but there were no penis gourds, there was no coughing up of blood, and there were no major events which require verbose descriptions.

As the vessel where I work was going to be doing a transit to the Canary Islands for a bit of work, and then heading over to the North Sea for the next project, I ended up jumping ship on March 24th and flying back to the States. I spent just over 2 weeks there - writing a final report, doing a bit of organizing, and catching up with family. From there I hopped a flight over to Japan to spend a month with Rhona. (more…)

I was also in contact with a few friends when the uprising first started and so was able to get some information from them, though I haven’t heard anything for a few days now, which is ominous.

First, a brief history is probably in order - you can always search online for more details. March 10th is known as Tibetan Uprising Day. The year was 1959 - 8 years after delegates of the Dalai Lama were forced to sign the 17-point agreement with China, and 9 or 10 years since the Peoples Liberation Army of China had invaded Tibet to ‘liberate’ them. From whom is a gray area, since the Tibetans were living peacefully at the time.

Anyway, the 24-year-old Dalai Lama was invited to a Chinese army camp in Lhasa for a theatrical performance, but was told that he would not be allowed to bring his retinue of bodyguards. He was also asked to leave the Norbulingka (his summer palace) covertly. At that time the Dalai Lama wasn’t in the public eye as much as he’s forced to be today, so anytime he left the palace was a big event - there were throngs of worshipers lining the road. The pointed requests from the Chinese army weren’t very good at hiding their true intentions (no different to today) - they planned on doing harm, and didn’t want any witnesses (no different to today).

Hundreds of thousands of Tibetans happened to be in the capital at the time - displaced from the fighting in eastern Tibet, but also to celebrate Losar, or Tibetan New Years. When word broke of the Chinese request, over 100000 (some say as many as 300000) Tibetans formed a human barricade around the Norbulingka, to protect their young spiritual leader from kidnap - or worse. The Dalai Lama was forced to decline the invitation made by the Chinese army.

Over the years many had asked the Dalai Lama to flee Lhasa so that he would be safe. He’d always declined, believing that his place was there with those who looked to him for guidance. All that changed on March 17, 1959, when the Chinese lobbed mortars at his palace. It was decided that he would leave that night, disguised in an army uniform and carrying a gun over his shoulder. He was on his way to India.

Meanwhile, back in Lhasa over the next couple of days, carnage ensued. Tens of thousands of ill-equipped Tibetans were slaughtered by the Chinese army.

Since Chinese occupation - or ‘liberation’, depending on your view of history - the accepted numbers are roughly 1.2 million Tibetans killed, and 6000 monasteries destroyed. There are numerous online accounts of the atrocities, so I’ll spare you the gory details.

There have been a few uprisings over the past 49 years, and they generally occur around this time of year. The last major uprising in Lhasa was back in March of 1989. There was no help from the rest of the world, the Chinese army came down hard on the protesters, and there were rules implemented that Tibet is still trying to recover from. They lost even more of their freedom, and were denied the rights to celebrate certain religious festivals from that day forward. With everyone watching China this year because of the upcoming Olympics, the Tibetans believed it was once again time to bring their plight to the eyes of the world.

Having spent a lot of time in China and Tibet, I know how the ‘game’ is played by the Chinese. I know what they say, but then I also know what they do, and the two rarely correlate. I’ve had first-hand experience at their baiting techniques - trying to get me to say something incriminating, and I’ve talked to friends who have suffered more severely at their hands. I’ve watched them orchestrate grand charades - a visit by the Chinese Panchen Lama, and China forcing Tibetans to attend and celebrate a 40-year ‘anniversary’ in their honor spring to mind. Therefore, I have no illusions about what is currently happening, and can see through the official doctrine being spouted.

Some of what is happening right now:

• Incoming foreigners are being turned back at the airport
• Foreigners already in Lhasa are being ‘encouraged’, or forced, to leave
• Foreigners are being forcibly moved from hotels and guesthouses in the Tibetan quarter to other areas of the city
• Those hotels are often without electricity, even when surrounding buildings have electricity, such that foreigners can’t send e-mails - no communication with the outside world
• SIM cards are being removed from phones so photos can’t be taken
• Curfews are in place
• A group of Hong Kong reporters were just ‘escorted’ out of Lhasa - taken to the airport, where they were bought one-way tickets to Chengdu

Why would all these measures, and more, be implemented? To eliminate witnesses. There have already been a few chilling comments by Tibetans in news articles….”Most alarming is the fact that we haven’t seen any foreigners or foreign reporters on the streets in the last few days”. They know what that means, and it’s not good news for the Tibetan people.

Even though the Chinese imposed deadline for turning yourself in if you’re a Tibetan who participated in the recent uprising was just midnight last night, it’s said that the door-to-door beatings and arrests began a few days ago.

I read a quote by a Chinese official that news reports were false, that they hadn’t used any lethal weapons to control the protesters. Of course, it’s hard to maintain that rhetoric when photos are circulating of at least 8 people who were shot and killed in Gansu Province. You can see the photos on the aforementioned Phayul site. If those aren’t bullet holes, I don’t know what they are.

That is what has always frustrated me the most with China. Officials will say the most idiotic things - things that any sane person sees through immediately, and yet they’ll stand up there and swear that what they’re telling you is true. Or that they’re really doing something with the best of intentions. I’m sure today they’d tell you they’re moving foreigners out of the Tibetan area of Lhasa for their own protection. It has nothing to do with the fact they’re about to go in and wreak havoc….honest.

It’s one thing for the local populace to believe the rhetoric - they’ve been raised to not question, but for the rest of the world to fall in line is maddening. Everyone sees through the lies - knows what’s happening, and chooses to turn a blind eye. China is allowed to do as it pleases for one simple fact - there are 1.2 billion potential consumers waiting to snap up western goods and services. There’s money to be made, and that’s always the bottom line. If there’s nothing in it for us - land to be won, oil to amass, glory to be had, we want nothing to do with it. Look at the uprising by the monks in Burma/Myanmar last year - what came out of that? Nothing. They put their lives on the line to stand up to an oppressive regime in the hope that the rest of the world would stand beside them and help them in their struggle. And we ignored them.

Tibet is currently making that same cry for help. What will we do…….

Uganda

Once again it’s time to put fingers to keyboard to outline what I’ve been up to during my most recent six weeks of adventure. I left the vessel on January 16th and flew to Entebbe, Uganda, via a night in Dubai. I met Rhona at the airport and we proceeded to Kampala, where we spent the next 2 days simply relaxing. One night we sat outside under the stars smoking a cigar and drinking rum she’d brought with her from her recent travels in Cuba. It’s a tough life, but somebody has to do it.

We had signed up to do a three-week trip with Intrepid through Uganda and Tanzania. I’m not normally one for organized trips, but it was the easiest way to ensure we could get permits to see the mountain gorillas. On January 20th we set out on what we thought would be the easiest part of the trip - meeting the group at the designated hotel. Wrong! We drove around for over an hour, asking locals every few minutes if they knew where the place was located, only to be met with blank stares. We finally got word that they had gathered instead in a parking lot of a supermarket…as you do. It seems the meeting point hotel is new, not completely finished, nobody answered the telephone, and none of the locals knew anything about it. Aside from that it was a great place to meet!

When we arrived at the parking lot we met the leader and other passengers for the first 2-weeks of the trip. The Africa trips are different to the trips I (and Rhona) led in that they have a maximum of 21 people/trip. Our trips had a limit of 12 people. However, we found ourselves extremely lucky in that, because of the regional problems with the post-election riots in Kenya, we only had 6 passengers. Our transportation for the trip rolled up soon after we did - a large overland truck, so we jumped on and proceeded to our campsite for the night. The first night was spent getting to know everyone and learning what was expected of us. As the trip was described as ‘participatory camping’, we were expected to pitch and break down our tents, help with the cooking, clean the inside of the truck, wash dishes, and help perform any other tasks that came up. We also learned that we’d be crossing into Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas rather than seeing them in Uganda. Bonus! (more…)

February 7th is Tibetan New Years

Losar Tashi Delek

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Malaysia (State of Sabah) - Kota Kinabalu (KK)

We arrived in Kota Kinabalu (KK) around midnight, only to find that the airport transfer we’d arranged with the hostel was nowhere to be found. We eventually just grabbed a cab to the hostel, where we crashed long and hard. It had been a long day.

After a lazy start the following morning we finally ventured outside, only to find that the Sunday market was happening right outside our door. We enjoyed meandering through that for awhile before spending the rest of the day taking care of general stuff, since we were once again back in civilization. We were also lamenting the fact we were back in civilization - there were too many foreigners around! However, the good food and good vibe of KK made it worthwhile. I had been to KK 5 years earlier and enjoyed my time then as well. It’s a nice place.

We had been hoping to climb Mt. Kinabalu - at 13,435 feet/4,095 meters it’s the highest point on Borneo. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is comprised of the Indonesian province of Kalimantan, the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, and the country of Brunei. Anyway, while in Papua and about 2 weeks prior to our arrival in Malaysia, we’d contacted the Kinabalu Park authorities to see if there was accommodation on the mountain. Unfortunately, there were no beds available until a week after we planned on being there, which was too late for us. I’d climbed Mt. Kinabalu back in 2002, but it became obvious that it wasn’t going to happen this time around.

The following day we spent trying to send all of our Papuan souvenirs back to our respective homes, before catching a cab out to the museum. Before actually entering the museum we took in the very good, and free, heritage village. There were representative homes from the various tribes in Malaysia, and it was an interesting, extensive, and informative glimpse into their lives and customs. When we later entered the museum we found it to be quite good as well.

Early the following morning we hopped a ferry for the trip to Brunei. Even the extensive rain couldn’t ruin the break we had in KK, but since we couldn’t climb the mountain we decided to move along fairly quickly. (more…)

Singapore

I left the vessel, and Rio, on October 24th for the loooong trip to Singapore. By the time my head hit the pillow in Singapore I’d been awake for over 60 hours, though only 42 of those were spent on flights or in the Rio, Sao Paulo, Washington DC, and Tokyo airports. Needless to say we didn’t exactly get an early start the following morning. As before, the other half of ‘we’ was Rhona - we met in the Tokyo airport on my way through and flew the last leg to Singapore together. (more…)

We’re not sure what we’re doing afterwards, but most likely we’ll be heading up to Malaysian Borneo. I spent time there in 2002 as well, but again found that I wasn’t able to get to some areas. We’ll have to see what plays out, but another hike up Mt. Kinabalu may be in order – we’ll see.

We’re basically winging it most of this trip, with the only deadline being that I have to be back in Singapore on December 3^rd so I can fly back to Rio and work.

Plans are also falling into place for my next break from mid-January until the end of February. We’ve signed up for a 3-week Intrepid trip which will spend time in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. I’m most looking forward to seeing the mountain gorillas in Uganda – something I’ve wanted to do for many years. After the trip I should have time to try to get up Mt. Kilimanjaro, and I’d also like to head to Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas there. Should be another great adventure.

I hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll catch you from the other side of my upcoming trip with another journal entry and more photos.

Dates Traveled: September 2007

We caught a bus from Puno to Copacabana, on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. We had grand plans of doing a hike, and also visiting the Isla del Sol. However, as we had been on the go for over 3 weeks, and our time together was rapidly coming to an end, we decided to simply spend 2 days relaxing. We wiled away the hours eating good food - including chocolate fondue for breakfast, and watching movies that the guesthouse had available.

La Paz

The bus ride from Copacabana was scenic as the road wound its way along the shore of Lake Titicaca. At one point we descended a hill and entered a small village where the bus came to a stop. At first I thought we were stopping for breakfast, but then I noticed there was no road in front of the bus. We bought tickets and boarded a small boat which took us across the inlet, while the bus drove onto a rickety wooden ferry. I was happy to be off the bus as it made it’s unstable journey to the other side, where we once again boarded and continued our trip to La Paz.

We spent the rest of the day wandering around La Paz - climbing to a higher point to get an overview of the city, and visiting various plazas to watch the locals. Some of the most entertaining are the shoe-shine boys, who tend to wear gloves and ski masks - they look like thieves. The following day we set out walking again - this time exploring various markets. Several stalls in the so-called Witches Market sold shriveled llama fetuses. Evidently locals bury them under the porch of their new home to ensure good luck and fortune. Somehow I don’t believe the llama fetus will be replacing our trusty rabbits-foot anytime soon…call me crazy!

We parted ways that evening, as Rhona had to fly back to Japan for work, while I still had another week-and-a-half to travel. (more…)

Our flight had us hopping from Denver, to Dallas, to Miami, and finally to Lima, Peru. We arrived at 4:20 AM on August 15th, where we immediately caught a taxi to the bus station for our 7:00 AM departure for Nazca. The bus journey was 6 1/2 hours and passed through Pisco and Ica, before arriving in Nazca in the early afternoon. We’d been up for 29 hours but decided since we were only spending one night in Nazca, that we really couldn’t afford to sleep. That also ruled out taking showers, as while one person was showering the other would have no doubt passed out on the bed. Nope - the best plan was to simply drop our bags and go explore. Turns out maybe that wasn’t the best plan, but of course we couldn’t have known that at the time… (more…)

Hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll catch you later.

Last Saturday I headed into town with the other client rep, the party chief, and our Brazilian radio operator. We walked down to Ipanema Beach where we sat, had a beer, and watched the world go by. We then walked along the beach where we saw many people playing volleyball. Some were playing in the traditional manner, but others were playing without using their hands - it was more like soccer but over a net. Entertaining. (more…)

The mountain also provides excellent views over Rio - from the famous Ipanema and Copacabana Beaches in the south, to the football (soccer) stadium in the north, to the distinctive Sugar Loaf Mountain in the east. It was all visible from the summit, and we enjoyed hanging out up there for an hour, taking it all in.

Even though it was a quick excursion away from the vessel, it was nice to get out and see a bit of Rio. I especially enjoyed the drive through the various areas - from the rough-and-tumble port region where we’re docked, to the more affluent areas of the city. It seems like a relatively clean city - one doesn’t see much trash lying about. There is a lot of graffiti, but it was artistic and colorful, so I enjoyed that. You can often see groups of people sitting outside small shops drinking and wiling away the hours. It seems like a relaxed pace down here.

On the way back to the vessel I saw something I’d never seen before - busking at a traffic light! We stopped for the red light and a guy dressed as a clown stepped out onto the crosswalk and proceeded to juggle and entertain. He performed for most of the duration of the red light, before hurriedly passing from car to car hoping for a handout. Entertaining.

We’re still not sure how much longer we’ll be tied up here in Rio. We assumed that we’d be leaving later this week, but may have received some bad news earlier today. We’re trying to confirm things with customs, who seem to continually change their mind as to what is required in order to clear a shipment. Never a dull moment.

I’ve added a few additional photos to the Brazilian photo album.

Anyway, just a quickie in order to post a couple of photos from yesterday. And the next time someone informs you that they’ve ‘found Christ’, you can reply, “That’s not difficult - there’s a humongous statue of him overlooking Rio!”.

In the first 4 months of this year I worked 5 weeks, which of course is 5 weeks more than I worked between January 2001 and March 2005. However, I’m about to make up for it, as in the next 3 months I’ll be working….3 months….every day….about 14-hour days….but available by phone 24-hours a day….yikes! I needed to have some time off in August to - what else - travel. Unfortunately, the 6-week working/6-week off schedule would have put me back out here on the vessel in August, so to solve that I’ve opted to do a 12-week rotation. I’ve never done a hitch that long, but I have seen others after they have, and it’s not a pretty sight! Wish me luck…..

I left Helena around noon on May 6th and flew to Houston, Texas in a couple of sardine cans. The next morning I had a meeting with the company I’ll be representing out here, which was nice as it allowed me to ask some questions, as well as helping me put faces with the names. They took me to lunch and then turned me loose. Since I didn’t have to fly out until 9 that evening I thought I’d pop over to the company I used to work for and catch up with some friends. Unfortunately, I didn’t know they’d moved! It took me awhile but I finally found their new location, and then finally found people who were back from lunch, and so caught up with them - most of whom I hadn’t seen in at least 6 years. (more…)

I ended up getting off the Russian vessel on March 6 and was able to make it all the way to Montana that same day. My only thought at the time? “Good riddance to bad food!” I’ve definitely packed on a bit of weight back here in the land of edible food.

In the month-and-a-half since my return I’ve been mostly trying to get everything in order so I can work and travel for the remainder of 2007. That’s entailed all sorts of mundane things like getting new contacts/glasses, updating some of my travel clothes/equipment, getting a Montana drivers license, getting police clearance for a Brazilian visa, and getting my laptop repaired. I’ve also helped dad occasionally as he built a large addition to his garage, so we’ve sheet-rocked and sided that. Next up is quite a bit of concrete work.

If all goes well with visas I should be heading offshore Brazil around May 9th for my next job. They’ve had nothing but problems on the survey so far, and in 7 weeks have collected virtually no data. Right now they’re awaiting new equipment, which could take 3 weeks to clear customs, so I think my start date may be a moveable target. As is my end date. I need to have August off as I’d already planned a bit of traveling, but my current 6-weeks working followed by 6-weeks off on this project would have me back on the vessel in August. I’m still waiting to hear if they have someone else who can take my place, or whether I’ll be working 12 straight weeks in order to get the time off. Working 3 straight months, every day, and being on-call 24 hours a day in case of problems, would be tiring, but quite honestly right now I think that’s the best option. If I end up doing it, you can ask me in August if it really was the best option!

The other noteworthy thing I’ve accomplished this break is to finish my Blurb book of Tibetan photos. It’s fun to see your photos turned into an actual hard-cover book! Mine is an 8 X 10 inch, 176 page book of photos, with a few brief write-ups on some of the more important sites in Tibet. So far it’s been well received by the few who have seen it. To check out the cover and first 15 pages for yourself, to purchase the book, or to simply see what Blurb is all about, follow the link below by clicking on the book cover:

And with that, you’re up to date. I hope all is going well in your part of the world, and maybe next time I’ll be writing from a different vessel somewhere offshore Brazil. At least I’ve heard the food is better, so that’s a plus!

It took us a few days, but we finally got back out to the prospect area, deployed all the gear, and got back into production. I’ll admit that it took me a few days after that to get back to my seismic senses. Initially the dull thud of the air guns shooting every 15 seconds kept me awake, and I had to get my sea legs back as well, so I could walk down the halls without bouncing off the walls.

Something else I had to get used to on this vessel? The food! I’d been warned to bring some of my own, which I did. However, I was thinking to myself, “How bad can it be? I’ve eaten dogs, snakes, grasshoppers, ants, scorpions, fish heads, and the list goes on and on. I’ve also eaten Russian food when I worked there in 1998 & ‘99. It can’t be that bad, right?”. Wrong! First of all, we get liver. A LOT! Like at least twice a week. I don’t like liver, and it seems I’m not the only one on this boat. The cook obviously knows that, so he disguises it. Something cut up to look like the beef in beef stroganoff? Liver. A patty that looks like a hamburger? Liver. I’m starting to implement a no-dark-meat-policy, but I’m afraid the cook will figure out a way to make liver a white meat! The liver isn’t the only problem - the food in general is pretty bland, absolutely floats in grease, and is usually cold by the time it’s served. Nice.

Of the 45 people onboard, all are Russian speaking except for 1 Aussie, 1 Canadian, and 6 Americans. The crew are great, but you do have to watch them to make sure they’re not cutting corners, or trying to keep something from you. They definitely do not want any downtime for which they don’t get paid. Which was a problem this morning - it’s hard to hide the fact that the main engine on your vessel has gone out and you’re dead in the water! I’ve been out of the industry for 6 years, and even I could figure that one out! It took 4 or 5 hours but they patched something together and we’re back underway.

The lines on this survey are extremely long - the one we’re currently shooting is over 520 kms in length. Most lines are taking 2-3 days to collect, which gives me time to keep up with the quality control, databases, and report writing.

It has also given me a chance to work on creating a photo book of some of my Tibet photos. I’m hoping to have the general layout of the book, with all the photos, done by the time I get off the boat. I’ll then probably have to write up a few brief descriptions of some of the major places in Tibet, and then I’ll send it off to be printed. It will be kind of cool to have a coffee table book of my own photos. Anyone can create a book - simply visit Blurb, download the free software, and away you go. You don’t pay anything until your book is printed. If it turns out fairly well I may make mine available from this site…stay tuned.

I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be onboard for this trip. Right now the rumor is that crew change will be March 1st, though we’re suspecting that may be pushed back a bit. And then everything is up in the air. I’ll probably have a bit of time off, and then possibly head down to a job offshore Brazil. Could be worse - I’ve never actually been to Brazil, so I can do some exploring during my time off.

And now that you have a brief glimpse into my life out here on the high seas (which by the way are supposed to become higher in a few days - 14 ft./4.3 m. seas are predicted for Thursday), it’s time for me to go grab dinner. Greasy cold liver, here I come!

I’m currently just hanging out and trying to get over a cold I’ve had for the past month. It looks like my first geophysical contracting job will start on February 1st. I’ll board the boat in Mobile, Alabama, and will then head out into the Gulf of Mexico for what will probably be a 5-week trip…give or take.

As it now stands my second job could be offshore Brazil, but everything with this job is going to be subject to change, so who knows where I’ll end up.

Anyway, I don’t know what type of connection I’m going to have onboard, but if I can I’ll update you on boat life while I’m out there.

Hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll catch you later.

I finished my last Tibet trip of the season on October 22nd in Kathmandu, Nepal. I had an enthusiastic group, and we had great views for most of the trip, so it was a nice way to end. And it truly was the end, as I’ve decided to hang up my tour-leader shoes and try my hand at some geophysical consulting work starting in 2007. I enjoyed my time with Intrepid, and it was great to be able to show others a bit of what Tibet has to offer, but it’s time to move on.

However, as you’ve probably guessed, I was unable to proceed from one phase to the next without a bit of traveling, and so I met a friend of mine in Kathmandu on October 21st and we began our 1-1/2 month excursion through Nepal and India. (more…)

Last I left you was early June and I’d just finished a 2-week trip from Shanghai to Beijing. On June 3rd I started a 3-week trip which went from Beijing to Xian, then through Gansu and Sichuan Provinces to Chengdu. We then flew to Guilin and spent time in the Yangshuo area before finishing the trip in Hong Kong. I won’t give blow-by-blow specifics, as the trip was basically the same as that covered in my May 14th entry, but…

It was a good trip with a full group - plus one extra, or 13 passengers. One variation from the previous trip of the same name was that in Tangkor we spent an evening with a local Tibetan - Yonten Gonpo. He’s an English and Music teacher at the local school, and he has also produced a few VCD’s of his music. For about 1-1/2 hours he sang and played a guitar-like traditional Tibetan instrument - the damye. He had written most of the songs himself, and it was great for people to be able to listen to some traditional singing and playing. The locals in attendance also stopped what they were doing to listen - he was that good. Ask me sometime when I’m in your neck of the woods and you can borrow the VCD. (more…)

From Shanghai it was an overnight train journey to Luoyang, where we exited the train station and immediately boarded a van for the 2-hour drive to Shaolin. Some of you may recognize Shaolin as the place where young students go to practice what is commonly referred to as Kung Fu. We arrived to our rooms in one of the largest martial arts schools in the area, ate lunch, and then wandered around to see what was happening. And what was happening? “Everybody was Kung Fu fighting. Those cats were fast as lightning. In fact it was a little bit frightening….” Sorry, but it’s impossible to wander the grounds without that song looping through your head.

We checked out Shaolin Monastery and wandered through the forest of stone pagodas, but it was the practice grounds we were lead to believe would be the most interesting. Or not. Don’t get me wrong - it’s pretty impressive to see fields of young students punching, kicking, and flipping, but it had a real circus atmosphere to it, thanks to the fact that Shaolin has become a major tourist destination. That was especially true for the ’show’ which we went to see…very touristy. However, there is always some bad with the good - the good in this case being the really young students practicing in the courtyard of the school where we stayed. Kids start as young as 6 years old, and it was these students who were asked to demonstrate their skills in front of a panel of young teachers. They performed their repertoire of kicks and flips - sometimes less than expertly, but always enthusiastically. They were definitely entertaining to watch.

Not content to watch, one of my passengers did a 3-hour lesson with a well-known Kung Fu teacher, while two other passengers opted for the 1-hour lesson. All seemed to enjoy the experience, and were only slightly bruised and battered the following day.

It was my first time to Shaolin, and I must confess that it wasn’t exactly what I’d expected, but I still enjoyed my time there - especially watching the younger students. (more…)

Xian once again had us catching a bus for the 1-hour trip out to the Terracotta Warriors. We then spent 3 hours simply wandering around to view the various pits and their treasures of Terracotta Warriors and horses. That evening we indulged in a hotpot meal, which is always fun. I tend to go to a local establishment, so it’s usually our group and a bunch of Chinese. We get a couple of large pots of boiling broth – half spicy, half less spicy. We then wander downstairs to select skewers of…well, we usually don’t know what the skewers contain – that’s part of the fun. There are the obvious options such as cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, and greens. And then there are the numerous not-so-obvious options. We usually round out the menu with skewers of lamb and beef, a couple cooked fish, and some fantastic Muslim bread. The dinner is usually a highlight, as it’s more of an event than a meal. We finished the evening with some drinks in a quiet bar. (more…)

I believe I last left you in Xian. We caught the overnight train to Lanzhou, grabbed a quick breakfast, and then took a bus for the 6 1/2 hour trip to Xiahe (Labrang in Tibetan). Labrang is always a nice introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, as the monastery there is considered one of the 6 most important in the Gelugpa Sect. It’s always enjoyable to walk the kora upon our arrival, tour the monastery the following morning, and have a bit of free time to wander the street and begin our immersion into all things Tibet.

From Labrang it was back on the bus…destination Langmusi. I’ve always liked Langmusi – it’s my kind of small, interesting town. There’s only one street of note, the people are friendly, it has an outback feel to it, and there are some nice hikes and great scenery in the region. Perfect. (more…)

We were in Tibet primarily to be part of Losar, or the Tibetan New Year, which this year began on February 28th. It’s a great time to be in Tibet, as long as you can deal with the interruptions to normal service – most Tibetan shops and restaurants are closed for up to two weeks for the festivities.

The first day we simply wandered around, caught up with some local friends (and a French friend who was also in town), and scoped out what was meant to be happening during the upcoming days. The following day was the actual start of Losar, so we headed down to the Barkhor to watch the Tibetans walk the kora – out to see and be seen. We ended up sitting on the vacant shop tables amongst a throng of poor rural villagers, who themselves were accepting money from some of the more affluent Tibetans passing by. We enjoyed our time interacting with the young kids among them, until I had the bright idea of buying them a box of oranges. I thought the feeding frenzy at the Tibetan sky burials was something to behold! It had nothing on the quick little filthy hands darting into the box of oranges and grabbing as many as possible. We finally conceded that there was no way we were going to impose order, and so let them run off with as many as they could grab, safe in the knowledge that even those with a handful of oranges were probably only going to actually eat one of them and share the rest. (more…)

I finished my last trip of the season on October 16th and spent a week simply relaxing in Kathmandu. I then flew to Beijing to sort out visa issues and prepare for the upcoming trip with my dad and his wife, Laura. They arrived in Beijing the afternoon of November 1st and the adventure began.

The first night we took in the Kung Fu show, which tells the story of a young boy who becomes a monk. The lighting, martial arts, acrobatics, and story are all good, making the show well worth seeing.

The following day we hired a car and driver to take us to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. It was a great day for it - temperatures were cool, there weren’t many tourists, and the trees were changing to their fall colors. Very picturesque. The air still wasn’t as clear as I’d hope for, but I was still able to get some better photos than I had on previous visits. We spent 4 or 5 hours wandering around - snapping photos, shooting video, and climbing up and down the serpentine wall before opting for the quick descent…toboggan! Always fun. That night we took in an acrobatic show, which I always enjoy. It’s no wonder that the Chinese acrobats are heralded as some of the best in the world, as they do some amazing stuff. (more…)

After the trip I spent about a week being a bum in Kathmandu – relaxing/recovering and not doing much of anything. I then flew here to Beijing where I’ll hang out for another 5-6 days until my dad arrives, at which time we’ll do a month-long trip through China and Tibet, before finishing with a few days in both Kathmandu and Bangkok. Should be a great trip – as long as the weather in Tibet allows us to cross the passes. Stay tuned.

As for the trip, we met in Beijing on September 19th. I had a full group of 12 passengers, and they came from 6 different countries. I always like it when I have a good mixture of countries represented, as it keeps the conversations interesting. The 28-day trip was one I’d lead a couple times previously this year - Mountains and Monasteries. Our first day we ventured out to the Great Wall at Mutianyu - about 1 1/2 hours from Beijing. It’s always nice to walk along the wall, admiring the structure as it snakes along the hills. At Mutianyu it’s also fun to be able to take the toboggan run off the wall. Unfortunately, I always seem to get caught behind some overly-cautious Chinese woman who rides the brake the entire way down. So much for careening out of control. Maybe next time. (more…)

It was another interesting trip, though this time it wasn’t because of passengers dropping out or buying pets along the way. This trip was interesting for the fact that some of the population were celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Obviously there were a lot of changes apparent to me, as I had previous trips with which to compare. However, one didn’t have to be overly perceptive to see through the veil of deception that had been put in place. There were flags everywhere – some that looked like prayer flags, though prayer flags emblazoned with the dates “1965-2005”. Other flags hanging from homes and public buildings were of the red-with-five-yellow-stars variety. Or how about the immaculately clean uniforms for the school children who were taking part in the festivities? Trust me – Tibetan school uniforms are generally anything but clean! There were new facades on many of the buildings around the Potala, where the main festivities took place. There was also a new park unveiled across from the Potala, which I must say is a beautiful improvement over the disco and decrepit buildings that occupied the space just a few short months ago. The Potala itself had been undergoing some renovations during the preceding months, and many of those were completed when we went through this time. However, the renovations also seemed to leave behind many video cameras and motion-activated microphones.

Pervasive throughout the planning of the anniversary, and the event itself, was fear, which explains why there weren’t many foreigners around. Stricter entry guidelines were imposed such that many foreigners couldn’t even make it into Tibet during a 3-4 week period. Foreigners who were in attendance for events in previous years caused problems when they reported what they’d witnessed. Or how about the fear, such that you throw a celebration, but impose an 11PM curfew – maintained by police in full riot gear walking the streets at night, scowling at any who were still out and about (at least they only scowled at me – not sure what they did to others). (more…)

We flew into Lhasa and had a few days seeing the normal sites. Then, on day three, one of my passengers bought a dog - allegedly to save it from being eaten by a Chinese soldier, though I have my doubts. There was no way a dog was coming with us on a 9-day Landcruiser trip across Tibet, and everyone seemed to realize that - including the woman who bought the dog. Therefore, I ended up talking to a local friend of mine who has several dogs, and he agreed to keep the dog. There were many anxious moments as the woman waffled back-and-forth about what she was going to do, but in the end the rest of the group and I ‘convinced’ her that leaving the dog was in everyone’s best interest. Five minutes before we were to leave Lhasa she approached me one last time to understand the repercussions of her staying behind with her dog. I let her know that we were all on the same permit and that she’d be screwing up everyone elses trip if she were to stay. That seemed to be the final bit of convincing she needed, as she stated she didn’t want to ruin the trip for others. Wrong! (more…)

On July 3rd I finished the Tibet trip I was on, and then spent a couple more days in Kathmandu trying to wrap up the report and accounts for that trip, as well as begin to organize for my next trip. I then took a flight to Beijing, via Bangkok, to start a short 9-day China-only trip on July 7th. I just finished that trip yesterday (July 15th) in Shanghai, and am now hanging out in Kunming awaiting my next group and a 21-day Tibet trip beginning on the 19th. However, all that is getting ahead of myself, so on with the update.

I last left you in Lhasa. As always I enjoyed my time there – it always feels like going home. The next morning we jumped in our Landcruisers and drove the 4 hours to Samye Monastery. We were extremely fortunate in that a festival, Cham, was taking place at the time. I’d been able to attend the same event last year, and so was excited to see it again. However, it seemed much smaller this time around – no camping area for the Tibetans, and very few restaurant tents and gambling. It was a bit disappointing in that regard, but the actual dancing by the masked monks in bright costumes to the sounds of cymbals, horns, and drums was still fantastic.

We took in the festivities that day and wandered up Hepo Ri to get some great views down to the mandala-shaped monastic compound. That night we were all in a dorm room together, avoiding the heavy rain outside. We didn’t get much sleep as monks were blowing on their horns until about 1:30, and pilgrims were enjoying themselves until the early morning hours.

From Samye we did the drive to Gyantse, over some big passes and affording views down to one of the sacred lakes – Yamdrok Tso. We did our standard routine in Gyantse – climbed the hill to the ruined fort and chuckled at the ‘anti-British’ museum, and then wandered around the monastery and Kumbum.

From Gyantse it was on to Shigatse for a few nights where we checked out Tashilhunpo Monastery and played a lot of cards. (more…)

We left Xian via an 8-hour overnight train to Lanzhou. We ate breakfast there and then hopped in a mini-van for the 6-hour drive to Xiahe. Xiahe, or Labrang in Tibetan, is home to one of the six most important monasteries of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Upon arrival we simply walked the kora of the monastery, and observed pilgrims and monks spinning large, colorful prayer wheels.

The next morning we took a tour with a local monk through Labrang Monastery. It was pretty standard, though I did notice some differences between the monasteries in this region – known as Amdo in Tibetan, and those in the center of Tibet. It’s also interesting to actually see a few pictures of the Dalai Lama in these monasteries, considering it’s illegal to have pictures of him in what is now known as the Tibetan Autonomous Region (i.e. Lhasa and surrounding areas). We were also able to see huge, colorful sculptures made entirely of butter. These are traditionally displayed during the Tibetan New Year festivities, but again, that practice has been outlawed in Central Tibet. Nice to see that it is alive in some parts of what was traditionally Tibet. (more…)

We met in Beijing on June 6, and headed to the Great Wall the following day. This trip goes to a part of the wall at Simatai, which is a more remote section about 3 1/2 hours from Beijing. It was the ending point for the walk I did back in March from Jinshanling to Simatai. It’s a shame that I didn’t have my camera for that first walk, as this time it was extremely foggy and hard to see anything. We had a nice little 3-hour walk along the steeply inclined wall, but what should have been fantastic views of the wall snaking over the hills in the distance was shrouded in mystery. Maybe next time.

That evening some of the group went to a Kung Fu show, the others met up with friends or wandered the city, and I met up with some other leaders for all-you-can-eat Russian food, which included all-you-can-drink beer/vodka until 9 PM. We stocked up before the cut-off time, and were able to keep going until about 2 AM. Be afraid…be very afraid! (more…)

As for the first trip, the 12 passengers and I first met in Kunming on April 25th. After a group meeting and a dinner, we set out the next day by bus for Dali. Dali is touristy - mostly for Chinese tourists, but I still like it quite a bit. There’s a lot to do around the area, but we opted for a guided tour one day. I’d taken the tour when I passed through on my own a few years back and really enjoyed it. Passengers seemed to agree this time around. The guide talks about things that aren’t obvious, but doesn’t overwhelm people with information. In the morning we went to a Bai minority market, and then wandered around the small village looking at homes, and visiting a pig temple. Pigs blessed at that temple actually garner a bit higher prices in the market.

We next drove into the hills on another side of the main lake in the region - Erhai Lake. Lunch in a small Muslim restaurant was first, followed by a visit to a corn whiskey ‘factory’, and then a visit to a small, peaceful temple. We then took a short hike through the rice terraces to see some small villages of the Yi people - another of the 25 minorities here in Yunnan Province. After a 10-hour day we headed back to Dali to dine on a Tibetan feast. Virtually every dish set on the table contained yak meat - beans with yak, noodles with yak, carrots with yak, yak with yak…you get the picture. People probably received their lifetime supply of yak meat in one sitting. (more…)

While in Hong Kong I went to a Thai restaurant with some local friends. It was definitely Thai with a Chinese twist, as we had chicken feet, pig’s cheeks, and fish skin. Still excellent - amazing what Thai spices and sauces can do.

So, after Hong Kong I headed to Kunming – starting point for my first solo trip. As I was about a week early, I set out exploring the city a bit, but then also traveling to Dali and Lijiang – meeting some of the local operators, finding good restaurants, and pricing some activities. It was good to be back in Yunnan, as it’s one of my favorite provinces in China – very diverse topography, and also contains 25 of the 55 minority groups in China, so it has a great feel. Not to mention it’s cooler here, as the elevation in the cities I traveled ranged from 1900-2400 meters. Nice.

Tomorrow I start my trip, and am definitely looking forward to it. I’ll have a full group, which with this company means 12 people. It’s only a 15-day trip, but will involve seeing several different minority groups, getting to Zhongdian, which, after much ‘research’ into the subject, has been found to be the true Shangrila, and doing several days of trekking. Should be good. I finish that trip on May 9, and then start a 21-day Tibet trip on the 10th. Looking forward to that one as well.

I recently received my camera, after a couple months without, so hopefully the next journal entry will contain some photos.

I hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll catch you later.

We spent one night in Guilin before catching local buses to the rice terraces of the Longji region. I’d visited the area on my own before and had been duly impressed with the art and engineering of the terraces. It was probably better when I saw them last as it was around August and the paddies were green, whereas the villagers are just now beginning the planting this year. Still, it’s always fun to see the same area in different seasons.

The first day we simply did a few short walks in the rain before eating and playing drinking games that night. The next day we tried to sweat out the poisons by doing a walk from the village of Ping An to Dazai. It’s a great walk, as one leaves the environs of the Zhuang tribe and passes into the country of the Yao. If you remember my update from the last time I was in the region you’ll remember my encounter with the Yao woman and how she took her hair down to show me the additional two bundles that made up her sculptured coiffeur. You’ll also remember that she tried to drink me under the table with the local rot-gut…mijiu. Not much difference this trip, although we confined our drinking to our own little group, and back in the safe haven of our lodge in Ping An.

OK, so maybe safe is a misnomer. That night at the lodge a local woman would in turn approach each of us with a cup full of mijiu. After singing us a song we were obliged to ‘ganbei’ (bottoms up) the concoction. We didn’t drink nearly as much that night as we had the previous evening. However, I think it was a combination of the alcohol, a pretty full-on chest cold (which I’m still fighting), and sunburn and dehydration from lack of water on our hike that caught up with me the next morning. I got up and went to the toilet at 6. I remember thinking that I really needed some water, and that I needed to go back into the other room to turn on the pot to boil some. The next thing I knew I awoke and my roomie, and fellow new leader, was inches from my face and I was on the floor. Guess I needed that water more urgently than I thought! I was coherent upon awaking from my swan dive, which makes me think it was more dehydration than anything. Maybe subconciously I was simply testing Eric’s skills, as it was his turn to be ‘leader for the day’. He did well. A few hours later when I awoke I was still feeling pretty unsteady, and I had an extremely sore head for the next 5 days. Who knew bouncing your head off walls and floors wasn’t good for you. Go figure!

We made our way down to the bus stop for the short ride into town where we changed buses. Adding to my headache, I was the second of three people to not realize that the roof at the back of the bus dropped down considerably, and I smacked my head - this time pealing back a few layers of freshly sunburned skin from the top of my head. Definitely wasn’t my day.

We made our way to just outside of Yangshuo, where we stayed in a great little place for the night. The highlight that night was to attend a cooking class, and being able to eat our creations…eggplant, kung pao chicken, vegetables, stuffed tofu balls, and the local specialty - beer fish. It was a good night.

The next day we hopped on some bikes and proceeded to cycle around the region. It’s always nice to bike in the Yangshuo area, as the karst topography and rice fields are picturesque and serene. That night most of us went down to the river to take in a light and cultural show created by a famous Chinese director.

The next night we had the first group splitting-up party, as two passengers and the two of us who were trainee leaders would be leaving the group the following day, while the others would continue down to Hong Kong and the real end of the trip. Suffice it to say that we kept to form for this group - there was much alcohol consumed that night! Luckily I’ve been told that not all groups drink this heavily, as if they did I don’t think my liver would survive this job.

The next day while the group recovered and prepared for a train trip, I made my way to the airport and flew to Chengdu. The following day I wandered around a bit, and then hung out with some of the other leaders that would also be heading into Tibet for some more on-the-ground training. On April 2nd we flew into Tibet, and then caught a bus into Lhasa. It was fantastic to be back! It definitely feels like a second home to me. I spent much of my time in Lhasa trying to catch up with local friends. It was great to see them, and to be back in that environment. It was definitely cooler than Chengdu - it was spitting a few flakes of snow when we first arrived. Nice.

We spent the first 3 days in Lhasa checking out some of the main sites - Jokhang, Potala, and Sera, while also visiting the hospital, a project supported by the travel company, and learning what to look for in Land Cruiser transportation. The next day we hopped in said Land Cruisers for the scenic drive to Gyantse via one of Tibet’s four holy lakes - Yamdrok Tso. In Gyantse we climbed to the fort when we arrived, and then checked out the Kumbum the following morning before embarking on the short drive to Shigatse. In the afternoon we visited Tashilhunpo Monastery. I’ve never liked Shigatse as a city, but I’ve always enjoyed visiting the monastery. However, it really has to be done in the morning when all the pilgrims visit. It was too eerie to have the place essentially to ourselves in the afternoon. Plus only a handful of the normal chapels were open to us.

On the 7th we took the 8-hour drive back to Lhasa via a route I hadn’t traveled before, and it provided us with some great views. The next day it was time to end our all-too-short training trip to Tibet, so I made my way down here to Hong Kong, while the others headed to Beijing. At least this time I left Tibet pretty sure that I’ll be able to return in 5-6 weeks time, so that’s a great feeling. I do love it there.

Here in Hong Kong I’ve simply been trying to catch up on some sleep to get over this chest cold, and have turned my passport in for a new visa. I’m hoping that all will go well with that and I’ll be able to return to China soon. In the meantime I’m trying to get everything organized for leading my first trip with Intrepid, which will start in Kunming on April 25. I’m looking forward to it.

And with that, another journal entry is completed. I hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll catch you from somewhere down the road.

I did a lot of walking to check out the various sites - pagodas, museum, drum and bell tower, to name a few. I also found myself wandering around the Muslim quarter a lot to graze on all of the excellent street food. I enjoyed Xian as it has a nice feel to it, and the surrounding ancient city wall provides a sense of history. I opted to not visit some of the sites, so that I’ll have something to see when I return at a later date.

Xian is most notable as the gateway to the terracotta warriors, so we headed out there one morning via public bus. I’d previously been warned by many travelers that the warriors are disappointing, but I obviously wanted to see them for myself. They are disappointing, but mostly because of the tremendous hype surrounding them. Anytime you’re dealing with a ‘must-see’ destination, you’re bound to feel a bit let down when you actually arrive. However, when you think about the effort involved to produce 7000 life-sized warriors - each with unique facial features, you can’t help but be impressed. One really doesn’t see many of the warriors, as the process of excavating them is ongoing. Something else that I hadn’t realized is that