This was another long day of travelling, with some interesting high-lights. Of course, waking up to a snow-storm was crazy. Good thing I had my attractive new yak-wool hat to keep me warm. Anyhow, it was only useful for about 20 km down the mountain, after which point it began to get hot and dusty again (weird).
We stopped at a shit-hole of a town called Old Tingri, a series of ugly, dirty buildings along a dirt strip with almost nothing good to say about it except that it was our last stop before the border town, Zhangmu. We had lunch here and then set off for Zhangmu.
Halfway there we encountered an obstacle: the road was closed for a few hours because of "construction". Tommy, one of companions who speaks Mandarin, tried to convince the guard that it was an emergency, and then offered a bribe, but nothing could happen to let us go through. So we set out walking the 14 kilometres.
The walk along the road was pretty and good enough, were it not so long and so, so dusty. We tried numerous times to hitch-hike with passing gravel trucks until we were finally picked up by one who we offered 20 RMB. The four of us crowded into the tiny cab, sitting on each others laps and generally in a LOT of discomfort! But we were all laughing so hard. The high-light of this day, for me (James) was when we turned a corner along the high mountain road and almost ran into one of these weird Tibetan tractor-rickshaw things. They look like rickshaws with giant lawnmowner engines in front, with handle bars like a motorcycle. The poor guy couldn't keep control of the thing, and he had a look of genuine fear on his face as he tried to reign in this beast of a machine that seemed intent on going wherever it wanted (even right off the cliff, if not into our gravel truck!). Four of his construction companions had to actually restrain the possessed machine by holding it back, while the front wheels spun wildly above the ground! We all just laughed our asses off! We joked that if the machine went flying off the cliff, the People's Republic would make him pay to replace it. Poor guy!
The rest of the ride to Zhangmu was similarly filled with lots of laughter. Tommy is deathly afraid of heights, and the Zhangmu river gorge is one of the highest (most magnificent and beautiful) roads in the world--albeit calling it a road is sometimes generous. At one terrifying point, he was heard to remark "Golly gee Molly Poppers!" These Americans say weird and wonderful things! The road was often quite treacherous. We also were held up for an hour or so at one point on the road where a landslide of rocks made the road impassable. We had to wait with several other jeeps while a giant construction machine cleared it. While waiting, I saw huge flocks of bats flying amidst the clouds in the valley below--just beautiful.
(this part written by Pan-Pan because of J’s finger-aching issues again J)
The bordertown of Zhangmu (between Nepal and Tibet) is one dirty, hectic, crazy town (as all bordertowns have the reputation of being. We got there pretty late and had a very late dinner with the other two boys. They had some really interesting stories from their travels (they had started in Moscow, worked their way to Kazakhstan, through Xinjiang and finally to Tibet), and we also discussed some politics and philosophy. The four of us decided to go out for some drinks, and this is where the craziness started. We saw some stairs leading down to a bar, lined with red lanterns. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, we turned the corner and came upon the sketchiest, dirtiest bar we’d ever seen. The only people in it were about 20 girls sitting around eating watermelon or lone-ily dancing on the dirty dance floor. Needless to say, it was obviously a bar where men could, ahem, buy the company of ladies. We felt very very awkward, especially me because it was a weird place for a girl to walk into! We all left hastily and laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. In fact, we couldn’t find one legitimate bar in the whole town, and ended up going back to our hotel and chatting in the American boys’ rooms until late.
The next day, we woke up late and started our trip to Nepal! The border crossing was relatively hassle-free although the Chinese officials seemed more diligent and checked us many times, while the Nepalese officials barely seemed to care that we were entering. In fact, little Nepalese children kept scuttling back and forth between the borders carefreely! We rented a car for 2000 rupees (about 40 CDN) for the 4 hour ride through the mountains to Kathmandu, and this is where we are now, in beautiful, vibrant Thamel region of Kathmandu, where we are staying at the cleanest, nicest, prettiest hotel we’ve seen in a LONG time – the Kathmandu Guest House. Nepalese people are generally very nice, but bartering can be a lengthy and heart-wrenching process. The food is DELICIOUS (such a change from Tibetan fare), and there are just endless interesting streets to explore and exotic souvenirs to buy. We both bought Tibetan thangkas (hand-painted scrolls), which are real works of art – J’s is about 4 feet by 3 feet for 6000 rupees and mine is a bit smaller for 3200 rupees. We can’t wait for you guys to see them!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Day 4 on the Friendship Highway (written by Pan-Pan)
Me (Pan-Pan) again! So we were in Sakya in the morning and circumabulated the monastery there. It is strongly Mongol-influenced and so looks different from anything else we’d seen – thick grey walls with white stripes down the sides. We opted not to go in though because we’d already seen so many monasteries and didn’t want to pay the 55 RMB (about 8 CDN) per person to go in. Honestly, I think we’ve seen about 50 temples/monasteries/nunneries by now! I was glad to get out of Sakya because there’s nothing to do there, and it’s so ridiculously dusty.
We traveled for the full day to reach Mount Everest. Most of the ride was smooth, and even ascending 1000 m in 20 km of road wasn’t as bad as we thought. Everest Base Camp is an interesting tent city. There were no expeditions going on at the time, so there were no actual climber tents. All the tents were for tourists who come to stay there. It was pretty cold while we were there so we bundled up as best as we could. James bought a yak wool hat which was really cool and only cost 20 RMB. We decided to walk 4km to the actual Mount Everest base camp where climbers would stay, and the walk was sooooo hard! Because the altitude was 5200 m, there was very little oxygen and after climbing a small mountain, we all had to stop and rest, huffing and puffing and drinking lots of water. The walk was interesting because we saw some Tibetan gophers, and of course, tons of yaks. When we finally got to the official base camp, the clouds cleared up for just long enough for us to snap a few great pictures (which we’ll put up as soon as we can, either on this blog or on my photo blog). There was a Chinese police station with a sign that said “Mount Everest Police Station” which we wanted to take a picture of, but they wouldn’t let us! Its so weird. The actual Base Camp sign disappointingly doesn’t even say “Everest”, it just says Mt. Qomolangma, which is the Chinese name for Everest. The walk back was so great and light because we were going downhill and with the wind this time.
We were served some basic Tibetan food in our tent, which by this time we were really tired of! Tibetan food is just a lot of yak, noodles, and fried rice. None of us had much of an appetite, there’s only so much yak and noodles we can eat before we’d rather just go hungry. Our tent was designed in a basic Tibetan way – lots of reds, blues, greens, and whites, representing the four elements. They lit a fire, and soon our tent was the hub of activity as all the guides and drivers and some tourists from other vans came in. James and I had a game of chess too, which has been keeping our minds stimulated on this trip. I won, which is rare, since J is much better than me usually! We went to bed at around midnight, and soon the night was still and the air was chilly as the fire slowly died. I woke up in the middle of the night absolutely frozen to the bone even under two full winter quilts and had to put on my pants and long shirts and socks just to stay warm.
When we woke up in the morning, I looked outside and felt as if we had been transported to another world. There, right outside our door, was our tent city covered with a foot of snow and a blizzard happily blasting everything! I couldn’t believe how snowy and cold everything was! I’m sure James will write about this, but it blew us away how within the next 8 hours of leaving Everest, we would travel through 3 different biomes – snow, desert, and tropics! Altitude is more of an influence on climate than I had ever really though possible!
We traveled for the full day to reach Mount Everest. Most of the ride was smooth, and even ascending 1000 m in 20 km of road wasn’t as bad as we thought. Everest Base Camp is an interesting tent city. There were no expeditions going on at the time, so there were no actual climber tents. All the tents were for tourists who come to stay there. It was pretty cold while we were there so we bundled up as best as we could. James bought a yak wool hat which was really cool and only cost 20 RMB. We decided to walk 4km to the actual Mount Everest base camp where climbers would stay, and the walk was sooooo hard! Because the altitude was 5200 m, there was very little oxygen and after climbing a small mountain, we all had to stop and rest, huffing and puffing and drinking lots of water. The walk was interesting because we saw some Tibetan gophers, and of course, tons of yaks. When we finally got to the official base camp, the clouds cleared up for just long enough for us to snap a few great pictures (which we’ll put up as soon as we can, either on this blog or on my photo blog). There was a Chinese police station with a sign that said “Mount Everest Police Station” which we wanted to take a picture of, but they wouldn’t let us! Its so weird. The actual Base Camp sign disappointingly doesn’t even say “Everest”, it just says Mt. Qomolangma, which is the Chinese name for Everest. The walk back was so great and light because we were going downhill and with the wind this time.
We were served some basic Tibetan food in our tent, which by this time we were really tired of! Tibetan food is just a lot of yak, noodles, and fried rice. None of us had much of an appetite, there’s only so much yak and noodles we can eat before we’d rather just go hungry. Our tent was designed in a basic Tibetan way – lots of reds, blues, greens, and whites, representing the four elements. They lit a fire, and soon our tent was the hub of activity as all the guides and drivers and some tourists from other vans came in. James and I had a game of chess too, which has been keeping our minds stimulated on this trip. I won, which is rare, since J is much better than me usually! We went to bed at around midnight, and soon the night was still and the air was chilly as the fire slowly died. I woke up in the middle of the night absolutely frozen to the bone even under two full winter quilts and had to put on my pants and long shirts and socks just to stay warm.
When we woke up in the morning, I looked outside and felt as if we had been transported to another world. There, right outside our door, was our tent city covered with a foot of snow and a blizzard happily blasting everything! I couldn’t believe how snowy and cold everything was! I’m sure James will write about this, but it blew us away how within the next 8 hours of leaving Everest, we would travel through 3 different biomes – snow, desert, and tropics! Altitude is more of an influence on climate than I had ever really though possible!
Day 3 on the Friendship Highway
This was a hard day of travelling. We spent just about the entire day in the jeep, driving across the roughest "roads" you'll ever see (never paved, hardly ever gravel, mostly just rock and dirt--very bumpy). The Tibetan landscape is harsh. There are green agricultural areas in some of the valleys but the plateau mostly resembles desert. It's rocky and very, very dusty.
At Shigatse we were determined to find thongkas (traditional Tibetan art-works) since we missed our chance in Lhasa.
We only had a couple hours in this town to see a monastery and haev lunch, and we spent half of it running through markets and alleys looking for thongkas. Finally we gave up and saw the monastery, which, if I recall, was not particularly unique. This was the center of the Gelupga order of Tibetan Buddhism, and is significant because it is the spiritual center of the Panchen Llama, second holiest man in Tibet next to the Dali Llama, who is from a different order. But the last Panchen llama is buried in Shigatse. I say the last even though there is a current Panchen llama, 11 years old, but he is being held captive by the Chinese--he's called the youngest political prisoner in the world. (On that note, Tibet is obviously an extremely sensitive political issue--you can get in serious trouble for bringing in pictures of the Dali Llama or discussing politics with local Tibetans or monks--some of whome are known to be undercover agents).
Sakya was where we stayed the night, and it was nothing special. We saw a ruined monastery and walked through it, which was quite interesting. The monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (along with a reported 6000 other monasteries in Tibet). There was no power on in this town, so we had an early night, in candlelight, in our hotel room (which, again, was nothing special).
Additionally, we began at this point to tire of Tibetan food, which is not a particularly good reason to visit Tibet. Because of the scarcity of resources, Tibetan food tends to be drab and limited compared to Chinese cuisine. We survived the Friendship Highway mostly on fried rice or chowmein.
Our American friends are great travelling partners. We got along really well with them. They have a ton of funny stories!
At Shigatse we were determined to find thongkas (traditional Tibetan art-works) since we missed our chance in Lhasa.
We only had a couple hours in this town to see a monastery and haev lunch, and we spent half of it running through markets and alleys looking for thongkas. Finally we gave up and saw the monastery, which, if I recall, was not particularly unique. This was the center of the Gelupga order of Tibetan Buddhism, and is significant because it is the spiritual center of the Panchen Llama, second holiest man in Tibet next to the Dali Llama, who is from a different order. But the last Panchen llama is buried in Shigatse. I say the last even though there is a current Panchen llama, 11 years old, but he is being held captive by the Chinese--he's called the youngest political prisoner in the world. (On that note, Tibet is obviously an extremely sensitive political issue--you can get in serious trouble for bringing in pictures of the Dali Llama or discussing politics with local Tibetans or monks--some of whome are known to be undercover agents).
Sakya was where we stayed the night, and it was nothing special. We saw a ruined monastery and walked through it, which was quite interesting. The monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (along with a reported 6000 other monasteries in Tibet). There was no power on in this town, so we had an early night, in candlelight, in our hotel room (which, again, was nothing special).
Additionally, we began at this point to tire of Tibetan food, which is not a particularly good reason to visit Tibet. Because of the scarcity of resources, Tibetan food tends to be drab and limited compared to Chinese cuisine. We survived the Friendship Highway mostly on fried rice or chowmein.
Our American friends are great travelling partners. We got along really well with them. They have a ton of funny stories!
Day 2 on the Friendship Highway (written by Pan-Pan)
I’ve taken over for James for a few of the entries because there’s just so much to write about and James’ fingers get awfully tired!
After spending the night in Samye, we left early in the morning to cross the river by boat, which took about one hour. The landscape around Samye is extremely interesting, all desert and dunes, next to crystal clear lakes, which are themselves striated by blond sand dunes. In the morning, Tommy and Brendan told us about a crazy encounter with some Tibetan police that barged into their room the night before and told them they couldn’t stay in the hotel we were all staying at because it hadn’t been approved by the government for foreigners to stay at. We think it was all a big scam to get rich foreign tourists to stay in their hotels, some of which are owned by police sheriffs, very sketchy indeed.
The boat ride was relaxing as the boat was almost empty. This day, it was James’ turn to sit in the very back of the jeep, with all the luggage, and he did so well, didn’t get sick at all! In fact, all the boys took a turn in the car, and I tried one day for 18 minutes, but then got so car sick, James had to take over my shift. For the rest of the trip, they were all very benevolent about sitting in the back, and all of them offered to take my shifts so that I wouldn’t get sick. Sitting in the back though makes one feel like an animal because it’s cage-like and opening the back door requires the driver to come around. Everytime James got let out, we laughed and said “Release the beast!” We drove for about 9 hours that day, stopping in between at Yamdrok-tso lake, which is a winding turqoise gem. When we were pulling into the parking lot though our jeep got kicked by a yak! It was pretty startling. We got hassled again by some Tibetan shop vendors, who are not friendly at all sometimes. Very different from the monks and nuns who are always smiling!
When we finally got to Gyatse, we entered the monastery there and enjoyed the biggest stupa I had ever seen. It takes too long to post pictures, but I highly suggest you google these places we mentioned because they are all beautiful. Gyatse is full of wild dogs, so I opted to go back to our dorm room early while James went to an internet café. I also got a shower in which is more than I can say about the boys (for your own sakes, I won’t mention how many days my travel companions went without showers!)
After spending the night in Samye, we left early in the morning to cross the river by boat, which took about one hour. The landscape around Samye is extremely interesting, all desert and dunes, next to crystal clear lakes, which are themselves striated by blond sand dunes. In the morning, Tommy and Brendan told us about a crazy encounter with some Tibetan police that barged into their room the night before and told them they couldn’t stay in the hotel we were all staying at because it hadn’t been approved by the government for foreigners to stay at. We think it was all a big scam to get rich foreign tourists to stay in their hotels, some of which are owned by police sheriffs, very sketchy indeed.
The boat ride was relaxing as the boat was almost empty. This day, it was James’ turn to sit in the very back of the jeep, with all the luggage, and he did so well, didn’t get sick at all! In fact, all the boys took a turn in the car, and I tried one day for 18 minutes, but then got so car sick, James had to take over my shift. For the rest of the trip, they were all very benevolent about sitting in the back, and all of them offered to take my shifts so that I wouldn’t get sick. Sitting in the back though makes one feel like an animal because it’s cage-like and opening the back door requires the driver to come around. Everytime James got let out, we laughed and said “Release the beast!” We drove for about 9 hours that day, stopping in between at Yamdrok-tso lake, which is a winding turqoise gem. When we were pulling into the parking lot though our jeep got kicked by a yak! It was pretty startling. We got hassled again by some Tibetan shop vendors, who are not friendly at all sometimes. Very different from the monks and nuns who are always smiling!
When we finally got to Gyatse, we entered the monastery there and enjoyed the biggest stupa I had ever seen. It takes too long to post pictures, but I highly suggest you google these places we mentioned because they are all beautiful. Gyatse is full of wild dogs, so I opted to go back to our dorm room early while James went to an internet café. I also got a shower in which is more than I can say about the boys (for your own sakes, I won’t mention how many days my travel companions went without showers!)
Day 1 on the Friendship Highway
We left Lhasa on the 19th after having spent four nights there. It was quite enough time there, I think. As I may have mentioned before, we met two American guys our age to share the cost of a jeep + driver/guide across the Friendship Highway to the Nepal border: trip duration, 5 days and 6 nights. Our driver and guide were nice Tibetan men, and the jeep was just big enough to hold all six of us. One person had to sit in a fold out seat in the very back, with the luggage, but it wasn't so bad because you could just lie down (albeit rather awkwardly).
The first day we travelled to a monastery about two hours away from Lhasa called Samye. We had to take a very rickety Tibetan boat-thing for an hour to get there. Once there, we saw the monastery, which is the oldest monastery in Tibet. I think it's 1400 years old or something like that. It was really impressive, and we got to hear those crazy Tibetan horns that are enormously long and produce a deep, resonate bellow.
We hiked some pretty hills and I took a short video of some a field of grass blowing in the high wind--it was a very pretty place. We had dinner with our companions and later that night we circumambulated the temple and made friends with some Tibetans in the process. Two women called out "hello!" and we met them and took some pictures of us with them--they were very impressed with how their pictures showed up immediately on the camera for them to see.
Later that night I played some pool--there are lots of pool tables in Tibet. I won one game and lost another, but both were really fun. Of course, I drew quite a crowd of onlookers. Maybe they all assumed I was a pool pro because I'm Western or something. Anyhow, these rural Tibetans were quite nice and seemed eager to laugh and smile.
The first day we travelled to a monastery about two hours away from Lhasa called Samye. We had to take a very rickety Tibetan boat-thing for an hour to get there. Once there, we saw the monastery, which is the oldest monastery in Tibet. I think it's 1400 years old or something like that. It was really impressive, and we got to hear those crazy Tibetan horns that are enormously long and produce a deep, resonate bellow.
We hiked some pretty hills and I took a short video of some a field of grass blowing in the high wind--it was a very pretty place. We had dinner with our companions and later that night we circumambulated the temple and made friends with some Tibetans in the process. Two women called out "hello!" and we met them and took some pictures of us with them--they were very impressed with how their pictures showed up immediately on the camera for them to see.
Later that night I played some pool--there are lots of pool tables in Tibet. I won one game and lost another, but both were really fun. Of course, I drew quite a crowd of onlookers. Maybe they all assumed I was a pool pro because I'm Western or something. Anyhow, these rural Tibetans were quite nice and seemed eager to laugh and smile.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Lhasa
I wasn't planning on making another post until Nepal, but the last two days have been so interesting that I don't want to leave it for a week and risk forgetting the details.
Yesterday we saw the Potala Palace, which is magnificent. There are 999 different chambers. We didn't go in them all, of course, there was a pre-set course that led through some of the most interesting and important rooms, like shrines and tombs. The rooms are mostly lit by candles burning in yak butter wax (which smells like yak). Of course there is also plenty of incense smoke in most places. There were a number of Western tourists, very many Chinese tourists, and also a sizable amount of pilgrims who would prostrate themselves at important places. There is a very mystical feel to it all. It was definitely worth the 100 yuan entrance fee, and the tiring climb up the thousands of stairs leading to it.
Later that day we went to another temple in Lhasa called Ramoche. For a fee we went into the main prayer hall, absolutely filled to the brim with monks, and circumambulated (walked counter clock wise) the room, drawing the stares of many (we were the only tourists there). We didn't know it at the time, but they were all waiting for their venerable teacher to show up. We went outside--around the temple were hundreds of people also waiting for him to show up. So we waited too. Soon enough, officials starting pushing people back to allow room for an SUV to get near the temple. Army and police officials led the way, pushing people back. Then the SUV pulled in and a monk in one of those wild, yellow hats started blowing on one of those deep Tibetan horn instruments. As soon as the door opened, people swarmed the SUV. In the raucus I caught a glimpse of him. He was short and old, and surrounded by other monks and the officials, who escorted him into the temple. 
Today has been a very full day. We took a city bus 20 minutes to a monastery called Sera, from which we hiked an hour through fields and small Tibetan villages to a small monastery called Pabonke. We never made it there because on the way we encountered a small monastery--actually a nunnery--and were waylaid. They were so nice and welcome, they actually invited us into their prayer hall to sit with them for their mid-day meal. So Pan-Pan and I sat in this room filled with Tibetan nuns, and ate with them. We didn't eat much though, just a little to be polite. The food was small balls of yak butter and meal, and we didn't like it very much. After we ate, they all started chanting, and we just sat back and tried to do a little meditating. All in all we were with them for at least an hour, and even managed to communicate a little with a very nice nun sitting across from us. They seem like very happy people, always smiling and joking around, even though their lives are very austere. I didn't take any photos because flashes aren't permitted in prayer halls, but I didn't manage to capture some poor quality video which I will share when I get back.
(That black-ish thing in the foreground is a yak, by the way. They smell.)
Today we also settled our plans for our trip on the Friendship Highway, which starts tomorrow morning. We met our American comrades again and paid the travel agency and even got to see the jeep we'll be taking. This should be quite the adventure.
Yesterday we saw the Potala Palace, which is magnificent. There are 999 different chambers. We didn't go in them all, of course, there was a pre-set course that led through some of the most interesting and important rooms, like shrines and tombs. The rooms are mostly lit by candles burning in yak butter wax (which smells like yak). Of course there is also plenty of incense smoke in most places. There were a number of Western tourists, very many Chinese tourists, and also a sizable amount of pilgrims who would prostrate themselves at important places. There is a very mystical feel to it all. It was definitely worth the 100 yuan entrance fee, and the tiring climb up the thousands of stairs leading to it.
Later that day we went to another temple in Lhasa called Ramoche. For a fee we went into the main prayer hall, absolutely filled to the brim with monks, and circumambulated (walked counter clock wise) the room, drawing the stares of many (we were the only tourists there). We didn't know it at the time, but they were all waiting for their venerable teacher to show up. We went outside--around the temple were hundreds of people also waiting for him to show up. So we waited too. Soon enough, officials starting pushing people back to allow room for an SUV to get near the temple. Army and police officials led the way, pushing people back. Then the SUV pulled in and a monk in one of those wild, yellow hats started blowing on one of those deep Tibetan horn instruments. As soon as the door opened, people swarmed the SUV. In the raucus I caught a glimpse of him. He was short and old, and surrounded by other monks and the officials, who escorted him into the temple.
Here's a picture of the SUV entering the temple compound:
Today has been a very full day. We took a city bus 20 minutes to a monastery called Sera, from which we hiked an hour through fields and small Tibetan villages to a small monastery called Pabonke. We never made it there because on the way we encountered a small monastery--actually a nunnery--and were waylaid. They were so nice and welcome, they actually invited us into their prayer hall to sit with them for their mid-day meal. So Pan-Pan and I sat in this room filled with Tibetan nuns, and ate with them. We didn't eat much though, just a little to be polite. The food was small balls of yak butter and meal, and we didn't like it very much. After we ate, they all started chanting, and we just sat back and tried to do a little meditating. All in all we were with them for at least an hour, and even managed to communicate a little with a very nice nun sitting across from us. They seem like very happy people, always smiling and joking around, even though their lives are very austere. I didn't take any photos because flashes aren't permitted in prayer halls, but I didn't manage to capture some poor quality video which I will share when I get back.
Here are some pictures of the Tibetan landscape on our way to the nunnery.
(That black-ish thing in the foreground is a yak, by the way. They smell.)
When we got back to Sera, we were just in time for the "monk debates", a huge tourist draw, where the monks sit in a big courtyard and have heated debates with each other. This was very interesting and we got some great photos. They are very emphatic when they argue, and they clap their hands at the others when they feel they've made a point. I didn't see anyone get angry or upset though. Everyone was either looking inquisitive, thoughtful, or joyful.
A picture of the monks debating:
Today we also settled our plans for our trip on the Friendship Highway, which starts tomorrow morning. We met our American comrades again and paid the travel agency and even got to see the jeep we'll be taking. This should be quite the adventure.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Chengdu, Tibet
The days since Lijiang have been a blur. We arrived at Chengdu very late and spent two nights at the Mix Hostel. Our first day in Chengdu we went to the Panda Breeding Center, a world renouned facility that studies, breeds and displays the giant panda and lesser red panda. I think this was Pan-Pan's favourite site so far. We went very early (6:30) to avoid the crowds and because we heard that the pandas are more active in the morning. We weren't disappointed at all, they were very active. We have some great pictures and videos that we will share when we get back. There are a couple good ones of panda cubs rough-housing on a wooden climbing structure. They seem like very friendly creatures! There was also a panda museum on the site. Here is a picture:
We then climbed seven hours down the mountain. Going down is HARD, let me tell you. The last hour, I was hobbling--my ankle was hurting, but worse still, my right leg was just destroyed. Later that night I couldn't bend it at all and could barely walk. But overall it was an enjoyable experience. We saw some magnificent sites, some really magical looking temples, and they monkeys were just crazy! They would grab people's bags, pull out anything edible (juice boxes, bottles of water, raw eggs) and run into the trees to eat them. One of them attacked this older woman who was screaming "hozi!" ("monkey!") I tried to stop myself laughing but I couldn't, it was too funny. The official policy with the monkeys is don't feed them--the authorities have put them on a diet because they are getting fat and greedy from tourists' food. You have to be very careful with them and are advised to carry a big stick. There are some wardens who walk the paths but they are few and far between. It is a little scary when you're descending the trail by yourself, with at least an hour between you and the nearest little mountain concession stand or warden.
Later that day we went to what is said to be the first Taoist temple in China, where Lao-Tzu himself (writer of the Tao-te-Ching) is said to have lived part of his life. It was very interesting to me. Here's a picture:
The next day we left for Mt. Emei, but not before visiting the Leshan Buddha on the way. This is the biggest Buddha in the world. It was really incredible.
Mt. Emei is two hours outside of Chengdu. It's famous for its great scenic spots, the monastaries that dot the mountain, its incredible height, and the hordes of monkeys you encounter in several places. We took a bus to almost the top, where there was a small stretch of development including a couple hotels and a few restaurants, and the next morning, bright and early, we took a gondola to the very top. The monastery at the top is incredible. Here's a picture of the massive statue in front of the monastery:
We then climbed seven hours down the mountain. Going down is HARD, let me tell you. The last hour, I was hobbling--my ankle was hurting, but worse still, my right leg was just destroyed. Later that night I couldn't bend it at all and could barely walk. But overall it was an enjoyable experience. We saw some magnificent sites, some really magical looking temples, and they monkeys were just crazy! They would grab people's bags, pull out anything edible (juice boxes, bottles of water, raw eggs) and run into the trees to eat them. One of them attacked this older woman who was screaming "hozi!" ("monkey!") I tried to stop myself laughing but I couldn't, it was too funny. The official policy with the monkeys is don't feed them--the authorities have put them on a diet because they are getting fat and greedy from tourists' food. You have to be very careful with them and are advised to carry a big stick. There are some wardens who walk the paths but they are few and far between. It is a little scary when you're descending the trail by yourself, with at least an hour between you and the nearest little mountain concession stand or warden.
Here's a monkey after stealing a person's plastic bag. He then opens the bottle of water and drinks it (they are quite clever).
Then we left for Tibet. The flight was just great. For the second time we managed to get a seat in the third row, right behind first class, with no seats in front of us and so with lots of leg room.
Lhasa is such an interesting city. We've been here for two days now. On the one hand, it is so developed by the Han Chinese that much of it looks like an old Chinese city. In fact, there are more Han in Lhasa than Tibetans. But there is still a core of Tibetan culture, like the Potala palace (the old residence of the Dali Llama), the Jokhang temple, or the old neighborhoods bustling with circumabulating monks and with the smell of frying yak in the air. Speaking of yak, I had a yak burger, and it was pretty good--tasted like beef. At the Jokhang temple, Pan-Pan was yelled at by some woman at a concession stand for dressing inappropriately! She said something like "respect the temple when you're here, I hate that sort of thing." We were very confused and figured that she must have been referring to PP's skirt, which stopped around mid-calf--pretty long by most standards. Anyways, now we know to be extra careful. In India it will be even more intense, I'm sure.
Today we got our ticket vouchers for Potala Palace, and we can use them tomorrow (you have to get tickets a day in advance). Then we're going to the Sera Monastery to see the monk debates. We've already located two travelling companions to go with us on the Friendship Highway, which will take us to the Nepal border and visit most of the main sites along the way. We found them on the notice board at our hostel. We met them today--two American boys our age--and I think we'll have a good time with them. We'll get a jeep with a driver and a guide and spend five nights on the road, going from place to place, until we get to Nepal. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Samye monastery, oldest in Tibet, and the Everest base camp, which has amazing views of Everest. But even the Friendship Highway itself is supposed to be very scenic, though treacherous.
Here are a couple pictures, the first a view of the area around Johkbar temple, seen from the rooftop, and the second of Potala palace.
This will probably be the last post I'll be able to make until Nepal. I'm sure I'll arrive in Kathmandu with all sorts of stories and pictures--hopefully I'll be able to post a few!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Chongqing and Lijiang
We left Fengjie to spend a couple nights in Chongqing, mainly to see Pan-Pan's grandmother and cousin. Chongqing is known to have the most beautiful girls in China, and is also called the city of fire because of its scorching temperatures (we got lucky with overcast skies and light rain). Pan-Pan's family is really nice, and fun. Pan-Pan's grandmother made some of the most delicious Chinese food I've ever had. She is a very vivacious woman! And we had a lot of fun with her cousin who is 16. We mostly used these two days to relax, but also to get our Tibet entry permits arranged. We were originally very worried that we'd have to go with a tour group, since they say that getting individual travel permits to Tibet now is exceedingly difficult ever since a demonstration last year. We really didn't want to spend our entire week there being sheperded around with a group of old Chinese business men, having meals with them and not even having an English tour guide! So we were very happy when we found a way to get independent entry permits. We went to a travel forum and got the contact from other travellers for someone who can arrange independent permits. We called her up and she was very helpful, and we were able to get the permits, in addition to the flight from Chengdu to Lhasa, for 2000 yuan each. So we're very pleased with this.
Pan-Pan's aunt and cousin took us to the airport and saw us to the security gate. It was sad saying goodbye to them. We took the 9:30 flight to Lijiang, but our plane was two hours delayed. It was a short trip though, only two hours. It would have taken a couple days travel by train and bus otherwise.
Pan-Pan's aunt and cousin took us to the airport and saw us to the security gate. It was sad saying goodbye to them. We took the 9:30 flight to Lijiang, but our plane was two hours delayed. It was a short trip though, only two hours. It would have taken a couple days travel by train and bus otherwise.
Here is a picture of us and Pan-Pan's family on the Peng side: her aunt, her grandmother, and her cousin.
I think that Lijiang has been my favourite city so far. It's beautiful and a lot of fun. The ancient part of the city has been preserved and restored and is very touristy. The narrow cobbled streets (the stones are called "Lijiang five coloured granite") are packed with people. The bustle just adds to the charm, in a way. It still manages to retain the feel of an ancient Chinese city, with traditional Chinese architexture, even though it's packed with interesting shops and hostels and yes, even internet cafes. Everything is done to make this city look ancient, from the Chinese lanterns that hang everywhere to the old buildings. Two small rivers run through the old town and there are many smaller tributaries with ancient stone or wooden bridges crossing them.
Our hostel is decent and we found a really cool English bar across the street. It's tiny, but it has free pool, great Western music (a nice change from the same Chinese flute song that the shops here repeat ad nauseum) and a cool bartender/owner who is from England and may have played for Manchester United.
There are beautiful restaurants and bars built beside them. I'm not good enough with words to do justice to the scenes here, so here are some pictures.
We've spent plenty of time just strolling the labyrinth of alleyways and, of course, eating, but Lijiang has some interesting sites as well. Our favourite was horseback riding out near Jade Mountain (the city is situated high up with mountains surrounding on every side). PP had never riden a horse before so she had a really great time. Our horses had a lot of personality. Mine was really struggling. At one point it tripped on a steep path through the woods and I thought it was the end of me. At another point it turned suddenly and started running in the wrong direction. Our guide said it was because he was spooked by a bag of somesort that was on the path and he hadn't seen before. And Pan-Pan's horse, Sesame, was a little skittish. Here's a picture of us on our horses (Sesame and Little Blacky) in a big meadow, at the base of the mountains.
The other main attraction, aside from the city itself, is Black Dragon lake. It's really incredibly scenic, and the site of some famous photographs. Here is my attempt at capturing its famous bridge, temple, and mountain range in the background.
We've spent four days in Lijiang and they've all been great. We're leaving tomorrow for Chengdu, where we'll spend three or so days before heading off to Tibet. I will definitely miss Lijiang.
Monday, June 4, 2007
More pictures...
A view of Fengjie.
The Jiang family on the trip to the Little Three Gorges. 
Me getting acupuncture on my foot in a Chinese hospital.
Our last meal at Pan-Pan's aunt's.
... at the farm
Our two days at Pan-Pan's grandparents has been incredibly interesting. They live in a village of about two hundred people about an hour outside of the city of Fengjie. On the curving mountain road we experienced some of the most scary driving to date. The road is fairly new but it still is full of pot holes and holes too big to be called pot holes. The day we went up, it had stormed recently, and there had been several landslides that left heaps of stone in the middle of the road. At some places, red, muddy water streamed down the mountain and across the road. And if you think that the drivers here would refrain from passing cement trucks or motorcycles while taking a blind curve on a wet road on the edge of a cliff, then come to China and take a drive in the mountains and bring a sedative with you, because Pan-Pan almost had an anxiety attack! The driving in the cities was downright heavenly by comparison--at least our lives didn't seem at stake.
Anyway, the village is nestled in a mountain range that sits beside the mighty Yangtze river. It is very picturesque, although the farm and the village looks nothing like what the words might suggest. There isn't a whole lot of green space in the village itself, and the farms mostly consist of very small patches of land and maybe a pig sty. There is litter everywhere. It's pretty gritty. Of course, the people there were fascinated by me and I everywhere I went, I got plenty of stares.
Most of all I enjoyed meeting Pan-Pan's grandparents and the rest of her family on the Jiang side. Even knowing what I know about familial piety in China, their hospitality exceeded all expectations. Even with very little I was quite comfortable. We had many big feasts and I tried more interesting and traditional foods like pig's feet, which I didn't like. Typically, to eat, we would walk through a path through the woods to some sort of community cooking place. There'd be huge woks and pots sizzling under the tents and lots of people sitting around tables, who were very surprised to see me there. I was told that I'm the only foreigner to ever have been in the village. We ate very well because one of the old men was celebrating his 70th birthday. At night there were fireworks, with the mountains in the background--it was beautiful. Here is a view of the village, along with PP's little cousin:
And here is one of me and PP with her grandparents:
The next day we all travelled in PP's uncle's police SUV (he's a police officer) to a town to see a dragon boat race. SO many people. It took a long time to get there over treacherous roads and we didn't even see the dragon boats, because there was a miscommunication with a travel agent. We couldn't stay in time to see them because we had to get to another town on the Yangtze to leave for our Yangtze cruise, which took us to a site called the little Three Gorges. It is well known to be more gorgeous than the Three Gorges, because it is narrower and deeper. The scenery was very nice. PP and I had a good time with the whole family, but especially her 13 year old cousin Yao. He's a great kid. Here are a couple views from the boat:
When we left the farm the next day, it was sad, even though we were both ready to get back to the relative luxury of Fengjie. We are both going to miss PP's grandparents, who are really incredibly cute/funny/nice. They both cried when we left. They tried to give me 500 yuan (about $80-90 CDN) because its tradition. PP accepted but I didn't because it would be crazy for me to take such a huge amount of money from them, when they have so little and I already have so much.
We got back to Fengjie and have spent another couple of days here--originally supposed to be one day, made two because our ride to Chongqing was postponed. We've had some more huge meals at PP's aunts place.
I played a game of basketball at the community courts with PP's cousins and her uncle and I guess I wasn't up for it because I sprained my ankle pretty badly. Today, I went back to the hospital to get acupuncture for the second time. He stuck needles in my foot, around the bruise, and surged electricity through it--it was a strange feeling, at first very painful. Then he put sunction things on the bruise. I don't know what any of it did, or if it did any good. My ankle felt a little stronger afterwards. I guess I'll have to wait to see if it helped anything.
I played a game of basketball at the community courts with PP's cousins and her uncle and I guess I wasn't up for it because I sprained my ankle pretty badly. Today, I went back to the hospital to get acupuncture for the second time. He stuck needles in my foot, around the bruise, and surged electricity through it--it was a strange feeling, at first very painful. Then he put sunction things on the bruise. I don't know what any of it did, or if it did any good. My ankle felt a little stronger afterwards. I guess I'll have to wait to see if it helped anything.
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