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| 2009_09_13 Jiuzhaigou |
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| 2009_09_16 Lhasa |
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| 2009_09_19 EBC |
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
More Photos!
I sort of gave up on captioning each photo - it's a lot of work. So you'll just have to enjoy the power of my Canon 5D Mark II without the photographer's commentary (maybe I'll put out a special edition DVD in the future).
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Did you hear the one about...
So two Polish guys hop into a minibus with an Israelite, two couples (a Dane+Chilean and a pair gone Dutch), a Canadian, a big fat Greek and me. Okay, so this isn’t a joke, but the composition of my Tibetan tour group.
One of the fun things of traveling is meeting random people and hearing their stories. I only hoped that my life story would be just as interesting as theirs.
The two Polish guys reminded me of Laurel and Hardy – one talked and the other one didn’t – unfortunately they weren’t very funny (Poles have a strange sense of humor), but nice guys nonetheless. The Israelite is the mother of a famous actress in Israel and could have probably kicked my ass if she wanted – she couldn’t join us further into Tibet because she had high blood pressure and her doctor back home suggested she not try to test the higher altitudes (okay so I might have managed to defend myself in Lhasa). The Chilean-Dane couple is a species you don’t see very often these days. The Chilean having gone to university surrounded by guns and violence and the Dane having forgone everything to teach divers the art of escaping hippos from Malawian waters. The Dutch couple, one freshly graduated from university and the other still in university, has been together for the last five years and surprisingly were chatting with each other non-stop (they did however, pay for their own individual meals). The Canadian, a man of nature, traveled through the Andes, Kilimanjaro and Antarctica all in the last six months and soon will traverse the Himalayas (he seemed to have shacked up with a hot local girl from every country in South America he was in – I saw pictures!). And the Greek (we nicknamed her “mama”), well she was a bit of a pain in the ass. She complained about everything throughout the whole trip and inevitably became the butt of all our jokes (she avoids us now as we bump into each other in Katmandu).
It’s been great hanging out with these people for the last two weeks. Everyone had different perspectives about the politics and culture of Tibet and everything else. Even the Canadian got me thinking differently about things. It’s sad that everyone will be going his or her separate ways in a few days.
One of the fun things of traveling is meeting random people and hearing their stories. I only hoped that my life story would be just as interesting as theirs.
The two Polish guys reminded me of Laurel and Hardy – one talked and the other one didn’t – unfortunately they weren’t very funny (Poles have a strange sense of humor), but nice guys nonetheless. The Israelite is the mother of a famous actress in Israel and could have probably kicked my ass if she wanted – she couldn’t join us further into Tibet because she had high blood pressure and her doctor back home suggested she not try to test the higher altitudes (okay so I might have managed to defend myself in Lhasa). The Chilean-Dane couple is a species you don’t see very often these days. The Chilean having gone to university surrounded by guns and violence and the Dane having forgone everything to teach divers the art of escaping hippos from Malawian waters. The Dutch couple, one freshly graduated from university and the other still in university, has been together for the last five years and surprisingly were chatting with each other non-stop (they did however, pay for their own individual meals). The Canadian, a man of nature, traveled through the Andes, Kilimanjaro and Antarctica all in the last six months and soon will traverse the Himalayas (he seemed to have shacked up with a hot local girl from every country in South America he was in – I saw pictures!). And the Greek (we nicknamed her “mama”), well she was a bit of a pain in the ass. She complained about everything throughout the whole trip and inevitably became the butt of all our jokes (she avoids us now as we bump into each other in Katmandu).
It’s been great hanging out with these people for the last two weeks. Everyone had different perspectives about the politics and culture of Tibet and everything else. Even the Canadian got me thinking differently about things. It’s sad that everyone will be going his or her separate ways in a few days.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
The Sky Was Blue
I remember the first thing I noticed about Tibet was the sky. The sky was filled with blues and whites so pure, that it reminded me of simpler times occupied with the cutting of construction paper and the pulling of cotton. There was nothing to mar the clarity of what you witnessed or any polluting influence effecting how you felt.
I’m out of Tibet now and the leaving part seems all too familiar. It would have been nice to stay in Tibet for a while longer and stare into the sky some more, but there's always an itinerary to follow.
Friday, September 25, 2009
How not to use a thermometer...
I arrived in Nepal a few days ago, crossing the border in Tibet at the Zhangmu-Kodari land crossing. When you can cross into Nepal though everyone is required to have a quick medical screening for the H1N1 virus at the immigration/visa office. So after getting my visa, I was ushered into the screening room where a medical professional asked me some basic questions about my health - "Do you have a cough"; "Do you have a fever", etc. He then passed me a thermometer to take my body temperature.
I girded myself for the idea of putting the thermometer in my mouth, where possibly hundreds of others had previously placed it. So I took a deep breath and stuck it in my mouth, got the temperature reading and passed it to the guy behind the desk. He looked at me a little weird and then wrote down my information in his log.
I didn't understand why he was looking at my so weirdly. When I exited the room, the others that I was traveling with asked me how'd everything go. I told them I stuck the thermometer in my mouth and exclaimed "yay, no fever!".
Strangely enough, I got the same weird look from my traveling buddies that I got from the medical guy and then they all burst out in laughter. "Ummm, what's so funny?", I asked and one of them replied, "Don't you know you can take your temperature by putting the thermometer under your armpit!?!?". I was like what?? You can take take your temperature that way?!
Suddenly the thought of a thousand armpits in my mouth entered my head... What the hell did I just do!?! I mean when I put the thermometer in my mouth the first time I figured if everyone else had done the same thing - I didn't have much of a choice. But now knowing that no one else probably put the thermometer in their mouths like I did really really disgusted me. All the while, everyone's laughing at me! I have to admit it was funny (well my mouth has probably been in even dirtier places).
But it wasn't funny for too long... hahaha! One of my fellow travelers bought a bottle of beer and I asked him for a small cup of it. Probably not enough alcohol content in the beer to kill any germs, but I went ahead and rinsed out my mouth with it anyways. I felt a little better afterwards - just hope there weren't any babies that were crossing the border that day!
I girded myself for the idea of putting the thermometer in my mouth, where possibly hundreds of others had previously placed it. So I took a deep breath and stuck it in my mouth, got the temperature reading and passed it to the guy behind the desk. He looked at me a little weird and then wrote down my information in his log.
I didn't understand why he was looking at my so weirdly. When I exited the room, the others that I was traveling with asked me how'd everything go. I told them I stuck the thermometer in my mouth and exclaimed "yay, no fever!".
Strangely enough, I got the same weird look from my traveling buddies that I got from the medical guy and then they all burst out in laughter. "Ummm, what's so funny?", I asked and one of them replied, "Don't you know you can take your temperature by putting the thermometer under your armpit!?!?". I was like what?? You can take take your temperature that way?!
Suddenly the thought of a thousand armpits in my mouth entered my head... What the hell did I just do!?! I mean when I put the thermometer in my mouth the first time I figured if everyone else had done the same thing - I didn't have much of a choice. But now knowing that no one else probably put the thermometer in their mouths like I did really really disgusted me. All the while, everyone's laughing at me! I have to admit it was funny (well my mouth has probably been in even dirtier places).
But it wasn't funny for too long... hahaha! One of my fellow travelers bought a bottle of beer and I asked him for a small cup of it. Probably not enough alcohol content in the beer to kill any germs, but I went ahead and rinsed out my mouth with it anyways. I felt a little better afterwards - just hope there weren't any babies that were crossing the border that day!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Can't Upload Photos - Argh!
I'm trying to upload photos, but every attempt has failed! Might have to wait until I get out of China to post photos. I have to use proxy servers to post regular blog entries here, so I think the proxy servers are what's stopping the photo uploads from happening.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou
I jumped on a local tour from Chengdu to visit Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou – two protected nature reserves in Sichuan province. I spent a day at each spot (enough time to enjoy both places) and then rushed back to Chengdu to get on my flight to Tibet (which is where I am now at the moment).
Huanglong (“Yellow Dragon”) is known for the being largest collection of travertine deposits in the world. These travertine deposits form a network of crystal clear lakes that stretch for about 6 kilometers. Huanglong reminded me of Pamukkale in Turkey, but Huanglong has a much larger collection of lakes. Unfortunately, you can’t play in the water here in China like you could in Turkey. If you ever go, take the cable car up to the top and then walk down to the entrance. It’s a nice 3-hour hike through alpine forests down a well-maintained trail made of wooden planks.
Jiuzhaigou (“Nine Village Valley”) is probably most famous for being the location where one of the memorable fight scenes in the movie “Hero” (remember the fight between Jet Li and Tony Leung over the lake) was shot. When you visit Jiuzhaigou, you realize why Zhang Yimou chose this place – the natural beauty was just breathtaking. Jiuzhaigou is filled with lakes with water so clear that you might have thought the lake was empty if not for all the incredible colors that emerged from them. I took a lot of photographs of the place and still when I look back at them, it doesn’t do much justice to the experience of seeing it with your own eyes. If you get the chance to visit this place, make sure to get in during the early morning hours as the entire area is covered in a mist that makes everything feel magical.
Huanglong (“Yellow Dragon”) is known for the being largest collection of travertine deposits in the world. These travertine deposits form a network of crystal clear lakes that stretch for about 6 kilometers. Huanglong reminded me of Pamukkale in Turkey, but Huanglong has a much larger collection of lakes. Unfortunately, you can’t play in the water here in China like you could in Turkey. If you ever go, take the cable car up to the top and then walk down to the entrance. It’s a nice 3-hour hike through alpine forests down a well-maintained trail made of wooden planks.
Jiuzhaigou (“Nine Village Valley”) is probably most famous for being the location where one of the memorable fight scenes in the movie “Hero” (remember the fight between Jet Li and Tony Leung over the lake) was shot. When you visit Jiuzhaigou, you realize why Zhang Yimou chose this place – the natural beauty was just breathtaking. Jiuzhaigou is filled with lakes with water so clear that you might have thought the lake was empty if not for all the incredible colors that emerged from them. I took a lot of photographs of the place and still when I look back at them, it doesn’t do much justice to the experience of seeing it with your own eyes. If you get the chance to visit this place, make sure to get in during the early morning hours as the entire area is covered in a mist that makes everything feel magical.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Being the Third Wheel...
As friends get attached, detached or reattached to/from one another (while I stay unattached to anything), I often find myself being the third wheel. In the most awkward of times, I've been caught in the middle of fierce arguments, but most of the time being a third wheel just reminds me of my own "singleness". The contrast of my one to their two usually forces a moment to think about personal things, which usually leave the same set of lingering questions unanswered.
But last Saturday in Chengdu reminded me that sometimes being the third wheel is a gift to be appreciated and enjoyed. It's not something that is directly shared, but there is a sweetness to being witness to the beginning of a romance. And it's better to consider what one might (and could) have instead of mulling over why one doesn't (and may never) have.
But last Saturday in Chengdu reminded me that sometimes being the third wheel is a gift to be appreciated and enjoyed. It's not something that is directly shared, but there is a sweetness to being witness to the beginning of a romance. And it's better to consider what one might (and could) have instead of mulling over why one doesn't (and may never) have.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Chengdu Bars
Chengdu's bars suck... well at least the one I went to tonight. Funny coming from a guy who doesn't drink, but there's a lot of annoying things about bars in Chengdu.
a) There's no dance floor - there's no area to dance so you have to just sort of linger and bounce around other people's bar tables and stools.
b) There's no consistent theme to the music - one second there was hip hop, then electronica, then a random korean song about "wanting no one else but you", then some rock music, then some latin music, then a sappy chinese song, then a... well you get the picture.
c) There's no clear view across the room to check out the talent - there were these television screens that dropped over the bar and cut any line of sight to the other side of the room (thus no one could check me out, come over and try to hit on me).
While the bar in general sucked, the company I was with was cool. Elliott has a nice group of friends here in Chengdu who are easy to hang with (and agree that the DJ's need to be hanged).
a) There's no dance floor - there's no area to dance so you have to just sort of linger and bounce around other people's bar tables and stools.
b) There's no consistent theme to the music - one second there was hip hop, then electronica, then a random korean song about "wanting no one else but you", then some rock music, then some latin music, then a sappy chinese song, then a... well you get the picture.
c) There's no clear view across the room to check out the talent - there were these television screens that dropped over the bar and cut any line of sight to the other side of the room (thus no one could check me out, come over and try to hit on me).
While the bar in general sucked, the company I was with was cool. Elliott has a nice group of friends here in Chengdu who are easy to hang with (and agree that the DJ's need to be hanged).
Friday, September 11, 2009
Second Official Blog Entry
I arrived in Chengdu two days ago on September 9. I didn't immediately realize the importance of the date until I got in front of a television and saw the news reports of couples all over China commemorating their love with the signing of marriage certificates, the gifting of flowers or the closing of "love locks" onto chain enclosures intended to keep people from falling off mountains. I've made a mental note to turn on the television on April 4 to see if there are news reports of estranged lovers sticking needles into voodoo dolls or asking old ladies on the street to curse their former bed-mates.
We were all hanging out when the news of love all over China came spewing out of the television. I was sort of lying down on the couch (I have a bad habit of making myself too comfortable at other people's place of abode), while Elliott was chatting with his co-worker about the new apartment she just moved into and which we were visiting. There were some really tasty mango flavored potato chips on the coffee table and two guys sitting on the other end of the couch playing cards. I was making conversation with the other roommate who told me she was studying English and preparing for her examination which involved knowing terminology like "valence electrons" and "melting point". I still get confused for the Chinese word for "spoon".
Sometime during the the evening, someone suggested we play the Chinese version of "I Never". The game works just like the American drinking game, but instead of drinking for each time you have done something someone else never has, you keep track of them. Once you get caught five times for doing something, someone gets to ask you any question they like. It's so easy to play this game with strangers that you'll probably never see again, but I don't think I could ever play this game with friends.
We were all hanging out when the news of love all over China came spewing out of the television. I was sort of lying down on the couch (I have a bad habit of making myself too comfortable at other people's place of abode), while Elliott was chatting with his co-worker about the new apartment she just moved into and which we were visiting. There were some really tasty mango flavored potato chips on the coffee table and two guys sitting on the other end of the couch playing cards. I was making conversation with the other roommate who told me she was studying English and preparing for her examination which involved knowing terminology like "valence electrons" and "melting point". I still get confused for the Chinese word for "spoon".
Sometime during the the evening, someone suggested we play the Chinese version of "I Never". The game works just like the American drinking game, but instead of drinking for each time you have done something someone else never has, you keep track of them. Once you get caught five times for doing something, someone gets to ask you any question they like. It's so easy to play this game with strangers that you'll probably never see again, but I don't think I could ever play this game with friends.
Hihi!
Okay, so here it is... a blog (ta da!). You guys might be surprised that I decided to do it, since I was complaining about not wanting to feel the pressure of being witty, insightful, meaningful or whatever that comes with the act of writing. But I guess when you can't sleep because you're coughing your lungs out from too much smoking, one might as well do something. So here it goes - I don't promise anything, but I'll try to keep everything grammatically correct.
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