So tonight I had my second hot pot dinner. Sichuan is the home of very spicy food and it is inevitably served family style, which means that everyone is diving in. Well, tonight I went into a restaurant that I had no idea what they served. In the middle of the table is a sunken burner, they bring in a wok-like vessel, which a person puts things into. It is like ordering from a sushi/sashimi list. Then each of the items is put on a plate and it is put into this "hot pot". I was given the choice of spicy, spicy, or three flavors. Most of the food has been no problem for me but I decided to not push it tonight. I ordered 8 items to go in the pot with a beverage. This proved to be too much for me to eat and it cost about $9, which is pretty expensive dinner compared my usual meals. One of the proteins that I ordered was a carp... I didn't know it was going to come whole. I sure hope it wasn't alive when they put it in there. Confession time: I got full before I could taste it or maybe I just ate around it. You figure it out. So, this is a stew Sichuan style.
The weather has also been stewing with the thuderstorms sans rain. It is very muggy.
For those of you who are trying to decide where you will stay the next time you come to Chengdu I'll give you a report comparing the four places that I've stayed at here. I have much prefered the hostels to the two hotels. Hostels are a place where people from all over the world come together and they expect to interact with other nationalities. This is in contrast to the hotels where people are isloated in their own world. The customer service has been much better at the hostels and they have had people with decent English skills. The hostels (Holly's and Dreams International) have individual rooms with showers or one can get a dorm room. My individual rooms have cost between $20-25 per night. This comes with as much Chinese television that I want (one English channel and the Chinese version of ESPN), telephone, bed... just like any motel. Holly's seems to have more non-Chinese whereas Dreams has more Chinese in it these last few days. Holly's cafe is much better and they don't charge for internet use. Dreams is newer and more modern, plus it costs a few dollars more.
My very first night here I stayed at the Kangding... and it is the worst of the four. I wanted a single- they said that foreigners couldn't stay in that building. I said I wanted a double, same story. I had to get a deluxe suite. I was so tired I said yes. Event that room only cost around $35. The fourth place was the Golden Ox- which is where the Chinese group stayed at the end of the tour. It was in a resort complex and was very well staffed. Don't know the price, but it was okay compared to U.S. resort standards... but maybe it is because I didn't speak the language to make use of the services.
A few things to think about:
- Today there was a report on the t.v. about the Chinese first future's market opening up. That means there is more disposable income, which means income levels are rising. Which means a larger middle class and greater consumption. There are 1.3 billion people here and other than skin color and language there is a lot of similarity between the youth cultures. Two exceptions: I haven't seen a tattoo or body piercing yet. Also, I've yet to see an obese child.
- KFC, McDonalds, WalMart... all have a presence here.
- The pride that the Chinese hold about hosting the Olympics next year very evident. Even in the reaches of E. Tibet there were street banners celebrating the coming Olympics. It is on buses, Coke cans, commercials, and in people's thoughts. They have a real pride at there rising prominance in the world. If you consider the material progress they have made in the last 40 years it is pretty remarkable.
- Sitting in Starbucks today within one of the historic districts today and I wondered whether the Chinese will ever make the shift to a coffee culture? I was also paging through some Chinese fashion and sports magazines that were laying around. There were some quotes in English, but the person being quoted was in Chinese. There was a picture of Prefontaine running. I'll close with one of the quotes that I can attribute: Success is never permanent and failure is never final. Mike Ditka
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Launched in Tibet
Now you'd probably expect me to say I was launcing off to Tibet or heading into Tibet... but the reality is that I'm back in Chengdu after an amazing 10 day journey into the Tibetan cultural area. First, we need to distinction between the Tibetan socio-cultural region and the current geo-political boundaries. If I were to make it into the gro-political area it would be refered to as the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). I didn't make it there.
In the last episode I believe (I can't read my past blogs. A Chinese message comes up whenever I try to review my past blogs. So there may be gaps or repetition). I mentioned heading off to find my friends family that lived in a village. After a decent 9 hour bus ride from the planes of China to the mountains, we stopped in the town of Maerkhang (Tib. Barkham) just as the thunderstorm opened up and dumped buckets. This was repeated over the next three days and the rivers turned into muddy brown torrents. There wasn't a person on the bus who spoke English, but two of them invited me into a vehicle to go into the town and helped me find a room. One thing that is unclear to me is whether rooms are filled at hotels or they aren't authorized to take foreign travellers.... after finally finding a place to sleep (3-4 star hotel, costing around $40) I went walking. As I walked past this small shop I heard a person call out, "Hello." I could have kept walking but decided to walk in this shop selling Tibetan wares. I could have believed that he was a merchant trying to get money from a tourist (which he was). Then we started to communicate via a mixture of his few English words and my very view Tibetan words. (The lingua franca is Chinese.) A friend of his was in the room, she called a friend of her's who had just returned from studying for 3 years in Vancouver, B.C. and spoke excellent English. That woman showed up and called a brother of her's... they were cousins of the family I was looking for. That is how many things went on during those ten days.
I wound up staying in a small village near Barkham until my friend's brother showed up. It turns out he is a well-known clergyman with one of the Buddhist schools, Harbin Rinpoche. He showed up with 80 Chinese members of his congregation, plus other monks. He invited me to travel with them on a pilgrimage they were taking to a very distant region. It turns out that this special event that was happening is the very event that prompted me to make plans to travel to Tibet. But since Katok Monastery is so remote (and the Monlam only occurs once every four years), I'd given up on the idea of going there. Now, here it was right in front of me as an opportunity. BUT it meant that I'd have to travel with a very large group of people... around 100 with only a few of them speaking English. The ones who did speak English were from Hong Kong, most of them were from the southern Chinese town of Shenzhen, just north of Hong Kong. I decided to go....
Throughout the whole trip people, and the organizers of the trip in particular, didn't quite know what to do with me. It was inevitable that I'd be the last one in the hotel lobby waiting for them to place me; or being the last person placed in the vehicle because they just didn't know what to do with me. I just had to have faith that I'd be taken care of. They were very kind and friendly people to me. Another fabulous lesson in how important it is to be kind to visitors, strangers, and others who are wandering around in this world. If we merely extend a hand, even though we don't share a language, there are incredibly rich experiences possible.
As we headed "in country" I was placed in a Toyota mini-van with my friends mother, her sister-in-law, and a friend. All of them spoke the local Tibetan dialect (Gyarong), but not a lick of English. Sign language kept us going and they always made sure I was taken care of- especially around any food. Sitting in the back in a van that didn't have the best of suspensions was a lesson in challenging travel. (Not as bad as the trip back though when I was sitting in the last row of a 21-person tour bus. THAT was when I was launched in Tibet. There were time when I'd be pitched 2-3 feet up in the air when the bus hit one of millions of bumps and potholes. Then I tried wearing a seatbelt and that was a lesson in pain. Finally, I'd stand in the aisles for hours at a time and using my skiing skills in absorbing bumps.)
The roads in the region were good... for about 10 feet. Many of these roads would have been closed by the Forest Service due to dangerous conditions. Here, tour buses, heavy equipment, motorcycles, cars, and yaks use them... simultaneously. Passing on corners is de rigeur for travel here. They use their horns often. They honk going around corners when passing to let any oncoming traffic know that they are coming at you head on. Given all the rough conditions and dangerous driving I did not see a multiple vehicle accident until we returned to pavement with the road divided by lines. That was 7 days after we started. The wild driving I mentioned in Chengdu is only continued in the mountains and amplified by the very challenging roads.
We had days when we travelled 10-14 hours- bone weary when I rolled into some sort of bed. One night I stayed in the worst room I've ever "rented" (about $4 for the night). I was put up in a room with two of the drivers in a four person dormitory room. Dogs barking, trucks and cars roaring through the night, bars on the one window. It was a gray, darb town enshrouded with clouds and mist. The food was questionable. Only on the return trip did I see how beautiful Garne (Garze) was. This regionally important town on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway has enormous mountains surrounding it and a wonderful river that ribbons it's way through the flat river valley. (The Sichuan-Tibet Highway must have been like what the old Alcan (Trans Alaska-Canadian Highway) was like in the old days. The towns are probably what the frontier towns of old were like to.
When we finally made it to Katok for the three-day festival, I was put up in this tiny three room small house with a bunch of the fellow travellers. We had enough room for our sleeping bags. There were thousands of people there for this event. It is one of the oldest monasteries in Tibet and this particular festival has always drawn thousands of religous followers. I hope you have an opportunity to see some of the images from those days. I will post them on a site when I return to the U.S. and you can see some of the images.
For those of you who know something about the sites in the region (or if you'd like to find them on a map), the places I/we visited were:
-Variocana's cave (near Barkham)
-Tsamne Monastery (near Barkham and rivaling any ornate Catholic Church I've ever seen. There were gold gilded statues, handmade Italian lamps, Brasilian Rosewood trim, Indian marble, a main sanctuary that was enormous: maybe 300 feet long, 150 feet wide, and 3 stories high. It had three floors to it. Truly a sign that things have changed in Tibet, allowing for such a structure to be rebuilt).
-Ganzi
-Baiyul (2 times, the first time I stayed with Harbin Rinpoche and his mother at a family friends house. The first 7 hours of sleep I'd had in a week).
- Sertar. This is the site of a resurgence of Buddhist practice by the deceased teacher Jigme Puntshok. I was denied entrance and waited for three hours outside the gates while the rest of the group went in. I had to reflect on one of the issues that pre-Communist Tibet was criticized for: that they kept themselves isolated from the rest of the world. It would be an interesting conversation to have: why keep a Westerner out? The Chinese are allowed in, but not me. (I also know of many other Westerners who have been denied entry.) It is their culture to preserve and manage as they see fit, but I wonder what it serves to have someone, who is a supporter of their way of life, to be denied entrance.
-Katok Monastery. Had an audience (with an intimate group of 100-250) with the person who leads the community: Moksar Rinpoche. It turns out that the teacher I travelled with committed to supporting the 400+ monastic commuity when the previous teacher, Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche died. It is a huge responsibilty.
-Tagong Monastery( where they have a very large gold Jowo statue). This monastery is a very old one also. Surrounding the inner sanctuary of this Jowo statue is something that reminded me of Leavenworth Washington, or Sisters and Brownsville Oregon. The theme of Tibetan religous community with accompanying shops and daily performances was the focus.
-Kangding. The last stop before returning to Chengdu. This is one of the most amazing physically striking towns one can imagine. Enormous walls of the mountain climbing straight up with a river rushing through the middle of town: it was probably a class 4-5 river at that point. The road drops through hairpin turns for many, many, many miles. The pass was at 5000 meters and the road continues down until hitting the Chinese plains. The longest and most dramatic drop that I've ever experienced. (If I had ever taken the road from the Altiplano in Bolivia to the lower regions it would problably be comparable.) The rivers in this region are numerous and an eco-tourists dream place. There is an increasing middle and upper class and it is only a matter of time before North Face, Columbia and Trek (I did see some people touring the roads) are seen throughout the rock faces and rivers.
Now, here I sit in Chengdu with the reality that the intestinal problems I've had and the upper respiratory problem I'm currently facing may mean that I will need to alter my plans. When I used to climb, there were times when the question faced would be whether to push on and reach a summit or accept that it was time to turnaround. I'm at that point right now. The food has often led to an unstable intestinal state and now my lungs are hacking. Then there was the reality of the difficultness of traveling on the roads in the Tibetan region. A friend of mine, Candy, said it was hard traveling there. I thought she meant mostly the altitude. The height didn't bother me... I acclimated slowly, went high and slept low. Didn't even need to take Diamox. We have no comprehension in the States about how hard it is to travel on these roads and there are people who do it as a part of their daily life.
So, what to do now? All I know is that I'm resting in Chengdu for a few days AND I'm pretty certain that the bus travel into the Tibetan reaches is over for me. Maybe I'll go see the Panda Bears. Until I'm rested and this cough lessens I think the next two days will find me here, at the Dreams Hostel (they have a website and I think my room is actually showed).
One closing thought: people have asked me what the changes are since I was here 26 years ago. One of the main ones is the connectivity. Even in the most remote regions in traveling it seemed that my Chinese companions had access via cell phone. The teenagers were text messaging their friends and the business men were conducting business (in China they have an average of 7-10 days off per year).
Be well and I'll let you know where I'm heading next.
Joseph
In the last episode I believe (I can't read my past blogs. A Chinese message comes up whenever I try to review my past blogs. So there may be gaps or repetition). I mentioned heading off to find my friends family that lived in a village. After a decent 9 hour bus ride from the planes of China to the mountains, we stopped in the town of Maerkhang (Tib. Barkham) just as the thunderstorm opened up and dumped buckets. This was repeated over the next three days and the rivers turned into muddy brown torrents. There wasn't a person on the bus who spoke English, but two of them invited me into a vehicle to go into the town and helped me find a room. One thing that is unclear to me is whether rooms are filled at hotels or they aren't authorized to take foreign travellers.... after finally finding a place to sleep (3-4 star hotel, costing around $40) I went walking. As I walked past this small shop I heard a person call out, "Hello." I could have kept walking but decided to walk in this shop selling Tibetan wares. I could have believed that he was a merchant trying to get money from a tourist (which he was). Then we started to communicate via a mixture of his few English words and my very view Tibetan words. (The lingua franca is Chinese.) A friend of his was in the room, she called a friend of her's who had just returned from studying for 3 years in Vancouver, B.C. and spoke excellent English. That woman showed up and called a brother of her's... they were cousins of the family I was looking for. That is how many things went on during those ten days.
I wound up staying in a small village near Barkham until my friend's brother showed up. It turns out he is a well-known clergyman with one of the Buddhist schools, Harbin Rinpoche. He showed up with 80 Chinese members of his congregation, plus other monks. He invited me to travel with them on a pilgrimage they were taking to a very distant region. It turns out that this special event that was happening is the very event that prompted me to make plans to travel to Tibet. But since Katok Monastery is so remote (and the Monlam only occurs once every four years), I'd given up on the idea of going there. Now, here it was right in front of me as an opportunity. BUT it meant that I'd have to travel with a very large group of people... around 100 with only a few of them speaking English. The ones who did speak English were from Hong Kong, most of them were from the southern Chinese town of Shenzhen, just north of Hong Kong. I decided to go....
Throughout the whole trip people, and the organizers of the trip in particular, didn't quite know what to do with me. It was inevitable that I'd be the last one in the hotel lobby waiting for them to place me; or being the last person placed in the vehicle because they just didn't know what to do with me. I just had to have faith that I'd be taken care of. They were very kind and friendly people to me. Another fabulous lesson in how important it is to be kind to visitors, strangers, and others who are wandering around in this world. If we merely extend a hand, even though we don't share a language, there are incredibly rich experiences possible.
As we headed "in country" I was placed in a Toyota mini-van with my friends mother, her sister-in-law, and a friend. All of them spoke the local Tibetan dialect (Gyarong), but not a lick of English. Sign language kept us going and they always made sure I was taken care of- especially around any food. Sitting in the back in a van that didn't have the best of suspensions was a lesson in challenging travel. (Not as bad as the trip back though when I was sitting in the last row of a 21-person tour bus. THAT was when I was launched in Tibet. There were time when I'd be pitched 2-3 feet up in the air when the bus hit one of millions of bumps and potholes. Then I tried wearing a seatbelt and that was a lesson in pain. Finally, I'd stand in the aisles for hours at a time and using my skiing skills in absorbing bumps.)
The roads in the region were good... for about 10 feet. Many of these roads would have been closed by the Forest Service due to dangerous conditions. Here, tour buses, heavy equipment, motorcycles, cars, and yaks use them... simultaneously. Passing on corners is de rigeur for travel here. They use their horns often. They honk going around corners when passing to let any oncoming traffic know that they are coming at you head on. Given all the rough conditions and dangerous driving I did not see a multiple vehicle accident until we returned to pavement with the road divided by lines. That was 7 days after we started. The wild driving I mentioned in Chengdu is only continued in the mountains and amplified by the very challenging roads.
We had days when we travelled 10-14 hours- bone weary when I rolled into some sort of bed. One night I stayed in the worst room I've ever "rented" (about $4 for the night). I was put up in a room with two of the drivers in a four person dormitory room. Dogs barking, trucks and cars roaring through the night, bars on the one window. It was a gray, darb town enshrouded with clouds and mist. The food was questionable. Only on the return trip did I see how beautiful Garne (Garze) was. This regionally important town on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway has enormous mountains surrounding it and a wonderful river that ribbons it's way through the flat river valley. (The Sichuan-Tibet Highway must have been like what the old Alcan (Trans Alaska-Canadian Highway) was like in the old days. The towns are probably what the frontier towns of old were like to.
When we finally made it to Katok for the three-day festival, I was put up in this tiny three room small house with a bunch of the fellow travellers. We had enough room for our sleeping bags. There were thousands of people there for this event. It is one of the oldest monasteries in Tibet and this particular festival has always drawn thousands of religous followers. I hope you have an opportunity to see some of the images from those days. I will post them on a site when I return to the U.S. and you can see some of the images.
For those of you who know something about the sites in the region (or if you'd like to find them on a map), the places I/we visited were:
-Variocana's cave (near Barkham)
-Tsamne Monastery (near Barkham and rivaling any ornate Catholic Church I've ever seen. There were gold gilded statues, handmade Italian lamps, Brasilian Rosewood trim, Indian marble, a main sanctuary that was enormous: maybe 300 feet long, 150 feet wide, and 3 stories high. It had three floors to it. Truly a sign that things have changed in Tibet, allowing for such a structure to be rebuilt).
-Ganzi
-Baiyul (2 times, the first time I stayed with Harbin Rinpoche and his mother at a family friends house. The first 7 hours of sleep I'd had in a week).
- Sertar. This is the site of a resurgence of Buddhist practice by the deceased teacher Jigme Puntshok. I was denied entrance and waited for three hours outside the gates while the rest of the group went in. I had to reflect on one of the issues that pre-Communist Tibet was criticized for: that they kept themselves isolated from the rest of the world. It would be an interesting conversation to have: why keep a Westerner out? The Chinese are allowed in, but not me. (I also know of many other Westerners who have been denied entry.) It is their culture to preserve and manage as they see fit, but I wonder what it serves to have someone, who is a supporter of their way of life, to be denied entrance.
-Katok Monastery. Had an audience (with an intimate group of 100-250) with the person who leads the community: Moksar Rinpoche. It turns out that the teacher I travelled with committed to supporting the 400+ monastic commuity when the previous teacher, Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche died. It is a huge responsibilty.
-Tagong Monastery( where they have a very large gold Jowo statue). This monastery is a very old one also. Surrounding the inner sanctuary of this Jowo statue is something that reminded me of Leavenworth Washington, or Sisters and Brownsville Oregon. The theme of Tibetan religous community with accompanying shops and daily performances was the focus.
-Kangding. The last stop before returning to Chengdu. This is one of the most amazing physically striking towns one can imagine. Enormous walls of the mountain climbing straight up with a river rushing through the middle of town: it was probably a class 4-5 river at that point. The road drops through hairpin turns for many, many, many miles. The pass was at 5000 meters and the road continues down until hitting the Chinese plains. The longest and most dramatic drop that I've ever experienced. (If I had ever taken the road from the Altiplano in Bolivia to the lower regions it would problably be comparable.) The rivers in this region are numerous and an eco-tourists dream place. There is an increasing middle and upper class and it is only a matter of time before North Face, Columbia and Trek (I did see some people touring the roads) are seen throughout the rock faces and rivers.
Now, here I sit in Chengdu with the reality that the intestinal problems I've had and the upper respiratory problem I'm currently facing may mean that I will need to alter my plans. When I used to climb, there were times when the question faced would be whether to push on and reach a summit or accept that it was time to turnaround. I'm at that point right now. The food has often led to an unstable intestinal state and now my lungs are hacking. Then there was the reality of the difficultness of traveling on the roads in the Tibetan region. A friend of mine, Candy, said it was hard traveling there. I thought she meant mostly the altitude. The height didn't bother me... I acclimated slowly, went high and slept low. Didn't even need to take Diamox. We have no comprehension in the States about how hard it is to travel on these roads and there are people who do it as a part of their daily life.
So, what to do now? All I know is that I'm resting in Chengdu for a few days AND I'm pretty certain that the bus travel into the Tibetan reaches is over for me. Maybe I'll go see the Panda Bears. Until I'm rested and this cough lessens I think the next two days will find me here, at the Dreams Hostel (they have a website and I think my room is actually showed).
One closing thought: people have asked me what the changes are since I was here 26 years ago. One of the main ones is the connectivity. Even in the most remote regions in traveling it seemed that my Chinese companions had access via cell phone. The teenagers were text messaging their friends and the business men were conducting business (in China they have an average of 7-10 days off per year).
Be well and I'll let you know where I'm heading next.
Joseph
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Barkham morning
Hi all,
Here I am in the Jiarong Hotel in Barkham. It is officially China, but in historical Tibet. The 10 hour bus ride was nice (other than something I ate that put a little activity into my stomach), beautiful actually. I am finally back in the mountains where the air is clearer, the temperature cooler, and the trees can be seen.
The ride up took me through miles and miles of river valley. These rivers were Class 3-5 and very runnable (from a river running stand point) and there had to be at least a dozen dams that I saw along the way. The Chinese are definitely partly fueling their economy with hydropower.
I was walking along the street of Barkham and this guy calls out "HellO." He is a merchant at one of the stores and I was tempted to pass on since it could be just another come on. (There is a site that shows some pictures of Barkham, but you'll have to find it yourself. I can't read any of the commands in Chinese so it is hard to search the web for links.) But it turned out one of his friends in the store knew someone in town who knew English. She just returned from studying in Vancouver B.C., that led to her brother being the cousin of the family I was looking forward.... which led to a how slew of other connections and travel oppotunities. It doesn't take much time to make connections in this world.
I have to go. Be well and I wonder what kind of new connections you are willing to be open to today? What type of conversation are you willing to have with someone who you thought was "just a merchant trying to get you to buy something."
Don't know when I'll be able to write next... but be well.
Here I am in the Jiarong Hotel in Barkham. It is officially China, but in historical Tibet. The 10 hour bus ride was nice (other than something I ate that put a little activity into my stomach), beautiful actually. I am finally back in the mountains where the air is clearer, the temperature cooler, and the trees can be seen.
The ride up took me through miles and miles of river valley. These rivers were Class 3-5 and very runnable (from a river running stand point) and there had to be at least a dozen dams that I saw along the way. The Chinese are definitely partly fueling their economy with hydropower.
I was walking along the street of Barkham and this guy calls out "HellO." He is a merchant at one of the stores and I was tempted to pass on since it could be just another come on. (There is a site that shows some pictures of Barkham, but you'll have to find it yourself. I can't read any of the commands in Chinese so it is hard to search the web for links.) But it turned out one of his friends in the store knew someone in town who knew English. She just returned from studying in Vancouver B.C., that led to her brother being the cousin of the family I was looking forward.... which led to a how slew of other connections and travel oppotunities. It doesn't take much time to make connections in this world.
I have to go. Be well and I wonder what kind of new connections you are willing to be open to today? What type of conversation are you willing to have with someone who you thought was "just a merchant trying to get you to buy something."
Don't know when I'll be able to write next... but be well.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Chendu dux
Today was an adventure in travel for me. Following the directions I was given I walked for an hour and nothing on the map matched the roads around me. It was a lesson in not seeing what was there, but what I wanted to see. It is amazing what we do with our minds and our lives when we start living it based on what we want to see rather than what is right before our eyes.
First, a note. English is on lots of things here. ATM's... people don't travel with travel cheques because ATMs are so accessible. The messages pop up in English. All road signs are sub-text with English. Many stores have English names on them. When I made the trip in 1981 there was nothing written in English. My how things have changed. Other than a different language and slightly different skin color; the people are the same as in any city. Boys and girls, men and women holding hands... one difference here is seeing boys holding hands with their fathers. Teenagers gaze at each other. Many of the billboards could be in any place in American.
One major difference is the traffic. There are bikes, scooters, cars, buses, rickshaws, motor rickshaws and a lot of motorized bikes, a LOT of them. There is a lane in some places that is just for bikes and motorbikes... occasionally a car coming out of a driveway will drive down it. Then it gets mixed with pedestrians. People do walk here, quite a lot.
After I got tired of walking it became time to flag someone down and get a ride. I started with an older man in a pedal rickshaw. The map I have is in English and Chinese. I pointed it out and he read it and indicated, no.... I thought he couldn't read the map. Then I talked to a man with a motor rickshaw and knew where I wanted to go. He quoted a price and I knew that was way too much (50 Yuan is about $7 and is more than I paid by taxi from the airport). I negotiated a lower price, but not too much really. I get tired of this negotiating for so little. It was a trip being in the this tiny vehicle in the flow of traffic. At the end of the ride I paid him with a bill higher than the rate (lesson #73, pay them with the exact amount you negotiated). he gave me a little back then took off.
The next two rides were in taxis. The mythology in the U.S. of the wild open Wild West is the best that I can do to describe the roadways here. If there are three lanes there might be one of the small vehicles slipping in between. Traffic signals are advisory and they have no compunction at honking their horns. This includes at the police if they get in the way. It was sort of fun to be zipping out of traffice, the taxi barely clearing a bus, zipping through cyclists. One of the remarkable things is to look at the vehicles... they don't have a lot of dents on them or scratches. There is a sixth sense that they seem to operate in. Even when crossing the street a person needs to be totally present in crossing because there is not telling from which direction the next vehicle is coming. There is no past or future, only the present. It is a meditation in being totally present.
The ride from the airport a couple days ago was in a car that floated on its shocks going 100km/h while laying on its horn to get people out of the way. There is something that really tickles me about this. They are cavalier about traffic but they don't seem to threaten each other. I've seen no road rage, mostly patience.
One of the reasons for the trip to the NW of the city was to get my ticket to Barkham for tomorrow morning. I've been told it is about a 12-hour bus ride. Hong Kong has recently implemented a no smoking policy in public places; I'm hoping that this spills over into the ride. It is something getting used to smoking in restaurants again. While standing in line to get my ticket there were people using sign language to help me get my ticket: we shared a view words. I pulled out my translation guide and we figured it out. As far as cost goes: a 12-hour bus ride will cost me about $14.
The last thing I'll post and get off so others can check their emails. I went shopping in the department store for gifts. It is so much easier to have the price on things and not have to negotiate. One can get a cheaper price on the street stalls IF you know the baseline. Otherwise they can charge you twice, thrice the price and I'll never know. It was interesting to be in this Chinese department store where everything looked familiar. It showed me how comforting it is to be in a store where things are familiar. There are rows and prices and things that I know from the picture on them. It is a clear indication of how we become adictted to what is familiar and comfortable. As one who hasn't liked to shop, it is amazing to know that I can find peace, quite, and comfort in something that looks like a department store.
Be well and I'm off to traditional Tibetan country tomorrow and I hope there is a computer to post from. Otherwise, it might be around 45 days before you read anything from me.
Ciao
First, a note. English is on lots of things here. ATM's... people don't travel with travel cheques because ATMs are so accessible. The messages pop up in English. All road signs are sub-text with English. Many stores have English names on them. When I made the trip in 1981 there was nothing written in English. My how things have changed. Other than a different language and slightly different skin color; the people are the same as in any city. Boys and girls, men and women holding hands... one difference here is seeing boys holding hands with their fathers. Teenagers gaze at each other. Many of the billboards could be in any place in American.
One major difference is the traffic. There are bikes, scooters, cars, buses, rickshaws, motor rickshaws and a lot of motorized bikes, a LOT of them. There is a lane in some places that is just for bikes and motorbikes... occasionally a car coming out of a driveway will drive down it. Then it gets mixed with pedestrians. People do walk here, quite a lot.
After I got tired of walking it became time to flag someone down and get a ride. I started with an older man in a pedal rickshaw. The map I have is in English and Chinese. I pointed it out and he read it and indicated, no.... I thought he couldn't read the map. Then I talked to a man with a motor rickshaw and knew where I wanted to go. He quoted a price and I knew that was way too much (50 Yuan is about $7 and is more than I paid by taxi from the airport). I negotiated a lower price, but not too much really. I get tired of this negotiating for so little. It was a trip being in the this tiny vehicle in the flow of traffic. At the end of the ride I paid him with a bill higher than the rate (lesson #73, pay them with the exact amount you negotiated). he gave me a little back then took off.
The next two rides were in taxis. The mythology in the U.S. of the wild open Wild West is the best that I can do to describe the roadways here. If there are three lanes there might be one of the small vehicles slipping in between. Traffic signals are advisory and they have no compunction at honking their horns. This includes at the police if they get in the way. It was sort of fun to be zipping out of traffice, the taxi barely clearing a bus, zipping through cyclists. One of the remarkable things is to look at the vehicles... they don't have a lot of dents on them or scratches. There is a sixth sense that they seem to operate in. Even when crossing the street a person needs to be totally present in crossing because there is not telling from which direction the next vehicle is coming. There is no past or future, only the present. It is a meditation in being totally present.
The ride from the airport a couple days ago was in a car that floated on its shocks going 100km/h while laying on its horn to get people out of the way. There is something that really tickles me about this. They are cavalier about traffic but they don't seem to threaten each other. I've seen no road rage, mostly patience.
One of the reasons for the trip to the NW of the city was to get my ticket to Barkham for tomorrow morning. I've been told it is about a 12-hour bus ride. Hong Kong has recently implemented a no smoking policy in public places; I'm hoping that this spills over into the ride. It is something getting used to smoking in restaurants again. While standing in line to get my ticket there were people using sign language to help me get my ticket: we shared a view words. I pulled out my translation guide and we figured it out. As far as cost goes: a 12-hour bus ride will cost me about $14.
The last thing I'll post and get off so others can check their emails. I went shopping in the department store for gifts. It is so much easier to have the price on things and not have to negotiate. One can get a cheaper price on the street stalls IF you know the baseline. Otherwise they can charge you twice, thrice the price and I'll never know. It was interesting to be in this Chinese department store where everything looked familiar. It showed me how comforting it is to be in a store where things are familiar. There are rows and prices and things that I know from the picture on them. It is a clear indication of how we become adictted to what is familiar and comfortable. As one who hasn't liked to shop, it is amazing to know that I can find peace, quite, and comfort in something that looks like a department store.
Be well and I'm off to traditional Tibetan country tomorrow and I hope there is a computer to post from. Otherwise, it might be around 45 days before you read anything from me.
Ciao
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Chengdu China
Not too long of an entry today folks. I'm at a public internet place and there are people waiting. I arrived here after a trip on a ferry from Hong Kong and then a plane ride. This is definitely a town of grays, browns, humidity, and noise. There is siginficant historical background to the town, but as a modern city it is noisy and polluted.
It is a significant contrast to my hike across Lamma Island (Hong Kong) a couple days ago. The government put through a concrete walkway so families could cross the island. It takes about 45-60 minutes. Lamma Island is a semi/tropical land and it really heats up during the middle of the day. There are beautiful flowers, birds, and a few trees. The banannas were still too green to eat, but then the farmers wouldn't appreciate me picking them.
I also spent a couple of days checking out the neighborhoods in Hong Kong, Kowloon, etc. Like any large city the different neighborhoods have different tenors. Soho is the place where trendy restaurants, yoga studios, and wine bars are growing. I was able to get coffee in the area, which was a nice treat. Hollywood street is filled with antiques and curios. Mong Kok is a chaotic melieu of young shoppers.. TST has a ton of people on the streets trying to sell fake Rolex's. Rodney told me that even the fakes are being sold for $2-4000.
I'm in a hostel called Holley's Hostel (it might have a website.. but it is near the Chengdu Dreams hostel and they have pictures of the area) in the Tibetan quarter of town. I'll be here for a few days and log in a couple entries to let you know a little bit about Chengdu. Last night I was feeling a bit low and went into this Tibetan Restaurant. I only knew it was a restaurant because of the sign.. they had to lead me upstairs and into a room to find the actual restaurant. The waitress and I were trying to communicate about what I wanted... I wound up meeting a Tibetan man who just returned from doing his Master's work in Urban Planning in Norway. Then later, a friend of his joined us and she has been a broadcaster on China National radio... it turned out to be a remarkable meeting and evening that went on for 4-5 hours of drinking sweet Tibetan milk tea at her house watching a wonderful Tibetan music video. This video was a fusion of modern and classical Tibetan music.
A little bit of rain today. Maybe it will drop some of the pollution out. I toured a very old historical site and a couple of university students took me as an opportunity to practice their English. It was really helpful to hear what the exhibits are about. Here is a link: http://www.chengdu.gov.cn/echengdu/tourism/landscape_detail/whc.jsp
I'm reminded that one of the most precious things that we have in life are the people we meet and how we engage them. My new friends that I've met here are wonderful. Amd they have enriched my life in ways that are immeasurable. There are a few beggars here and it reminds me about how precious the life I have. We have a choose in each moment about how we will hold ourselves with the people with whom we meet. Whether it is the people we see everyday or strangers, we have a choice whether to meet them with our heart and mind or to treat them as objects to be avoided or engaged. May you take each breath with full awareness and appreciation of those around you.
I'll probably get one more log in before I head off into Barkham.
Cheers.
It is a significant contrast to my hike across Lamma Island (Hong Kong) a couple days ago. The government put through a concrete walkway so families could cross the island. It takes about 45-60 minutes. Lamma Island is a semi/tropical land and it really heats up during the middle of the day. There are beautiful flowers, birds, and a few trees. The banannas were still too green to eat, but then the farmers wouldn't appreciate me picking them.
I also spent a couple of days checking out the neighborhoods in Hong Kong, Kowloon, etc. Like any large city the different neighborhoods have different tenors. Soho is the place where trendy restaurants, yoga studios, and wine bars are growing. I was able to get coffee in the area, which was a nice treat. Hollywood street is filled with antiques and curios. Mong Kok is a chaotic melieu of young shoppers.. TST has a ton of people on the streets trying to sell fake Rolex's. Rodney told me that even the fakes are being sold for $2-4000.
I'm in a hostel called Holley's Hostel (it might have a website.. but it is near the Chengdu Dreams hostel and they have pictures of the area) in the Tibetan quarter of town. I'll be here for a few days and log in a couple entries to let you know a little bit about Chengdu. Last night I was feeling a bit low and went into this Tibetan Restaurant. I only knew it was a restaurant because of the sign.. they had to lead me upstairs and into a room to find the actual restaurant. The waitress and I were trying to communicate about what I wanted... I wound up meeting a Tibetan man who just returned from doing his Master's work in Urban Planning in Norway. Then later, a friend of his joined us and she has been a broadcaster on China National radio... it turned out to be a remarkable meeting and evening that went on for 4-5 hours of drinking sweet Tibetan milk tea at her house watching a wonderful Tibetan music video. This video was a fusion of modern and classical Tibetan music.
A little bit of rain today. Maybe it will drop some of the pollution out. I toured a very old historical site and a couple of university students took me as an opportunity to practice their English. It was really helpful to hear what the exhibits are about. Here is a link: http://www.chengdu.gov.cn/echengdu/tourism/landscape_detail/whc.jsp
I'm reminded that one of the most precious things that we have in life are the people we meet and how we engage them. My new friends that I've met here are wonderful. Amd they have enriched my life in ways that are immeasurable. There are a few beggars here and it reminds me about how precious the life I have. We have a choose in each moment about how we will hold ourselves with the people with whom we meet. Whether it is the people we see everyday or strangers, we have a choice whether to meet them with our heart and mind or to treat them as objects to be avoided or engaged. May you take each breath with full awareness and appreciation of those around you.
I'll probably get one more log in before I head off into Barkham.
Cheers.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Hong Kong
Just got back from wandering the metropolis of Hong Kong- a shopping mecca for those of you who love to shop. I've been gone about 12 hours and I'm a bit bushed. I've been walking probably 75% of the time. I had coffee at a Starbucks as I looked across the street at a KFC and 7-11 while a Chinese woman read Satanic Verses and talked with an English speaker.
I was going to shop for some photo equipment but after doing more research it seems that the U.S. is still the best place for the type of equipment that I was looking forward. Gone are the days of this being the least expensive option, especially when you consider that there is no U.S. warranty on some of this stuff. Not worth the risk. If you are ever interested there is a great webpage that has been going on for 8 years about this...
The main reason I went into the Central district today was to try and get more than a one month visa. Apparently, that is all that is being issued and they can't do anything for me. They told me to try to do something about it in Chengdu, which means that I may not be successful in getting an additional month on my visa. They said I could try in Chengdu. So, what to do? I can go to Chengdu, Barkham and then back to Chengdu, even go to Lhasa beforehand I guess. I could go to Mardo Tashi Choling for awhile and then go to Chengdu to renew the visa. Another option is to fly back to Hong Kong and get a new visa when this one expires... not an option I prefer. But it is part of the adventure.
When my mother and grandfather used to go to tourist attractions they'd make a beeline for the gift store- first. Even before seeing the attraction. I remember them doing that when we visited Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood in Oregon. Well, the highpoint on Hong Kong Island is Victoria Peak and there are 4 levels of shopping before you get to the observatory. The tram was packed with people and it was like a mass of salmon spawning up a fish ladder. At each level a new set of stores would divert people's attention until I reached the top and it seemed only a few people from my tram stayed on.
Another remembrance is that Grand Canyon National Park hired Disney to help manage visitor flow. They did a study about how long people looked at the Canyon and how much time was spent in the stores... the stores won. I can't remember the exact number but I think the visitors stayed an average of 7 minutes on the rim. Well, most of the people atop Victoria Peak didn't stay long. They saw the view, took pictures of each other, and then headed down.
We can choose to focus on the differences or similarities in people. The more I see, the more I see the similarities- no matter the color of skin, language spoken, or currency used. People laugh, cry, argue, hug, smile at babies, and they consume trinkets/doodads/dust catchers... all part of the memory of some occasion. Here are some things for you to look at that I've seen today: The Peak: http://www.thepeak.com.hk/full/en/index.php http://community.webshots.com/album/22663234jVMWAKXKFl Zoological and Botanical gardens: http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/parks/hkzbg/en/index.php A tour through many neighborhoods and this included the worlds longest escalator. If you have ever walked the hills of San Francisco, then you have an idea of what the hillside is like in Hong Kong, except that it is steeper AND they have this amazing escalator that takes you up. The signage isn't all that great in some places, but it was so convenient. I was sweating just taking the moving walkway uphill. http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/attraction/hkwalks/ta_walk_walk1.jhtml Here is one of the many buildings that I wandered through. It is amazing how many walking bridges, escalators, tunnels, and walks through buildings that there are. In the U.S. we don't have signed public passageways that go through commercial buildings quite like this. I imagine there are some extensive ones. Seattle and Spokane have linked buildings, but this was unique. The commercial buildings were meant to be a part of the public movement. http://www.archnewsnow.com/features/Feature23.htm
This Center has a wonderful park right in the heart of the industrial complex: http://beltcollins.com/projects_profile.asp?search=T&id=139
There was a sculpture exhibit celebrating the Olympics and it was only going to be here for 10 days, so my timing was right on. http://www.2009eastasiangames.hk/en/news/news_40.html There is a link to Olympics and Sculpture... you'll be able to see more pictures. Within this park, Hong Kong park, is a pond with lilies, lotus, koi, and a gazillion photographers. It stunned me to suddenly walk into a covey of individual photographers staking out their territory and pretending to not pay attention to what the other photographers were doing. (Maybe they didn't care.) It reminded me of a photography class on assignment. But then I showed up here at a reasonable time of day: 4ish. The light flattens out here quite quickly and there are only a couple of hours on each end of the day when the light is rich. The good news is that it has been clear. I'd been warned about the smog problem, but it has been very nice and relatively clear.
I find myself walking and thinking about this precious human birth, contemplating the ways to use this life and seeing how people live their lives. Staying present and using this as a walking meditation- remembering Rushon and trying to understand my motivations.
The Central/Soho/Midlevel portions of Hong Kong are a study in contrast when comparing it to the place where I am staying with at my friends flat. On Lamma Island, it is quiet village life. I am staying at Yung Shue Wan. The only motorized vehicles are these commercial rigs that about as wide as a big go-cart. Well, there are the backhoes and other industrial sized construction equipment, but they are pretty small compared to what we see in the U.S. No personal cars, motorbikes, or scooters.
Here is a link to some of the happenings on this island. (http://www.lamma.com.hk/)
Lamma Island is reached by ferries from Central Hong Kong. It takes about 20-30 minutes. There is a specialness to unwinding from the busyness to island life. The language may be different but there is still that specialness of letting the sea rock you into a relaxed state. My reference point is from having lived/worked on different islands in Washington State: Whidbey, Orcas and Lummi. It is probably more like people who work in Seattle and commute to Baindrige Island.
This morning I had dim sum for breakfast. They didn't speak much English and I speak no Cantonese. I had some shrimp and chicken filled dumplings after he pointed out some things. One thing I learned: They gave me a bowl, a tea cup, pot of tea, and a small eating bowl and only after watching another person did I learn what that bigger bowl was for: the person walked over to the giant hot pot and filled it with the hot water- they then washed their teacup, chopsticks, and bowl. Sure hope my Hepatitis B shot is strong.
Here are a couple of other sites if you want to see the village and the surrounding area: http://www.hkoutdoors.com/outlying-islands/lamma-island.html
http://www.12hk.com/area/Lamma/What2do_Lamma.shtml
This flat is away from the village, about a 5 minutes walk. Most of it is lit pretty well. But it is when the sidewalks gets dark and the vegetation overhangs the walkway that I remember my first trip to HK in 1981. During the middle of the day I took a walk along a concrete drainage line. As I walked past this tree, a snake dropped down in front of me. People have asked me what kind of snake it was... damned if I know because it was a moment of pure terror. There are cobras, vipers, and biting centipedes, but the crime rate is extremely low. People have told me to not worry about walking anywhere in HK. There are so many movies showing the Triad wars that I think we get a skewed view of what is going on here.
I was having breakfast with a new friend and we watched hundreds of school children get off the ferry and wander into the village and to the beach... with very, very few teachers/chaperones. In the U.S. we'd have a required number of adults helping out. So different.
It is warm and humid here. My clothes stick to my body, my forehead runs with sweat, and I'm clammy most of the time when I'm outside. The people who live here are having the same thing go on for them. They are sweating through their clothes, they are fanning themselves to stay cool. It dawned on me that even though I don't come from a warm very climate (I'm from Oregon), that it was my mental state that was going to cause me more of a problem. We are all humans and we sweat when it gets warm and all I need to do is not complain about it. Sweat happens!
One thing about traveling these days is that I don't carry travellers checks. I brought some U.S. dollars to exchange, but I bought a prepaid Visa travel card. The credit union would not authorize the use of my debit card in HK or China because there has been so much fraud. Once they explained the prepaid Visa, it made sense. However, there are fees. Just like the banks charge fees for exchanging U.S. dollars (the cheapest I have found is $50 HK- which is about $7 U.S.); well the Visa card has it's own feeds: there is a percentage of the withdrawl due to it being a foreign currency; their is the withdrawl fee; then their is the ATM fee. It was much cheaper in the days when I cashed Amex Traveller's checks. We'll see how it goes when I get into mainland China.
BTW- Hong Kong is a part of China, but it has a special designation. It was handed over to the Chinese by the British ten years ago, this year. There were fireworks the night I arrived, and thought I appreciated their thoughtfulness of welcoming me that way, I actually assumed it was part of their continued celebration. You do not need a visa to get into HK- just a passport.
I'm hoping to find a way to post photographs so you can see images of some places that I've been. We'll see if I can get them loaded on a site. I've used Snapfish and a couple others, but I don't like the fact that people have to register,etc. I may load them on Smug Mug. That way if there is an image you like you can order it from them too.
Well, I'll close for the night before my eyes do.
I was going to shop for some photo equipment but after doing more research it seems that the U.S. is still the best place for the type of equipment that I was looking forward. Gone are the days of this being the least expensive option, especially when you consider that there is no U.S. warranty on some of this stuff. Not worth the risk. If you are ever interested there is a great webpage that has been going on for 8 years about this...
The main reason I went into the Central district today was to try and get more than a one month visa. Apparently, that is all that is being issued and they can't do anything for me. They told me to try to do something about it in Chengdu, which means that I may not be successful in getting an additional month on my visa. They said I could try in Chengdu. So, what to do? I can go to Chengdu, Barkham and then back to Chengdu, even go to Lhasa beforehand I guess. I could go to Mardo Tashi Choling for awhile and then go to Chengdu to renew the visa. Another option is to fly back to Hong Kong and get a new visa when this one expires... not an option I prefer. But it is part of the adventure.
When my mother and grandfather used to go to tourist attractions they'd make a beeline for the gift store- first. Even before seeing the attraction. I remember them doing that when we visited Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood in Oregon. Well, the highpoint on Hong Kong Island is Victoria Peak and there are 4 levels of shopping before you get to the observatory. The tram was packed with people and it was like a mass of salmon spawning up a fish ladder. At each level a new set of stores would divert people's attention until I reached the top and it seemed only a few people from my tram stayed on.
Another remembrance is that Grand Canyon National Park hired Disney to help manage visitor flow. They did a study about how long people looked at the Canyon and how much time was spent in the stores... the stores won. I can't remember the exact number but I think the visitors stayed an average of 7 minutes on the rim. Well, most of the people atop Victoria Peak didn't stay long. They saw the view, took pictures of each other, and then headed down.
We can choose to focus on the differences or similarities in people. The more I see, the more I see the similarities- no matter the color of skin, language spoken, or currency used. People laugh, cry, argue, hug, smile at babies, and they consume trinkets/doodads/dust catchers... all part of the memory of some occasion. Here are some things for you to look at that I've seen today: The Peak: http://www.thepeak.com.hk/full
This Center has a wonderful park right in the heart of the industrial complex: http://beltcollins.com/projects
There was a sculpture exhibit celebrating the Olympics and it was only going to be here for 10 days, so my timing was right on. http://www.2009eastasiangames
I find myself walking and thinking about this precious human birth, contemplating the ways to use this life and seeing how people live their lives. Staying present and using this as a walking meditation- remembering Rushon and trying to understand my motivations.
The Central/Soho/Midlevel portions of Hong Kong are a study in contrast when comparing it to the place where I am staying with at my friends flat. On Lamma Island, it is quiet village life. I am staying at Yung Shue Wan. The only motorized vehicles are these commercial rigs that about as wide as a big go-cart. Well, there are the backhoes and other industrial sized construction equipment, but they are pretty small compared to what we see in the U.S. No personal cars, motorbikes, or scooters.
Here is a link to some of the happenings on this island. (http://www.lamma.com.hk/)
Lamma Island is reached by ferries from Central Hong Kong. It takes about 20-30 minutes. There is a specialness to unwinding from the busyness to island life. The language may be different but there is still that specialness of letting the sea rock you into a relaxed state. My reference point is from having lived/worked on different islands in Washington State: Whidbey, Orcas and Lummi. It is probably more like people who work in Seattle and commute to Baindrige Island.
This morning I had dim sum for breakfast. They didn't speak much English and I speak no Cantonese. I had some shrimp and chicken filled dumplings after he pointed out some things. One thing I learned: They gave me a bowl, a tea cup, pot of tea, and a small eating bowl and only after watching another person did I learn what that bigger bowl was for: the person walked over to the giant hot pot and filled it with the hot water- they then washed their teacup, chopsticks, and bowl. Sure hope my Hepatitis B shot is strong.
Here are a couple of other sites if you want to see the village and the surrounding area: http://www.hkoutdoors.com/outlying-islands/lamma-island.html
http://www.12hk.com/area/Lamma/What2do_Lamma.shtml
This flat is away from the village, about a 5 minutes walk. Most of it is lit pretty well. But it is when the sidewalks gets dark and the vegetation overhangs the walkway that I remember my first trip to HK in 1981. During the middle of the day I took a walk along a concrete drainage line. As I walked past this tree, a snake dropped down in front of me. People have asked me what kind of snake it was... damned if I know because it was a moment of pure terror. There are cobras, vipers, and biting centipedes, but the crime rate is extremely low. People have told me to not worry about walking anywhere in HK. There are so many movies showing the Triad wars that I think we get a skewed view of what is going on here.
I was having breakfast with a new friend and we watched hundreds of school children get off the ferry and wander into the village and to the beach... with very, very few teachers/chaperones. In the U.S. we'd have a required number of adults helping out. So different.
It is warm and humid here. My clothes stick to my body, my forehead runs with sweat, and I'm clammy most of the time when I'm outside. The people who live here are having the same thing go on for them. They are sweating through their clothes, they are fanning themselves to stay cool. It dawned on me that even though I don't come from a warm very climate (I'm from Oregon), that it was my mental state that was going to cause me more of a problem. We are all humans and we sweat when it gets warm and all I need to do is not complain about it. Sweat happens!
One thing about traveling these days is that I don't carry travellers checks. I brought some U.S. dollars to exchange, but I bought a prepaid Visa travel card. The credit union would not authorize the use of my debit card in HK or China because there has been so much fraud. Once they explained the prepaid Visa, it made sense. However, there are fees. Just like the banks charge fees for exchanging U.S. dollars (the cheapest I have found is $50 HK- which is about $7 U.S.); well the Visa card has it's own feeds: there is a percentage of the withdrawl due to it being a foreign currency; their is the withdrawl fee; then their is the ATM fee. It was much cheaper in the days when I cashed Amex Traveller's checks. We'll see how it goes when I get into mainland China.
BTW- Hong Kong is a part of China, but it has a special designation. It was handed over to the Chinese by the British ten years ago, this year. There were fireworks the night I arrived, and thought I appreciated their thoughtfulness of welcoming me that way, I actually assumed it was part of their continued celebration. You do not need a visa to get into HK- just a passport.
I'm hoping to find a way to post photographs so you can see images of some places that I've been. We'll see if I can get them loaded on a site. I've used Snapfish and a couple others, but I don't like the fact that people have to register,etc. I may load them on Smug Mug. That way if there is an image you like you can order it from them too.
Well, I'll close for the night before my eyes do.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Departure
Leaving on 7/7/07, if one is numerologically influenced, seems to be a good day. Sitting in the LAX (Los Angeles airport) international terminal, I'm reminded of what an amazing world we live in. I know the carbon footprint is expanded every time one of the aviation giants achieve lift-off, but all around me are a variety of languages, dialects, and inflections and is a reminder of the positive side of what high-speed travel has done. It brings us all into a closer knit fabric of humanity. It is such a different world from my first flight across the Pacific Ocean in 1962 on a prop plane: a DC-6. I remember being in a plane for 24 hours and hearing the drone of the props, trying to sleep. My first memory of a plane flight was a seaplane landing outside of Skagway, Alaska in 1959. The world of aviation has come so far and the changes in international cultural exchange are remarkable. I'll leave it up to you to make a value judgement about whether it is a better world now.
I'm off to Hong Kong in a bit and thought that an itinerary would be useful to share. The small print caveat is that all this might be altered based on the winds of change.
7/8-14 (crossing the International Date Line, my land-based Sunday will last only 5 hours) Hong Kong, staying at Rodney's flat on Lamma Island (20 minute ferry ride from Central HK).
7/14- 17; Chengdu. This is in the western Sichuan Province of China. The world knows of it as the region of the Panda Bears. It has long been part of the trade routes that hooked into the Silk Road and the gateway into Tibet.
7/18 take a bus to Barkham (Markang in Chinese). A little political geography here. The boundaries of most countries have fluctuated as the centuries flow on. This region of the world is no different. The country of Tibet is now split into different regions. Lhasa is in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). The part of historical Tibet that I will be visiting is a part of Sichuan Province. Barkham is 390 kilometers NW of Chengdu. It will be a 7-12 hour bus ride to get there. I'm told it lies at about 8000 feet. A friend's family lives in the nearby village of Tsambu. My friends just had a baby and I'll deliver some photos. One of those serendipitous meetings that happened over a year ago that has lead me to take this trip.
I'll spend 3 days here to begin to adjust to the altitude. I'll visit a monastery, Tsamne, and Variotsana's caves. Variotsana was one of the early translators of Buddhism in Tibet. He lived during the reign of King Trisong Detsen (755-797 A.D.). He was exiled in this region at one point of his life.
For more information about Barkham, go to: http://www.tew.org/totar/totar.barkham.html
7/21 or 22 Leave for Aba (bus or rented car/driver). Other spellings of this town are Ngawa, Ngaba. This is about 300 km north of Barkham and NW of Chengdu.
7/23 to Pema Shen (shen is county in Chinese) and then to Mardo Tashi Choling. This is the community/ monastery where I'll stay.
7/23-8/20 Mardo Tashi Choling
8/20 and onward: I plan on a trip to Lhasa. This might be done overland or by going back to Chengdu and flying. I'll visit Samye (first monastery in Tibet) and Chimpu, as well as the sites within Lhasa.
9/12 return to the U.S. from Hong Kong.
Ciao.
I'm off to Hong Kong in a bit and thought that an itinerary would be useful to share. The small print caveat is that all this might be altered based on the winds of change.
7/8-14 (crossing the International Date Line, my land-based Sunday will last only 5 hours) Hong Kong, staying at Rodney's flat on Lamma Island (20 minute ferry ride from Central HK).
7/14- 17; Chengdu. This is in the western Sichuan Province of China. The world knows of it as the region of the Panda Bears. It has long been part of the trade routes that hooked into the Silk Road and the gateway into Tibet.
7/18 take a bus to Barkham (Markang in Chinese). A little political geography here. The boundaries of most countries have fluctuated as the centuries flow on. This region of the world is no different. The country of Tibet is now split into different regions. Lhasa is in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). The part of historical Tibet that I will be visiting is a part of Sichuan Province. Barkham is 390 kilometers NW of Chengdu. It will be a 7-12 hour bus ride to get there. I'm told it lies at about 8000 feet. A friend's family lives in the nearby village of Tsambu. My friends just had a baby and I'll deliver some photos. One of those serendipitous meetings that happened over a year ago that has lead me to take this trip.
I'll spend 3 days here to begin to adjust to the altitude. I'll visit a monastery, Tsamne, and Variotsana's caves. Variotsana was one of the early translators of Buddhism in Tibet. He lived during the reign of King Trisong Detsen (755-797 A.D.). He was exiled in this region at one point of his life.
For more information about Barkham, go to: http://www.tew.org/totar/totar.barkham.html
7/21 or 22 Leave for Aba (bus or rented car/driver). Other spellings of this town are Ngawa, Ngaba. This is about 300 km north of Barkham and NW of Chengdu.
7/23 to Pema Shen (shen is county in Chinese) and then to Mardo Tashi Choling. This is the community/ monastery where I'll stay.
7/23-8/20 Mardo Tashi Choling
8/20 and onward: I plan on a trip to Lhasa. This might be done overland or by going back to Chengdu and flying. I'll visit Samye (first monastery in Tibet) and Chimpu, as well as the sites within Lhasa.
9/12 return to the U.S. from Hong Kong.
Ciao.
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