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Published: August 15th 2006
Hello again.
In a place called Lanzhou which the blog does not seem to recognise exists! To be fair though it is a city with little to see and the only reason we are here is to spilt the group visa as we can now become independant travellers since we have left Tibet. Guess that this may mean another stamp in the passport to make it look a abit prettier!
We have essentially driven for the last 5 days over the Tibetan plateau, out of the Tibetan Autonomous Region and into China proper. Accommodation has been rough camping on the side of the road with the only facilities available being the food and cooking stuff on the truck. It has been ace though, not really sure how far it is that we have travelled but it has been 5 days of 8 hours driving...... lots of book reading (Kate and Mark have finished Mr Strange and Norrell.....quite an acheivement, though have now donated it to te truck's library as do not think will ever try to read it again!).
The scenery has been amazing, starting in the mountains with snow, then into more green areas then into the mountains of the plateau and into desert! Until this week didn't know that there was a desert in China, but I guess that that's why you go travelling.
Have gotten a bit confused changing languages, no longer Tibetan, speaking the harsher Chinese...... Local habits haven't changed and apparently the gobbing and nasal rasping will get worse nearer to Beijing..... oh joy!!
Unfortunately some of the group are really getting on my nerves so it is ace that we have had a day to ourselves as the close proximity has been tough at times! Good news is only 2 more real days of driving and 1 night of camping, the rest of the time it is trains to Beijing and hotels all the way!!! Yippeee!!!!!! Bad news is that it is 1 week until the end of the trip and only 9 days until I leave to come home. :-( Can't believe that the time has gone so quickly.....
I don't really want to bore you much more today as the journey was pretty monotonous, but we are so looking forwards to hitting the monuments and ancient sites in the next week so will no doubt drivel on about that soon. Also looking forward to going shopping for food in Xian for the peppers and chillies which go into my favourite recipe here and am planning on having a little Chinese dinner party on my return.
Hope you are all well.
Missing you all.
Someone looked around house but he thought it was too small - cheeky bugger!!!
Love me x
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MD
non-member comment
Bloody hell
This holiday (just resisted an overwhelming urge to use quotes) was beginning to sound suspiciously like some extreme forces survival test. What with border patrol crossings requiring nerves of steel (“Essentially had to hand over our passports and become illegal immigrants”), facilities that would have unhinged the most hardened squaddie (“sqatting in amongst other people with no walls, no flush and a combination of long drops/drain running through room or just a big pile of stinking pooh”) and being whipped across the face I have to say I was beginning to question the wisdom of this once-in-a-lifetime, PAID FOR, trip. Glad to see things back on track & thoughts have returned to stuffing your face. PS: Paint the walls white. Gives the illusion of space. Apparently.