I am in the heart of it all. But even i cannot romanticize Lhasa. In its day it must have been magic... and parts of it still are. But, as expected with 'development' and mass tourism, it is very changed from that romantic image. It extends for kilometres; kilometres of C buildings and new, expensive stores, car dealerships... and on the outskirts, more industrial buildings, a newish military base, and many, many tourists restaurants, hotels, 'traditional' T bars.... That said, yesterday was pretty cool. I went west, to the Drepung monastery which used to house over 10,000 monks and [View Full Entry]

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A morning prowling around led me through non-touristed alleys of shops selling daily goods like yak butter, and on to the University of Tantric studies. There, various growling chants, in chorus or solo, kept me interested for quite a while. As well, the yak butter sculptures, a highlight of T traditions, were being formed by a couple of young monks. The butter was kept in balls in a pool of cool water, then moulded by the monk's right hand and stuck onto the pyramidal base. Later, I met Tamdin, my T contact for the Tibtn Village Project. He left his rural [View Full Entry]

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This is an entry for my T friend J. He's a good lad, well-versed in English and extremely helpful. He has an interesting life story, if ever you come in contact with him. For the sake of his privacy and safety, I won't publish it. But, in a private message i would happily fill anyone in. Better yet, i have his email address. In the mean time, anyone who might be heading towards this way, who would consider hiring a guide for the city or for trekking, J gets 4 stars, or 5, or more. He was incredibly considerate in trying [View Full Entry]

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As of a few hours ago, I am in Lhasa, the infamous T city, now infamous for tourist buses and treks and the real experience. Coming into the city, a host of concrete boxes, C style. Ah, development, all the good things that come with progress. To get to the official T, one must buy a permit, then fly or bus in. I bussed in. But forgot the permit, sort of. It is a hefty Y1500 or so, which works out to around US$200, and i am fairly certain none of that money goes to the T tourist board. Or rather, [View Full Entry]

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T people: Some are the picturesque rosy-cheeked type you see in national geo; some are wild and long-haired, much like the yaks they tend. Some wear extremely ornate headpieces and scarves and jewellery. Some wear simple frocks and skirts with sashes. Some are dirt poor and scrawny. Some are plump and well-fed from the yaks and butter products they consume. Some are weathered, old, have leathery faces, but the most shining smiles. I am in Xining now, a city near the north of Qinghai province. It was to be my last stop before going to my town where i'll catch a [View Full Entry]

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Since the first town west of Chengdu, Sichuan province, I've visited 2 others and am now in the 4th town. One was quite a ways west, nearing the official T border, and passing through stunning scenery. The further west, the more T homes i saw. In retropspect, having returned partway along the same route (in order to head north), i realized that those before the actual town were quite spaciously distanced from one another, perched in lovely vantage points like on a hill/ledge or overlooking the river. In general, the houses are either made from charcoal coloured rocks, or from solid [View Full Entry]

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I am in a town about a 6-7 hour smooth bus ride west from Chengdu and is said to be star tracks final frontier between C and T communities, at least according to the lonely planet bible. They have it wrong. It is overwhelmingly a C town, with ethnic Ts living amidst the normal C style city, concrete box, utilitarian construction. The shops are mainly C run, save for some shoebox food shops or T restaurants. The roadside fruit and veg and bread vendors seem to be mainly T. Most T i've seen here seem to speak C much of the [View Full Entry]

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My stopover in a mountain temple area was a success in that i was able to locate my monk (immediately, by quirky happenstance: i was looking for an adapter to a battery charger i had bought in korea for him, the monk, which i didn't think fit chinese outlets... which did in fact... but the adapter was, i suppose, the means to indirectly stumbling across the monk. I walked into a shop i didn't reallllly believe would have the adapter i didn't realllly need. Looked around: cameras, film, batteries, monk in red robes with a pointy elfin beard, camera accessories... Monk? [View Full Entry]

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Hello, no great tales to tell, nor huge observations to render. However, for those of you who might wonder where i've gone, the update. i am currently in a smallish city, which is famous for something historical and touristy. but i am here as a starting point to another famous and touristy area famous as a temple mountain, with Chinese, Mongolian, and a couple of Tibetan temples. Last year whilst travelling i met a Tibetan monk and his group [http://www.GarlicheadVietnam.China.photoshare.co.nz **just over halfway down the page: "Tudaynyahmah"]. I had absolutely no knowledge of [View Full Entry]

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After two years on and off of life in South Korea, interspersed with wanderings, I'm off again to do something i hope to be meaningful. During my time in the south of South Korea, i've been graced with good friends and abundant mountains to climb. For all considering Korea, i praise the mountains, the food, friends once you make them, and many incongruities. Beware of east versus west thinking conflicts, and materialism, and a rather high standard of living (though slight compared with Japan). Smog aside, Korea is where i have felt strongest and healthiest. The most beautiful place, for [View Full Entry]

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