Its a big move, folks. I've just been forced to cut the Tibet section of my trip short, folks. The exciting trip through Eastern Tibet was simply not in the stars. The permit situation in Tibet these days is exceptionally stringent. I only heard one story of a skeptical French man who tried to take buses through the area. He said he was only picked up by one in every five buses, and the ones that picked him up made him hide under the rug. So, instead of coughing up a thousand US dollars to rent a Land Rover and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Yesterday we ventured out from our wonderful hotel right off the Barkhor in tibet's Old Town to go see the Potala Palace. This however did not work out as we had planned, but led us to some interesting places, and to met some interesting people. The first was a shop keeper on the Barkhor circuit, just outside of the Jokhang Temple. Besides having a whole bunch of really neat stuff, he seemed genuine. While he was not a native of Lhasa, or even the province of Xizang, he told me he was from Qinghai. This is a neighboring province still [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hey There Folks, So, I'm writing from a beautiful guest house in the heart of the old quarter in Lhasa. This place isn't in the guide books. It was recommended to me by that shady Tibetan travel agent I used in Beijing. By the way, he turned out to be all he was cracked up to be. While he did charge me a bit of a surcharge for his services, he did pull through with individual permits when no one else could. Just another guy on my list of people to thank. But really folks, I'm in Lhasa! For anyone [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hey There Folks, My semester abroad, as of a few hours from now, is officially over. While my Chinese has surely improved leaps and bounds, for me, a single semester abroad is simply not enough to acheive any real fluency. While I can surely get around, and have conversations (for which I know all the vocabulary) it would take much more study for me to be considered a "competent" speaker. That being said, given my experience here, its almost a sure thing I'll be back. For all intents and purposes, last night was the final night of the semester. My [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hello All My Fellow Americans! (For the most part, anyway...) My time in Beijing is quickly coming to an end, and I'm getting very reflective. Images that I've been taking for granted have lately started to stick with me. This morning, as I got off the train, I watched the undulating wave of black-haired heads move briskly up the stairs. At a glance they all look the same, but I've been here long enough now where I notice the different hair styles and colors, all the little things that make these folks as different as you and me. Before I [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hey Folks, Summer is coming to Beijing, and its coming in force. Some days its hot, but thats not all the time. We haven't gotten any of the Gobi Desert dust storms that Beijing is famous for yet, and thankfully I probably won't be here when they do come. As for now, the space between the roads and buildings that made Beijing appear desolate and dreary in the winter time have blossomed with all kinds of greenery. There are a lot of trees and small roadside parks seem to abound. Lately I've seen many people outside playing pingpong in the [View Full Entry]

---

---

We got up at 6 this morning, and I probably could have slept later. Maybe my body was a little more used to this physical exhersion. Either way, we needed to hit the road. Gordon flew out of his bed, the efficient Engineer that he is, and I quickly followed suit. Once downstairs for breakfast however, Gordon's efficiency was delightfully stalled when we ran into the father of a family who had come in the night before. He was a pastor from Pensacola named Johnny. He was here adopting another def Chinese baby. He was as polite and easy going and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today I woke up around 5, surely thanks to going to bed as early as I did last night. Its like despite how much worked I put in the night before, I'm never really tired the next day. I was a little sore, but not enough to really feel bad. The orphanage provided breakfast, first time I've had cereal in months. Raisin Bran, I love raisin bran! Then Gordon and I headed out. My butt was as sore as I could imagine, but the bikes felt good to ride. There is a certain speed that bike riding provides. Not so fast [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today Gordon and I arrived at China Orphans outside of Langfang. The ride was terrible. I am clearly out of shape. I was riding so slow, slower than I ever thought I could. I must be in the worste shape I've ever been in. It was painful. Gordon was delightfully patient. He's really doing this because I am. So for him to have to carry me is really pathetic. He's a real trooper. If Ali or Dre had made this trip with us, I can't imagine they would have been so forgiving. We left Beijing at around 7:30. It took us [View Full Entry]

---

---

So this is my first entry on my three day bike ride. Tomorrow, Gordon and I will be betting on bicycles and riding to the town of Langfang. This town, while of relative importance to the local Chinese, does not seem to appear on the tourist spectrum anywhere. Ali found an impressive orphanage there by means of an NPR article she heard. As we were setting this thing up, Ali decided she couldn’t go, but we stuck with the orphanage nonetheless. These guys can be found at www.chinaorphans.org. They have more than one complex and house more than 200 orphans. They [View Full Entry]

---

---