In just the nick of time I made it out of China before my Visa expired. It took 80 consecutive hours on train and bus to get there from Lhasa...not something I ever want to do again. Saying that, I'm sure you'll understand why I dont feel like writing anything. I know you all just look at the pictures anyways!! [View Full Entry]

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Tibet has certainly caught my attention. It is definetly a place where time does not stand still; things are changing so fast it's unreal. A few weeks away from Lhasa and new buildings have sprung up throughout the city, people have gotten scabies from the Pentoc guesthouse and there is a rumor that tourists cannot take the bus to Shigatse anymore. I want to do many things... visit monasteries...go to lakes... but needing permits and jeeps has made the process difficultand pricey. Luckily, the pilgrim's busses provide the answer. Before dawn i made my way to some Buddhist caves outside t [View Full Entry]

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Yes, they make cheese at Everest Base Camp. It's not the cheese you think of- Ghouda, Motzarella, Edam (that is the dream of all backpackers)-but it is the cheese you find when your grandmother pinches your cheeks or the greetings from a Hallmark card. First of all, i need to vent about the difficulties of travelling in Tibet in order for you to understand the cheese. It's not that it's difficult, as any traveller can rent a 4X4 jeep and get to Magic Land#1 and then to Dreamland #4. There is a massive monopoly with the jeeps, which makes any other [View Full Entry]

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Mt Kilash-probably one of the most sacred mountains in Asia, or perhaps the world. Millions of pilgrims make the journey to the mountain, and Asia's most important rivers also begin here, such as the Indus, the Sutlej, and the Humla Karnali (leads to the Ganges) . I kid you not, this is one special mountain...and so I had to see it! I met four other crazy Israelies and we rented a jeep which was to take four days to get to the trailhead from Lhasa. The drive was spectacular, as we passed through some of the most unreal landscapes i have [View Full Entry]

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With hardly any sleep, I managed to make it to Lhasa in relatively one piece. The flight here was the best ever, as we passed over the mountains and onto the Tibetan plateau. Lhasa is a great place, friendly people and a totally different vibe than the rest of China. However, it's not the magical and exotic place people make it out to be, as you can feel the Motherland's colonial attitude everywhere. Ever since the CCPs 'liberation' of Tibet in 1951, there has been a strong Chinese prescence in this province. The government is trying to drown the Tibetan population [View Full Entry]

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Tashi dalek from Tibet I have come a long way since my last entry, and there is so much that I want to share! Since everyday in CHina is a great adventure, i have no choice but to only give you the highlights of the last 2 weeks... leaving Xinjiang province was hard to do, as it is such a wonderful place with wonderful people. I made my way down to Lanzhou, where I met a group of people working for Environmental Investigation Agency, an NGO from the UK. THey are doing research on the illegal trade of tiger skins in [View Full Entry]

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After a 24 hour bus ride, my new travel friend Nadir and I have made it to the end of CHina--Kashgar. It has been a significant trading post along the Silk Road for ages, and it seems that it is still a place for testing your bargain skills. Here, there is a large mix of ethnic groups from all over central Asia, such as Uyghurs, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks and the good ol Han CHinese. In fact, becuase of many attempts at separation from CHina, the government is supporting a huge influx of Chinese into Xinjiang (the province where Kashgar and Urumqi [View Full Entry]

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Toilets seem to be a big topic among travellers in China. We seem to focus around the issue several times per week, and they often remind us of just how adventurous we have become. This blog entry is my ongoing documentation of Chinese toilets, and the nightmares they cause. There have been much worse toilets on my travels, with feces and urine coating the entire floor, but i've decided to leave those ones out of this blog because my perents will worry about me. [View Full Entry]

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So, I am in Urumqi now, pronounced Wulumuchi. It is by far my favourite of favourite places in CHina. Saying that, I must mention that it's not really "chinese", as it is a Uyghur and therefore muslim part of the contry. ALso to mention, that all they eeat here is Kebabs, which isnt that great for me. I've gotten by though... I am wondering where to start my stories. I guess it would be with going to Bayang Guo, which is a waterfall and mountain area. I met three wonderful Israelies which I went with. Now, I have to explain that [View Full Entry]

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Hello again my dear family and friends As I have said before, another day in China brings many interesting stories! I was just in a small town called Zhongwei, which is actually quite large but the Chinese think it's a town! It is situated in a very unique convergence of desert and lush agricultural land, as it is next to the Yellow river and Tengger desert. The first day I arrived, I stayed at a very fancy hotel on China's terms. I had my own washroom as well, it was great. I also went to a Buddhist and Daoist Temple, called [View Full Entry]

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