Pictures and a list

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Hummm....I was going to put down some profound thoughts, but changed my mind yet again. I will say one thing about what I've discovered about travelling for a extended period of time. It's not always the cure or a solution for issues surrounding commitment. Commitment to what? Well, to anything or anyone for that matter. It is a great way to instigate more thoughts about where to go next though....

I've spent the last couple of days just reviewing picture upon picture on some 15 CDs spanning the last year of my life and all I have are these pictures and some words to accompany them. A couple of them I've managed to stitch together. For those of you whom I've met along the way, I promise your pictures will be coming your way sometime in this century. It's been mindboggling to go through these pictures, much of which I'm not sure what I took of. So when I get it sorted out a little better, I'll have more postings and send outs.

Last night as I was experiencing insomnia, I listed the countries I went to into certain categories into the good and the not so good (this list is only my opinion gathered from my experience, nothing else)....here's the list in no particular order:

Most Variety of Tasty Food - Korea, Thailand
Limited Variety of any Food - Philippines, Fiji
Nicest Folks - Thailand, Nepal, New Zealand
Most Expensive place to visit - Japan, Australia
Cheapest - Nepal, Thailand, (Korea, if you have relatives)
Stunning Swimmable Beaches - Thailand, Philippines, Fiji, Hawai'i, oh! almost forgot- Fraser Island, Australia but only the lakes: Lake Mckenzie- I've never seen such white sand and turquoise water in a fresh water lake! or Lake Wabby with its gi-normous sand dunes and strange green water - I have pictures that I did go over somewhere....
Stunning Beaches (not so swimmer friendly, mostly for the reason that it's too damn cold) - Australia (including Tasmania), New Zealand, Canada

Best Transportation System - Japan
Worst Transportation System - Nepal, Tibet
Most Beer Consumption per Capita - Australia, New Zealand
Most Hard Liquor Consumption per Capita - Nepal, Korea, and probably Japan too
Hottest - Thailand, Philippines, Fiji, Queensland, Australia
Coldest - Tibet, Nepal, Tasmania
Freshest Fish - Philippines, Fiji, Korea, Canada
Yummiest Fresh Fruits - Thailand
Best Place to Pick Up Scabies - Fiji
Best Place to Pick Up Eligible Tibetan Doctors - Nepal
Best Place to Meet Other Travellers - Everywhere, except Korea- most everyone I met there were English Teachers or looked military, staying with relatives could've been the problem

Easiest Place to Catch a Lift - New Zealand
Places Where Sign Language was used more than words - Tibet, Japan
Worst Holes in the Ground - Nepal, Tibet
Worst Places to get Lost - Glacier fields in Nepal and Canada
Best Treks - Nepal, Tasmania, New Zealand, Canada
Most Mosquitos - Thailand, Philippines
Most Sandflies - New Zealand
Most Shopping - Japan by far, then Korea, Thailand
Places where Lonely Planet Came in Most Handy - Nepal, Thailand, Japan
Places where Lonely Planet Didn't Do So Well - Philippines, Fiji

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Photos

Ngumpa Glacier field
This is a part of the Ngumpa Glacier, where Gokyo and Gokyo Ri sit near on its western border. Taken between Dragnag and Gokyo at about 4700m.

Gorak Shep from Kalla Patthar
if you look at the bottom right in the brown, that's gorak shep (all of 2 blue roofed buildings) the last place to load up on pringles and snickers before everest base camp

Kho Phi Phi Sunset
Tides out, suns down

does he look like your local butcher?
hope not. early morning open air market in lhasa....

the ritz carlton in tibet!
this is a place we stopped for lunch before taking in views of everest. pretty fancy in a place with little else. they did have satelite t.v. though. oh the wonders of the chinese gov't in tibet.

the faster way of transport
i love the bright colors on this tractor! it reflects the vibrant colors tibetans use in their surroundings (clothes, buildings, temples) to brighten up the brown that dominates in the highlands.

traffic jam!!
all along the friendship hwy, there were major hold ups with huge herds of mountain goat crossing the road

detailing on jokhung roof
look at all the buddahs! incredible intracacy that was found on most buddhist temples everywhere in asia

Mackinnon Pass
Oops...dirty lens, sun reflections.
This is the big pass and highest climb of the Milford Sound Track. Not too bad. The drop down (all of 12 seconds if you do it the fast way) was a bit rough on the knees though.

Yamdruk Tso
The Turquoise Lake, about 100kms south of Lhasa, is one of the three largest lakes in Tibet. It provides locals, as well as Lhasa, fresh water fish. Supposedly there's gold to be found in these piercing blue waters.

Comments

[Kenny Drake]

When are you coming home?
Ingrid - the pictures are amazing. I'm glad that you kept this journal for all of us to experience your travel. But the most importanat question, when are you coming back to Dallas? Take care Kenny

[Linya]

Are you here to stay?
Ing - what can I say? Are you finally here to stay or are you going to be jetting off again? I bet it is strange to be back in Dallas after all this time. The list you have made here is great...hopefully, I will be able to travel to some of these places. (The list will be quite handy I am sure.) Enjoy time in Dallas! - Linya

[Sarah Sawyer]

deja vu
Girl, I have those exact pictures. Funny. And they bring back happy and not-so-happy-altitude-sickness memories. Thank goodness for American acupuncturists!