Blogs from Lhasa, Tibet, China, Asia - page 7

Today I go back to Shanghai. I slept in a bit, then went to Summit Cafe for my usual coffee and cinnamon roll. I fly back to Shanghai at 3:40. I just met a girl from Kentucky in the cafe! What a small world! She and her husband have been teaching in China and are now going back home to return to school. Some reflections on Tibet: I won't get too political here because I know that is not what travelblog.org is about, and I've only experienced a small part of Tibet so I am certainly no expert. But, that said, much of what I've seen leaves me sad and confused. I wish I could have come here 15 years ago, or even 20, when I think it was still Tibet. There is a definite Chinese ... read more

We began our drive back to Lhasa at 8:30, a half hour earlier than planned. I knew Pussang would be in the lobby early. The route back didn't detour around the lake and did take about 5 hours, but the scenery was no less stunning than yesterday. We stopped a couple of times to take photos, but skipped lunch. At one point we got out of the van and were greeted in perfect English by a Tibetian boy about 4 years old. 'Hello, welcome to Tibet! You are very nice. Please join us for something to eat!' Wow! Where did he learn that? When we got out of the van, his eyes went right to my white legs and he wrapped his arms around them and wouldn't stop touching me until his mom yelled at him! ... read more

I got up early this morning and did not expect Lobsang to be waiting for me at 7:00 even though he said he would be there to check me out of my room. Sure enough, he wasn't there, so I left the key on the desk and got a taxi to the Shangri La airport where I had a run in with three gals from the UK. Man, they were nasty. One gal's bag was 2kg over the weight limit, so while she complained about having to take some of her things out of her bag, her friend promptly called the woman behind the counter a bitch for making them take the crap out of the bag. And, it was crap by the way. Everything she took out could have been purchased in the UK, and ... read more

We got on in this crazy crowded train, Russ was seated away from us in the hard seat carriage, A Tibetan dude was nice enough to give up his seat for him and exchanged so we can be all together, we are the only gringos in the carriage as most are in the sleepers so everyone is staring at us for hours and watched our every move. It was 9pm when the train left Chengdu, on time. We had our noodle soup dinner and struggled to sleep, it was so uncomfortable this was the longest night form me, the carriage is so loud people playing cards, music of all sorts, we tried to sleep in vain, 6 seats in our section us 2 Tibetans and a middle aged Chinese man who insists on always sitting next ... read more

家庭和朋友 (Family & Friends), Traveling by Train: Cigarette smoke plumes in the thin air as we cruise across the high Tibetan plateau. A bag of potato chips balloons on the table in front of me as we reach altitudes upwards of 5,000 meters (17,000 feet). Still, a dining car filled with arrogant Chinese officials, only strengthens my malice towards communist rule. I am torn on how to label such an eclectic and expansive nation. However, I am doing my best to keep an open mind. Nevertheless, what we will see in the near future will only paint a clearer picture of what has already began to form. Twenty-four hours on a train coupled with scenery of this magnitude offers a breeding ground for contemplation. From snow covered peaks to desert dunes to rolling plains, such landscapes ... read more