5/29 and 5/30
It has been quite an adventure. I am thankful that I feel well enough to write a few words. The trip from Beijing was about four and a half hours with a stop in Chengdu. We were thankful that China Air provide much more leg room than United.
The landing in Lhasa was a bit jarring, I believe due to the short landing strip. The plane swayed back and forth as we made our decent. The airport was surprisingly modern. This should have been our indication of things to come. Lhasa is about an hours drive from the airport, but the roads are very good and in 2005 the Chinese built a tunnel through a mountain pass that makes the trip faster.
We were surrounded by stark, brown mountains and the occasional pale blue rivers which are very low at this time of the year. On our way into town, we stopped to see the largest rock painting in Tibet. Rainbow and I also met a group of local bikers who asked us to join them for some local beer. It think Vivek and Lhasing (our guide) were surprised to see us chatting away with the pilgrims.
As we approached the city of Lhasa, the car became quiet as we were shocked and saddened by the amount of development. There were sections of the city that looked just like Beijing. We did not feel as if we were entering Shangri-La. Some of this disappointment was tempered when we finally caught a glimpse of the Portola Palace. It is simply an amazing structure and I am thankful that it has survived many years of political turmoil.
We were taken to the Shanbhala Hotel, which thankfully was not the House of Shambhala where we had booked our stay. The House of Shambhala is a wonderful, Tibetan style inn. Our rooms are brightly painted with sashes framing the bed. There is an ornate courtyard at the heart of the hotel and it offers yoga and tantric massage. I am not sure the I will get to try the yoga (more on that later), but hope to experience the massage.
Of the three of us, the fearless leader had little worries about altitude sickness, but unfortunately it hit me hard. I was sick all last night, and was extremely thankful to have a kind and caring husband to watch over me. Last night was incredibly miserable, but by around 10:00 am I was able to stomach some toast. Vivek and I missed a tour of the Portola Palace, but we are hoping to see it when we return to Lhasa in a few days. Rainbow is taking Diamox and seems to be doing well with the altitude. The temperatures seem to be in the high 80s and the strong rays of the sun contribute to the discomfort.
Vivek and I ventured out to the market to find lunch. We found ourselves in a little place filled with Tibetans, but with no hope of reading the menu. We pointed to what a little boy was having and said, "we'll have that." They brought us a steaming bowl of momos (dumplings in broth-perfect for an upset stomach). It cost us 6 yuan (less than a dollar). We probably gave out more money in donations to pilgrims during our lunch then we paid for the food.
Later today our guide met us and took us to the Jokhang Temple. It was filled with monks chanting and eating. The temple was filled with many Buddhist statues and candles burning in vegetable oil. We had a nice view of the Portola Palace from the roof and even encountered a Tibetan kitten. We plan to spend the remainder of the day resting before we head out of Lhasa to Namatso Lake.
Sound of the night: Dogs barking and barking and barking
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Beijing, China
5/27 and 5/28
I can't believe that we are in Beijing and headed to Lhasa tomorrow. I am very tired after a long day, but want to get a few thoughts down.
Beijing airport is very efficient. After touching down, we were through customs and with our driver in under 45 minutes. We had to push our way through a throng of teenage girls that were waiting at the airport for a young celebrity. He happened to be working the crowd just as we were exiting.
The interior of our car smelled like diesel, but it wasn't tempting to roll down the windows due to the heat and smog. Our drive was crazy and we were glad to make it to the Lotus Hostel alive. It was much like driving in Southeast Asia, with the only difference being that the roads were paved. I was even more relieved to find our travel permits for Lhasa waiting at the hostel as promised.
Vivek and I ventured out to find the Forbidden Palace and Tian'anmen Square. The Hostel staff encouraged us to take the local bus, but we soon realized that we had not idea when to get off the buss. The ticket taker on the bus seemed to be yelling at passengers to enter and exit. We eventually made a long walk down to the gates of the Forbidden Palace, but it was too late to enter. I was surprised to see the size of Tain'anmen square and the austere appearance.
We had an amazing Peking duck dinner (like butter) and a safe taxi ride home with a friendly driver. We did our best to adjust to the time zone, but finally fell asleep at 9:30pm.
The next morning Vivek awoke and went searching for coffee. Rainbow was up early and it was good to see her for the first time. We made our plan to head to the Great Wall. We decided to take the public bus. The hostel staff gave us a little card with information on how to do it. We had to double back once, but finally found the correct bus. It was a 60 minute ride to the Great Wall.
You come upon the Great Wall as you are driving along the expressway. It seems a little out of place, but looks just as it does in all the pictures. We traveled to Badaling, the most popular section of the wall. We hiked and hiked and hiked until we reached the top of Hero's tower. It was a hot day and although it was quite windy, we welcomed the relief from the heat. The Wall is incredibly steep and the stones are somewhat smooth from all of the traffic. We were were surprised by the few number of westerners at this major tourist attraction. We found ourselves posing in several pictures for Chinese tourists.
The highlight of the bus ride back was one of the three amigos getting sick from a combination of methotrexate and motion. Fortunately the other two amigos took good care of her and most of the other passengers didn't seem to notice.
We spent a good chunk of time waiting to exchange money at the Bank of China. You can rate your satisfaction with your teller. Ours had a three star rating (out of five). She seemed annoyed at our request to get smaller bills, so that didn't help her average.
We then found our way to the Dragonfly Spa. We all received a top to toe treatment. (60 minute massage of the head and feet). We each had two spa attendants working on us at once. It was heavenly.
Outside of the spa, we met Hoo-Hoo and Ya-Ya, two young Chinese women headed out to a tea ceremony parlor. They invited us to join them and we couldn't resist. Hoo-Hoo was an outgoing accountant who though Vivek was soooooo handsome. Her English was very good and she helped walk us through the tea ceremony. We sampled only three teas because it was so costly (about $4.00 for the smallest sip of tea) and a charge for the room. The young girls were very kind and fun to talk to. Ya-Ya was visiting her cousin and had never met a foreigner....especially one from America.
We finished the evening at a lovely Sheshuan restaurant called the Source. It must have been a 12 course meal. The food was hot (a request of Vivek's) and very tasty. I am headed to bed now because we have to get up early to make our flight to Lhasa.
Sound of the night: Travelers chatting about the day's adventures.
I can't believe that we are in Beijing and headed to Lhasa tomorrow. I am very tired after a long day, but want to get a few thoughts down.
Beijing airport is very efficient. After touching down, we were through customs and with our driver in under 45 minutes. We had to push our way through a throng of teenage girls that were waiting at the airport for a young celebrity. He happened to be working the crowd just as we were exiting.
The interior of our car smelled like diesel, but it wasn't tempting to roll down the windows due to the heat and smog. Our drive was crazy and we were glad to make it to the Lotus Hostel alive. It was much like driving in Southeast Asia, with the only difference being that the roads were paved. I was even more relieved to find our travel permits for Lhasa waiting at the hostel as promised.
Vivek and I ventured out to find the Forbidden Palace and Tian'anmen Square. The Hostel staff encouraged us to take the local bus, but we soon realized that we had not idea when to get off the buss. The ticket taker on the bus seemed to be yelling at passengers to enter and exit. We eventually made a long walk down to the gates of the Forbidden Palace, but it was too late to enter. I was surprised to see the size of Tain'anmen square and the austere appearance.
We had an amazing Peking duck dinner (like butter) and a safe taxi ride home with a friendly driver. We did our best to adjust to the time zone, but finally fell asleep at 9:30pm.
The next morning Vivek awoke and went searching for coffee. Rainbow was up early and it was good to see her for the first time. We made our plan to head to the Great Wall. We decided to take the public bus. The hostel staff gave us a little card with information on how to do it. We had to double back once, but finally found the correct bus. It was a 60 minute ride to the Great Wall.
You come upon the Great Wall as you are driving along the expressway. It seems a little out of place, but looks just as it does in all the pictures. We traveled to Badaling, the most popular section of the wall. We hiked and hiked and hiked until we reached the top of Hero's tower. It was a hot day and although it was quite windy, we welcomed the relief from the heat. The Wall is incredibly steep and the stones are somewhat smooth from all of the traffic. We were were surprised by the few number of westerners at this major tourist attraction. We found ourselves posing in several pictures for Chinese tourists.
The highlight of the bus ride back was one of the three amigos getting sick from a combination of methotrexate and motion. Fortunately the other two amigos took good care of her and most of the other passengers didn't seem to notice.
We spent a good chunk of time waiting to exchange money at the Bank of China. You can rate your satisfaction with your teller. Ours had a three star rating (out of five). She seemed annoyed at our request to get smaller bills, so that didn't help her average.
We then found our way to the Dragonfly Spa. We all received a top to toe treatment. (60 minute massage of the head and feet). We each had two spa attendants working on us at once. It was heavenly.
Outside of the spa, we met Hoo-Hoo and Ya-Ya, two young Chinese women headed out to a tea ceremony parlor. They invited us to join them and we couldn't resist. Hoo-Hoo was an outgoing accountant who though Vivek was soooooo handsome. Her English was very good and she helped walk us through the tea ceremony. We sampled only three teas because it was so costly (about $4.00 for the smallest sip of tea) and a charge for the room. The young girls were very kind and fun to talk to. Ya-Ya was visiting her cousin and had never met a foreigner....especially one from America.
We finished the evening at a lovely Sheshuan restaurant called the Source. It must have been a 12 course meal. The food was hot (a request of Vivek's) and very tasty. I am headed to bed now because we have to get up early to make our flight to Lhasa.
Sound of the night: Travelers chatting about the day's adventures.
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