That Damn Chinese Government

I suspect that the past month without blog updates has been most painful for all of you. It has likely also effected the loss of whatever small audience I previously had. The Chinese government seems to have problems with foreign websites, particularaly those that are editable (like wikipedia or blogsites). I haven't been able to access my site to update it for the past 4 weeks. But I'm back, if only for the moment, to provide a quick update and some pictures.

Two weeks ago, I departed for Tibet with a friend. Matt and I flew from Hangzhou to Chongqing, a town famous for its super-spicy hot-pot and its hilly landscape. The next day, we flew on to Lasa, Tibet, where the sky was bluer and the air was clearer than anyplace else on the planet. Our three days in Lasa found us touring monasteries and palaces, riding mountain bikes outside of the city, and buying traditional Tibetan handicrafts from street vendors. We watched as Chinese guards walked through the streets, making their occupation known. I ate yak meat every day. We drank yak butter tea (a Tibetan staple - hot melted butter - ugh). We had a blast.

On the morning of the fourth day, Matt and I boarded the Qinghai-Tibet railway to begin our journey back to the east coast. This is the highest railway in the world, reaching just over 5,000 meters above sea level. We rode the train for 28 hours, stopped in a Chinese town to rest for a night, and then continued another 21 hours to Shanghai. The sights were astonishing, and the sleeper cars were surprisingly relaxing.

Shanghai found us roaming the city, going to the acrobatic circus, and doing all those fun things that people do in cities. But we missed Lasa. I miss Lasa. I fell in love with that small town, and with the people there. The pilgrims from the mountains gave the place a sort of unrefined culture and simplicity that has been effectively eliminated from other cities around the world. We were in a capital city, but we weren't. We were in the middle of nowhere, in a valley protected by the mountains, in a city in the sky. We were at the Roof of the World.

I'll be going back to Tibet, not doubt. I want to experience Tibet outside of Lasa. Hell, I just want to experience Tibet again, and for a longer time. I may even take the train. There's something incredible about that place - something to its spiritual significance, its cultural richness, its streets and buildings and people.

Or maybe it's just the air.

More Tibet Pictures