Tibetan People

Tibet is so beautiful, and one thing that makes it so beautiful is the richness of its unique people.

Bustling Katmandu

After several hours in the car bumping along, we reached Katmandu. Katmandu assaulted us with traffic, pollution, noise, and smells. We were definitely ready to find an oasis in this city. Fortunately, we managed to find it in the bustling city. We made our way to our hotel, and we made our weary bodies comfortable for just a minute. We had to arrange tickets back to Shanghai as soon as we could. Out we went looking for the agency, and after some difficulty we found a most wonderful agency to issue us some tickets.

I very carefully stepped on the busy, small roads to see what I could of the Thamel area in Katmandu. You must pay attention each and every step or you will be run over by something. Katmandu is a city that feeds on tourism and has everything the traveler could possibly want. There is a plethora of places to eat a variety of cuisine. There are countless people offering you the trek of a lifetime. There are rickshaw drivers wanting you to ride in their cart. The women meander through the streets in their colorful saris. Vegetables are for sale on the side of the road, and in case the vegetables aren’t enough for your meal you can purchase your very own goat head and anything else you might want from the goat. Temples are scattered throughout the streets honoring their Hindu gods. The men sit and chat in front of their small colorful doorways that lead to their shops. Bicycles are piled with mangoes for purchase. People call out to ask you into their shop to just have a look. Children wander the streets with postcards and purses asking you to purchase their item because nobody else has bought anything from them all day. They hang onto the hope that they can get one or two tourists to pay attention to them and give into their pleadings to purchase an item. An occasional cow will be laying in a small alley taking up half of the roadway. Young men will come around and whisper in your ear if you want something to smoke. This is the Katmandu I know. The place thrives on Hinduism and tourism.

I spent about 5 days in the Katmandu valley. Nepal was a bit like India, but it was calmer. I enjoyed retreating to my hotel and not giving into the heat that surrounded the valley. I went to several temples and walked through the streets to see Nepali life. I enjoyed being there, and I hope one day I will get to experience the Nepal that I want to see. Nepal has so much to offer for trekking, rafting, biking, and shopping. However, the monsoon season was beginning and my soul was crying out for my home in the hills of West Virginia to experience the biggest blessing in my life, my family. I was happy to get on the plane and head towards my home, and now I happily battle the heat in my family’s 90-year-old farmhouse nestled in the hills of West Virginia. God has blessed me greatly with the resources to travel, but He has blessed me so much more by giving me a place to call home and giving me the hope of my true home.

Reaching Nepal

There is another thing that helped me realize the height, and that was our journey down. I was told the road to get to Nepal was very, very dangerous. It had seemed like we had already been on some very, very dangerous roads, but those were “happy roads” according to our drive compared to the one that awaited us. The one that awaited us had construction, fog, huge drop offs, and the danger of landslides. Knowing all of this we still were anxious to cross over to Nepal via this road. The descent began and our hearts were in our throats. We began by moving ever so slowly. We were inching along bribing construction workers with cigarettes to let us through. The road was narrow and at one edge is a mountain with rocks precariously positioned and on the other side is a huge gorge going down to great depths. We inched and inched, and then we stopped. We waited and talked without too much of a care in the world. Then all of sudden we heard a loud BOOM! Farther up the road the construction workers were blowing up a rock that had fallen from the mountain. Yes, we were definitely on a dangerous road, but it was one of the most beautiful roads I have ever been on. I let my eyes feast upon the beauty that surround me. Everything was lush and green. The tall mountains were covered in trees, and waterfalls were cascading over the mountains everywhere. They would rush down over the mountain and fall into the stream that wound itself around the mountain. Some of the waterfalls would splash mightily down on the road and we would wash our cars under the power of the water. The fog hugged the mountaintops enveloping them in mystery and intrigue. The road was spectacular. We would get down to the valley, and I would think we reached the bottom, but we hadn’t. Then we would have to go down another and another and another. It seemed unending. We went down gorge after gorge and my eyes canvassed the landscape over and over again. I praised God for the amazing beauty, and I prayed that he would help us reach our destination safely.


God answered my prayer. We arrived in Zhongmu, the border town in China, that night safe and sound. The next day we would awake and cross over to Nepal. This was another huge undertaking. This was another day in the jeep. We crossed over and rented a vehicle for 5 people to go to Katmandu. I was the lucky one to sit by the driver in the front. His elbow pretty much stayed in my belly or my chest as he shifted gears the whole time. It was a long drive, but it was also an amazing beautiful drive. We still weren’t down far enough. We had to continue to go on dangerous roads winding downwards. We also got to feast our eyes on the Nepal landscape and people. I got to see amazing terraces, women working in the fields, people carrying stalks of corn on their backs, children walking in their school uniforms, and people just living their lives. Nepal is a friendly country that displays beauty in their landscape and in their people. We smiling went along the road and took in the surroundings.

The Mysterious Majestic Everest

After long travels and lots of experiences, we rolled up to the mother of all mountains. There she was in all of her glory. She stood erect and tall covered in snow. Her summit is the roof of the world. The day was as clear as it could be so we could see her in all her glory. We gazed up at her summit and shivered at the height of her. As we rolled up to our hotel, a tent, my heart started beating faster and my head started aching a bit. Yes, we were definitely higher than before. We took some nourishment for our bodies before we began the hike to the base camp. We hadn’t eaten all day and it was already 2 or so. I thought it would be a good idea for me to eat and eat and eat to prepare for the strenuous hike. So we took off for the base camp with full bellies, water in hand, and eager spirits. The path wound up and up. Rocks were scattered everywhere and mountains surrounded us. Water flowed angrily through the mountains. We walked, and walked, and walked. Eventually, we rested a bit. I was lagging a little. We began again and we rested some more. Overall, it didn’t take that long to get to base camp, and I did much better than I thought I would. At this height you can breathe only half as much oxygen as normal so even the simple tasks are more difficult. I climbed to the lookout point and gazed at Everest. The prayer flags flapped in the violent wind. The mountain stood and I gazed. Yes, she looked big, but she didn’t seem that large. I still felt so far away from her, but I wasn’t permitted to go any closer so I just stood there in wonder.

After snapping several pictures we descended, but our guide decided that we should take a shortcut. The shortcut was over rocks and over more rocks. We jumped from boulder to boulder from rock to rock from stone to stone. We cut our way down the mountain. I’m concentrating on each step and each breath. I’m breathing slowly and deliberately to make sure enough oxygen enters my body. It is a chore, but the shortcut is adventuresome and fun. We finally see our tent from a distance, and by this time I’m dragging my weary body into the tent. I collapse upon my bed and start stripping down to my first layer. My head starts thumping and my body just aches. Yes, I made it to base camp, and I made it back to our tent, but the altitude is really starting to take an effect. I can’t even move without feeling like my head will explode. I can’t function. My stomach begins to feel awful. I get so nauseated. Brett and Brooke are both feeling bad as well. Their heads won’t stop pounding, pounding, and pounding. We are all like zombies. It is 6 o’clock, but we can’t even begin to think about getting up out of bed. Then the techno music starts pounding. It intensifies our already massive headaches. I reach for my ipod and try to escape the techno and the awful feeling in my belly. I drift in and out of sleep trying to find comfort. I shift lazily from one side to another, but with each movement my head hurts worse. I cannot sleep on my belly because the oxygen level is so low. I need to maximize the flow of oxygen to my lungs. I concentrate on breathing and on living. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it through the night. I had visions of a brain aneurism. Is this what it feels like to have one? I also have visions of having a stroke. I think maybe they will find me comatose next morning. My imagination runs wild. Am I going to be able to get enough air? I’m already taking in half as much oxygen as normal, and there is the stove heating the tent that is polluting the air. On top of that the guides and locals are smoking in our tent. My allergies and sinuses are reacting. I don’t know if I’m going to make it. Finally, my nauseated stomach relieves itself from its pain when I puke into a plastic bag by my bed. I double over and retch into the bag. I almost instantly feel better. Now at least I only have one or two ailments. Maybe, just maybe I will get through this. I count the hours and the Ibuprofen I have taken and decide I can risk taking another two. I pop two pills in my mouth and hope that I will soon escape in the sweet embrace of sleep. Slowly it comes. My body gives into the weariness I feel, and I no longer have to concentrate on breathing and staying alive. I find peace in the rest.

Hours and hours later I wake up to find my body healed. I feel like a brand new woman. I made it through the night. I survived even if I had doubted before. I thank God for keeping me safe and giving me life. Then I think let’s get out of here! I feel so much better, but as I walk out the tent to find a rock to relieve my bladder the short walk makes me short of breath and my body becomes tired. I gaze at Everest in her glory, and I think she is very beautiful, but I have seen enough of her, and I’m ready to get down! I do not think I will ever really realize how high Everest is. The summit is over 8,000 meters! It is not uncommon for planes to fly at this altitude. This thought is almost inconceivable to me. Even base camp is extremely high. It is over 17,000 feet. Brett when he went skydiving jumped from 10,000 feet. This helped me put it into perspective of how high we really were.

Reaching Tibet

Lasa greeted us with fierceness. The sun beat down strongly on our backs. Our heavy backpacks weighed us down. The altitude began to suck the fragile life that we had out of us. My head started pounding and my weakness increased drastically. Despite all the effects of the previous weeks and the altitude, my heart was glad to be in Lasa. The sky was so clear and blue, and the mountains were huge. However, that night the altitude sickness became worse. My head increased in pounding and my body felt fainter. My stomach began to feel nauseated and my allergies and sinuses went into full gear. I wasn’t the only one feeling the effects. Eric actually was the one to throw-up. We made it through the first night, and in the morning the effects weren’t so strong. We walked a bit, rested a bit, ate a bit, and took it pretty easy because we were so very tired.

Eric, Joanne, and I were in Lasa together for about four days. Then they took off for their land cruiser tour of Tibet with another couple, and I waited for the arrival of Brett and his sister, Brooke. Lasa was very neat. It is the heart of Tibet. Pilgrims walk around the temple continuously. With each step, they turn their prayer wheels and utter prayers. They circle and circle the temple calling out to their God in their own way. Some will take a few steps and utter prayers and chants. Then they will fall to the ground and slide until their bodies are prostrate. Then they will do it again, and again, and again. The smoke from the offerings floats into the sky. Prayer flags flutter in the wind. The yak butter candles burn in front of the idols. Monks walk with their arms wrapped around each other in the temple. Lasa pulsates and Lasa lives strongly in the heart of the pilgrims.

However, whenever I imagined Tibet I did not imagine this. I imagined lots of spacious land. I imagined desolate land, barren mountains and hills. I imagined looking out and seeing endless space and small villages. Well, Tibet definitely has that as well. I saw that side as I later entered my own land cruiser with Brett and Brooke. After being in Lasa for about a week, I headed off to see the other side of Tibet. We had a plan of going to Everest and then crossing over to Nepal overland. Our journey in the land cruiser was going to be 4 days, and then it would take approximately one more day to get to Katmandu, the capital of Nepal. It was definitely a journey. On the way we saw lots of things. We would stop in cities and visit temples. We would see the mountains stretch to the sky. We would go on roads were basically there were no roads. We set our own path. We saw a barley house. We saw the biggest tree in Tibet. There really aren’t that many trees in Tibet. The land is harsh and cultivation isn’t easy. We bumped along the path towards the highest mountain in the world.

Southeast Asia Trip

It all started on a Friday night after a full day of work. We began our trip with our spirits high and our backpacks stuffed with the essentials. We had been waiting for this day for oh so long, and it finally came. We took our high expectations to the airport and boarded the plane for Bangkok, Thailand. We reached Bangkok in the wee early morning hour of two o’clock. We decided to begin our trip like a true traveler by sleeping in the airport on metal benches. A few hours later, the airport police banging on the metal benches requesting us to leave awakened us.

It was time to attempt to get Cambodia. We studied the Lonely Planet and formed a plan of action. We were going to take a four-hour bus to the border. Then we were going to take a tut-tut to the actual border crossing. After going through customs, we were going to attempt to hire a taxi/car to take us to Siem Reap. This journey would be on a road known all over Asia as one of the worst roads, and we would be on this road for four hours dodging holes and cars. As we read the planet, it was a little daunting, but we decided to take one step at a time to accomplish the task that was set before us.

Yes, we did manage to get to Siem Reap, and yes, we did have some hiccups, but nothing that set us back too much. We had no difficulty in Thailand, but as soon as our feet stepped out of Thailand we encountered some shady characters. We will all remember our first entry into Cambodia as the entry into Scambodia. They tried to charge us more than the normal fee for our visa, and they somewhat succeeded. They tried to charge us more for the taxi ride into Siem Reap, and they did succeed. We were at their mercy, and they knew we were. We fought for a price we could all agree on. Then we began the journey. The road was bad, but it wasn’t as bad as my imagination. The dust flew everywhere. The people that lived by the road were covered with red dust. Green spots peeked out from the trees, but primarily the trees’ leaves were rust colored. The road was one hole after another. We took two cars, and each car had at least one flat tire apiece. We were in the middle of nowhere with flat tires swatting mosquitoes and hoping that one day we would reach civilization. We did! It was the beginning of a true adventure, and this was just 24 hours into the trip.

Siem Reap is known for Angkor Watt. Angkor Watt is an amazing group to temples. They were built between AD802-1432. This is also where Tomb Raider was filmed. The temples were amazing. I usually do not really enjoy looking at temples, but these temples kept me intrigued. Some were like labyrinths. Some had trees’ roots draping over them. Some had huge steep steps that the monks would climb to enjoy an amazing view. They also had some of the most beautiful children peddling postcards inside of them. We enjoyed talking to the kids, and trying to bring them some joy as they were working.

After spending two days in Siem Reap, we headed to Phnom Penh. We wanted to see the genocide museum and the killing fields. We only spent the evening in Phnom Penh before heading out to Saigon, Vietnam.

We reached Vietnam by a bus. In Saigon, we were met with lots and lots of motorcycles. When we crossed the street, it was like walking between seas of motorcycles. Vietnam is one of the most challenging places to cross the street, and this is really saying something coming from me. I live in China! In Saigon, we headed to the Cu Chi tunnels. The Vietnamese government reconstructed the tunnels that the VC used during the war. It was very educational, and I got to learn a little bit about jungle warfare. The tunnels they constructed were quite ingenious, and the traps they used were brutal. In Phnom Penh and Vietnam I was made aware of just what people can do to other people. What humans are capable of is the scariest thing in the world to me.

In Vietnam, we ran into the problem of there being no tickets. We wanted to go to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. However, Hanoi is in the north, and we were in the south. Vietnam is a long country. Unfortunately, we were unable to get tickets that made our journey easy. We had to take a bus for about 48 hours or so. We would stop in various cities for a couple hours, but we were on the bus for two whole nights. We did get to see a lot of Vietnam’s countryside. It is a beautiful country with lots of rice paddies, mountains, and a blue-green ocean shore.

After some long hours, we arrived in Hanoi. Our bodies were tired, and they screamed for no more buses. We were able to tour around Hanoi for some time, but even after our long journey we didn’t stay that long. We went to a water puppet show, which was really cool. We sneaked in with a bunch of Communist leaders to see Ho Chi Min’s body. We took a day trip to Halong Bay, and we prepared for the rest of our journey.

The next place we visited was the much-anticipated Luang Prabang in Laos. We were anxiously waiting for this city. We heard that it was wonderful. We heard that it was relaxing and beautiful. It met our expectations. After so many days of hard traveling, we were ready for this laid back atmosphere. We were fortunate enough to get a room where we could all stay together. We were in our oasis. Well, we were there for at least awhile, but every place is bound to have its adventure. We decided to go on a two-day trek out to villages. We began our journey with an elephant ride. Then we trekked, we trekked, and we trekked some more. The views were breathtaking. I truly felt like I was in a jungle. We also got to stop and play with the kids along the way. That night we spent the night in the village. We went around the village exploring another way of life. We raced with the kids, made faces with them, and talked with them. It was wonderful. The stars were even shining brightly for us like they had never done before in Shanghai. Everyone was happy and enjoying this new lifestyle.

And then it happened, the thing that left a little bad memory in our minds from our trip. After we all snuggled into our blankets on our bamboo bed under our mosquito nets, one of us began one of the most horrible nights. Unfortunately, one of my travel companions got food poison, and he had a bad case. He was throwing up all night long, and his body became very weak. We were in the middle of nowhere. There were no phones. There was no medicine. In the morning, we were supposed to take a 1.5-hour trek, and then we were to go kayaking for 4 hours. There was no way he could finish the trek so the village called a “tractor” to come and get him and take him back to our hotel. We tried our best to help him out, and the whole village was involved. Village life really is an involved lifestyle. Everyone cares about one another. Fortunately, Jeff, my travel companion, made it back safely, and after some days of rest he recovered from the ordeal.

After our experience in Luang Prabang, we headed to Vietiene, the capital of Laos. In Vietiene we met with some friends and fellowshipped with them. It was great to see them and to visit a family. After our short visit, we went back to Bangkok. We wandered around Bangkok for a day or two before coming back to Shanghai. We just looked for Thai tea, pad thai, and mangoes and sticky rice!

I had a wonderful time exploring Southeast Asia. I feel so blessed to have been able to travel with friends and to develop deeper relationships with them. I feel so blessed to have been able to see another part of the world that goes on day by day like I saw it. I feel blessed to have been able to open my mind to what the world is made of. I feel blessed to have learned what I have learned. I feel blessed to have been able to search, explore, and question what life is about. I feel blessed to have the roots and upbringing that I have, and I hope I will not forget the faces of Southeast Asia. The faces that reveal to me what life is like in another part of the world.

Amazing Blue Water and an Ice Festival

I had a wonderful trip to Jiu Zhai Guo. The scenery was breathtaking, and it was good to be in cold weather for Christmas. I was able to see snow, and I heard it crunch under my feet as I trampled on it. There were also many evergreen trees. The most amazing thing about Jiu Zhai Guo is the water. It has the most amazing colors in it. It is so clear that you can see so many things underneath the surface. I couldn’t get over the water, and I still can’t get over the water when I look at the pictures. The most wonderful thing is that it is natural and from His hand. He has given us so much beauty. I most say my Christmas in Jiu Zhai Guo was like none other. I enjoyed it, but I sure did miss the home cooked food and my family. We had lots of difficulty finding a meal to satisfy our western pallets on this day. I must say this is the first Christmas that I had soup with chicken feet and yak for my main course! It was my first, and I’m hoping it is my last! ☺

I returned to Shanghai to continue to teach and bring in the New Year. I had a lovely New Year’s Eve with friends. I believe 2007 will be a good year, and I’m looking forward to seeing what He has planned for me to do this year. Hopefully, I can remember to walk with Him daily and look for his guidance in my life.

I was also able to take another trip this past weekend. One of my friends and I went to Haerbin. Haerbin is one of the coldest places in China in the most northern province which translated is Black Dragon River province. Haerbin is famous for their ice festival and snow sculptures. We wanted to see what all the fuss was about all this ice. It was truly an interesting experience. I enjoyed it, and I couldn’t believe what could be made out of ice! There were so many huge things like a church, castle, the Great Wall, animals, and so much more. Then there were the snow sculptures that were just as breathtaking. There were snow villages, dragons, Greek sculptures, American Indians, Buddha, and so much more. This trip involved skiing, which is always an adventure with me, but can you imagine the adventure I had in China on skis. Those of you who have been to China you know how difficult it is to form a line. Well, can you imagine forming one on skis? Yikes! I also was able to take a sled down an ice path with twists and turns. I went over a frozen river in a cart drawn by a horse. I ate at a Russian restaurant. The city is heavily influenced by Russia. This trip could fill many pages because it was just that different, strange, and weird. It was lots of fun though.