Wasn't it just yesterday? Phil's wedding in Jackson Hole is a vivid memory. Please see Aleta's blog for some wonderful pictures.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007
We're back from China and in the midst of some mild (?) jet lag. As always, China is fascinating and mystifying. One comes away from there with more unanswered questions than ever.
Part of the tour included a 3 day cruise on the Yangtze through the 3 Gorges. The dam project is not yet complete but many villages have been drowned and people have been "relocated". There are all sorts of concerns about the effect of this dam-historic, environmental etc. Some folks came away from the dam tour thinking perhaps it should be torn down. But I guess it will provide much of the electricity for China when finished. For our younger generation, there are some sites along the river where rock climbers try their luck. Sheer cliffs there. There are some "hanging coffins" along the way-3 thousand year old coffins suspended in front of caves on those sheer cliffs. There is no way to tell how they got there-my guess is that slaves were dispensible and somehow they did it. A guide told me that all the coffins will be lost as the river fills up but at least one coffin has made it to a museum in Beijing.
We did all the tourist things plus, this time. Lhasa was one of the side trips and we are glad we got through it but probably would not go again. It's pretty rough in terms of accessability, oxygen and general lack of ambience. Not that we are looking for all the comforts of home but because we are fairly elderly folks, we need a reasonably comfortable bed (not a pad), some recognizable food and some recognizable meds for various ailments that come with the territory.
We did experience some fascinating sights-the pilgrims at the temples kowtowing-by the hundreds for one. I admire those folks' strength of knees and strength of faith to be able to carry on the prostrating for miles and miles. The Lhasans are generally lovely people-friendly and curious. We saw some family gatherings in the parks, complete with tents for the day and multigenerational relaxation. Apparently the men especially like to drink copious amounts of beer and whatever, even after work. Our Tibetan guide was so anxious to please that when some details fell through the cracks, such as getting a flight outta there, she teared up and was very worried about consequences.
We visited a Lhasan family at their home and were served yak butter tea. Before our guide could intervene, I had a sip of the stuff and found it be truly disgusting. But we kept on smilling and pretending to sip. The guide was concerned about the "hygiene practices" in the home. She had reasons to be concerned as I did not notice any hot water there-just one little faucet outside which had a basin and some toothbrushes nearby. Who knows how they cope in winter. There was a little woodstove in the main rooms but I think the cooking takes place outside. The whole area smells like yak but I guess they get used to it. Only we of delicate constitution notice.
More later.
Part of the tour included a 3 day cruise on the Yangtze through the 3 Gorges. The dam project is not yet complete but many villages have been drowned and people have been "relocated". There are all sorts of concerns about the effect of this dam-historic, environmental etc. Some folks came away from the dam tour thinking perhaps it should be torn down. But I guess it will provide much of the electricity for China when finished. For our younger generation, there are some sites along the river where rock climbers try their luck. Sheer cliffs there. There are some "hanging coffins" along the way-3 thousand year old coffins suspended in front of caves on those sheer cliffs. There is no way to tell how they got there-my guess is that slaves were dispensible and somehow they did it. A guide told me that all the coffins will be lost as the river fills up but at least one coffin has made it to a museum in Beijing.
We did all the tourist things plus, this time. Lhasa was one of the side trips and we are glad we got through it but probably would not go again. It's pretty rough in terms of accessability, oxygen and general lack of ambience. Not that we are looking for all the comforts of home but because we are fairly elderly folks, we need a reasonably comfortable bed (not a pad), some recognizable food and some recognizable meds for various ailments that come with the territory.
We did experience some fascinating sights-the pilgrims at the temples kowtowing-by the hundreds for one. I admire those folks' strength of knees and strength of faith to be able to carry on the prostrating for miles and miles. The Lhasans are generally lovely people-friendly and curious. We saw some family gatherings in the parks, complete with tents for the day and multigenerational relaxation. Apparently the men especially like to drink copious amounts of beer and whatever, even after work. Our Tibetan guide was so anxious to please that when some details fell through the cracks, such as getting a flight outta there, she teared up and was very worried about consequences.
We visited a Lhasan family at their home and were served yak butter tea. Before our guide could intervene, I had a sip of the stuff and found it be truly disgusting. But we kept on smilling and pretending to sip. The guide was concerned about the "hygiene practices" in the home. She had reasons to be concerned as I did not notice any hot water there-just one little faucet outside which had a basin and some toothbrushes nearby. Who knows how they cope in winter. There was a little woodstove in the main rooms but I think the cooking takes place outside. The whole area smells like yak but I guess they get used to it. Only we of delicate constitution notice.
More later.
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