Photography notes and wishlist

Taking photographs on this trip was not always straightforward.

In the places where we had a formal guide the guide was often focused on charging ahead through the day's checklist. If you're fortunate enough to have your own guide you can ask them to slow down and give you time. Some are more patient than others.

On boat cruises and long drives controlling the angle, timing and framing can be a challenge. The vehicle moves, the angle is enforced, and on large boats or at tourist attractions there are other sight-seers who also want the best angle. Patience, a rapid shutter finger, and a generous frame (which may be cropped) help. Shooting from a moving car can be surprisingly successful.

The best shots are of evanescent moments. Sometimes they simply can't be captured. These be memories.

Most photos were taken with a Nikon D70, mostly with an 18 - 70 Nikon lens. Some were taken using a Quantaray 100 - 300 zoom. Settings varied from fully manual (including ISO) to fully automatic. We also took some snaps with a Canon Ixus/Elph - see the to-be-posted airport series.

Camera wishlist for future trips:

• A high-quality wide angle to telephoto zoom. Our current 100 - 300 lens isn't great and switching lenses is a pain. As well as the obvious distance shots, the zoom enables candid pictures of people without interfering with the subject.
  
• A lightweight but sturdy monopod. I decided not to take the tripod but wished for it on several occasions. Peter's shoulder worked in a pinch.
  
• A Nikon D2Xs. Maybe someday ;-)

O yes - and a tiny light-weight laptop. We'd decided against taking one of our workhorses because of the weight, but it would have been handy for editing photos, blogging, email, checking on weather/flights, and providing entertainment while ill in a hotel.

Traveller's Notes

Or what we learned...

• Carry tissues - you will be grateful.
• Make good use of individually packed wet wipes - you will reduce the risk of getting sick.
• Fancy hotels = expensive services; cheap hotels = uncomfortable beds but cheap laundry.
• Learn to do your business while squatting.
  
• Keep an eye out for others' business on the streets.
• Wear the provided slippers in your hotel room. Either the carpet is already gross and/or your shoes have gross stuff on them.
• Carry a phrasebook and point at what you want to say.
• Don't expect peasants to be able to read. Charades are the order of the day.
  
• Sit in the front seat of a taxi. Say "ni hao" (hello) and either give the driver the Chinese characters for where you want to go or point at the spot on the map. Then pretend you know where you're heading. Steel yourself (remember, you are sitting in the front seat).
• The Shanghainese have cross-cultural taxis taped - many commercial places and most ex-pats have name cards with both English and Chinese addresses and maps on the reverse.
  
• Failing a name card + map, ensure that you have a local phone number for someone who speaks both English and Mandarin. A mobile phone with a local SIM card can be useful too.
  
• Looking both ways before crossing the street is inadequate. Continuously scan all directions as you cross the street. Expect to feel targeted. Aim for where other people / bicycles / rickshaws / cars / buses will have been (as opposed to where they are or may be going). He who hesitates is lost.
• If you master the Mandarin phrase to ask how much something costs you will be quoted a better starting price. Be prepared for Mandarin numbers in response!
• If your Mandarin numbers are as shaky as mine, barter by writing down numbers / punching them into a calculator.
  
• Make copious use of "Xie xie" (thank you) and smiling.
  
• Blonde hair is a magnet for unwanted touts.
  
• If touts don't get the message when you repeatedly say "no thanks" or shake your head, say "Bu yao" ([I] don't want it) or just "Bu" (no). When all else fails say "bu, bu, bu". The touts may look offended, but they will get the message.
  
• Watches offered for sale on the street are fakes. So are brand name bags. Surprise!

Back in Boston

We arrived home yesterday after a 27+ hour travelling day. Fortunately things went smoothly, with no detours to Hohhot, Newark, or other delightful spots.

The photo blog is now complete from March 7th (Dali) to March 14th (Yangshuo). Photos from earlier and later remain to be uploaded.

ShangHai - world city

Shanghai is a maze of architectural styles, reflecting its cosmopolitan history. Strangely, they mesh together smoothly, from the space invader buildings in Pudong to the 1920s European architecture in the Concessions, to the old Chinese quarter, to the grand architecture of the Bund, to modern steel and glass towers. As with Beijing – and in fact all of China – the whole city is bustling with construction. Our guide in Chongqing joked that the crane is the national bird of China, and it’s certainly true…

The one jarring architectural feature in Shanghai was the replacement of the old Chinese quarters with plasticized Disney/Vegas style “old Chinese” buildings. They are unbelievably fake and tasteless, but unfortunately popular in other cities too. While the old quarter undoubtedly needs renewal, it seems more appropriate to rebuild in an appropriately modern yet authentically Chinese style. Fortunately and fittingly, the faux-old Chinese buildings seemed to be confined to the kitsch tourist-trap area.

ShangHai - shopping, jazz and cubans

Peter:

Shanghai is an incredible city. So vibrant. No great museums, temples, or cultural landmarks, but a bustling city of commerce. Like Alice's Restaurant you can get anything you want in Shanghai. Well, almost anything. I followed my wife hither and yon in her relentless quest to find a coffee mug with a picture of Mao on it. Mao busts, Mao watches, Mao ashtrays, but no coffee mugs. Well China is hardly a nation of coffee drinkers (although that may be changing with the ubiquitous Starbucks popping up all over Shanghai). Back to the shopping. In the photos you can see pictures from the antiques market; the pet market where crickets, turtles, kittens, puppies, fish, etc could be had; the live market where you get your food with buckets of live eels, fish, chickens, ducks, etc; to the kitsch market (for want of a better description); to the big clothes market where I got two cashmere scarves for about $7. The clothes market was full of deals if you were willing to bargain. Fortunately we had Vera's friend and professional shopper Jeanne with us to extract maximum value. Some clothes are fakes, some are relabeled versions of designer clothing from Chinese factories, other are the real thing that "fell off the back of a truck". Everywhere we went had touts offering "watch? bag?". You could get impressive looking knockoffs of any high end watch - Rolex, Omega, Breitling whatever, and the same went for bags. It looks like the authorities have been clamping down on the designer watch and bag knockoffs so none of these are on display. But if you express the slightest interest in "watch bag" then the merchants will open the cupboard and show you the stuff.

We spent most of our money at the fabric market. Big building with three floors of stalls. All selling fabrics - cotton, silk, cashmere, wool. Each stall did its own tailoring. I ended up getting 3 suits tailor made along with 2 extra pairs of trousers for about $300. If I had more time I would have got a stack of shirts as well. I guess I'll be the best dressed academic in my new job. Vera had a full length cashmere coat made, a suit for work, and a classic silk cheongsam (qingpao) - the chinese evening dress with the slit up the side.

Staying with friends in Shanghai certainly made the visit more enjoyable. We would never have sorted the clothes out without Jeanne's help. She also booked an excellent restaurant for us on our second night and told us of nearby jazz club. The jazz club was superb. An excellent venue that had a 4 piece (trumpet, piano, bass, drums) with a female vocalist. the band came from New Orleans. The was an 80 yuan charged for the first drink (about $10), so to get value for money we hit the 18 year old Macallan and high end cognac. Smoking is rife in China and the jazz club was no exception. They sold cuban cigars, so I indulged myself with an anniversary Romeo y Julieta. Sipping 18 year old whisky and smoking a cigar while listening to jazz was a great evening and the decor of the place and the music almost transported you back to Shanghai's earlier roaring days of the 20's and 30's.

Serendipity: YangShuo and the Jade Dragon River

We've spent the last couple of days in Yangshuo, a smaller town to the southwest of Guilin. Though it has some wonderful geographic features (barely discernable through the mist), Guilin still has the any-big-Chinese-city feel to it. Yangshuo is smaller, more eclectic and not yet Disneyfied, without the shiny plastic "heritage" feel of Lijiang and other rebuilt scenic spots.

On Tuesday we took a boat cruise down the Li river from Guilin to Yangshuo. Though it was misty, this made it very atmospheric - see the photo blog for images from this trip. There were giant karsts along the way, very mysterious in the fog.

On Wednesday we decided to explore the area around Yangshuo by bike. We duly rented a couple of bikes and bought a map which was more artistic than accurate. Nonetheless we managed to find our way to one of the back-route bike paths out of town, but the track forked in several places, so we had to keep consulting the map. At one such point a passer-by stopped to help us: though she didn't speak English, pointing and nodding helped explain where we were and where we hoped to go. She was heading in the same direction, so told us to follow her. Gradually it evolved into her having appointed herself as our guide for the day - she led us through small villages and winding tracks, pointing out the scenery and telling us the name of each place. Mandarin is a tonal language, and we undoubtedly hopelessly mangled the names when we repeated them.

Though our guide spoke less than ten words of English ("hello", "beautiful", "big", "smallow") she managed to explain that she comes from a place on the Jade Dragon river where they use bamboo rafts. She guided us through fields and past paddies and fishing villages. After a couple of arduous hours (and a couple of tumbles on my part thanks to being distracted by ducks, deep muddy ruts, and a slightly too big bicycle) we wound up at her village. They offered us lunch, but the sight of villagers washing vegetables - and everything else - in the river, along with memories of Dali belly dissuaded us from eating. Instead we just sat in the shade to drink water and catch our breath.

After a rest we debated whether to ride back down the other side of the river or to take the bamboo rafts down. They looked a little flimsy, and the guidebook said that it was best not to go with unlicensed operators, since there had been a boating fatality involving a foreigner a few years earlier. I walked up on the bridge to look upriver and saw a bamboo "houseboat" at least triple the size of the skinny rafts, and thought that that would be okay, so we decided to go ahead with it. Further reassurance came when all sorts of official looking license plates and documents were produced when I paid for the trip.

It turned out that we were going on one of the narrow rafts after all... ten bamboo poles in width, it was lashed together with small gaps between the poles. A couple of deck chairs were wedged in the centre of the raft, our very muddy bicycles were carefully balanced one atop the other behind the deckchairs, and our guide's husband leapt aboard wearing wellies and wielding a big pole for punting.

We did a short turn upriver to admire the beautiful scenery on the other side of the bridge, then headed downriver. It rapidly became clear why there were gaps in the floor of the raft - the river was very shallow, and there were lots of weirs heading downstream, with drops of between one and six feet at each one. Our boatman navigated these adeptly, though the first one - just a few feet - had us rather alarmed. One slowly noses the raft forward over the weir, and it hangs half-suspended until the tipping point is reached, when the front crashes down into the water with much splashing. The gaps in the raft soften the impact and allow water to drain out once the whole raft is down. Very exciting!

The Jade Dragon is very lovely, though on a smaller scale than the Li. We had better weather than for our Li cruise, and had the river almost to ourselves. There was another raft following ours with a couple from Beijing - their boatman was a friend of ours, so the two of them chatted off and on during the two hour trip. At one point our two rafts were passed by the "express service" - a couple of similar but much faster moving rafts zooming by. Other than that there were just fishermen and peasants along the water's edge. A lovely and very relaxing counterpoint to the morning's ride.

Cormorant fishing

Peter:

In Yangshuo we got the opportunity to see the old practice of cormorant fishing. There are a number of photos showing the fisherman and his birds. Cormorants are large birds with long necks about the size of a small goose. The fisherman had about 6 trained birds that he fitted with a collar of string. After dark, he went out into the shallows of the river on his bamboo raft (only 5 bamboo sticks across) with a lantern and a basket. The light attracted the fish and he let the birds go into the water. The birds stayed close to the raft because of the light/fish. The birds would dive and are incredible swimmers. As they caught fish the collar on their necks prevented them from swallowing the fish. The fisherman would use his punting pole to reach out to the birds. The birds would hop aboard the pole and he would bring them back to the raft. The fisherman then tipped the bird up over the basket and the fish fell out. The size of the fish was limited, but the biggest we saw was about 5 inches long and quite thick like a perch, maybe 3 inches from top to bottom. After the fishing the fisherman cut the collars off and fed his birds.
You can see how well-trained the birds are by looking at the picture of me in my pirate pose with the cormorant on my arm.

when you're stuck in the rain in GuiLin...

Peter:

We've left Yunnan province (highly recommended) and are now in Guilin in Guangxi province. This is the area of karst rocky outcrops and picturesque rice paddies. One big postcard! Unfortunately its raining today and the weather does not look good for the rest of our time here. We've found a massive internet cafe with literally hundreds of terminals (and a fast connection) so Vera's been uploading some photos.

Of snake wine and goat testicles

Peter:

Southern China, more than the north is renowned for its culinary catholicism. The joke we heard was "we'll eat anything with 4 legs that isn't a chair, and anything with 2 wings that isn't an airplane". By all accounts this is true. One of our guides mentioned a delicacy for some (though definitely not for her) of eating live newborn mice. They are dipped in spiced soy sauce and downed in one go. Of course I grew up with seal flipper pie, happily slurp raw oysters, and in Zim they eat flying ants, so no one is passing judgement here.

One of the trickiest moments for me came in Kunming. It was after my "Dali belly" experience and I was feeling very fragile. I had just gone 48 hrs with hardly eating and we had gone back to Kunming and had early check in at our hotel. It was a decent hotel - [Chinese] 4 stars and I thought it would be my best bet for getting safe food. I went off in search of some soup or some noodles in chicken broth - something to start my road to revival. The hotel had a Cantonese restaurant and I went in for lunch. It turned out this was a real high end place with very expensive and exotic dishes. I opened the menu and the dishes were presented as pictures. I immediately opened to "goat's testicles" and there they were looking up at me. My stomach did a somersault. After swallowing I looked further past the shark fin dishes and beyond "bull penis soup" and eventually found a simple noodle bowl containing, hopefully, no genitals.

In Guangxi province where we visited Guilin and Yangshuo, snake was very popular and written on most of the menus. Most impressive was snake wine. We took a boat from Guilin to Yangshuo and the boat provided lunch but also offered regional specialties that could be purchased as well. As we floated down the river, the waitresses would come on top deck with various Guilin delights - a bowl with prawns swimming around; osmanthus flower wine (famous in Guilin); and my favorite, snake wine. "Would you like some snake wine sir?" She was holding a large glass gallon jar, like a pickle jar. In the bottom curled up was a blue snake with a mottled pattern covered with a clear liquid. It looked like it belonged in a natural history museum and for all I know it was covered in formalin. Although based on my caterpillar fungus wine experience I suspect it was 50% alcohol or higher. I politely declined. Surprisingly, so did Vera.

KunMing-ling

Peter:

After Lijiang we returned to Kunming. Kunming is the capital of Yunnan province and called the city of eternal spring because its high elevation and subtropical location keep it pleasantly warm and in bloom year round. Unfortunately Vera got a touch of my stomach bug [Vera's note: "a touch" - hah!] the last night in Lijiang so when we arrive in Kunming we go straight to the hotel and manage an early check in. Our Yunnan guides have been so helpful in getting us through this difficult time. We spend day in the hotel, mostly sleeping and watching bad movies on HBO.

At least the hotel in Kunming had an english channel with movies. When I was laid up in Lijiang the TV was all chinese. I was too ill to read, so I lay there watching the chinese sports channel. Tremendous array of sport: English darts, English snooker, Chinese basketball, Asian curling, World ping pong. Still, it took the mind off the belly.

Our last day in Kunming our guide picked us up again. Unfortunately I'd had a relapse of the bug and it was a very gingerly day for me.

We went first to the Minorities museum. The people westerners think of as "Chinese" are the Han people, the overwhelming majority in China. But there are many minority groups as well such as the Tibetans, various central asian groups (Tajiks, Kazaks, etc), and others. In mountainous Yunnan province which borders Tibet, Burma, Laos, and Vietnam, there are many more such as the Dai, the Yi, the Bai, and the Naxi. The Minorities museum is a huge museum on the outskirts of Kunming with displays of dress, language, art, etc. There was hardly anyone there (Sunday morning) and one of the museum workers gave us a personal tour. I found this fascinating. The traditional dress, especially, was incredible and what struck me was the sense of aesthetic. There was an exhibit there of traditional clothing that was shown in Paris and this could easily have been this year's collection rather than traditional dress.

After a morning at the museum we went to Green Lake in the center of Kunming for a leisurely stroll and some lunch. Lots of people at the lake on a Sunday. Check out the photos of the kids in the giant plastic bubbles! The park also brings out groups of musicians - mostly middle aged men and women who perform in orchestras. All manner of instruments - bowed, plucked, woodwinds - and traditional singing as well. From there it was on to the old city gate of Kunming, flanked by the pagodas from the 9th century. Check out Vera's shots of city life on this Sunday

LiJiang

Peter:

I was really impressed by my limited time outside in Lijiang. I'd love to go back and explore and especially climb some of the hills in the area, including Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Lijiang is a UNESCO world heritage site and you can see why. It is home, mainly, to the Naxi people who are believed to have been in the area for the last 1400 years. The Naxi have a polytheistic religion called dongba with led by shamans. The Naxi also have their own pictographic language (think hieroglyphics) with about 1400 characters. They also have unique musical instruments, although similar to traditional chinese instruments, and a unique form of music.

Naxi society is matrilineal. Inheritance passes from the mother to the youngest daughter and women typically control the money and trade at the markets. In some villages there are no husbands. The man just comes to see the woman late at night after everyone has gone to bed and then leaves by morning. Relationships can be monogamous or polygamous. The father has not responsibility for the child. Children are raised by the mother and her siblings/parents.

Naxi houses are made of timber. In some ways the old town area of Lijiang reminded me of the Swiss alps. The timber homes look a little like Swiss chalets, although chalets don't have bamboo roofs. The town itself is nestled in hills and on clear mornings the spectacular mountain called Jade Dragon Snow Mountain rises over the town. There are cobblestone streets and a pretty river flows through the town. It is a very touristy area, but despite this it retains its charm and beauty.

DaLi Belly

Peter:

Well, I knew it would happen. I dodged the bullet of street food in Beijing, yak butter tea in Lhasa, but something in Dali laid me really low. After an anniversary dinner in a　ＶＥＲＹ DODGY restaurant (we'd walked around too long and were too hungry to make a rational decision), we stopped for a drink in a cafe. I noticed something called "caterpillar fungus wine" which of course I had to try. Turns out the "wine" was 50% alcohol with some tibetan fungus extract. I don't know if it was the fungus that hit me, but something sent my GI tract into an uproar. Vera, fortunately, was not afflicted and has been a tremendous nurse. So Vera will have to post on the beauty of Lijiang. I can only comment of the hotel porcelain.

Pagoda/Vigoda

Peter:

Dali is famous for its pagodas. Pagodas are used to provide spiritual protection to an area. I have some wierd association of the actor Abe Vigoda (Godfather, Barney Miller) whenever I hear the word pagoda. Strange mental images...

Vigoda

Pagoda

Culinary adventures

On our last evening in Tibet we ventured one block - and a universe - away from the three or four standard tourist restaurants with nondescript food. Peter had a recommendation for a Tibetan restaurant which was down a dark deconstructed street, right at the end after a series of hole in the wall kitchens and street food vendors. It seemed rather dodgy.

Once we ducked through the door hanging it was clearly a cool spot: low-slung tables with carved legs and painted tops, bench seating with embroidered cushions, a painted ceiling, candles everywhere, a bar with funky looking drinks, the young Tibetan hip / artsy crowd at the tables around us. Though none of the waitstaff spoke English they had an English menu and good food - it could easily have been in East Van or some other bohemian hangout... except for the scarlet-robed monk at the next table who was happily chowing down on a whole sheep's head.

Yak Redux

Peter:

More yak yak from Tibet. Another meal of yak - noodles with yak, yak dumplings, and I thought it a good time to try yak butter tea. Yak butter tea is pretty much what you might expect. I think my cholesterol jumped 20 points. The next day I told our guide that I tried the butter tea. He said "you should only drink a small amount of this as it can cause diarhea". I'd had three cups... Fortunately my body seemed to handle it OK. For our last evening in Lhasa we went to a very traditional restaurant and tried hard to find something on the menu that wasn't yak. We tried ordering some "vegetarian" dishes but these were just dishes with vegetables and yak. There was even a "deep fired yak with yak" on the menu. True story. At the airport the next day we could have bought some "Freshly brewed yak". Not quite sure about that one but Vera has the photographic proof.

Landscapes and Yamdrok Lake

Today we left Lhasa for the first time during our stay. The city itself is mostly not inspiring: the western half is like any other Han Chinese city (immigrant Chinese outnumber native Tibetans in Lhasa), and the Tibetan quarter is filled with small windy alleys, street vendors and small shops - if one changed the accent and outfits it wouldn't be unlike parts of London and other old cities. The city is ringed by mountains, and the centre of the city is dominated by the bizarrely moonlike Potala Palace, which is faced by a giant square in typical Chinese style - apparently last year a lake was paved over to celebrate 50 years of Chinese rule.

Outside the city the Potala Palace makes more sense. Millenia ago the Tibetan plateau lay at the bottom of an ocean, and it remains an arid barren moonscape interspersed by stunning blue waters. It's not difficult to understand why Tibetans hold lakes and rivers sacred. Water is a precious commodity. Today we drove up to Yamdrok Lake, one of Tibet's three sacred lakes, at almost 5,000 m. [Lhasa is at 3,600 m]. Though Lhasa is relatively warm and water is running, as we drove higher all the streams were frozen. We passed a man chipping away at an icy stream: he would melt the ice to make tea before resuming work. The road we took leads to Everest Base Camp, and is remarkably good - apparently it's two years old, winding up and up and up and up and up and up and up: millions invested for the benefit of tourists.

Bizarrely, at the pass marking the highest point we reached there were vendors selling prayer flags which we duly invested in and tied to a high point for good luck, blue for the sky at the highest point. Another couple of vendors had placid yaks, brightly dyed and dressed up in tapestries. We were coerced into spending another 5 yuan each (about 60c) for the benefit of taking photographs of the yaks. We weren't too keen, but thought we should reward the vendors for their massive hike up from their home village down the hill. To our surprise they insisted that the poser sit on the yak: see Peter on the yak. These vendors had odd brocade and fur "carpet" hats, which they insisted that the poser wear as well. My favourite tribal look is the Kampa men, who have long braids with red ends which they wrap around their heads. I've been teasing Peter that he should grow his hair and dye it red, but somehow the carpet hat isn't quite as sexy :)

We convinced our guide to take us down to the shore of the lake, which was thinly frozen over with breaking ice caught up at the edges. We took some photos that should be wonderful - more promises.

Tibet - People and Places

On Friday afternoon we arrived in Tibet, where apart from all the yaks (see Peter's post) we've been incredibly fortunate with our timing. This year the Chinese and Tibetan New Year coincided. Saturday was the last day of the Tibetan New Year festivities, and a very important day in Tibetan buddhism. We visited the Potala Palace that morning, and the Jokhang Temple in the afternoon. It's the low season for western tourists, and high season for pilgrims from all over Tibet. We were virtually the only westerners at the Potala Palace, seeing only three others among the masses, and definitely the only westerners in the crush of pilgrims at the Jokhang Temple. There are three important circuits for Tibetan pilgrims: through the Jokhang Temple, around the Jokhang, in the Barkhor circuit, and an eight kilometre circuit around Lhasa city. Each circuit - and every visit to any chapel or monastery - must be completed in a clockwise direction for good luck. Some pilgrims prostrate themselves with every step, travelling thousands of miles in this manner. Young and old, monks, city folk, and nomads, the sense of faith and devotion in the atmosphere was palpable.

Within each monastery there are thousands upon thousands of statues of various Buddhas. After several monasteries it becomes a bit like the oversaturating "Maddona and Bambino" effect in the churches and art museums of Italy. Buddha doesn't come in just one flavour, but in several important ones: past Buddha, present Buddha, future Buddha, Buddha of Longevity, Buddha of Compassion, and many subflavours. There are also important monks, Taras, characters who were close to Buddha, and various fierce protectors. Four monasteries later I am dreaming about the various buddhas...

The New Year pilgrimage brought many nomadic tribal folk to Lhasa, and I could spend a month here simply looking at and photographing the people. It seemed that for many of the out-of-towners I was one of the few blonde women they'd ever seen, so I attracted a lot of attention on the circuit, with many people smiling at me, saying hello (in Tibetan "tashi delak") or asking if I would take their photograph. One old lady insisted that I sit with her and her friends for a group shot :) The townsfolk are far more cool, though they will also smile and say hello if they catch your eye. The kids are especially funny, shouting "HELLO" as we pass, then the bashful ones hide behind their siblings as we turn. A few more proficient in English have come up to us and started asking canned questions like "what is your favourite animal, what is your favourite sport?" One little girl who spoke great English was astounded to see Peter's green eyes, thinking that all westerners had blue or black eyes.

Yaks

Peter:

Yaks are everywhere in Tibet. Driving into Lhasa you pass a huge golden statue of 2 yaks. I've already had yak curry, stir fried yak with peppers, yak and onions, yak dumplings, and last night yak cheese on a pizza. Quite tasty meat - best described as gamey beef? There is also the famous yak butter tea which I've yet to sample. We've spent the last 2 days visiting monasteries (more later) where everything is lit by yak butter lamps. Pilgrims carry in thermos bottles filled with purified yak butter to top up the candles. Keeping the candles burning with pure butter is good for your next life apparently. After 4 monasteries the yak butter and the incense is really grabbing teh back of my throat - quite acrid. Then today we almost had a couple of nasty spills coming down steps at the Sera monastery where someone had spilled yak butter. Slippery stuff. Not only can you eat of the yak, use it to light your path both now and in the next life, but of course you can also wear it. Yak wool sweaters, jackets, and other textiles like rugs and blankets. You'll never want if you've got a yak.

21 hours in Chengdu

More from Peter (the Chinese-only version of blogger means we don't know how to set up his own account)

After the massive hotpot lunch in ChongQing, we took a short commuter flight to Chengdu. Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province, the most populous province in China. Chengdu is famous for its food and is known for spicy foods. Its also famous for teahouses where denizens sit and talk, play cards or mahjong, and drink tea. We arrived in Chengdu around 3:30 in the afternoon and had a flight to Lhasa, Tibet the next day at 1pm. By the time we reached our hotel and checked in and picked up our travel docs for Tibet it was already 5pm.

We decided to take in a Sichuan opera performance. We manouevered ourselves over to the opera house with the aid of a map that inconveniently omitted about half the streets. After a long walk we found the place and were ready for a cup of tea. The teahouses in the nearby park were closed but there was a "Ten Fu's Teastore" nearby where we could get tea. They have all manner of teas in all manner of prices. We spent an hour communicating (talking is too generous a word) with our hostess who spoke a little English, but infinitely more than our Chinese - it was a lot of fun. Ten Fu's does snacks that are made with tea and are delicious so after trying several we left the shop with a few more sacks and a pack of tea. I will need to hire a mule. Vera says I am the mule.

The opera performance was fabulous and I'm now hooked on all the face changing, fire breathing, acrobatics, music (lots of cymbals), amazing costumes, and of course the singing. Vera was indulgent, but I think if I buy a 10 DVD compilation of Sichuan opera I'll be watching on my own. We watched the performance under an open air tent and there was tea on small tables in front of our seats. The tea cups had tea leaves inside (live tea as my grandmother would say) and the tea ladies would come by and top you up with hot water. The tea ladies used these kettles that were more like flower watering cans with long, long spots. They would stand about 4 feet away and send an accurate stream into the cup. Once you convinced yourself that you weren't going to get a lapful of scalding water it was fun to behold.

We took a cab back to the hotel and were still full from the ChongQing hotpot that we skipped dinner. Cabs in china deserve a special post. The skill of the drivers is impressive as they weave between cyclists, pedestrians, buses, other cars. Fortunately, life in Boston has provided the necessary sang froid to make the journeys relaxing.

In the morning we got up early and went out in search of a coffee shop. Unfortunately none were open before 8am and we were on a mission to see the giant pandas. Chengdu has a research base for pandas on its outskirts. We cabbed out there and wandered round the grounds - a delightful respite from the smog of the city. Early morning is a good time for viewing as this is when the pandas feed. We say all sorts of pandas - many having a good nosh on bamboo. Then we saw some young panda cubs that were very playful. Vera saturated the memory card of the camera. Unfortunately we can't seem to find a decent internet connection (everything is very slow) so I don't know when we will post pictures. We were anxious to get back to the hotel to collect our bags and make the flight but the panda center is on the outskirts of town and there weren't any cabs around. We hired a car from a tout outside the center. He was standing in front of a new black Audi A6 and then after we negotiated a price he went to get his car which was not quite an A6. Buyer beware. Well, it got us there.

Back at the hotel, we had enough time for a coffee and the coffee shop in the hotel (Sheraton) looked quite reasonable based on the prices of the pastries in the window. I ordered a coffee and Vera got a latte and then we got the bill. Vera's 45 RMB = $6 latte. Wow. New York prices in Chengdu. Taxi to the airport and now we're at 3600 meters (~11,000 feet) in Lhasa.

ChongQing

Peter says:

After disembarking from our Yangtze River cruise, we had a few hours in ChongQing. We had a guide and driver in Chongqing as this was part of our cruise package. Chongqing is one of the "Three Furnaces" in China along with Wuhan and Nanjing. It gets incredibbly hot and humid in the summer. We heard last summer there were 40 days of plus 40 degree celsius weather (over 100 in F). Chongqing is a rapidly growing city - metropolitan area is 33 million! More people than in all of Canada. Downtown could be any big city in the world with skyscrapers and luxury shops. Definitely a lot of money sloshing about Chongqing.

Chongqing is a mountainous city where another river enters the Yangtze. During the WW II it was the capital of China as the Japanese occupied Beijing and the coastal regions. This was where the Flying Tigers - American fighter/bomber pilots were based and flew missions. Chiang-Kai Shek's Nationalist government was based here. Our guide's grandfather was a major general in Chiang Kai Shek's army (his army was routed by the Japanese in Nanjing) and the guide gave us a great history lesson. At the highest point in Chongqing there is a beautiful park with spectacular views (we had a rare clear day - no smog). The guide took us to one of Chiang Kai Shek's residences and showed us his escape route to an underground bunker for bombing raids. Of course if you didn't know where to look you would never know, or see this, as the nationalists lost to the communists and the victors write the history. Inside the house (now a store selling artwork), the guide opened a curtain and showed us pictures of Chiang Kai Shek and others during WW II. There was also the American General Stillwell, who I understand didn't particularly like Chiang Kai Shek and referred to him as "the Peanut". Seeing the photos I could understand! Deng Xioping was also from this area and there were photos of him as well.

After a quick tour of the city, the guide asked us what we wanted for lunch. Chongqing and Sichuan province are famous for hotpot, so I thought this was a great opportunity to try since we had an interpreter. I was a little wary because I'd read that they could be quite spicy and organ meets were favored dishes. For those unfamiliar, hotpot consists of a bowl of broth over an open flame on your table and you have a selection of meats, fishes, vegetables, etc and you cook these at your table. You have some condiments like garlic, sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, etc to make a sauce to dip your cooked food in. We had a smaller bowl inside our larger one. The large bowl was a water broth with vegetables that was quite mild. The smaller bowl was oil filled with chillies, ginger, and other spices. Cooking things in the oil definitely got the juices flowing. I was glad for our guide - some items looked like tripe (was actually bamboo) or squid (thick white noodles), but others were items on Vera's no eat list. Apparently in the summer when its really hot and humid, you eat spicy hotpot and wash it down with beer and after sweating buckets, you go outside where the breeze cools you down.
Well, we had an excellent lunch with beef, chicken, mutton, fresh and preserved tofu, various vegetables and noodles, and some fine Chongqing beer. Full belly for our flight to Chengdu...