Go Tell It On the Mountain 2

April 9 - 11, 2017

Nyams mgur: "Songs of Experience"- Tibetan poetry.  

It was a somewhat bumpy three-hour flight from Chongqing to Lhasa, with glimpses of snow-capped mountains along the way.  At first glance, the Lhasa landscape looked desolate and desert-like, with few patches of trees.

Security in Lhasa is tight.  We had to show our passports and Tibet travel papers to get out of the airport, then again at the entrance to the city, a kind of "Check Point Charlie."  Our guide, Penpa, was waiting for us outside the terminal with a sign, and recognized us before we saw him.  He welcomed us warmly, and ceremonially tied white scarves, or khatas, around our necks as a sign of peace and celebration.  We happily climbed into a Ford Transit for our ride into the city. 

with our guide, Penpa

the dashing driver

The drive from the airport was eye-opening - literally.  The sun at 3600 meters (12,000 feet) elevation seemed particularly intense, like we were looking at everything on an HDTV.  Sturdy stone buildings all looked clean and new.  The guide said all the new construction was for the many Chinese moving into the area.  Now more Chinese are living in Tibet than Tibetans, many of whom have emigrated to Nepal or India. 

Tibetans don't speak Chinese, they speak Tibetan, a language based on Sanskrit; I kept a cheat sheet of the basics in my bag.  A formal hello is "Dah-sheh-dee-lae," a more informal hi is "Goon-kahm-sah," and thank-you is "Too-dteh-che." (We were never sure we were saying these correctly, as we heard many variations during our stay.)

The landscape is pretty harsh-looking - few barley farms with farmers toiling sans machinery, some grazing yaks, and lots and lots of rocks.  Spots of color brightened the way in circles of prayer flags.  According to Wikipedia: 

Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom... Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras (printed on the flags) will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space. Therefore, prayer flags are thought to bring benefit to all.  

We traveled on a modern highway, with tunnels through the mountains.  As we neared the city, the guide pointed out Potala Palace on the side of a mountain.  This was the home of the Dalai Lama until his escape to India in 1959.  Penpa told the story of how a Tibetan king sent a hundred young men to India to study Buddhism, but only two survived to return.  

Lhasa is a neat, bustling city tucked on a plain between mountains, with a surprising amount of cars on the road.  A majority of the people wear traditional clothing - women with long woven dresses, wrapped waists and braided hair, the men in smart felt hats.  I found the style of dress quite similar to the mountain people of South America. Many people carried prayer beads or prayer wheels as they walked.

We were driven to the St. Regis, a lovely hotel with lots of beautiful Tibetan artwork.  We were greeted by Leonid, an English-speaking Russian "customer experience manager." He took very good care of us, along with our "butler," Nicholas, who brought us hot tea at check-in.  The hotel is sprawling - it was quite a walk from the lobby to our room, and the high altitude made the walk seem even longer.  The room was huge, with lots of nice touches, including a humidifier to help with the very dry air of Lhasa.  More startling were the two canisters of oxygen as part of the mini bar, and a red SOS button at the side of the bed.  A doctor is kept on staff for guests suffering from the high altitude - luckily, we didn't need to use any of these extras.  We were both pretty wiped, though, and took the recommended nap after we got settled.  

We sampled the buffet dinner, which was a bit pricey for what was offered, but our guide had advised that we stick to hotel food.  We saw Leonid at dinner, and he suggested we head up to the sixth floor after dinner for an excellent view of the beautifully lit Potala Palace.  It got dark quite late here, around nine p.m., and we soon understood that all of China must be on Beijing Standard Time.  Tibet is a good deal west of Beijing, but other parts of China are even further west.  This is like NYC and LA being in the same time zone.  In any case, the view of the palace was indeed excellent.

This banner of China's great leaders is displayed everywhere

Potala Palace in the distance

The mountains behind the palace are not visible at night

Thankfully, we had one more day of down time before our tour, because I woke up with what felt like a hangover - tired, headache, etc.  I was out of breath from the short walk to breakfast.  We ate a small meal, then went back to the room to crash again.

More shots from the lovely lobby

 

In the afternoon, we pushed ourselves to go out for a walk, and discovered that the real beauty of Tibet is in its people.  We got many curious looks, some suspicious looks, and some smiling "hello"s.  The people have the most beautiful, ruddy-cheeked faces, full of character.  We wandered up a few streets and luckily found our way into the Old Town area.  We were fascinated by the huge slabs of fresh red meat out in some of the stalls, some still with fur on it.  Tim picked up an inexpensive fedora-type hat like the locals wear.  

The hotel grounds

 

Out on the street...

lots of (yak?) meat stalls

entrance to the market

the mosque

We came upon the Muslim area, with a mosque, and men wearing skull caps.  An old man was reading aloud from the Quran in his little shop.  In the middle of the market was a security check point, and we decided it was a good place to head back the other way.  Tim was worried about losing the pocket knife he was carrying.

We walked back to the hotel, had a soup and sandwich, and turned in early.  Tomorrow would begin our guided tour.

Go Tell It On the Mountain

April 8 - 9, 2017

Day Two of the Diamox experiment - we decided we would try to mitigate the symptoms of Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS) by starting the suggested regimen two days before reaching Lhasa.

Early Saturday morning - we tried to use up the last of the leftovers in the fridge before heading to the airport, not much in the way of sustenance.  After checking in at Suvarnabhumi Airport, we changed our Thai money to USD and Chinese Renminbi, the latter of which we would need on the first leg of our trip.  We had time for a stop at Starbucks, but found it was no longer in its usual location.  We asked a sales clerk where Starbucks was, and she pointed in the opposite direction and said, "One kilometer."  Undaunted (I'd walk a mile for a Starbucks?) we hoofed it to the exact opposite end of the airport, and enjoyed what we thought might be our last quality cuppa for a while.

We still had time to wait once we reached the gate.  This would be the first of several flights.  Entering the Tibet autonomous region directly is not allowed by the Chinese government.  So our first flight would bring us to Chongqing, China, where our Tibet tour company, Tibet Vista had arranged to have our travel papers delivered to our hotel.  (The other option is to enter Tibet from Nepal, but this can only be done by applying for a group visa there.)

The three-hour flight was our first on Thai Smile Air, a relatively new low-cost subsidiary of Thai Airways; it was a very pleasant flight.  Arriving in Chongqing, we had to present both our old and new passports, as the old passport had the Chinese visa in it.  When I put the two passports up on the counter at immigration, the officer stood up and looked down at the floor beside me.  I smiled when I realized he was looking for an additional little person associated with the second passport.  The two passports seemed to cause further ado, and another officer was called over, taking all our passports away to check them more closely?  The crowds of people on queue behind us were not happy.  Finally approved, we moved on to baggage claim, and were entertained by a super-cute beagle that was trotting along the conveyor, sniffing luggage.

I chose what I thought was a hotel close to the airport, but it was not so well-known.  I had the name and address of the hotel printed in Chinese, but still several taxi drivers begged off.  An English-speaking Chinese woman tried to help us, but the taxi drivers told her they didn't know the area.  She suggested we take the train with her, but we weren't confident this was the best choice.  We were definitely feeling like fish out of water with no ability to communicate.  I think the security guy felt sorry for us, because he finally waved down a taxi and made the guy take us.  

The driver was quite friendly and wanted to be helpful, even offering Tim a cigarette as we drove.  He wasn't exactly sure where the hotel was, but left us off in the general vicinity, using his GPS.  The Shang Ju Hotel is located in a pedestrian-only location, so we just started walking.  A man was standing outside a building, and we showed him the name of the hotel.  He nodded and pointed to the elevators, indicating the third floor.  We wheeled our luggage into a tiny elevator with several people, and emerged on a floor that seemed to be an internet cafe of sorts.  We looked around for a front desk, with no luck.  A young couple was playing on a computer near the entrance, and we showed them the hotel name.  They had a lot to say, in Chinese, pointing and gesturing helpfully.  They walked us to a window and pointed down another walkway.  We were trying to get exactly what they were telling us, when they kindly decided to walk us there themselves!  So sweet.  We felt bad interrupting their fun, but were so grateful for their help.

The Shang Ju Hotel has just a small entrance, all signage in Chinese.  No way we would have found it on our own.  We tried to pay the young couple for their trouble, but they wouldn't accept anything -  good ambassadors.  Once inside, we were met with a desk clerk who spoke no English, but was very skilled at using Google Translate to communicate.  I was so impressed.  We used Translate as well, asking if she had our papers.  At first she said no, but I clarified by saying, "You got papers in the mail."  Then she understood, thankfully, and pulled out our Tibet travel documents from under the counter.  

The unassuming entrance to our hotel

We were given a somewhat smoky room on the 8th floor, with a busy street below.  We could hear a vehicle passing by, playing "It's a Small World After All" - surreal.  But the room was comfortable enough, and we discovered that smoking is allowed nearly everywhere in these parts, even though a sign admonished, "Do smoking the bed."  The only really questionable part of this hotel was the packages of condoms on the night stand, and the calling card slipped under our door soon after our arrival.  

We went out to explore a bit and find some dinner.  Pacific Shopping Centre and Bijin Park were in walking distance.  (I only learned the names of these places when I was back in Thailand - we had no idea where we were at the time.)  Walking in the shopping district, we attracted many curious stares.  Not many foreigners in this area.  We smiled and said, "Nee-Hao" (hello); some smiled back.  A few younger people were eager to practice their Engish on us, with the appointed representative of the group bravely approaching us to say, "Hello!"  We decided on an easy dinner at Burger King (don't judge us), and four young servers behind the counter took our order as a team effort.  

After our meal, we walked some more.  We noticed lots and lots of babies, and wondered if a baby boom of sorts was happening here since the easing of the "one child" policy.  We walked by a beautifully-lit park with an elegant pagoda at one end, a structure we could see from our hotel room window, and some organized ballroom dancing going on at the other end.  It's one of the things I love about China - the organized outdoor dancing and exercise found in so many cities.

dancing in the park

We managed to find our way back to our hotel, and Google Translated our questions about getting a taxi back to the airport the next morning.  The staff promised to help.  

Breakfast was included, and the next morning we headed down to the lobby, unsure where they were serving.  The desk clerk took us back in the elevator, back up to the eighth floor, and led us up two flights of stairs to the tiny breakfast room at the top.  It was raining, and a blue tarp covered the outdoor area that appeared to be the kitchen.  The breakfast was sparse by western standards, no coffee or tea, and we made do with a steamed bun, some tomatoes and sliced pears.

The staff was true to their word, walking us out to the main street and flagging down a taxi, demanding unapologetically that the driver accept the ten yuan he was offering for the fare.  The taxi driver tested his one word - "En-ga-lesh?"  We were back at Jiangbei Airport with plenty of time to spare, and after being wanded for explosives, we were allowed to enter the airport.  We saw no coffee shops on our preliminary sweep of the area.  We managed to get ourselves to the right counter for check-in, then were pointed to another small area for baggage check-in.  One clerk was fast asleep at the next counter - probably nearing the end of his shift, the poor guy was struggling to keep vertical.  My bag passed through security, but they kept asking Tim if he had a lighter, which he didn't.  Finally let his bag through, and we went up an escalator hoping for better luck finding coffee.  Tim used Google Translate with the waitress, and got some eggs and hash browns along with a nice cup of joe.  

At the gate, we had a long wait.  We didn't see a plane yet, and people seemed to understand that they had to wait, so we followed suit.  A young man with a baby came over to chat - he was a petroleum engineer with BP, and wanted to practice his English.  He asked where we were going, and we told him Lhasa.  He said he was going to another city.  Hmmm.  Our flight time was quickly approaching, and I asked him if he could tell whether our flight was delayed.  He went to ask some questions, then came back to say our gate had been changed, and we had better go quickly.  It was 11 a.m. and our flight was 11:10.  We ran through the airport, down some stairs and out to a bus full of people waiting for us.  The doors closed behind us, and the bus carried us out to the China Southern plane to Lhasa.  

Over the last twenty-four hours we had to channel our inner Blanche DuBois so many times, relying on the kindness of strangers, and we felt grateful many times over for the compassion of the Chinese people.  On to Tibet!

via GIPHY

Doctor No

April 3, 2017

It's kind of a funny story...

Songkran, the Thai New Year and Water Festival, was upon us once again.  We would be part of the great exodus, leaving the country before the craziness began.  And we could no longer ignore the call of the Himalayas beckoning to Tim.  Destinations - Tibet and Nepal.

In the course of doing research for the trip, I found many cautionary tales about Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS).  Gradual ascent was recommended to allow for acclimatization, but we would be flying right into Lahsa, Tibet, with an altitude of 3656 meters, or nearly 12,000 feet.  (For reference, Denver, Colorado is just under 5700 feet.)  Many recommended consulting with a physician about using Diamox to help with the adjustment.

Trying to find a doctor in Thailand with knowledge of AMS was a challenge, to say the least.  General practitioners seem to be non-existent.  We have access to a service here that helps us with finding doctors, arranging appointments, etc.  I explained our somewhat unusual request to this service, and an appointment was made for me just days before our departure.  I received confirmation for the appointment, with a note that said, "This doctor is a medical doctor, but he is in the Mental Health department."  Having been here for a couple of years, I have learned to just go with the flow, and not ask too many questions.

I assumed seeing a doctor meant having some sort of physical evaluation to determine whether using the Diamox would be advisable for us.  So when I reported to the front desk at the hospital, the staff seemed somewhat puzzled by the fact that I wanted to see this mental health doctor for a check up!  They led me up to the mental health department, and a nurse brought me into a room to check my weight and blood pressure.  She asked me what was wrong, and I told her nothing was wrong, I just needed a check up - in Thai-English, "check body."  She got the most puzzled look on her face, and asked again, thinking we might have misunderstood each other.  Her puzzled look grew, and I started to giggle at her reaction.  She asked me, very seriously, why I was laughing.  Thinking about this later, I imagine she probably has patients who laugh inappropriately from time to time!

Led back out to the waiting room, I was finally called in to see the doctor in his office.  The little room just contained his desk (piled high with papers) with a couple of chairs facing.  I wondered what kind of examination I would get when there was no examining table present.  He invited me to have a seat, and asked me what the problem was.  I had assumed the service would have filled him in about my request, but he clearly had no clue why I was there.  So I tried my best to explain that we would be travelling to a very high altitude, and wondered if we would benefit from the use of Diamox.  He asked me if this was some kind of antibiotic or anti-anxiety medication.  Visions of red flags danced in my head!

I spelled the name of the drug, and he proceeded to google it on his computer.  I am not joking.  (An American doctor would have at least left the room to do his googling).  At this point I had zero confidence in this consultation, but realized this would be my only opportunity to get the medication before our trip.  It felt much more like a team effort than a consultation with an expert, which I guess isn't so bad; they say you should be an active participant in your health care decisions.  He read what he could find, then called and consulted with the pharmacy department.  He decided we should start using the medication two days before we begin our trip, and continue taking it until two days after we left the high altitude.  He indicated that one should exercise and prepare for months before such a trip - I think he believed we were planning to scale Mt. Everest.  He also said we should avoid alcohol, coffee, or any kind of stimulants.  No questions you might expect about other medications we might be taking, just a check for allergies to sulfa.  And he included enough in the prescription for both of us.  Very accommodating.

 From my own googling, I learned one could expect side effects such as loss of appetite, tingling in the fingers and toes, dizziness, etc.  After my visit, I still wasn't sure whether we should take the medication or not.

What would you do in my position??

Such is the state of health care in my neck of the woods...

The Pearl - Part 4

March 24-25, 2017

Friday was the last day of work for the team, and some down time for me.  Tim faced a couple of daunting opponents in a game of checkers, or "draughts" as it is known in most of the rest of the world.  Lucky for him, he had to go to work before the game was over...

Spent most of the day just wandering the Old Quarter again.  Picked up a cool dragon jigsaw puzzle for really cheap, and got a new hat to replace my lost one.  Some random photos from the day:

Workers bringing flowers for planting at the lake

These rooftop decks and gardens are a common sight in Hanoi

The whole group stayed Saturday for a day trip to Ha Long Bay, a nearly three-hour drive from Hanoi.  Sadly, the one day off for the whole group was rainy and gray, as witnessed by the snail outside our hotel room.

Tim's colleague arranged for a van to pick us up from the hotel.  Got a good look at the country side of Vietnam, after passing countless karaoke places on our way out of the city.  They really are everywhere!

We arrived at the Tuan Chau Marina, where the parking lot was jammed with tour buses and mostly Chinese tourists.  We were met by our guide for the day, and after a slight mix-up about whether our tour included lunch (it did, for an additional price), we followed him past dozens of two-story wooden tour boats to our designated craft.  The interior was lovely, old wood with carved wooden benches at each table.  I was surprised we had the whole boat to ourselves - it seemed awfully big for just seven of us, plus our guide.

Sailing out into the bay, we had lots of company.  Tour boats dotted the landscape, and selfies seemed to be the activity of the day.  It was a little hard to appreciate the beauty of the natural surroundings with such busy-ness around us.

Our guide, Cee (in front), the captain (right) and crew

Ha Long is a huge bay located on the east coast of Hanoi, dotted with nearly 2000 limestone cliffs in unique and interesting formations. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is quite similar to the Li River cruise in Guilin, China.  We "visited" a fishing village, just boating past with the guide pointing in the general direction.  Apparently these fishermen live right on the water in little coves around the bay, as they have for hundreds of years.

"Ha Long" means descending dragon, and the legend goes that the gods sent a family of dragons to help protect the Vietnamese people from invaders.  The dragons spit out gems and jade, which turned into the limestone cliffs dotting the bay.  Some of the limestone pillars rising out of the bay have been named according to their appearance, such as the Elephant, the Fighting Cocks and the Monkey.  Most of them range from 50 to 100 meters in height.

the "Fighting Cocks"

We had a simple lunch served family-style to our two tables.  Rice, fish, fruits, etc., and a plate of french fries to appease the westerners.   Tim ordered a bottle of Vietnamese wine for the table, too.

After lunch, we docked at the entrance to a large cave, just as the rains began to fall in earnest.  We were pretty drippy by the time we took the long walk and many stairs into the cave.  Dau Go Cave is a huge limestone grotto lit with colored lights for the tourists.  Again, many formations were given names - dragon, turtle, lion - and stalactites and stalagmites abounded.  A nice chance to walk around, but lots of tour groups crowding through.

The original entrance

low tide

Back on the boat, the young ladies who worked on the boat had their many wares out for sale.  Tim, who hated to see these girls get zero profit for their afternoon, kindly bought a pearl necklace for his wife, and paid the other girl to take our photo, even though we all had our own cameras.  Our traveling companions bought a little plastic fan for their son as well.  Our tour was over quickly, and we found our van driver for the long drive back to Hanoi.  Traffic was brutal at that time of day, and we passed a big factory right at quitting time, finding ourselves in a river of swarming motorbikes.

Familial tombs can be found at the edges of many fields

Very common architectural style 

cattle heading home for the day?

Rice paddies

Hello Kitty helmet with ponytail hole

When we got near the hotel, traffic was at a standstill, and roads were blocked off.  We'd seen them setting up for something in front of the Opera House the day before, but didn't know what it was for.  We learned they would be taking part in Earth Hour 60+, when communities around the world would turn off all non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.  We had to get out of the van and walk a block or two to get back to the hotel.  The hotel was setting up lanterns in the lobby in preparation.

We met for our usual drinks and snacks, then Tim and I walked out to the Opera House to see what was going on.  A big stage had been erected, with lots of bright lights and big screens.  Seemed to kind of miss the point, having so many extra lights, just to turn them off!  A huge crowd was gathered, and a couple of celebrity-types were center stage.  It was quite a festive atmosphere, and after a big, dramatic countdown, many of the city's lights were turned off.   Our friends were out walking through the night market, and said they had to find their way back in the dark!  Good event to promote awareness in any case.

Lights out!

Hotel lobby by candlelight

Next morning, we all rode together to the airport, and bid Hanoi, the pearl of the East in my mind, a fond farewell.