Catch Up 2

Well here we are again taking a breather and I'll try a brief update.
Suffice to say we are still enjoying our travels which Mick had planned so thoroughly and which are working out just fine so far.

1. First I must tell those of you who are planning a trip to China about the fabulous agent that Mick's brother referred us to. She has been worth her weight (not very much I might add) in gold. Please consider using her services should you want to plan a trip. She helped us organise our tour independently and when it was too pricey for us she cut out bits, told us how we could do things ourselves and how to save costs,but at the same time told us where to go and how to get there. She bought train tickets and bus tickets and had them delivered to us wherever we were. She phoned and texted us to see if we arrived places safely and was at the end of the phone day and night whenever we hit a snag, like not being able to communicate with someone, or we weren't sure how to get somewhere. We called her and she spoke to the person in Chinese and translated for us in English and sorted everything - every single time she has been there for us. So from us as well as Mick's brother and his family, she comes highly recommended. Her name is Betty Liu, but any of the agents at Pan Tibet offer the same service. She works for Sichuan CYTS Carnival Branch. Her email is pttservice@gmail.com and the website is www.pan-tibet.com You can use our name as introduction if you wish. Put her name in the subject line.

Continued......from previous Update
2. From Yinchuan we headed for the train to Zhongwei. We thought we had identified seats - no such luck. Could not believe the crush to get into the train. Thought we wouldn't make it but it is amazing how people settle down and in no time at all as we were chugging out of the station and expecting to stand for the 2.5 hours, we found people helping us stow our luggage and young guys opening tiny little seats for me to sit on. They themselves were 3 to a 2 seater and 4 to a 3 seater so I was most appreciative. As soon as a seat became available Mick's grey hair got him a seat so our ride was not so bad after all. Fascinating to watch the lunch time preparations of noodles and biscuits and buns....and the comings and goings in the train as the cleaners cleaned and people collected boiling water for their noodles. Quite the experience. Met one or two families who could speak some English so an interesting ride all round.

3. Zhongwei - Have not been to another place like it. Exited the station - no taxi drivers or touts hassling us, no one approaching us. the whole town had a 'laid back' aire to it and we were quite taken aback especially having to seek out a taxi driver to take us to our hotel. Stayed near the drum tower - another lovely building - and got settled in. The town comes alive at night and children and elderly and singers and dancers and card players and mahjong players are all out ready to eat and spend an enjoyable social evening. It was lovely to see - and to be part of. The night market has local food and we savoured the freshly made noodles (in front of your eyes with lightening speed) and vegetables. Absolutely delicious. The sauces look so easy and they are so tasty. However......

4..... we hit the sack early as the next day we took courage in both hands (and bottoms) and headed off across the lower part of the Tengger desert on camels! It was glorious. We soon left the town and noise behind and found ourselves in slience with only the glug of my water bottle to mar the silence. I found the camel quite comfortable especially once I was confident enough to move around and put my legs up on the braces ahead of me. Not so sure about going down the vertical cliffs though tied to the camel in front and behind. had this fear that we would all land on top of one another. We trekked for about 5 or 6 hours in total stopping for a picnic in total silence and peace under an umbrella brought by the camel driver. We then slept/rested for an hour before setting off again. After the noise and bustle of cities this was idyllic and Lawrence of Arabia and The English Patient flitted in and out of my mind as I lazily plopped around on my young camel(he had to be hobbled at lunchtime 'cos he wanted to run away!!!) The views were stunning and we rounded off the day with a very gentle raft down the Yellow River on a traditional raft made of 14 sheep's innards treated with an oil. They look kinda funny but they are light weight and strong and can be carried by one person. Wouldn't like to try to manipulate them myself though.

5. Then onto Xining which was like walking into a Muslim town in the Middle East. We were waiting here to get our train to Tibet but had lots of time to visit the markets and see how people ran their lives in a Middle eastern and not a chinese way. The women were all in habibs and chadors and the men had their white caps on. There is the largest mosque in China here too as well as a lovely smaller one with a somewhat tibetan facade. The town felt different too. Many many more beggars around and the food of course looked and smelled different but equally as appealing. i had not expected to see such a different cutlure here.

6. We then caught the fabulous Xining to Lhasa Train across the Qinghai-Tibet railroad - the highest in the world. It was a VERY long journey but it started through the night so we slept the first part but the scenery on waking was barren and it is interesting to note that this is where the military does much of its training! We passed through a variety of landscapes including high snow capped mountains (and a little snow fox), fertile rolling valleys, stone and scrub reaching heights of 5000metres. oxygen is available to puff into the carriage if you need it to counter the altitude. Yaks began to appear with their heavy long coats and sharp horns and there was the occasional Yurt set up alone in the field. As we approached Lhasa we saw more evidence of Tibetan villages looking quite bare and bleak and many shepherds and shepherdesses in the fields with their sheep. Although long this was a great trip and well worth it.

7. Tibet has only been open to visitors since July 1st so restrictions were in place and although we had not requested a guide we were provided with one at no charge to ensure that we did not get into trouble!!!. March 14th has changed many things in Tibet including how many people are allowed into the scenic spots and when. The Potola Palace dominates the town and was built by the 5th Dalai Lama who was the first one to marry both the political and spiritual activites of his post. As a consequence the colours of the palace are white for the political and red for the spiritual.

7. The first morning when we left the hotel we felt that we were walking the wrong way as everyone seemed to be coming towards us on their way to work. Women in their long dresses and sun bonnets, men with their hats and belts, elderly with canes and I wondered where they were all going. Later we learned that they were praying and 'making clockwise' which means that each morning they walk around the city in a clockwise direction spinning their prayer wheels (in a clockwise direction)and praying with their mala (rosaries with 108 beads.) They do this every day and it takes about 3 hours or so. if they do not have time then they will only 'make clockwise' around the Potola Palace which is a shorter distance. Many also prostrate themselves perhaps as many as 300 times, up and down, up and down, flat out with arms above their heads, praying all the time and trying to atone for the sins of the world and bring peace and happiness and good fortune to themselves, their families and the people of the world. It is quite a moving sight as many are elderly and their belief systems strong. Many also travel in this prostrating fashion around the palace - one, I noted, wore a leather apron and many use wooden hand protectors and sprinkle barley flour where they place the wooden blocks making the steps or the pavement very smooth and shiny. Religeon is an essential part of Tibet and approximately 90% are Buddhists. Monastries and Temples abound and are beautifully decorated and painted. The Buddhas are gold and bejewelled and there are thousands of them. Every family has its own altar too with the three Buddhas. I was absolutely fascinated by Tibet which seemed so poor compared to other places we had visited ........ but I have to leave now so more next time.
Trust the summer is treating you all well