Stay true to the dreams of thy youth

I must start with an apology... so much has happened since I last updated. To say it has been a fantastic week would be a gross understatement.

We arrived in the strangely modern city of Lhasa, the *cough* semi-autonomous capital of the Tibet region graciously looked after by Big Brother China about a week and a half ago. The Tibetan people with their dark skin and wide smiles captivated us from the start. Their grasp of English was surprisingly better than their Chinese counterparts we met in Beijing, and we quickly struck up some conversations with random Tibetan monks and other randoms on the streets.

We left for Everest after a few days, and of course after we had purchased warm jackets by such designer brands as Aididas and Niike. I don't understand why their goods are so cheap in China!! :-) We boarded our Toyota Land Cruiser and began the five-day jeep excursion to Mount Everest, known as Qomolongma inTibetan. Despite the recent completion of the Beijing-Tibet railway, the excursion to Everest already has its fair share of tourists, as well as tourists hotels and eateries charging way more than they should. Fortunately, prices were not too bad.

We made it to Everest and began the rather unchallenging 16 kilometer round-trip hike to the Base Camp, first used by Sir Edmund Hilary in 1953. The view was incredible, the weather pristine (see the video on the link to the right), and we saw the summit when the clouds cleared for a few minutes of ecstasy. Just seeing that peak may be enough to let me die happy... but it gets better.

We returned to Beijing on the same 48-hour train I so dearly described in my last entry. Instead of checking into a hostel we spent a crazy four hours talking to over ten different ticket sales people, agents, police men, and information booths trying to purchase a ticket to Hanoi, Vietnam. My visa which I had to purchase for Vietnama few months ago only had one week until it expired, so I had to get into the country to renew it or face a long wait and $100 charge for a new one. After finally purchasing a ticket, we hopped a bus to a city located near the Great Wall.

As the sun was setting we began climbing a path leading to the Wall that was temporarily closed for reconstruction. Conveniently, when we arrived at the top we had brought our sleeping bags... so of course we had to sleep there. The guard on the wall was quickly placated with a beer, and we enjoyed his company as we stared at the stars from the incredible wall.

We woke to the sunrise and scaled about a mile of the wall with the workers just getting to the job. No tourists, no entrance fee, just pure unadulterated history underneath our feet. Incredible. We made it back to Beijing for our 4 pm, 40 hour train to Hanoi, Vietnam.

When I woke up this morning (after a long night of customs at 3 am) I looked out the grimy train window and was entranced. The Vietnam I have pictured for years of old French colonial buildings, workers with pointy hats in flooded fields of rice, and palm fronds circled by old ladies selling bananas was right before my eyes. The breakfast this morning at the Little Hanoi cafe was marvelous, french toast with syrup and strong Vietnamese coffee. In all honesty, I was frequenting a coffee stand more than three times today... (Dad and Nick, you would have been proud).

That's all for now, check out the new pictures and videos on the link to the right. Also, check the number at the bottom of the page, over 1,200 people have viewed this blog. Maybe I'll start advertising...

I've also added a new photo section, "Worst bathrooms in the world..." Enjoy.