San Jiang Yuan Xining

... of yellow lying on the ground. <br><br>It was this first day that would turn into the longest ride I have ever done, and (hopefully) the longest/one of the longest I will ever have to do. With conditions relatively favourable (apart from the wind being in our faces) we went the entire way from Jiayuguan to Zhange in one hit - some 158 miles. Hmmm. I would not really recommend it, at least with all your stuff on the bike. <br><br>Zhange itself has, on the face of ...

... he did not see him neither.. I run back to the door of the coach, which is now closed and ask the lady controller to open the door as our friend is missing. Impossible she says. And the train starts to leave. From being the 4 of us 5 min earlier we are now just 2!!<br><br>Excellent... The trip to Tibet kicks off with the best start possible...!<br><br>Then.. surprise... Coming from the following coach I see Jordi walking toward us... <br>... and Nishi in his back!!!<br>At ...

... kiinalaiset ovat innostuneet patikoimaan siinä määrin, että yläosan kapeilla vuoristopoluilla ihmisiä oli ruuhkaksi asti. Yllättävää kyllä, myös pienet lapset kiipesivät jyrkkiä portaita tukenaan vain teräsvaijeri.<br><br>Vaikka olimme varanneet runsaasti aikaa paluumatkaan lentokentälle, huomasimme olevamme myöhässä linja-auton verkkaisen menon ja tietöiden johdosta. Lentokentälle päästyämme totesimme kaiken ...

... it was the first time for me to be really excited in a while, probably the previous time was in Tiger Leaping Gorge while the places after that (Lijiang, Dali, Kunming, Hong Kong, Beijing, Pingyao and Xian) have mostly been nice but nothing totally different and amazing, what I expect to see during our three-week tour in Tibet.<br>

... Last week, we met two music professors including one one who is a composer and knows Daryl's teachers! The other night, I met a young man who is a good friend of my close friend's son (from Massachusetts). What a small world!.<br><br>We feel so fortunate to have had this experience. (Thanks, Anne!) We also got to meet one of our department's PhD candidate's Mom and brother at a monastery. That was such a moving experience. Jessica brought a message for ...

... it (of Tibetan, Mongolian, and Tu ethnicities), working for<br>four years straight! They used all natural materials, including gold,<br>silver, coral, agate, pearl and precious stones. It spans numerous<br>rooms, and after probably an hour of gazing at it, I was astounded that<br>I had yet to find a flaw in it. It is an absolute masterpiece of human<br>creation.<br><br> <br>Finally, today we took a day trip to Qinghai Lake, China's largest<br ...

... and a 10 day waiting period. In contrast the Xining PSB office was really helpful, we went in Friday afternoon and had the extension processed by Monday afternoon. Now I could proceed with the Tibet permit. Tibet is not an easy place to get to - it had only just been opened again to tourists after being closed over the Summer. Even now you are allowed, you can only get there if you have a special permit, a driver and a ...

... was like a rollercoaster or like the plane was falling down stairs. I regularly felt that the plane was jumping down levels. Then it felt like the plane had just fallen out of the sky when it was touching down. Overall the landing the landing was the most fun I have had on a plane in a long time. After that we drove over to our hotel. Our guide for the next 3 days name is Tim. He seems really nice and cool. Tonight we went down a street of ...

Back at Xining after 10 days in the "real" Tibet. Was supposed to be a 13day trip, but we kind packed lotsa stuff into shorter days. Nimrod left us yesterday for Kangding-Chengdu, and though he was always so quiet, i must say i do miss his deadpan jokes. Ah, but that's the way it is about travelling like this. Don't build bonds, don't develop emotional ties. And... don't say ...

... ethnic flavour and is regarded as a bit of a backwater by Han-Chinese. Its high (at least 2500m) and barren, and for the past 50 years, the government's main use for it seems to be to keep Tibet isolated and as somewhere to send criminals and dissidents. All these things would seem to make it a nice place to go when you're getting tired of the New China. Anyway, so it was rainy and gloomy. However, just as we reached Xining ...