TravelStream™ news feed for member jessnel on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/jessnel en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 22 Aug 2007 23:10:11 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/lower48bybike/1187838480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/lower48bybike/1187838480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/lower48bybike/1187838480/tpod.html Wed, 22 Aug 2007 23:10:11 -0400 Circling the the United States on a motorcycle. Solo.

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Seattle, Washington, United States

Quick update. I did make it home fine, but seeing as how my laptop was stolen on 9/11/2006, I don't have the rest of the photos from this trip.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/lower48bybike/1124399820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/lower48bybike/1124399820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/lower48bybike/1124399820/tpod.html Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:56:23 -0400 Circling the the United States on a motorcycle. Solo.

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Sunnyvale, California, United States

I really left this time.
After returning home to change windshields I set out again on Friday, August 12th. I headed back out of Seattle on the expressway so that I could pick up the back roads where I had left off the previous day. I made my way East, South, and then back West to stay near Mt. St. Helens. The scenery was great and the riding was even better.

I found (via my book) a free campground near Mt. St. Helens, buried deep in the forest along forest service roads. The campground was very basic, it had only a pit toilet, no running water or flushing toilets. But it was on a small lake and had a 2 mile trail up to a bluff that allow almost 360 degree views of the mountains around me. I could see, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, and Mt. St. Helens. All this as the sun was setting on a perfectly clear day.

The next day, August 13th, I threaded my way out of Mt. St. Helens and down to Mt. Hood. Again more beautiful scenery. Although I got a little lost on some forest service roads because my GPS was telling me to turn down a road that was some of the worst gravel I've ever seen. It looked like an avalanche had cleared a path through the forest. So I left off from the route that I was following and headed South. I eventually stayed in a KOA so that I could have a shower. KOAs themselves are nice, but they bring out all sorts of people. Generally it's people that go to KOAs as though they are a resort. With all the noisy kids and the beer swilling RVers, it makes for a not-so-tranquil camping experience.

August 14th was spent do a triangular loop through the desert in Oregon, through an area called Christmas Valley. It was beautiful but a little trying. The wobbling problem with my bike hasn't gone away completely. So when you can see 15 miles of perfectly flat, straight road stretching out in front of you. It's rather aggravating to be stuck wobbling down the highway at 70mph. It really gets rubbed in when a group of bikers go cruising smoothly by like I was a stationary object.

I stayed the night at Crater Lake with another biker that was generous enough to let me have some apace in his campground. That night he, the neighbors, and I sat around drinking wine and chatting.

The following day was supposed to be spent navigating the Sierra Nevada mountain range. But, on the advice of a biker I met at a rest stop, I headed east across the top of California, to the coast. That day included some of the best motorcycle riding I've ever had. Small, twisty roads winding up and down through the mountains.

Finally the last day, I was ready for a real bed, and it was as close as a days ride to San Francisco. So after a fun loop out to the coast on highway 211, I made for San Fran. As I was crossing the Golden Gate Bridge the beautiful sunny weather that I'd had all week, came to an immediate stop as I entered fog so thick I could barely see two cars in front of me.

Wobble, wobble, wobble.
I though that the change of windshields would rid the bike of it's wobble problems. Well, it made the problem less severe but it still exists. So I took it to the dealer in Sunnyvale, CA and had them look at it. The loosed up the steering head bearing, which the previous dealer was supposed to have done. It is far better now, but I won't know until I pack the bike up and get back out on the road. I also had to replace the chain and sprockets as they were quite worn and installed my new windshield which gives a major decrease in wind noise.

What's next?
After a few more days in the bay area, I'll head East via Nevada, Utah and Colorado. My target point is Boulder, CO.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/big_adventure/1116953160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/big_adventure/1116953160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/big_adventure/1116953160/tpod.html Tue, 19 Sep 2006 22:22:21 -0400 Our travels from East to West and somewhere in between.

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Taipei, Taiwan

Written by Nelly, 8/21/06

My native country
Taiwan, where I spent the first fifteen years of my life, was the last stop of our trip in Asia. We flew from Bangkok to Taipei on May 24, 2005. I could barely contain my excitement to see my native country again, as well as seeing my mom who was vacationing in Taipei at the time. (Taipei is not exactly the place to go on vacation, unless you are from there).

Have you slept on a pool table before?
We were welcomed by my mother at the Chiang Kai Shek Airport in Taipei. It was so wonderful seeing my mom after nine months of travels. We were to stay at one of my aunt's studio in the Taipei suburb. This studio was tucked away in a dark alley behind a noisy market. It was used by my Aunt's family as a "fitness center". It had a TV, a leather sofa, some vintage exercise equipment and a full size pool table. Jesse and I were to sleep on the pool table, which was actually not so uncomfortable as long as we didn't roll off the table in our sleep and crack our heads.

Luxury travels
Since I had connection in Taiwan, we no longer needed to travel budget style or use a guide book. One of my mom's good friend was very generous. He took us all over the Island in his car, and treated us to awesome food and nice hotels and home stays. We went on an around-the-Island tour in one week. A day went like this, we had big breakfast, then got in the car, stopped about every two hours to do any of the following in random order: sampling famous local dishes or desserts, walking along sea shores and staring at bizarre rock formations, soaking in hot springs, hiking in tropical forests, touring an old temple, shopping, and sampling some more local dishes. It was a nice way to finish our trip.

Heading Home
On June fifth, 2006, we ended our journey in Asia and got on a plane to go back to Seattle. Although I grow up in Taipei, I now call Seattle my home. However, there are things about Taipei that I will always miss: the hustle and bustle of a traditional market, the awesome food dished out by the street vendors, the vibrant color of a busy temple, the endless stores and shops, and the smell of sulfur soaking in a hot spring.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/newzealand2006/1143608940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/newzealand2006/1143608940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/newzealand2006/1143608940/tpod.html Wed, 29 Mar 2006 01:59:56 -0500 Cinch up our boots and tighten down our packs, we're headed for New Zealand.

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Queenstown, New Zealand

Written by Jesse

A Proposal
We hiked the Kepler Track with some friends we had met on another track. On the first day we reached the hut with about 3 hours of light left in the sky. Nelly and I still had a bunch of energy left, so we decided to hike to the peak of Mt Luxmore, about an hour away. As we were climbing the mountain I realized the view was going to be amazing and the sun was getting low in the sky, so we'd have the peak to ourselves.

After sitting on the peak for a few minutes, with a cold wind blowing over us, I fumbled around in my bag for a box I had been carrying for the past few weeks. After mumbling some sweet words I told Nelly "I want to marry you" and presented her with a ring. She replied with a tear in her eye: "...do I have take off my glove?"

Luckily she said yes, otherwise the next 3 days of the hike would be a bit awkward.

Lots and lots of hiking
After the 4 day Kepler Track we did the Greenstone and Caples Track, followed immediately by the Rees and Dart Track. The last two hikes amounted to 10 straight days of 4-6 hour days hiking. In the meantime our car decided to act up. It stalls below 1000rpm, so it made the hairy drive along the flooded, winding, dirt roads even more interesting since I had to go fast to keep the car from stalling and loosing power steering. Yippeee.

What Next
We're in Queenstown for a few days while the car gets a tune up and we get out fill of 'net. Then we head south to the Southern Scenic Highway.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/newzealand2006/1143607620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/newzealand2006/1143607620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/newzealand2006/1143607620/tpod.html Wed, 29 Mar 2006 01:04:00 -0500 Cinch up our boots and tighten down our packs, we're headed for New Zealand.

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Wanaka, New Zealand

Written by Jesse
I'll be brief because I have more photos to upload before my hour runs out.

After Christchurch we drove West through Arthur's Pass and did a hike up to Avalanche Peak. Then we drove on to Punakaiki to see the Pankcake Rocks and hike part of the Inland Pack Track. From there we went North to hike part of the Heaphy Track.

After the Heaphy Track we went South along the West coast to see the Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers. Then we did a 3 day hike in to Welcome Flats which ends at a hut with natural hot pools. This hike allowed us to put all of our waterproof gear to the test. ...nothing is really waterproof.

From Welcome Flats we went south again to Wananka where do did a few day hikes.

Next we go to Te Anau to hike the Kepler Track.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/newzealand2006/1140337200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/newzealand2006/1140337200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/newzealand2006/1140337200/tpod.html Sun, 19 Feb 2006 04:07:47 -0500 Cinch up our boots and tighten down our packs, we're headed for New Zealand.

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Christchurch, New Zealand

(Written by Jesse)

We made it
The flight to Auckland and then on to Cristchurch was smooth with no problems. Immigration was easy. They did ask to see our boots and washed mud off of Nelly's to make sure we don't track in any Mad American Disease.

We arrived Christchurch on Thursday and have been here for the last 4 days.

Christchurch
Christchurch is described as the most British of cities in New Zealand. If I remember correctly our shuttle driver told us that the population is about 390,000. It has a very nice feel, relaxed, tourist friendly, easy to walk around. It's been quite a pleasure to visit.

No bus for us!
After spending a couple days roughing out our itinerary on the South Island we came to the realization that it would cost the same to use buses or to have our own car. The busses also require that you book your tickets a few days ahead of time. Seeing as we want to be more flexible book a few days out was not convenient. So we bought a real junker of a car, it runs pretty well, but we handle it with kid gloves. The car makes us feel like we're back in high school or college and we're driving someone's junker around.

It's a 1986 Mitsubishi Sigma Super Saloon, a very fancy 4 door sedan with some dings, an AM/FM radio, and an engine. Four wheels too, 5 if you count the spare. Check this baby out (Scroll down)!!!

What's next
We are going a little further out on the Banks Peninsula (where Christchurch is located) to the town of Akaroa. We're (reportedly) spending a couple night in a cabin overlooking the bay.


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/newzealand2006/1139941920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/newzealand2006/1139941920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/newzealand2006/1139941920/tpod.html Tue, 14 Feb 2006 13:58:04 -0500 Cinch up our boots and tighten down our packs, we're headed for New Zealand.

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Sunnyvale, California, United States

Left Seattle on Saturday Feb, 11th.
We turned the house and the cats over to our housesitter on Saturday morning. Took a flight to San Jose and stayed the weekend with Scott, Stephanie and their new baby Avery.



Pre-vacation
Staying with Scott and Steph has been a nice retreat after the hectic last few days in Seattle. Spencer and Diana came down from San Francisco and we hung around making faces at Avery between meals and XBox 360.



Long, long flight
Tonight Nelly and I will be spending Valentines day squeezed into two economy seats en route to Auckland. Once we arrive we'll transfer to Christchurch on the South island. The flight is 13 hours, this might be the longest flight I've taken.

Christchurch
We'll be in Chirstchurch for at least 4 days while we tour the city and explore nearby hiking options.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/big_adventure/1110194700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/big_adventure/1110194700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/big_adventure/1110194700/tpod.html Thu, 17 Nov 2005 18:14:46 -0500 Our travels from East to West and somewhere in between.

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Sam Neua, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

Written by Nelly
Written on March 16, 2005

Sam Neua Market
We left Phonsavan for Sam Neua. Being close to Vietnamese border, Sam Neua was a hopping market town with goods from China and Vietnam. Villagers from the surrounding areas came to Sam Neua to sell their produce. On the dusty road, vendors put down tarp to display their goods. The goods could be nice produce like bamboo shoots, basil, lettuces and tomatoes, or it could be any of the following animals partially skinned, fully skinned, half dead, or fully alive and screaming:
birds of any size, rats of any size, dogs, little black piglets, groundhogs, frogs and deer.

The market in Sam Neua had turned Jesse into a vegetarian for the rest of our travels in Laos.

Pathet Lao caves in Vieng Xai
Vieng Xai, the headquarters of the Pathet Lao during the Vietnam War, was about 26 km away from Sam Neua via a beautifuly windy road. Along the way, there were plenty of dried rice paddies, with limestone cliffs as the backdrop. In these limestone cliffs, there were hundreds of caves, both natural and artificial, used by Pathet Lao in Vieng Xai during the war. Only four of the most impresive ones, used by the leaders of Pathet Laos, were open to public. These were giant caverns with tin roofs and little rooms built inside of the caves. There were sealed rooms with oxygen pumps in case of chemical weapons. One of the bigger caves even housed a theatre. After the war, a lot of the leaders built houses right outside of the caves they used during the war.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/big_adventure/1111700040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/big_adventure/1111700040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/big_adventure/1111700040/tpod.html Thu, 17 Nov 2005 17:46:49 -0500 Our travels from East to West and somewhere in between.

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Nan, Thailand

Written by Nelly
Written on March 26, 2005

Where are the tourists?
Nan, a province in Northern Thailand, was advertised by the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) as the "virgin province". Nan province had tons of jungles and hilltribe villages, but not many foreigners travel to Nan. We spent six days in Nan, and we saw only a handful of foreigners. It was pleasant to spent time in a quiet and quaint town that didn't cater to foreigners.

Trek Day One around Nan
The Nan province is populated by three hilltribes not commonly found in the rest of Thailand: Thai Lu, Htin and Khamu. We decided to do a two-day trek to see some of the villages. On day one, for the first half of the day we were shuttled around by a jeep to see a stove factory and a weaving house. We then hiked for about four hours to see some villages and stayed overnight at a Hmong village. Most of the villages were devoid of people, since the villagers were probably busy working outside. It also seem to us that most villagers wore non-traditional clothes in their daily lives. The only traditional outfit we saw was a black Mien jacket with red boa hanging on a balcony of a wooden house. I was told that it was cheaper to buy and wear conventional clothes, but on special festivals the hilltribes would wear their traditional outfits and celebrate.

At the end of day one, we were handed over to our Hmong guide, who was to take us to see the Mlabri people on day two. Our Hmong guide had fled Laos after the secret American war. He was one of the Hmongs trained by the CIA. We talked quite a bit about the secret war in Laos, he was very bitter about being used by the American government, but he had settled in Thailand and seemed to have done well for himself and his family.

The Mlabri Tribe
We had never heard of the Mlabri Tribe before we embarked on our trek. No one really knows how long the Mlabri had been in Thailand. The Mlabri are a hunting and gathering nomadic tribe. Their belief system forbids them to own and cultivate lands. Our Hmong guide, who speaks Mlabri, told us that the Mlabri number system only goes up to ten. They had no words for anything after ten. Since most of the jungles in Thailand are fast diminishing, the Mlabri people have to work as laborers on other hilltribes' farms in exchange for food and money. Only about three hundred Mlabris are left at this point.

The Mlabri could be exploited easily because they had no concept of money. Our guide told us one time a Mlabri came to the village and wanted to buy three bananas from a villager. The Mlabri offered the villager 20 Baht (about 0.5 USD), which was way too much for three bananas in Thailand. He implied they might offer the same about for a pig, again not knowing the value of money, nor being able to count past ten.

The Mlabri live under shelters made of bamboo and banana leaves. They move to another site every week or two, when the banana leaves covering the shelter turn yellow. Traditionally they wore banana leaves, but nowadays they are given clothes by the Thai government to wear. There are about seventeen Mlabri families living between Nan and Phrae.

Considering all the villages we've visited had paved roads and electricity, it seemed impossible that there would be people like the Mlabri living in the jungles nearby. To locate a Mlabri family, our guide used a cut bamboo stick as a whistle. If the Mlabri wanted to respond, they would blow a bamboo whistle as well. After clambering down a bamboo forest without any trail, we arrived at a clearing with a Mlabri family of four. Our guide had brought them a couple kilos of pork, as well as some tobacco. The husband immidiately cut up some pork and cooked them in a bamboo stalk. Our guide conversed with the family, their language is very soft and melodic. The family were lean and surprisingly healthy looking.

It was hard to know what would be the right thing to do for the Mlabris, if any at all. It was also hard to know who was doing the right thing for the Mlabris. There was one American missionary who set up a "Mlabri" village nearby, naming the village after his own Thai name. The Thai government also tried to assimilate the Mlabri tribes, but it was impossible to educate the children since the family moved frequently. We also wondered if Mlabri families hung around the jungle by our trekking guide's village because they would be fed whenever our guide brought some tourists along.

What's your name?
After the two day trek, we did one of our favorite activities in Thailand. We rented a motorbike and rode to mountains and villages nearby. We saw very little traffic and very few people until we arrived at a waterfall. There were many locals at the waterfall swimming in their regualar street clothes and having a good time. The waterfall was rather disappointing since we are near the end of the dry season. We encountered a super friendly and very much drunk young Thai man. He followed us walking back to the parking lot,and asked us multiple times, "What's your name?", "Where are you from?", "Where you go?". Whenever we told him we were going to Nan, he exclaimed, "No! Go to Ban Gan. I'm from Ban Gan.". He occasionally apologized because he could not speak much English. Eventually he would say goodbye and shake hands with us. After the goodbye, he continued following us and asking where we were from and the same conversation started over again. We had to help him up couple times because he was stumbling and fell quite a few times on the trail. He followed us all the way to the parking lot, it was a relief to see that he knew better than running after our motorbike with his bare feet.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/big_adventure/1101118920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/big_adventure/1101118920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jessnel/big_adventure/1101118920/tpod.html Thu, 17 Nov 2005 17:27:03 -0500 Our travels from East to West and somewhere in between.

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Lhasa, China

Written by Nelly

Wow, Lhasa is nice
We have been in Lhasa for a couple of days now. After being in the dusty Chinese cities, Lhasa is a refreshing change. Not only is it surrounded by beautiful mountains, the air is fresher (thinner too...we get winded just climbing two flights of stairs), the tourist attractions such as Jonkhang monastery and Potala palace are fabulous, there are Tibetan pilgrims everywhere in their colorful outfits, and plenty of good food around. We enjoy just sitting at a cafe drinking sweet tea (not yak butter tea) and watching people walk by.

Tibetan Buddhism is not what we think
So there are quite a few things we have found surprising about Tibetan Buddhism. To start off, the Tibetan monks are not vegetarian! I guess if you are a vegetarian in Tibet in the old times, you'd probably only have cabbage and yak butter tea to eat.
Also, we see so many Tibetan pilgrims in front of sacred places such as Jonkhang and Potala palace repeatly prostrating themselves all day long. Some of them will do the kora (pilgrimage circuits) around these holy sites, over and over again. Once they are inside of the temple, besides adding more oil to the yak butter lamps, or draping a white scarf over the buddhist statues, they will use their forehead to touch anything sacred. We saw someone start banging his forehead on the fire extinguisher cabinet next to the entrance of the Jonkhang temple, and soon everyone started following him. We've also seen pilgrims walking under a cabinet full of sacred scriptures, maybe in hope of gaining wisdom. Overall, we find Tibetan buddhism very ritualistic, and it's really fasinating to watch.

Jokhang Temple
We visited Jokhang Temple quite a few times since we've been to Lhasa. The temple is within walking distance to our hotel (which has a functional heater!) Jokhang Temple is one of the holiest temple in Tibet, it houses the statue of Jowo Sakyamuni, brought to Tibet by a Chinese princess in the Seventh century. The temple is filled with pilgrims, lined up to touch the lap of Sakyamuni with their foreheads. To ensure the pilgrims don't hold up the line, there's a monk on each side of Sakyamuni. The monk will grab one pilgrim, shove the pilgrim into the right or left side of the lap of Sakyamuni, and immediately pull the pilgrim back out, then move on to grab the next pilgrim in line.

Around 6:30 pm every night, we can get into Jonkhang for free and watch the monks chant. The monks don't seem to always be chanting the same thing, so we are always puzzled at how they coordinate the chanting. It also looks like if you donate enough money, you can go into the prayer hall and pray while the monk is chanting. You then will distribute money to every chanting monk in the hall.

You really don't want to see a dentist here
The pilgrims will circle around the outside of Jokhang Temple, this kora is called the Bakhor kora. The whole kora is a very interesting stroll, besides the Tibetan pilgrims, the kora passes the older town with Tibetan architecture, and the whole kora is lined with street vendors and shops selling anything from rabbit fur to gold teeth. Yes, gold teeth! We saw quite a few dentist signs with samples of gold teeth you can purchase, along with super glue right next to them! The dental office consists of a tiny store front with a chair and a table with some dental implements.

Hello Money Hello Money
Being devote buddhists, the Tibetans are very generous to the poor. There are a lot of beggers in Lhasa, especially by the temples and other holy sites. You see beggars of all ages, and some mothers beg with their kids and train their kids to grab onto potential benefactors' legs and beg. We walked past a mom that was begging to us, and she screamed at her young son to come over to help her beg. The only English the beggars speak to us are, "Hello Money Hello Money." or "Hello, give me Money, give me money. Hello Hello" I don't think they realize how rude that sounds.

Drepung Monastery
On Jesse's birthday, we visited Drepung Monastery. Drepung means rice heap in Tibetan, since the mostly white monastery complex looks like a heap of rice on a hill. At it's prime, it housed 10,000 monks.

To get to Drepung, we first took a bus that dropped us off at the bottom of the hill. From there, we got on a tractor that takes pilgrims and tourists up to the monastery. The tracter was a three-wheel vehicle with a pick-up bed behind the cab. We climbed up to sit in the back, and it was a bumpy ride. Luckily, the driver was not driving too fast.

Drepung Monastery was very big, and we didn't see many people there, not even monks. It was nice to be able to enjoy the monastery fully undisturbed by hordes of Chinese tourists.

The nice thing about Tibetan monasteries is that you can always get to the roof to get a panoramic view of the surrounding. We had a nice picnic with a beautiful view of the snowy mountains on top of the monastery.

Nechung Monastery
Nechung Monastery was a ten minute walk away from Drepung. It was where the Nechung Oracle lived, until he fled with the Dalai Lama in the 50s. The Dalai Lama apparently consults the oracle every Tibetan New Year. The oracle apparently whips himself senseless and then starts to predict the future. Needless to say, the oracle's monastery is on the creepy side. We walked in and the doors are blood red with torture scenes painted on them. The murals around the temples are full of skulls and other torture scenes. Inside, two monks are playing drums which makes the whole temple even more eerie. Sure enough, we both had nightmares that night after visiting Nechung.

Snowy Lhasa
Lhasa had its first snow of the season yesterday. It was wonderful waking up in the morning and see snow on the roof and trees. We walked down the streets and kids and adults alike are having a good time throwing snow balls at each other. We had to yield to quite a few snow balls coming our way!

Bump into an old friend in the Sweet Tea Shop
So there are quite a few of these sweet tea shop in Lhasa, the signs are in Tibetan and Chinese, and there is always a thick Tibetan curtain covering the door. We decided to try one of these shops. We walked into one by Jokhang Monastery, I was trying to figure out how it works with the cashier, and next thing I know, Jesse sat down at some table with some Tibetans. It turned out that our driver who took us to Lhasa happened to be there with his buddies! We had sort of become friends with him and we were thrilled to bump into him.

The sweet tea is just like sweetened milk tea, very very yummy. In these sweet tea establishments, you grab yourself a glass and sit down. You put couple yuan on the table, and the waiter / waitress will come and fill your cup and take some money (typically three jiao (0.3 yuan) a cup). As soon as your cup is empty, the wait staff will come and fill your cup and take another 3 jiao away from your table. The tea shop is filled with Tibetans playing cards, chatting and smoking. It was quite fun to be there.

After the tea shop, our hospitable driver invited us to his place. Since he works for the TTB, the Chinese government gave him a room (without bathroom) in the older building of a government compound. Regardless, his place is very clean and nicely decorated with photos of Panchen Lama and Buddha. There was really comfortable furniture covered with Tibetan rugs. His wife works in a rug factory and she makes these soft, beautiful rugs. We promised our driver to call him if we are back to Lhasa again.

Sera Monastery
Today is our last full day in Lhasa, we decided to go to Sera Monastery, about 5km north of Lhasa. We went into the first temple complex and met a really friendly monk there. He was studying English, so we helped him with some of his English exercises and started chatting with him. He had been in the monastery since he was eight or nine years old. He learned Tibetan from his uncle who is also a monk in Sera, and he learned both Chinese and English on his own!

We went back to look for our monk friend after we finished looking around Sera. He took us to the Monastery restaurant and we had sweet tea and momos (Tibetan dumpling)and chatted some more. We found out that he gets every Sunday off and he also gets two month off in the summer. He usually goes back to Lhasa to visit family on Sundays, sometimes his family will come and visit him. He said that there are about 1000 monks in Sera, but you wouldn't know it since everyone has a job and they are all busy doing their jobs. His job was taking care of the temple where we met him, some monks work in the monastery restaurant, some work in the hospital, and others do cleaning duties. He also told us most monks in Sera will wear regular clothes instead of their monk outfit when they go to Lhasa. The monks begging in Lhasa are not real monks and most of the real monks don't want to be mistaken as the fake monks. Since he was going to Lhasa to meet his friend tonight, we decided to go back together. It was such a shock for us to see him in a sweater and jeans, after seeing him in his monk robes all day!

What Next?
We leave for Zhongdian tomorrow, we are sad to leave Lhasa. From Zhongdian, we are planning on going back to Kunming to go to Bangkok. We are ready for some sun and beach after the cold weather! We still plan on going to Burma, but only after a nice break in Thailand, probably after the new year.
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