Crossing the Tibet- Nepal border on foot seemed like a fun idea. The Nepal earthquake in 2015 closed the usual border so we crossed at Gyirong or Kerung. which has only been open to foreigners for a year. This spring has seen heavy monsoons so the roads on the Nepal side tund out to be horrific – who knew? The Chinese side the road was reallly quite good – the Chinese invasion gave Tibetans good roads and little else. We got to the border early and lined up outside with a several groups of mostly European tourists. Our kids …
Author: Doug
Chomolungma aka Mt. Everest
We got so so lucky to see Chomolungma aka Everest at this time of year, especially 2 days in a row. It is amazing to see…truly! Words cannot describe it and the pictures don’t do it justice but here goes…..
Wildlife and Nature in Tibet
Unlike kids in Tibet, our kids ids have grown up in HK where wildlife is not always easy to find. Here in Tibet we got to see farm animals of all kinds, Tibetan mastiffs, wild horses, foxes, some deer and tourists. The natural beauty was clear for all to see from mountains to lakes and amazing skies, the Tibetan plateau is a beautiful place.
Tibetan Temples, Monasteries and Doors
Temples, monasteries and beautiful doors abound in Tiber. So much history dating back 600+ years that even captivated the kids for a while ( then they got temples out). There were temples in Lhasa, way way up in the mountains outside Lhasa, in Gyantse and in Tingri. A lot was destroyed during the Chinese invasion in the 50s and 60s. However, a lot was protected by local authorities then and has been renovated by Tibetans over the last 60+ years of occupation.
Lhasa, Tibet
Everyone should get to the country of Tibet and its capital Lhasa before it is destroyed even more by the Chinese government. Much like Mongolia, the scenery is amazing bit it is the Tibetan people that drew me in…..they were so happy we had a few words in Tibetan and as usual enchanted by the kids. My beard and general weirdness has also been a draw and I am now immortalised in many Tibetans photo collections. Tibet Tibet, the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas have had a long history. The current exiled Dalai Lama is the 14th. …
Leshan Giant Buddha
Since I was a little boy I have wanted to see the Leshan Giant Buddha. My brother gave me a lovely book about some of the worlds most sacred places and this place had always been something I had hoped to see. So after the morning with the pandas our bus then took us to the town of Leshan, population 6.5 million! It was carved into the cliff between the years 713 and 803. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leshan_Giant_Buddha The Giant Buddha – almost. By the time we got there and had a big Sichuan lunch (yum), …
Chengdu – Giant Pandas and Giant Buddhas
Chengdu in Sichuan is famous for giant pandas, Giant buddhas and hot food. Everyone was more than happy to say goodbye to Beijing but as we were flying Air China, there was no guarantee that we would ever leave on time, or even leave the same day, During the night Skye vomited and then again in the morning upon wake up…which triggered Willow to follow suit. Good start…. We knew we had to walk about a kilometre to the subway then a good 40-60minutes by subway to the airport. Both were troopers and we made it but poor Skye hurled …
Mutianyu – The Great Wall
Always a tough decision is where on the Great Wall to visit. The closer to town, the more of a zoo. The farther away then the more expensive and the longer transit time. At the end of the day we chose Mutianyu because it had a slide for the descent! It was a medium distance from town and we left early so got there at a reasonable time to avoid massive crowds and heat. Last time I was at the Wall was winter 2003 and we met some farmers who took us …
Beijing – Forbidden City and Tianamen Square
None of us were super excited that China (and Beijing in particular) was on our itinerary. However, at the end of this tour if we do not return to Asia, we thought it important that kids who were born in HK (part of China now) should see some iconic sights – Forbidden City, Tianamen Square and the Great Wall. It was a rainy morning as we set out for the Palace Museum (aka Forbidden City) and Tianamen Square, in the hopes the rain would reduce the crowds. To people born after 1989 in China the term Tianamen Square …
Goodbye Mongolia, Hello Beijing
After desert living the thought of a city with many food options, toilets and hot showers was enticing to all. We had planned to stay at a hostel near the Firbidden City and Tianamen Square tomreduce costs in transport. We took the subway across Beijing from the airport as it was cheap and efficient. Then it hit us – the massive crowds, the pushing and shoving, the heat and humidity, and the lack of language skills. Kaia is good at Mandarin but it was not enough. We found some nice folks along our way, trekking thru a very …