Category: General
Tibet- Nepal Border
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 …
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…..
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.
The Red Pandas
The red pandas were so cute and we actually saw them. At Ocean Parck in Hong Kong you see them very very rarely.
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), …
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 …
Devil Stix Diplomacy
Back in the early 2000s, I travelled for 3 years – Africa, North America and Asia. I knew I would have a lot of time on my hands so I decided to learn to juggle the Devil Stix. Since then, a set of Stix have joined me on most of our holidays and the kids are getting better and better too. Nothing like building concentration and hand-eye coordination while having fun. This adventure I have a set of Stix but also have a Diablo…look them up! We were in Laos mailing postcards when our three girls started melting down…as …
Flaming Cliffs
It is amazing how Unuruu knows where to go. The ‘road’ is just two tire trails in the desert scrub. Occasionally he stops, looks around and realises he took a wrong turn and we cut across until we find tracks again… After a long day of this driving we ended up at the beautiful Flaming Cliffs. This area was where so many dinosaur fossils were found. We got to the UB Dinosaur Museum on our last day which was cool. Turns out Mongolia has their own, slightly smaller version of T. rex but here the T stands for …
My thoughts on Mongolia
Mongolia was not really what I expected. Let’s imagine you think of Africa {If you have been to Africa don’t read this part} When I went there, before I left I thought it would look like a huge desert with a couple of trees and some animals. I thought Mongolia would look like street stalls and a lot and a lot of people. But instead U.B was green and looked a bit like Hong Kong in a way. I know hard to believe right…well look at this.