Monthly Archives: May 2007

Good-bye, China

Posted on May 14, 2007 by Patrick

As I leave China, I have mixed feelings. I really liked the country and the people. But the whole experience is tainted by the Tibetan situation. Also, the Tibetan situation provides insight into the political process in China more generally. … Continue reading →

Posted in China, China-northern, Himalaya | 3 Comments

One Time Zone

Posted on May 14, 2007 by Patrick

All of China from east to west, from Beijing to Zhangmu is on one time zone. In Tibet, people tend to wake up late and stay up late according to the clock, because it gets light and stays light later. … Continue reading →

Posted in China, China-northern, Himalaya | Leave a comment

Written Language

Posted on May 14, 2007 by Patrick

Chinese calligraphy is only about ten percent pictorial, meaning the characters are representational and look like something. A typical newspaper might contain 2,000 to 3,000 characters. The characters are part symbol and part phonetic.Tibetan writing uses the Sanskrit alphabet. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Himalaya, Musings | Leave a comment

Dhulikhel

Posted on May 14, 2007 by Patrick

As I write this, I am sitting on the balcony of a room at High View Resort. I’ve awoken early (still on Tibet time — 2 hours and 15 minutes earlier). An expansive valley opens up bfore me. I’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in Himalaya, Nepal | Leave a comment

Nepal is different

Posted on May 14, 2007 by Patrick

Like the descent from Tingri to Zhangmu, the change from Tibet to Nepal was immediate and sudden. The bone structure of the people was thinner and the skin tanner. The intonation of the voices changed. Red dots were on many … Continue reading →

Posted in Himalaya, Nepal | Leave a comment

Zhangmu

Posted on May 14, 2007 by Patrick

We drove most of the day about six hours from Tingri to the border town of Zhangmu. On the way we drove over two high passes over 5,000 meters. At the last one, our guide said, Good-bye, Tibet. The wind … Continue reading →

Posted in China, China-northern, Himalaya, Tibet | Leave a comment

Tingri (4,500 meters)

Posted on May 14, 2007 by Patrick

We had a very rough ride to Tingri. We were holding on with at least one hand most of the time. We forded numerous rivers and drove kilometers without seeing a single yak, nomad or sheep. Desolate territory. The Tingri … Continue reading →

Posted in Himalaya, Tibet | Leave a comment