We've been taking it real easy after our mountain trek, it's been nice to chill in our hotel room, eating lots of food and generally lazing around. We got a new room mate in our triple room and now have a new travel partner to journey into Tibet with! He's an Aussie guy called Mark who is keen to travel to Everest Base Camp (EBC) too. We totally lucked out meeting Mark, super-nice guy, really laidback and easy to talk to. Our original plans were to trek to the EBC but the journey there requires hiring a landcruiser which is really expensive! To hire the LC would cost about 6000yuan, but if we have 4 ppl on the trip it cuts the price down pp significantly. So now there are 3 of us, we just need one more backpacker, will probably find that person when we head down to Lhasa.
It's an early morning flight, getting picked up to go to the airport at 5.50am! So excited about seeing Tibet, been hearing really amazing stories of how friendly the Tibetan ppl are, the amazing scenery. We have to head out of Lhasa to really see what Tibet was like before the mass migration of the Chinese into Tibet. Apparently Lhasa has turned into a Chinese city so I am really keen to see outside of Lhasa. We will probably have to spend a week in Lhasa to acclimatise to the altitude, there is plenty to see in Lhasa, should keep us busy for that week. The symptoms of AMS sound pretty horrendous though, apparently we would be lucky if our only problems are vomiting and headaches!
It hit me that this is my last night in China. Probably will never head back here if I had the choice. I have seen most of the major tourist sites of Beijing and Shanghai a few months ago. Been to quite a few cities and am honestly not all that impressed. I loved Yangshuo though, so glad we spent the 5 days there, perhaps the activities somewhat spoiled us for the subsequent Chinese cities that we have visited. Looking back now, Yangshuo was so much fun, even the water cave, or what I now refer to as the 'death trap', was a good laugh. I think we were quite lucky to see the inside of the mountain pre-tourist hordes, considering we were only the 2nd group of ppl in there, it was about as untouched as we would ever get. Apparently the other water caves that have been around for a while are really spoilt with garish technicolour spot-lights illuminating stalactites that have grown grubby from too many sweaty hands touching it. Yangshuo was idyllic and will remain my favourite Chinese destination.
I can't believe we have only been traveling for 15 days, so much seems to have happened in the last 2 weeks. Hopefully Tibet will be awesome and we will be able to travel outside of the usual tourist zones. In order to do that though, we will have to wrestle with the PSB for permits, that I am not looking forward to. I don't know whether being able to speak Chinese would be a benefit or not. I know there would be resentment from the local Tibetan ppl given the destruction the Chinese government has caused (and continues to cause) to their history, their lands, the culture. I hope it won't filter down to individual travellers who share a Chinese heritage with the very ppl who are oppressing them. Hopefully this is just an errant and very narrow-minded worry on my part.
12.42pm. Chengdu city. Last day here! Fri Aug 13, 2004.
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