The epic train journey and the first few days in Lhasa

The journey finally began on Sunday night as I boarded the train for Tibet - 44 hours of nothing to do except read, sleep and enjoy the view! The first day proved to be just that, however the second morning I woke up with some symptoms of altitude sickness, a pounding headache and dizziness - no I hadn't been drinking! Luckily it disappeared when we got off the train on Tuesday night. The scenery on the train was spectacular - brown, deserted hills in China and then snow capped mountains with frozen streams once we hit Tibet. The train travelled along the highest route a train has ever been - 5072 metres above sea level.

Tibetan nomads paying their respects at the Jokhang Temple

After hunting for several hotels to stay at we finally decided upon one, only to pack our bags and leave first thing this morning. The women's bathroom was non-existent, you had to give an hours notice if you wanted a shower and the room was unbelieveably noisy! So, we are now residing at the Yak hotel at $4 a night, with clean bathrooms and 24 hour hot water! We spent our evening (it doesn't get dark until about 7pm even in winter) being swept up in the pilgram circuit around the Barkhor, where the Jokhang Temple is.

Sweet milk tea to warm us up on a cold Tibetan morning. Winter definitely is the time to be here as it is the time when all the nomads come in from the country to pay their respects at the most important Buddhist structures in Tibet. The Tibetan nomads are fascinating looking people - so weathered and wearing traditional clothes, they always have a smile on their face. Knowing the commercialised and materialistic societies that many countries contain now, it is humbling to witness these people who travel so far for something that they so strongly believe in. It is a special feeling to be part of their pilgrimage around these sacred places.

Hanging out with the monks at Jokhang Temple

This morning we visited the Potala Palace, once home to the Dalai Lamas. The walk up was very steep and with the altitude (3550 metres), it made me feel extremely unfit - a lot of huffing and puffing! We then went to the Jokhang Temple, where the smell of yak butter candles is quite powerful. Here, there were queues of nomads lined up to pay their respects to the various Buddhas inside.

Potala Palace in the background.

We have tried some fairly interesting Tibetan food here. The books warned us of bland, tasteless food, but it is actually pretty good! So far we have sampled yak and potato curry, momos (dumplings filled with yak meat), bopis (tortillas made from barley flour and filled with chicken and vegetables), tsampa (sweet barley flour dough) and yak butter tea (a once only experience I think!).

View from the train

It is strange not being home for Christmas, especially when I have just heard that there was a lot of food left over and Christmas pudding ready to eat! It was lovely to speak to everyone though, skype is a wonderful invention! I hope that everyone back at home is enjoying a wonderful Christmas with their families. Love from Tibet.

Another 'fairly average' view from the train!

More Christmas celebrations....and predictable Chinese flights...

Friday night bought a night of fun and games as the EtonHouse staff settled in at a deserted Australian restaurant to celebrate Christmas. The dinner was a lovely buffet and the Australian red wine went down a treat after a long 11 weeks at school.

Me wearing my long awaited prize (that I didn't even win!) and an off duty Santa. I have promised to wear that stylish beanie/glove set in several photos in Tibet.

Things did get a little silly as the night wore on - there were dart competitions where the darts occasionally missed the board, pool competitions with staff who didn't know how to hold the cue, Rolling Stones impersonations, the 'Bevins' (Tony and I) V the 'Aristocrats' (Pete and Nat) pool game, and some hair styling by a very feminine stylist (Tony) on an unsuspecting model (myself). A lot of fun to finish the year on.

The 'Sexy Beasts' quiz team did okay, however we were a lot more confident in our intellectual abilities than we should have been!

I regretted not packing earlier as I stumbled around with a slight red wine induced headache on Saturday morning. At last I was off though, you can't do any more organising when you are on the plane. Which brings me to an observation of the Chinese whilst flying. The behaviour of the Chinese is very predictable. First, they rush to line up to get onto the plane despite the fact that everyone has a pre-assigned seat. Then they push and shove as they try to store their big gift boxes of dried meats and 100 year old eggs in the overhead locker. They sit down and promptly fall asleep, only wakening to eat several pieces of cake and bread that are usually the snacks. They then fall back asleep and all is calm until mayhem hits again as they all wake up (on cue) just before landing. As soon as the plane hits the ground, seatbelts are off, mobile phones are on and they clamber over one another to get their bags out and wait for 10 minutes with their necks at an unnatural angle under the overhead lockers. The same happens on every flight, very amusing. The Chinese staff enjoy the Christmas party I am now in Chengdu, waiting to board the train for Lhasa tonight. Am so excited about the trip but slightly anxious too. I have wanted to do this trip for so long that I'm a little worried it won't live up to my expectations or that getting altitude sickness will ruin the experience. The train trip is meant to be stunning, it is the world's highest railway with the highest point being just over 5000 metres above sea level. Christmas in Tibet, here I come!

First annual EtonHouse Christmas party

Wednesday night brought a fun filled night for EtonHouse as we celebrated Christmas as a whole school. Students, parents, teachers, administration staff, cleaners, and drivers were involved in our celebrations. The students sang beautifully and the staff made some attempt to sing in tune - luckily Christine sang well enough to cover up the rest of our out of tune voices!

Year 3 and 4 sing 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer'

The students were very excited to have a visit from Santa Claus (Mr Valentine mysteriously went missing during this time!) and all received a small gift. We all enjoyed an amazing spread of Christmas foods - turkey, ham, potatoes, yum! It was a special feeling to sit back and watch such a large group of people, from diverse backgrounds and nationalities, come together to celebrate. I feel really lucky to be part of this international community.

Teachers relieved that 'Rudolph' is over, sung beautifully with no mistakes!

Today is the last day of school - a half day too! Am looking forward to an afternoon off before our staff Christmas party tonight. Unfortunately the year has ended on a sad note here, one of our Chinese colleagues has finished working at the school and her son, Jack (who is in my class) will leave as well. So, the Kookaburras are down to 8 now.

Even the teachers sang........badly! (notice that I hid at the back?!)

Christmas in Wuxi .....

Yes, the Christmas spirit has hit Wuxi! Stores, apartments blocks, bars and gyms all over town have dusted off their Christmas decorations (many of which have been hanging there all year!) and gone overboard on the (mostly tacky) decorations.

Gingerbread anyone? 'Ladies Night' at the Sheraton Hotel on Monday night.

The last week of school (yay!) involves several Christmas functions and Christmas carols being heard throughout the halls. It seems quite odd that we allowed to celebrate Christmas at school here in a country where Christmas is traditionally not celebrated, yet at home, it is a big no-no to talk about or celebrate the jolly fat man.

Three of us (the usuals - Amy, Tracy and myself) decided to brave the cold and head into downtown to stuff ourselves full of smoked salmon, lamb stew and mashed potato on Monday night at the Sheraton hotel. This could become a regular night out - Ladies Night, with a half price buffet - a lovely selection of western foods (even if it is with a Chinese twist). The school Christmas party is on tonight and the children are very excited about a visit from Santa Claus. Staff party is on Friday night, my last chance for a Christmas drink before heading off to Tibet where the possibility of AMS (acute mountain sickness) will scare me off having a drink! Hope everyone at home is enjoying a Christmas drink or two.

Sex and the City - Wuxi style ....

After another long week at work (with only 1 week to go till holidays!), it was time for a night of home cooking, bubbles and DVDs at Amy's. After enjoying a beautiful lasagne and bottle of bubbles with strawberries, we quickly moved onto Cosmopolitans and settled in to watch the Sex and the City movie. The movie was quickly forgotten as the Cosmos kept flowing and the girly conversation turned into our own version of Sex and the City, Wuxi style - Wuxi may not be New York, but hey, it was likened to Paris!

Gorgeous girls ready to hit the town!

What a great way to end a week, even if I was unable to leave the couch the next day, I felt very sorry for myself!

The obligatory drunken fashion alterations ...

Gunnar has now gone back to Germany for the Christmas holidays, and although I will miss him, it was lovely to spend a day all by myself today! I have been getting ready for my trip to Tibet, gathering all my warm clothes and hunting down medications for altitude sickness. Can't believe that in just over a week, I will in the Himalayas!

Getting into the Christmas spirit with fairy lights and bubbles

Also went to the supermarkets today (I need to start cooking rather than eating out all the time!) and still haven't gotten used to the fact that everyone wants to look in your trolley to see what a white foreigner will buy! After too much lying around and eating yummy German Christmas breads, I really need to head off to the gym now, and maybe a massage afterwards!

Wuxi - the Paris of Asia???

Another interesting week has nearly ended - It is hard to believe that it is nearly Christmas holidays already. Today we are farewelling one of our class members - the economic crisis has also hit Wuxi and some of our Korean students have to return home. So, it has been a slightly sad week for the Kookaburras as we say goodbye to Selina.

My Christmas tree in my apartment - the only tree in the store that didn't have neon glowing pine needles!

There is always something happening in Wuxi and last night was no exception. My teaching assistant invited the international teachers to a 'youth salon' opening with the promise of free food and beer. Of course we went! As all Chinese functions are, there was the introduction of the VIPs, several speeches, many photos (Amy and I spent a good 5 minutes posing for the cameras as the token laowais), and glossy books. The way the Wuxi people describe their beloved city is somewhat different to the way the foreigners see it. The book we were given last night described Wuxi as 'a city of ulimate glamour' and likened it to Paris.....um, where are they hiding that part of Wuxi??

Farewelling Selina (in the middle). And then there were nine.

Another weekend in Wuxi .....

No, they are not drugs! Purchases at the 'tea' floor of Hong Mei market.

Enjoying Korean BBQ on Saturday night It was a fairly quiet weekend in Wuxi, after a busy month of weekends with Rob here (who is currently enjoying life in Cesky Krumlov, my favourite spot in Europe, lucky thing!). The weekend began with a very civilised (read - Western!) evening at Uberfood, where we enjoyed numerous glasses of red wine and delicious platters. The bike ride home on a -2 degree night while a little tipsy was not so enjoyable! Saturday was FREEZING, -5 degrees I was told, brrrrr. We ventured out to the Hong Mei markets to buy Christmas decorations but found ourselves exploring (getting lost really!) in the many floors of stores. Each floor is dedicated to a different area, you can buy everything from pots and pans to stationery to clothes to tea. We discovered the 'tea' floor, where we were able to sit and sample many different varieties. After half an hour or so, we walked out laden down with about 5-6 different varieties of green teas and flower teas. We eventually found the Christmras section, where I bought myself a very realistic looking tree and a ridiculous amount of decorations for ridiculously cheap prices. On Saturday night we wandered down to the 'international plaza' (sounds a lot classier than it actually is!) and enjoyed Korean BBQ for dinner. Weekends are so different here for me - at home, most of the weekend is spent outside, walking, playing hockey or at the farm. On Sunday, I didn't leave the apartment until about 5pm - how lazy! And then it was only to go to the gym, get food and have a massage! It's a tough life! Back into another busy week here - Parent Teacher interviews this week. Am having trouble uploading photos here at the moment, so will add some soon - you'll just have to imagine my weekend!