Reflecting on the Chinese culture shock .....

Last night, I started reading a new book - 'Lost on Planet China' by Maarten Troost. Now, I knew that it would be a funny book (his previous book is called 'The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific and Amy recommended it highly) but I was not prepared to be laughing hysterically and wanting to share snippets of the book with anyone who would listen (rather like you Amy!). But the point of telling you about this book is not just to encourage you to read it (please do - it is a much more professionally written and funny account of the kind of things that we are all experiencing here in China!), but it actually got me thinking about the bizarre country that I've moved to.

After beginning to read this book, I have come to the conclustion that I am fully adjusted to life in China. Despite the initial culture shock of moving to this strange but amazing country, I'm fully settled. I thought I'd write you a little list of how I know this. I no longer flinch at or am baffled by the following things:

• Men and women spitting great globs of phlegm on the ground, whether it be on a bus, in a restaurant or on the street.
• When people repeatedly honk their horn at me on whilst I ride my bicycle.
• Personal trainers who pop their pimples in the gym mirrors.
• Walking into a restaurant to find some of the waiters asleep on the couches.
• Riding a bike without a helmet.
• Crossing the road at a zebra crossing only to find that no one will stop for you.
• Traffic that obeys a minimal set of rules.
• Smoking in places despite there being an obvious 'No Smoking' sign.
• Food on a stick - anything on a stick in China is good, apparently.
• Some Chinese restaurants that refuse to serve you a bowl of steamed rice to accompany a meal.
• The fact that many things are not built to last here.
• People staring into my supermarket trolley at Metro or Auchen.
• Women holding babies in the middle of the footpath while they have a wee or a poo.
• Running a red light on my bike whilst frantically sounding my bell.
• The lack of blue skies and sunny days (okay, so maybe I'm not over this one yet!).
• The amount of people and 'stuff' that fits onto a bicycle or a scooter.
• Shrink wrapped chicken feet and other body parts for sale in the 7Eleven.
• Chinese queuing - Why line up when you can use your elbows and beat your way to the front of the line to sit in your pre-assigned seat?
• Fireworks at random times.
• The unhygenic state of squat toilets, particularly the 'trough' at bus and train stations.
• Women wearing quilted pajamas in the street.

So, now I'm over the culture shock, maybe it's time I expanded my Mandarin vocabulary! Add that to my 'to do' list - Mandarin lessons here I come.

Weekend Wuxi sights ......

The girls playing with the sparklers in the rain.

It has been lovely to have a few days off relaxing before going back to work. Despite the intentions to do the handwashing, finish school work etc., it didn't really happen. I spent most of the time sleeping in, watching DVDs, eating out and drinking far too much red wine.

We were all a little scared for our safety as we set off this lot of fireworks.

We had some fun yesterday when David (from Germany) was back in Wuxi. We found some fireworks at the supermarket and then went to find an appropriate place to set them off. It felt like we were doing some illegal as we stopped on a dark back street of Wuxi and nervously looked around as we decided where to set them off. As with the display of the other night, this was just as spectacular - what a lot of fun for under $20!!

A four course dinner at Uberfood - Salmon variations. Yum!

On Saturday night, Gunnar and I braved the cold and ventured to Uberfood, quite possibly the best (and most expensive) restaurant in Wuxi. It is the only place here where you can actually pretend you're not in China anymore (oh, apart from the staff asleep on the couch!). Once again, we enjoyed a beautiful four course meal, with each dish being presented in the most stunning way. Definitely a great place to treat yourself to some time-out from China.

Yes, the Chinese will sleep anywhere!

As we were driving home the other day, we came across a man (above and below) sleeping on the back of a truck, on top of a whole heap of junk. It was a very funny sight and we quickly snapped away. The Chinese really do seem to be capable of sleeping anyway, for more funny pictures, check out the website http://www.sleepingchinese.com/. It is a great laugh, and it is definitely the kind of thing you see every day here.

It can't be that comfortable?!

It's back to work today. There is a great buzz in the air as the students exchange holiday stories and stare awkwardly and excitedly at the new teachers and new students. It will be a busy few weeks with developing a new reporting system and writing reports before we are rewarded with another two week holiday. Amy discovers the fireworks stall outside the supermarket.

New Year and birthday celebrations .....

It was slightly depressing to arrive back in Chengdu and then Wuxi from Tibet. As you can see from the picture below, I am not exaggerating when I moan about the smog here in China! Admittedly, Wuxi is not as bad as this but it still has its days. As I was describing the beautiful blue skies of Tibet over NYE dinner, the others protested that it had been a beautiful day in Wuxi that day - the sun had peeked through the smog for a bit. We've definitely been here too long if we consider that a 'beautiful' day!

Yes, it really is this smoggy in China! Chengdu airport.

Although I had a brilliant time in Tibet, it was lovely to get back to my little apartment which happened to be absolutely freezing! I had a few hours to try to warm the apartment up and unpack before I needed to get ready to bring in the new year. I able to speak to most of my family which was lovely - it was great to have a glass of champers over the internet with my mum (the sound of the cork popping is just as good over the computer!)

Should we trust these two with the fireworks?? Boyd and Gunnar.

To bring in the new year, Gunnar and I headed to Provence, a French restaurant in Wuxi, with a group of other expats. We had a delicious meal of Australian steak and Brown Brothers Everton - a meal that was much appreciated after 10 days of eating yak meat, rice and potato!

Pete and Nancy enjoying a drink on NYE.

Paul had managed to obtain some fireworks - a relatively easy feat here in China, they are for sale in the supermarkets - and at midnight, we headed outside to let them off. Despite some discussion of where the best spot to let them off would be, this is China, so pretty much anything goes. We just stepped outside and let them off much to the delight of all of us. What a great way to bring in the new year!

The expat firework display about to begin! Paul and Gunnar.

After that, it was a fairly quiet night and everyone disappeared to another bar or home. Not quite the same sort of night as you would have back at home - I was slightly jealous as I read of people going to the Taste or Falls at this time of the year. It's always this time of the year that I miss Tassie the most, nothing beats being down at the Taste or the Salamanca Market with the Sydney to Hobart yachts coming in.

NYE

New Years Day was Gunnar's birthday, and as much as he was reluctant too, we were going to celebrate it! After a lazy morning of sleeping and DVDs, we headed off to have massages before going to a new Korean restaurant for a Korean BBQ dinner. As you can see from the picture below, there is always so much food at these restaurants. Much of it is kim chi, a range of salads and pickled vegetables and meats. Yum!

New Years Day - Gunnar is another year older! Only a few days left of holidays before we go back to work for another 3 weeks before having another 2 weeks off. It's a tough life here in China! I'm off to Jakarta in a few weeks for work and then Gunnar and I head off on our much anticipated skiing adventure!

Fireworks on NYE!

Tibet pictures .....

Tibet is such a photogenic place, with so many interesting, unusual and special sights to see, that I thought I would put an entry of just photos. Enjoy.

Colourful architecutre at the Drepung monastery.

Ty, Jennifer and Sangpo enjoying the traditional Tibetan stove at Rongbuk monastery (Mt. Everest).

Rongbuk Monastery Hotel, 8km from Everest Base Camp.

Mount Everest (or Mount Qomolangma - traditional name)

Herding the goats home for the night. I followed this herd whilst being chased by a stray dog!

Heading home after a hard day's work - typical Tibetan transport.

Another form of transport in Tibet, pony and cart. This woman was thrilled to see her picture on my camera. These boys in Shegar were very keen to practice their English.

Selling yak butter at the Tashilhunpo monastery. The pilgrims offer it to the gods in each chapel.

Typical Tibetan house.

'Jump off the cliff'?? Not a 'Chinglish' error, but a real sign. The Buddhists believe if you jump off this particular cliff, you will go straight to heaven. Hmmmm, I didn't try it.

Artificial lake with prayer flags.

Tibetan woman and baby at the Kharola Glacier.

Yamdrok Lake.

Celebrating Christmas with new found friends (Ty, Jennifer and Fabian) with Tibetan style cheese cake.

The long road to Mount Everest .....

Early on Boxing Day morning, we set off on our road trip to Mount Everest Base Camp. It took us 3 days of driving, with plenty of stops along the way, looking at monasteries and the beautiful Tibetan scenery.

An artificial lake on the way to Everest.

The first stunning sights we saw were a series of lakes with the most amazing turquoise colours. The first lake was Yamdrok lake and the others were all artificially created lakes. The Yamdrok lake has special significance to the Tibetan people, so it is extremely unfortunate that the Chinese have built a hydro power plant, using the water of the Yamdrok and the other nearby lakes. The Chinese presence is widely felt in Tibet and ensures an uncomfortable period of time whenever it is mentioned.

The first glimpse of Everest and her neighbouring 8000m plus peaks.

Along the way, we also stopped at several monasteries, each different in their own unique way. The Pelkor Chode monastery in Gyantse was the most authentic experience so far in our trip. There were no tourists and we were lucky enough to be able to see the monks go about their afternoon prayers (even if it did feel like we were intruding a little). The Tashilhunpo monastery in Shigatse was another different experience. The monastery was like a medieval walled village, filled with tiny cobbled alley ways. While here, we followed the pilgrims as they walked the kora and enjoyed exploring the little alley ways.

Yes, I was actually there! Prayer flags at Base Camp.

We spent a night in a small village, Shegar, to help us acclimitise before we set off for the big one, Everest Base Camp! The road to Everest was a long, bumpy 100 km of dirt road but we were all so excited that we didn't seem to notice it. We stopped along the way to appreciate the sights - the first glimpse of Mount Everest nearly had me in tears, I was so thrilled to be there.

The happy travellers - Anna, Sangpo, Jennifer, Ty, the driver (we all forgot his name, it means Saturday in Tibetan though!). Note the 'spindrift' coming off the mountain (not cloud). Spindrift is snow blown off the mountain because of the wind - must be pretty windy up there!

We got dropped off at the base camp and spent about half an hour just taking it all in. It is hard to write about it was like just being there. For so long, I have wanted to see Mount Everest, so being there was just so special. The photos really don't do it justice. To think that we were already 5000m above sea level and this majestical mountain was another nearly 4000 m above us , was a little difficult to comprehend. We walked the 8km back to the Rongbuk monastery where we were staying, and my goodness was it a long walk. Despite the herbal medication and the nurofen, I felt like I had been hit by a train. After a rest back at the monastery, I felt well enough to sit outside and enjoy the sunset over Everest. Toilet stops that night were also amazing experiences - I have never seen so many bright, bright stars (no, not even in Wuxi!). Waking up the next morning was extremely special too - we looked outside our hotel room and could watch the sun rise over the mountain, absolutely amazing.

Sunset over Everest, a very special moment.

We began the journey back to Lhasa, all of us having experienced something very special. The dirt road felt a lot bumpier on the way back! The last few days have just been spent driving and looking forward to a hot shower and clean toilets! Clean, warm and hygenic hotels are yet to find their way to Tibet, so we had some interesting accommodation experiences along the way. We have experienced the filthiest of filthy pit toilets with bouncing floors (not what you look forward to in the middle of the night!), no heaters (our record was a night of -4 degrees .... in the room!), rooms with no electricity, hotels with no sinks and the most disappointing of all, a hotel room with an ensuite and a bath ..... but no hot water! Am now back in civilisation and looking forward to NYE with Gunnar back in Wuxi tomorrow night. I hope that everyone is well and enjoying summer!

Father Christmas and the Michelin Man in Lhasa .....

Yes, it's true, Father Christmas was roaming the streets of Lhasa distributing sweets to everyone! The Michelin Man has also arrived, in the form of myself. I finally got the down jacket out today and with all my layers, I really do resemble the Michelin Man!

Father Christmas on the streets of Lhasa! (Sangpo, our guide, is on the left)

After a delicious breakfast of rice noodle soup with egg, we headed off on a crowded local bus for the Drepung Monestery that once housed the Dalai Lamas before the Potala Palace was built. The Buddhism history is so confusing, there are so many different historical figures to learn about, all with different symbolisms. This visit has only made me even more curious about learning more.

Beautiful scenery at the Drepung Monastery.

One of my favourite things about the monasteries is the architecture. I love the contrast of the white washed walls of the buildings with the mountains and the sky. The doors and windows of many of the buildings are particularly attractive, with their bright colours and intricate painted patterns and carvings. Yellow is a sacred colour in Tibet - only monasteries can use this colour.

Anna, the Michelin Man, at the Drepung Monastery

In the afternoon, we visited the Sera Monastery, home of the debating monks. Unfortunately, they were not having a debate today, so I will just have to come back for another visit! They debate deep philosophical issues such as the existence of 'I', a concept in which Buddhism does not believe.

Happy Tibetan woman with her prayer wheel.

The altitude really seems to zap your energy, so this afternoon I treated myself to a few hours sitting in a local restaurant, drinking hot lemon tea and eating cheese cake (I would have preferred some Christmas pudding!) next to their stove which is fuelled by yak dung.

Blue skies and colourful buildings at Sera Monastery.

Tonight, we are having a dinner together to celebrate Christmas - think I'll be trying the yak burger! After that, I am going to have a massage at the 'Braille without Borders' centre, where all the masseurs are blind. Tomorrow morning, we head off early for Yamdrok lake and then Gyantse.

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!