Sunday, September 30, 2007

Joyful and delightful










Those are the two words I use to describe this place. Everyone sings or whistles. Most everyone seems to have a truly happy heart. In the market yesterday I was touched more than I've ever been touched before: my arms were rubbed, my hair tousled, by back patted, etc. Nothing felt intrusive or out of line, just curious people reaching out, I guess. In the Barkhor Square is a market that acts as a basic meeting place. In 1985 it was cleared and in 2000 rennovated. There's no doubt that the clearing of the square serves to allow the government complete access to viewing all activities in the square; there are video cameras perched on the roofs. It has been a site of protest by the Tibetans and that's what the government wants to stop. Evidently in 1998 there was a scuffle between the Chinese and Tibetans with many Tibetans being killed and one Dutch tourist shot in the shoulder. Pilgrims in mostly dark blue and dark red dress walk around the plaza clockwise apparently as a sign of solidarity and as part of their worship. They are an incredible group of people with their dedication and the speed at which they travel around the square. Some of the children appeared to be sleeping or almost sleeping yet they were attempting to keep step with the parents or were dragged along. Many people stuck their tongues out at me with big smiles on their faces. The reason being is that they're showing me they are not ghosts - - a ghost would have a green tongue so since theirs isn't green they are greeting me in a friendly manner. Many people took my hands and put them on their shoulders as though I was passing good fortune on to them, I imagine. Parents would bring their kids to me as I was resting and try to get them to smile for me (most just cried because I am so odd looking to them). Kids would drag their parents to me I suppose to touch me? The parents would resist unless I nodded approval. All of this was done with huge smiles so I know it was a positive thing. One little girl put her fingers through my curls and laughed. Many men stopped and just stared at Eileen or I. Women did the same thing. It was constant to the point that for a time it was difficult to talk to a shop/stall keeper because there was such a crowd following behind and leaning so close in - - they were definitely close standers and didn't have a problem leaning on us, stepping on us, pushing us, etc. Hoe and Son are shown discussing a potential purchase with a group of curious bystanders crowding them from behind. Very interesting to see their curiosity about everything: what's in our backpack, what are we buying, what are we talking about, what are we looking at. It was all so positive that I can't wait to go back to the Barkhor Square again - - I loved those people!! In general we've had our photos taken by strangers - - most with cell phone cameras. Eileen was zipping the bottoms of my pants back on (from shorts - - they're convertible pants-to-shorts) yesterday and there was quite a crowd gathered! I know it must have been funny to see her doing that! Many locals were taking pictures with their cell phones. A couple of monks asked Eileen to take their photo; I have a picture of it. I wish I had gotten the one where they were looking at it on their digital camera! They were laughing and grateful that she took it. Son bought some crazy sunglasses; Hoe and Son each bought a cowboy hat so they were posing in that. I have most of it on the moving camera but show a couple shots here. We had a great time in the Barkhor Square shopping, walking, and just watching the pilgrims. Joyful and delightful is definitely how I describe this place and these people.

Free Tibet? I'm not so sure.

How about "Keep Tibet Autonomous". That seems to make more sense to me. Allow them to keep their culture, traditions, history, relics, etc. It just seems - - and this is only my humble opinion after spending only 2 weeks here - - that Tibet needs the resources of China to survive. The funds from China are building new roads(the road we took to Everest was just completed 1 month ago), it provides cell service, it supports and creates Tibet's infrastructure something I don't think Tibet can do on its own at this point. I'm no expert so these are just my observations. I realize that under Chinese rule Tibet's rich culture and traditional way of life is threatened - - severely - - but I would also imagine that more Tibetans have regular jobs, are making a more steady wage, are given more opportunities than they would have on their own without China. I could be wrong and I know China has its faults but the environment here is harsh and the land unforgiving so right off the bat it's got to be a tougher life here. I don't know anything except I have a lot to learn about this area and I'm anxious to go back to Minnesota to seek out who I can in the Tibetan community there to gain other perspectives. I've heard there's a strong Tibetan culture in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

And she's climbing the stairway to heaven













I can't begin to describe all of the monasteries I have visited there are just too many - - and each one is unique yet similar. I have seen the future Buddha, the past Buddha, the current Buddha, the biggest future Buddha in the world, the oldest Buddha,...and it's all been incredibly interesting. The history of Buddhism goes back so far and many of the relics (the ones the Chinese didn't take/pillage) are still in these monasteries I visited. The steps getting to them are often uneven and rough - - hand built with stones and slate from the mountains surrounding the area so everything is uneven. Always the rooms are dank and dark with the smell of animal fat candles burning. Pilgrims (devotees, worshippers, believers) see to it that there is always fat in the vats of candles. In fact, the ghee or fat is sold outside almost all of the monasteries. It's the pilgrims' diligence and devotion that keep the candles aflame. There are monks moving freely about these monasteries so it is interesting to see them in their various points of daily living: chanting, reading, talking and laughing, talking on cell phones, doing laundry, whatever a normal person does these monks do.

We attended a monastery that has debating - - monks sitting in an outdoor location, paired up, debating various aspects of Buddhist scriptures. They sort of slap their hands together in a loud smack or clap and go about making their point to their partner seated before them. Then they switch and the other one debates. I saw a small child monk, around 10 years old, learning the smack/clap and debating process. Very interesting and lively with lots of sounds of beads, clapping, smacking, talking, and birds singing. Amazing!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

The end of the day in Tibet

The computer is iffy to say the least - - but everyone is so helpful about it all! It's hard to figure out the Chinese symbols on the screen but at least I know my sites so well I'm able to sort of figure it all out. Kind of. When I was entering my posts earlier today I had to ask for help with photos. EVERYone on staff came to see my photos - - and commented about each one and even asked me to open some of them. They were especially interested in my girlfriend's babies that I visited before I left the states and the women dressed in sari at the function I wrote about in Vietnam. "Could you open that one for me, please?" "Could you open this one?" "Oh a baby! Open this one, please!" Of course I was only happy to do it! They are so excited and so interested in seeing pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge in CA and pictures of Vietnam! Then a guy named Frank and his girlfriend called Gypsy (yes, everything you might imagine with a name like that!) from New Jersey came and talked to me and looked at some of my photos. Then a guy from France asked to borrow my USB port for his camera in hopes that it would work (it didn't) so we chatted a little bit back and forth. Talking to other travellers is always fun! The guy from New Jersey, Frank, was wearing a Red Sox jersey (yes, everything you imagine with a shirt like that on...in Tibet) and said he can't wait to get home. He and Gypsy have been in Katmahndu for 3 days and will be in Tibet for another 6 days. He said this is his last visit to Asia; he doesn't like it at all. Of course he doesn't! It's obvious this isn't for him; he's wearing a Red Sox jersey in Tibet, for goodness sakes.

Tomorrow we don't begin our day until 9:30! Yippee! We will visit 3 monestaries and then come back to the hotel for a break until 2:30 when we will attend a debate about Tibet. Evidently these debates originated in the 15th century and are popular now; there's a lama or monk who is very emphatic and gets really riled, I guess. Gayyong says it's really interesting and a good way to learn about Buddhist faith and the Tibetan ways. I like him because he answers our questions and shares all sorts of information with us that I don't think other groups are getting. These debates won't be in English, obviously, so I won't gain much except the experience of it all!

Just when I thought there was more order in the driving here in Tibet or China in general, I'm wrong. Our van backed into busy traffic tonight then drove down the road in the wrong direction. He makes right turns from the left lane of a turnabout and makes sudden U-turns out of the blue. People honk but it's not really out of the ordinary, apparently.

More tomorrow if I can! Everyday with the internet here is sketchy!

Security prevents me...

...from viewing my blog. I have no way of knowing what it looks like. They'll let me create and post to the blog but won't let me see it in its entirity. Can someone send me a link to it at janebobane@yahoo.com so I can click on the link and hopefully get it to work that way? Thank you! I'm just thankful to be able to post to it but always want more...

Tibet...and that guy who's name I can't mention






It's not appropriate to mention what's-his-name on this secure computer or in public (especially inside Tibet). But we visited his summer palace today and went to the base of his winter palace. I only took moving pictures of the summer palace so won't show it here; it's full of flowers and is absolutely beautiful! Lots of walking there - - I was out of breath as though I had climbed a hill or ran for awhile. Still trying to aclimmatize. This air is really something. No headache, though! After visiting the summer palace we went to the base of the Potala (the winter palace). I show those pictures here. We will climb up the side of that hill either tomorrow or Monday. I might die there as there are no railings on the stairs that go straight up and down.

Three guys and a girl & thin air









So it was just me and the three guys. We were sad Eileen wasn't with us. The flight from Chengdu to Lhasa (or Lasa as it is spelled locally) seemed like it would be uneventful but only for a few minutes. Then, looming up above the clouds this is what I saw! It was breathtaking and one of those moments where I thought what good fortune I have in this life to be able to experience so much and mostly to appreciate what I experience.

I obsessively took photos AND deep breaths, cherishing the pressurized air in the plane. Then we landed. We were warned to move slowly and deliberately which we all did. As I walked through the walkway to the terminal I felt hungover, or like I had been drinking and taking pain medication, or I had been taking Valium. It was weird. The Diamox makes my appendages tingly like they're asleep. My fingertips get like they're prunes after having been in water too long but haven't touched liquid. But no headache! It's like I'm looking through my own eyes but through a really thick tunnel first. I walk slowly, get up from a prone position slowly and bend over to tie my boots gently.

We met our guide Gayyoung (pronounced like Jie Yaung) and he presented us with white "silk" (nylon) scarves. See photo of Son getting his and of all of us in ours. We're holding our water (mandatory at this elevation of 3500 meters) and our cans of oxygen (hopefully not mandatory as we climb even higher, probably to around 5000 meters in the coming days). We drove 1 hour and 20 minutes to Lhasa through beautiful countryside and villages. No toilets so the van just pulls over to the side of the busy road and out we go. !! I've been told to purchase and umbrella to shield myself if I want privacy. Uh, yeah, I think I do. Tour buses, vans, public officials and police, everyone! drove by while I did what I did. And I'm not ashamed of it, either. This Diamox makes you have to do what I did - - a lot.

Eileen's and my room is really beautiful! I'll be in it alone tonight. The beds in China are hard, a little softer than a floor - - just a little. I sleep fine, thankfully, but most would not be able to tolerate it. I sleep in a silk bed/sheet liner I purchased in Vietnam in 2000 so I don't have to trust the sheets to be clean. I have a photo of the room itself as well as the courtyard with the prayer flags.

This place is very friendly. The people greet you with big smiles and are almost always singing. At any given time I hear people singing or whistling. In fact right now there's a guy whistling the song he was just singing and a girl hitting chopsticks in a certain rhythm on her plate and a guy tossing a coin in the air catching it and whooping a little sound. When some of the people sneeze they say REALLY LOUD "A-A-A-Choo!" Oh, there went a girl singing out the door. Seriously, it's constant and it's really beautiful and calming! But don't think it's all happy fun sounds. No sir. The Chinese are GREAT ONES for inhaling from their nostrils deeply and loudly and then spitting what they've inhaled loudly and with great fervor. Yuck. I try not to let it get to me and I try to not hear it but I always sort of gag when they do it. I can't help it. Sorry for that; I'm trying to be polite in my descriptions.

No easy task





I'm in Tibet! But not without issues. So here's the story: We left yesterday morning (seems so much longer ago!) from home. But we had to wait for Terry because he forgot his camera at the office and had to get Kiet to drive him to get it. No big deal for us but Terry had to get up earlier than normal. At one point I said to Eileen, "I know this is a stupid question but do you have the tickets?" Terry does, shes said. "Have you seen them?" Yes, she assured me he had them. Okay, before I go further, he DID have them. So we drive to the airport and take our happy photos of our pre-trip like luggage and Terry and Eileen standing together - - happier times. So Hoe and Son get there. Hoe says, "I forgot my passport." What? No passport? No way! All of a sudden Eileen says, "I can't find my resident's visa!" What is happening here?! No visa? So pretty soon Hoe is on the phone calling all of his people to get the passport and subsequently Eileen's visa, or so we think. He calls his guard for something, he calls his driver for another, he calls Miss Somebody because she has a motorbike and can drive to the airport in half the time as a car. Our plane was at 10:40 which means we had to begin boarding at 10:20 which means we had to be checked in with our luggage at 9:45. So time was a wasting at what seemed like warp speed. Suddenly Hoe comes through the door waving his passport and what we hope will be Eileen's visa. But when Eileen looked through her stuff the visa wasn't present. Now what, now what. So Hoe and Son each got on the phone and called their "friends" in the government and police. I said to Eileen, "This is where a corrupt government might work in our favor! This is corruption working for us!" They whisked us through, escorted, to immigration. I went through my line, got searched because they thought I had scissors, and I never saw Eileen again. She did't make it. So it was just me and the boys.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Diamox for altitude sickness

Believe what they say about the side effects of this stuff! It DOES make you light headed, it DOES make you sleepy, it DOES make your fingers, feet and hands tingly, and it DOES require you not venture far from a lavatory...but no headache for me and that's all that counts!

Fleas dig me

Apparently I have a flea bite on my leg. Yuck. Last time I was here I had tons of them and my legs swelled to twice their normal size (sorry for that detail!) so I'm grateful that's not the case now. But it's painful and unsightly.

Le Ly Hayslip, the author!



Finally, after much anticipation on my part, I met Le Ly Hayslip (pronounced "lay lee"). In the photo you'll see Le Ly on the far right in the white top; her self-proclaimed daughter is in the middle. I'm not sure of the story there but this "daughter" sought out Le Ly in 1999 and Le Ly considers her family. There must be something about her past that makes that connection so tight. Le Ly wrote "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places," a story of her life as a young girl during the war and her journey through adulthood. Oliver Stone made it into a movie called 'Heaven and Earth'. She is currently working with Oliver Stone on a movie about the My Lai Massacre which begins filming in February. Le Ly is now living in the States (Cali, as they say here) and is a philanthropist - - she has started a couple of non-profits dealing with education of the Vietnamese people in one way or another. Her current project? Dental health (ding ding ding ding ding!!!!!)...Hmmm...We spent the morning together at the sari luncheon and then I went with her to her hotel to look at some stuff she wanted to show me and to talk further...then we went to lunch after that. She needs someone to run the dental portion of her clinic; someone who is a marketer and a sales-type person; someone who wants to live in Vietnam and travel to the villages throughout the country teaching dentists and assistants how to educate their patients. She wants someone to spend 1 week in each village establishing relationships with and holding workshops for: dental staff, hospitals/schools in the community, parents and children. It would be a cookie-cutter program given all over the country with travel expenses, food, lodging provided/paid for but no salary...

Signs





The signage is funny here. So often the translation is just a little off. The first one is in the upstairs of a restaurant. The idea is that you ring the bell if you need a waiter. The other is from a building site.

I'm sari











This morning was the ILV (International Ladies of Vietnam) Sari gala. Eileen told me about it awhile ago and I knew I would attend. But what I didn't know is that Eileen had a sari made for me! It's gorgeous and predominantly orange and beige. We arrived early at the historic Rex Hotel downtown in order to get the place ready for the event. Nearly 200 women attended! I haven't mentioned anything in the blog but I've been fretting all week once I found out that the stomach customarily shows when wearing a sari. Then I realized (once again) who really cares?! I'm on vacation. I don't know these people. I am who I am; I am what I am. Love me or leave me. All that stuff... So what did I say the first thing this morning when it was my turn to get dressed? "I don't want my stomach to show." All the phrases I repeated like mantras went right out the window. But only for a minute because the woman helping me get dressed reminded me that all bodies are beautiful; how we carry ourselves makes the difference and a sari helps us carry ourselves with elegance. She was right! The minute that 12 yard piece of fabric was wrapped around me (over and over) I felt like a new person! It was so fun to wear. And the compliments I received from the Indian women there made it all the better. Bare stomach? What stomach!

The sari consists of a midriff bodice top and a drawstring waist slip that goes to the ankles. Both are intended (and required) to fit snugly; very snugly. The slip with tight drawstring is the only thing holding the fabric to the body so if the slip is lose around the waist the sari runs the risk of falling off. The tight bodice is very flattering on every body type - - I saw that today. The sari proves to be very alluring. It keeps the mystery of the female body intact while providing glimpses of it under sheer fabrics, especially the midriff which is considered very erotic. They say it's easy to put it on oneself but nearly impossible to put on someone else. I'm not sure I agree with that. I hope I'll be able to reassemble it on myself once I get home!

The older woman who helped me get dressed was a blast - - she was hilarious and really encouraging to me about the whole thing. She taught me how to walk, how to hold the sari out with my right hand so people could look at the decorative piece at the end that tells a story about the origin of the fabric, and she told me this: When a girl is wearing a sari and a man tries to "get up in there" the sari prevents it. Be sure to just forget you're wearing this sari and move naturally. You can run away fast from the men while wearing this sari - - you can do anything. I laughed...but she was really serious.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Things are not always as they seem!

I've been meaning to write about this but keep forgetting. It's not the most interesting of posts and will probably be hard to describe with words but on the first day I was here Eileen cut open a beautiful watermelon. I wasn't really hungry for it but the fresh smell permeated the house and tempted me to have some. The flesh was vivid red and all looked well with the beautiful platter of fresh cut slices. Thank fate that I sampled just a small piece of the stuff because I am here to tell you that watermelon was the most horrible thing I've ever tasted. It was completely without sugar. In fact it wasn't just NOT sweet, it went the full spectrum and became completely bitter. The most horrible bitter I've ever tasted. I was able to get Eileen to try a small part to confirm my experience but we never could get Terry to try it. I mean, why would he after all of our contortions about it. Seriously, that was so horrible. And how could I have known? It smelled good, looked good...

Wine, salmon and song









Tonight was the wine tasting at the Sheraton with the Chilean Ambassador sponsored by local wine distributors to increase the popularity and sale of Chilean wines. Terry and Eileen's friends were all there so I saw some of the people I've been seeing all along. What a fun group of people! Everyone is from all over the world so it's an interesting mix. One of the men is a pilot for Vietnam Airlines, a few of the men are general directors of the big hotels (like the Sheraton, Hyatt, etc.), one is involved with insurance, one works as a general contractor for building design, one was originally here for an oil company but has switched to water abatement, etc. It was interesting to see the wide variety of occupations. In general, the women that I met didn't hold local occupations; they all belong to ILV (another acronym!) that means International Ladies in Vietnam. It's clear that this is an active group with Eileen at the helm. The husbands are along for the ride with this bunch with some of the guys meeting each other for the first time. I can imagine that's a good thing for these guys since they'll be happier if their wives are happy! "If mama's happy...", as is said. We drank wine and ate sashimi and sushi all night - - great fun and a lot of laughs! See the photos for a look at the whole lot of us. Afterward a group of us went to Acoustic to hear Jeram again. Tonight's performances proved even better than last night with the same lineup of singers singing longer sets. It was a great night! And it was really fun to speak fast English instead of the slower version I've been using here!

To market, to market























This morning we went to work with Terry then went for "pho" breakfast (pronounced fua) at Pho 24 near his office. It took three tries to get the Lipton tea with condensed milk that I wanted and that's only after Eileen walked back into the kitchen area and showed them the can. Even with my phrase book they didn't understand - - and they were reading the Vietnamese words. It's like that so often here. I never really know what I'll get but that's part of the fun. So we made up our own phrase for the kind of tea I want: Cha (tea) sua da. It's logical to us since the coffee version is Cafe sua da. We'll see tomorrow if our logic translates. (Note: later I asked Le Ly about this situation. She said, "We don't drink our tea like that so that's why you didn't get it that way." So just because they don't serve it like that they WON'T serve it like that? Yes, she said. Interesting!)

We headed to the market immediately afterward where I took lots of pictures of bins piled high with dried shrimp (beautiful bright orange), dried fish, medicines, the woman who gave us dried coconut, the guy getting my brown pearls, etc. The smells in that market are unbelievable - - good and bad. I bought a bunch of stuff and admired a lot more than I purchased. But I DID buy shoes! And had so much fun doing it! My trying on shoes drew a crowd - - I suppose for a variety of reasons but it was funny to watch men and women and security guards gather around while I sat on a small stool only inches above the ground and tried on shoes. With my size 8 shoe (small to average by American standards) I had a hard time finding shoes my size (huge by Asian standards). If, when walking by a stall, the sales girl looked at your feet and didn't say anything to you that generally meant she didn't carry any "big sizes." Often I would see people staring at my flip-flopped feet and kibitz with one another as if estimating the size of my foot. While trying on shoes when I would squeal, "Oh these are so cute!" so would one of the sales girls, imitating me. I'm not sure it was the imitation that's in the form of flattery or if she was mocking/making fun of me but it was funny to me and Eileen nonetheless. After every purchase they made you feel like you were long lost friends, like you needed to take a photo with them or give them your email address so you could keep in touch with one another! It's funny. And everyone waves to you as you walk down the aisle to the next stall - - even the men and guards. "I see you again?" they say; or, "Good luck to you!" Jeez, ya almost feel bad leaving them they're so dang sweet. See the photos for the shoes I bought; the crazy gold ones are for an Indian Sari Luncheon with ILV I'm going to on Thursday. They'll match the orange sari that Eileen had made for me. I paid a total of $18US for these two pairs of shoes. See the photos for pictures of fruit and flowers inside and outside of the market, too.

We headed to the Chinese market after the first market with the intention of just driving around it (we were exhausted!) and taking photos but it started to rain a little so I couldn't take photos or moving pictures. Now there's a bustling place! Full of activity and great colors everywhere. I bought a couple of lanterns to match some I bought in N. Vietnam in 2000. It was a long day shopping...very hot, very tiring but really a lot of fun.

We went to lunch and experimented with some desserts after our delicious lunch. The desserts were horrible! First of all, everything we wanted wasn't available but secondly, the stuff we did decide upon was just terrible. But like Eileen said, "Oh well, that's thirty cents down the drain." It's not like we paid a bunch of money for a dessert at Cafe Latte and couldn't eat it...