November 2009
From a tour of China, Tibet & Nepal
We have temporarily taken over what was our 'Latest News' page to show overflow from the story of our tour and in particular the many pictures of some of the characters we met on our travels. Hope you like them.
Li Fang was a good friend to all six of us who arrived in Beijing. We learnt of her through her good friend Ammie who had come to the help of some German yachties a year before (Ammie had just moved to Perth, Australia on a scholarship). Though just about to take important post-graduate exams Fang devoted several days to showing us around her city with great pride.
She was there to meet us when we arrived at our hotel and in the ensuing days not only explained a great deal about what we were seeing but about Chinese culture and the way of life for modern Beijingers. Under her tuition we also mastered the intricacies of negotiating the bus, underground and rail services which gave us a high degree of independence early on in out travels. Here she is on our first full day of touring in a newly opened tea shop in the brand new central shopping district.
Immediately across the road, to the north of the Forbidden City in Beijing is the Jing Shan Park which has a lookout on a high point on southern end that makes a wonderful viewpoint to overlook the city. On Sunday afternoons it is a focus for the populace to gather in large numbers to take part in home grown musical and cultural performances.
This lady in all her glory at the top of the hill was part of a dress-up-in-costume and have your photo taken outfit. Nevertheless she was cooperating with free-lancers too.
Whilst down on the other side of the park people were dancing to music provided by others on a large paved area. Some were in costume but mainly not.
Some just wanted to go through their motions.
Whilst some just wanted to make a spectacle of themselves (interesting face & kinky boots?).
Some more organised groups of up to a hundred or so had their own mini orchestra complete with conductor.
This group were singing stirring revolutionary songs, one we found was called 'Mother River'.
Couldn't resist snapping this Beijing shop assistant in a tabacconists.
This venerable lady was a pilgrim at the Ganden Monastery just outside Lhasa, Tibet
Another Ganden pilgrim but this one a young lad doing the Kora (clockwise walk around a religious site).
Lhaktun was our charming guide in Lhasa, Tibet. Here she is at a roof top restaurant with the Potala Palace behind.
Lhaktun passed us over to a relative to guide us the rest of the way through Tibet to the border with Nepal.
One of our very skilled and tireless Land Cruiser drivers who took us across rough terrain to the Everest base camp and beyond.
Driver of the other car.
This gentleman had brought his own statue of Buddha on his pilgrimage at Shigatse, Tibet.
Monks were generally pretty reserved but this one at Shigatse seemed keen to be photographed.
This young lad was playing with his older sister in a Shigatse street.
Tigri, where this girl is from is a half horse, one street town straggling the main 'Friendship Highway' across Tibet to Nepal.
This either the other Tigri girl's younger sister or close friend.
This holy man was sitting by a shrine in Kathmandu's Durbar Square.
The old lady here was begging at the temple, high up the hillside at Marpha on the Annapurna Trail in Nepal.
This character latched onto us whilst we were having a break so got to share some 'scroggin'.
These friendly children lived in a very small community on the quiet side of the river, away from the road on the Annapurna Trail, Nepal.
This holy man was sitting under a tree at the site of Lord Buddha's birthplace at Lumbini in the far south of Nepal.
Until next time, best wishes to all,
Dave & Di