Eating through the Motherland in One Day

(Note Tibet and Nepal trek still to come!)

Guangzhou, my hometown

When I found out I had a 16 hour layover in Guangzhou (aka Canton) en route from Nepal to LAX, I thought, great! I'm going to town to eat! Now when people ask where my family is from in China, I usually give a generic "Village near Canton" because we are Cantonese. But when asked,  I realize that this response wouldn't fly here in actual Canton. Oops.

Ok, so after a 5:30 am arrival, there was much confusion at customs (of course), and I had to wait while they checked and double checked to see if I can be let in the country. Finally I am told that since my layover was more than 9 hrs, they'll give me a hotel room and I can get the free 1 day transit visa. Score. I check to make sure the hotel is metro accessible since I don't plan on spending my only day in Guangzhou in a hotel room. They assure me yes.  When I get to the hotel, I shower and want to leave. But I realize it's in the middle of nowhere suburbia! I didn't want to pay the $15 or whatever it was for a cab to the metro so after crossing many highways I finally find a public bus to the metro. Schlepping my small backpack with me I'm ready to eat!

So, I had no guide book for this city and only saved a few screen shots of neighborhoods and restaurants. I thought no worries, I'll have data on my phone at last. Except I forgot that Google or any standard search engine for that matter is blocked in China. So with no map, no direction, and no Chinese speaking ability, I failed for the first hour to navigate. But finally, determined I found bakeries and a local food neighborhood.

Noodle goodness for 7 yuan ($1)

I just went to the most popular stand with the locals and pointed to what they were eating. It didn't fail. By far the best thing I had here.

Meandering the side streets at lunch watching the locals. I think it was the fabric quarters.

More meandering. A rather calm city by China standards.

I managed to find a government hosted travelsite for Guangzhou which led me to...

Shopping district

With done extra time and yuan to spare, I gave a go at shopping. I scored at uniqlo of all places. Also bought a size large dress, because that's my size in Asia.

One day well spent in passing. I got tons of delicious baked goods (almond cookies, custard on-tots, Chinese rice crispies, sweet beef jerkey) two good meal, boba and dragonfruit smoothie. Overall, a great city to people watch and experience. Not touristy at all.

Up and Down and Up and Down and Back Up

Trekking in Nepal

I was back in Nepal for a week. My main goal: to trek. There were many routes but my non-negotiables were easy level and no 8 hours of driving to and from the trail and 5 days max. I met with Peter's son's nanny's "brother", Ram, who is a trek guide. Turns out they aren't really related. It's Nepal after all. He was vouched for so I felt safe going into the mountains alone with him.

Pre-trek warm-up

Peter, Sonya, Matteo, Sorin, Sofia and I went on a 4 hour hike to the top of a nature reserve. It was pretty intense.

Spectacular views of Kathmandu at the cost of two hours straight uphill hiking and leeches.

Day 1: Up into the mountains of Helambu

We decided on the Helambu trek which is suppose to be easy. If this is easy, I hate to see what medium or even difficult would be!

Near the trailhead, women dressed for a festival

Passing two small towns. A cell phone bodega was here. No more towns after.

Gorgeous views that came at a cost. Day 1: straight uphill.

Our first night was at a teahouse, basically a home with extra rooms. They cooked us a great meal in their kitchen with TV on in the background.

Day 2: Up and Down and Up and Down

I asked if today would be flat. Ram laughed and said "Nepal is with a "N". The N has no flat, it is just up and down and back up again." This was unfortunately so true.

Up

Random stupa

Lantang Park

I had to get a park pass for ~$20 USD and of course provide several of those precious passport sized photos.

River crossing, the tame one. Oh Monsoon season.

I vowed to never trek in monsoon season again. Inconveniences:

1. Crazy water crossings

2. Mudslides washing out trails and roads

3. Leeches galore!

The rivers got larger and the "bridges" only slightly sturdier. We took off shoes to get a better grip with our socks. Good thing I have balance from gymnastics and am not afraid of heights.

Roads and trails were washed out so Ram kept asking every house (which appeared every 30 minutes to an hour) the conditions. At around 6 pm, a family said we better stay with them as part of the trail ahead washed away. They can show us the alternate route when they leave in the morning. I told Ram I wanted to get to know the locals. So what better way than crashing with a family.

First homestay: the locals welcomed us into their one bedroom home.

We slept by 8 pm and woke up at 5 am, naturally with the sun. Amazing.

Traditional breakfast

I saw many similarities to Tibetan culture as we were up north near the border. There were the shrines and food.

Cost for homestay: $3 USD.

Day 3: Onward and upward

The locals set off, showing us the way.

Beautiful scenery with prayer flags

Kids walking to school in their sandals.

They can walk over an hour to school. Meanwhile I'm slipping and sliding everywhere in my hiking boots.

Impromptu waterfalls abound

Ram cruising with his umbrella.

Often I fell way behind, losing sight of Ram and getting lost. I think he underestimated my Nepal-trekking-in-monsoon skills. He kept himself entertained catching up on the phone with friend and family while strolling.

A legit bridge, thankfully! Good use of park fees.

To lunch. I asked where is our next stop. Ram would point straight ahead. Then I would look down and see a huge valley between us and there. I pulled out two energy bars. It's going to be awhile.

We always made it to lunch. Deliciously warm dahl baht and tea.

Entertaining the kid with my water bottle.

 

One of the few pics of me on the trek. Only smiling because I'm resting and fed.

While at lunch we heard loud noises like gunshots. No, Ram said that they are landslides, then proceeded to point out big chunks of the mountain fallen out. Lovely.

The afternoon trek up was rough. I ended up thigh high in mud and Ram was no where to be found. We kept going up then hitting dead-ends. Finally, Ram asked if I wanted to continue up (to a shower and stupa temple) or find another local home. Local home please. Best decision ever.

Our homestay farm.

The 15 year old girl who helped host.

We hit it off right away. She showed me her favorite youtube video and we practiced English. She is serious about her education.

Me, daughter and mom: They were super friendly!

Cost: $2 USD. I think I gave them $20 and told them to put it towards the girl's education.

Day 4: Back to civilization.

Mudslide about 4 cars wide. There goes the road.

Even though we were on the main "road" it was no easy walk. Two memorable things:

1. Crossing rushing water thigh-high deep. One slip and over the mountainside you go.

2. Leech on my face. How it got there I don't even know. My hood was on and we were nowhere near trees yet the leech weaseled it's way inside still. The sad thing was that leeches were the least of my concerns by day 4.

Timbu: a town!

One restaurant, one guesthouse, one store, one school, one post office and importantly a bus back to Kathmandu!

We had to crash one night here for fear of taking a late bus that would get stuck and us spending a night in a bus.

All my goods I carried in my backpack.

Day 5: To Kathmandu! 

6 hr bus drive.

Passing through a town.

Enjoying the water much better being dry inside an automobile.

Total cost of 5 day trek less than $150. Ram charged $20/day. It turns out he is supporting his two sons through college. Tuition is about $70/year and total costs including living expenses in the city less than $700 per year. I gave him a $30 tip which covers a semester of college tuition. Crazy, but great how I could directly help the locals with education.

Last few days in Kathmandu hanging with the family. It was so special to be invited into their home and so welcomed. Such a blessing when traveling solo. I had such a wonderful time with all of them.

Local farmers market followed by a picnic in the gardens. We could almost not be in Kathmandu.

Peter's younger brother, Ben, just arrived so Peter had fun showing us around.

Back to Patan for a festival. 

I thought this picture characterizes the richness of Nepali culture.

With that said, I had an absolutely amazing time here. Thanks so much to Peter, Sonya and the family and all the people here that made my stay unique and incredible.

Rooftop of the World

Yaks Be here!

The first thing I booked on this trip was my tour in Tibet. Foreigners are not allowed to travel on their own, so I reluctantly looked up tour groups. I ended up going with Budget Tibet Tours. I was a little weary at first since it was cheap, but it seemed to offer the most freedom which I like. It turned out fantastic!

I did the 8 day Lhasa to Nepal Border Overland Tour. My research looked like it was brutal to go from Nepal almost straight to Mt. Everest Base Camp due to the rapid altitude increase, so going the opposite direction was perfect.

Lhasa (Day 1-3)

We actually got a lot of freedom to roam around Lhasa which we were surprised at. It turns out there were only 2 people on my tour. I was rooming with Sofia, an MD from Colombia studying acupuncture in China. We hit it off right away. Such a relief and so much fun!

Johkang Temple

Drak Yerp Hermitage: Temple embedded in the mountains

While we were at this temple, we heard an ominous rumbling followed by our tour guide shouting "Run!" Now that is never a good sign. So run we did, only to see rocks tumbling down on the path where we were.

Monk at work.
It's rare to get a picture of a monk inside a temple.

Potala Palace! The Dalai Lama's winter residence.

Inside Potala Palace

Tibetans walking the circuit and waiting for a sacred temple

Many Tibetans pilgrimage far to Lhasa to the temples. There were many people walking with their prayer wheels in the circuit around the old part of town in Bakhor.

Yak: In case you wanted to know what type of meat is for sale here.

Daily Monk Debate at Sera Monastery

There was a lot of clapping, but it didn't seem like too much debating. Very different than my expectations of an academic debate. It was a bit too orderly and questions/answer style. But who really knows what is going on?

Deliciously cheap street food!

Day 4: Lhasa to Gyanste (7 hr drive)

After some good time in Lhasa, we hit the road to explore Tibet. We made some stops for gorgeous scenery.

Sofia (my tour buddy) and me at Yamdrok Lake

When we were in town together, more than one person thought I was her interpreter. Little did they know that Sofia knows way more Chinese than I do.

30 km/hr Zone

With increased tourism, the driving has gotten out of control and accidents abound. To fix the problem, there are zones where they time stamp you entering and time stamp you exiting. You can't pass through in less than a certain amount of time (to prevent speeding). So, conveniently, everyone just takes a lunch break in the middle of these zones and lo and behold, we aren't going too fast!

Karola Glacier drive by

China started charging for tourist to stop at many of the natural sights. Sofia and I decided we didn't need to pay exhorbant fees for every sight so we just slowed down and snapped some photos and continued along our merry way.

Prayer flags

Prayer symbols at the entrance to the monastery

Pelcho Monastery in the town of Gyanste

It was interesting to learn more about the Chinese control over Tibet and how things both have and haven't changed in the recent years. The slogan "Free Tibet" now has much more significance to me. The oppression is still blatant. Censorship still powerful. Many Tibetans had to sneak out of Tibet to seek refuge for education in the neighboring countries of Nepal and India. Then, some sneaked back into Tibet in hopes of building a better life.

My tour group of one visa stamped in Tibet!

Day 5: To Shigaste and Tingri (8 hrs driving)

Tashilump Monastery in Shigaste

Casual conversation

Crazy crowding as the main hall was unexpectedly closing at noon.

Main (and only) road in the small town of Tigre

This was our last point before we entered in Mt. Everest region. So far, the hotel accommodations have been great. No internet, but nice beds!

Day 6: To Everest Base Camp (EBC)!

Approaching the highlight of the trip...

Rooftop scenery

Such a beautiful, yet harsh land. I definitely have respect for the natives here and there steadfast faith. It is a spiritual place for many. You really get a sense of the desolate beauty.

Kids walking the road. Used to be fine, but now with crazy drivers, there have been several deaths

Yaks be here!

Everest Base Camp! 5200 meters!

So we didn't hike here, but Sofia and I were wandering the mountain side of an hour when our tour guide came looking for us, shouting our name to the mountains. She picked us up and we were driven to the base. No stellar views today.

Day 7: Waiting for Everest before descending to Zhangmu (8 hrs drive)

After a night at Rongbuk Monastery, we awoke before sunrise to hopefully catch a glimpse of Everest.

From Rongbuk Monastery before sunrise. Where's Everest?

Just as we were leaving, she showed herself in all her glory!

Jeff, Sofia, Our guide and me

Crazy gorgeous drive descending towards Nepal. Amazing how quickly the scenary changes

We also stopped at 2 police posts and our vehicle was searched for any people we might be trying to smuggle out of Tibet. Nope, just us tourists.

Tibet/Nepal Border: Waiting for it to open

Friendship Bridge between China and Nepal that we walked across

So, turns out I'm racially profiled. Go figure. Even though I carry a US passport, the Chinese are suspicious of me. They pulled me aside for questioning at the border in both China and Nepal. They asked where I was from (as they hold my US passport). They also asked if I speak English or Chinese (as I only respond in English). They asked where my parents are from. The usual. Meanwhile, my fellow US citizen traveler who is Caucasian and 6 ft tall goes through with no problem. In fact, they politely ask him if he would like a stamp in his passport. We had the exact same visas and his passport was stamped in and out whereas there is no record of me entering or exiting.

Turns out there was a huge mud slide that blocked a section of the friendship highway, the only road between Tibet and Nepal. This happened at Day 3 of our tour but we decided to continue anyway. We didn't come half way across the world to not see Tibet! So we took a risk.

When we made it to the border, our options of returning to Kathmandu were
1. Helicopter ride to somewhere past the landslide for $200
2. Off road vehicle that may be able to go around landslide
3. Walk (maybe 6 hours?) with our luggage across the landslide.

Go Go Go!

We chose the most viable option #1. Of course when we get there, it is a madhouse. Our reservation was no where to be found. People were waiting for hours. Somehow, we befriended the right person, the manager of one of the majors helicopter companies, Simrik. He lived in the States so we bonded. Much to our surprise, the next helicopter that came in, our new friend was yelling "Go Go Go!" Before we know it, our bags were stashed and we were shoved into the front seat.

View of the landslide from my first helicopter ride, unwillingly

I would've never paid for a helicopter ride, so this ended up being an experience. We saw the massive landslide along with Nepal's lucious green valleys and mountains. We actually had no idea where we were going to land. Turns out we landed in a soccer field in Duhamel, a city about an hour outside of Kathmandu. We negotiated our $200 quoted price, paid in cash (and this is why you ALWAYS should have spare US cash when traveling 3rd world countries) and found a ride back to the city where our tour agency wanted us to pay again. Nope.

All in all, we made it back to Kathmandu pretty efficiently given the situation. No stranded nights at some border town. It was such as relief to be back where we could talk openly again and use that internet and even unblocked at that. Ah, a free world.

Mt Everest,
Tibet