7 Days in Tibet

Alright, alright, so I cheated. I drove to Everest Base Camp. In a van. On a tour. But at least I say it how It is. And in my defence, I did still have to tackle many mountain passes and cope with the altitude (when I got out of the van to take some photos). At one point I even felt a little nauseous. So I actually had to work hard for the experience of Everest base camp... But not really. However, from the Tibetan side, trekking to Everest base camp is nigh on impossible, due to the political situation, especially when compared to the ease with which one can trek to Everest base camp from the Nepal side. Tibet, the province of China (or country in its own right if you want to be controversial) is notoriously difficult to get into. Let alone get through. Let alone do anything legitimately intrepid in. So I couldn't have walked to Everest base camp from Tibet, even though I really really wanted to. Instead, I just sat tight and did what I was told. I'm good at that. 

Now don't get lost in the depth of this next statement, but I wrote this when I saw Everest for the first time from a distance of about 150 km. To be honest, the mountain, the view, it made my (arm) hair stand on end.

"In China, the most populated country on earth, there is nobody here. Nobody lives here. Nobody wants to. It's just the mountains and the sky with nothing and no one in between.

I'd always assumed that Himalayas were high and that Everest would be just another indistinguishable peak among many. It's not. You can see Everest clearly from 150 km away. It is unrivalled. Undisputedly, Everest claims the title of Top of the World."

Thank goodness that's over. I wrote that when we were still a solid 4 hours drive away from base camp. But by the time we arrived at base camp however, Everest just looked like another mountain. Looking up, there was nothing to tell you that this mountain was a beast. It was not that high; didn't look that hard to climb. Not that anything. It was difficult to believe that we had arrived at the base of the Goddess of the Earth, as the Tibetans call her. So we talked, joked and laughed about how easy the climb looked. I even sneezed at the mountain - the altitude does that to you (makes you both Sneezy and slightly deluded). But on return to civilisation we watched the film Everest (2015 Hollywood edition) about the 1996 disaster. Needless to say, that shut us all up. Despite the mountain looking pint sized (or at least ordinary sized) from the bottom, the film definitely depicted, rather traumatically I might add, the hostility of the mountain. But I mean, surely if a 13 year old American kid can climb it, it can't be that challenging right?!?

On a different note entirely, I would also like to add that aside from my trip to Everest base camp, other adventures in Tibet include getting a little too close for comfort to a yak (named Jack) with large horns, being surrounded by, photographed by and laughed at by local Tibetans and no story is complete (or at least it shouldn't be) without befriending a puppy or too, which of course, I also did. 

I'm alive

So, I would firstly like to apologise for assuming that my blog would work in China. It doesn't. Luckily for you, my loyal supporters and for me, I have discovered an app that rights all wrongs on this front. But just so that you know, I was all prepared to have a backlog of handwritten blogs in my diary to post when I got back to countries where blogs and Facebook and YouTube and gmail (and freedom?) are allowed. So I am dedicated. Obviously, I am dedicated because I am sitting on my bed in Lhasa, Tibet writing my bloody blog. As if that's what all normal people do when they are in Tibet.

But I guess I should back track a couple of days to arrival in hot, sticky, humid Hong Kong. In this strange and foreign land, I have learnt two things. Firstly, the locals are super friendly - if you start to think about asking for directions someone has already answered your question. Secondly, and much more importantly, I discovered that I can't use chopsticks for shit. Perhaps not the best self-realisation to have on the way to The Middle ofNnowhere. Alas, here we are. In The Middle of Nowhere. I still can't use chopsticks, but I am learning slowly. Emphasis on slowly, but I am trying to hurry this process up a bit because I am concerned that I am going to have to go hungry in the not too distant future. And hunger leads to hanger which leads to a genuinely unpleasant experience for all involved. In a 5 mile radius.

It's always difficult to know what to tell people about travels.

Hong Kong.

It's hot. It's humid. It's busy. It's beautiful. It's chaotic.

Tibet.

It's high. It's cold. It's clear. It's crazy. It's traditional. In an untraditional sense.

And without fail, the people are amazing and generous and warm.

I'll let you know if something funny happens. Its a dangerous world out there. So until I come out with some horrific sorry of my utter ignorance about everything, stay safe. In a role of bubble wrap. It'll help protect you from the storm.

And I'll work on photos for next time... The blog itself was achievement enough for one night!

Over yonder

It has been an eventful past 10 days. I’ve finished my degree in chemistry and oceanography, with the very real possibility of throwing up both before my exams, and after. Only one of those two possibilities came to fruition.

Since I finished my exams (and recovered from the aftermath), I haven’t looked back. I have been frolicking in the mountains, swimming in the river, enjoying the sunshine, cuddling with the dog, and just generally chilling the fuck out.

Recovering from the swim

Chilling the fuck out

Luxury accommodation

Complete with soft fluffy beds

And mood lighting

Something to get excited about

Frolicking in the mountains

Enjoying the sunshine

Paradise

Oh hey, NZ

My dad, the Mountain Man

But this fun and relaxing is all about to change. Today, I board a plane and head off into the great blue yonder. I am venturing to the land where minimal Facebook has ever ventured. And that’s all that I really wanted to say. That I won’t have Facebook (*shock horror*). So, if you want to know the mishaps, mistakes, missteps, misadventures and mischief that my friend and I will get up over yonder, you might need to take some initiative and actually look this blog up from time to time. But if you’re not that interested, then fear not, I won’t be spamming your Facebook wall for 7 weeks or so. So you can count your lucky stars.

Hexagonal

I have a policy not to read what I write in my previous blogs because it makes my tummy feel funny. So I don’t. On principal. Last week I sat my organic chemistry exam. Which also made my tummy feel funny. In fact, I would go so far as to say it made me so anxious that I thought I was going to throw up. Or have a mini panic attack. Or a major heart attack. It ruined my sleep patterns for the week, reducing my nightly average to about 5 hours. As a result I have been tired, grumpy and emotional since Tuesday. And it is now Sunday. Anyway, moving right along, (based on the assumption that I pass my organic chemistry exam) it is with great pride and pleasure and humility and gratification that I would like to announce that I have completed my undergraduate degree in chemistry.  Do you want to know what that qualifies me to do? Nothing. Except, I can draw pentagons, hexagons and octagons. So if you are in need of somebody capable of drawing those three shapes and little else then I am your girl. Go me!

Red = how to draw the perfect hexagon

I should make an advertisement for doing a chemistry degree:

Chemistry Ad

It would read, "Do a degree in chemistry! You will have to make crystal meth in your basement to get by, but your love for the subject will outweigh any other problems you might have in your life. Promise."

And it will be an ironic ad. 

Oh and about my life getting more interesting, as I promised it would, it will… It just hasn’t yet. Give it another week. Or two. And then maybe something spicy might happen. That may be a pun. It may not be. I have no idea. Time will tell. In other news (entirely unrelated), my family seems to have made a habit of having family reunions right in the middle of my exams. So that's fun. And poor timing. And fuels the aforementioned tired, grumpy and emotional state.

Although, when I say that my life hasn’t gotten interesting, I did get a black eye. So that was fun; you know, supporting the Men In Black (#allblackeverything). I admit, wasn’t a proper black eye, but I will claim it because it was the most interesting thing that has happened all week (in my life). If you’re wondering, I got a phone thrown at my face.

Our boys

The weather has been quite nice. Not that I would know. I’ve been working on my study tan. Pasty with a hint of ghost.

What does this even mean? 

Till something more interesting happens, stay safe out there. It’s a dangerous world!

[End note and fun fact: Apparently throwing up in your exam is not that uncommon; some people do that. Unfortunately I have never experienced this first hand, but I have it on good authority]