Fujian Province

Very soon after Miss Scarlett returned to her beloved air conditioning, serta mattress, western food, and two little dogs, Alex and I were heading to his home province of Fujian located in southeast China across from Taiwan. We went to celebrate his father's 60th birthday with his family (even though he is only 58 - not sure how that math works). Ten days in yet another furnace sleeping on what amounts to a VMI rack - without the hay - leaves me to share with you my story. 

High-five Mao

Recently, a report was published finding that 80% of all flights from Beijing Capital Airport are delayed, so I will start there (article can be found here.) It was a beautiful, clear morning, so smog-free you could see the mountains perfectly from downtown. Though we were late getting to the airport due to not one but two major accidents on the expressway, we made it to the gate in time to board. The plane pulled back and in just a few minutes I noticed out the window that we were waiting for take off with one aircraft  in line ahead of us. We waited...and waited....and waited. One hour later, we finally lifted off. Goodness, I love China. 

Tibet Part 2 - Journey to Everest

We left Lhasa in the morning bound for Shigatse, 6 hours away by bus. En route, we would make three stops as we moved over the mountains. The scenery was breathtaking (literally), but the temperatures dropped significantly the higher we went. Because the air gets thinner as you go higher, we were not allowed to sleep while the van was climbing so that we wouldn't develop breathing problems and could avoid other altitude sickness. When we reached the first stop, which would also be the highest elevation for the day - 15,419 ft. - and the temperature had dropped approximately 25 degrees fahrenheit.

The view over Yamtso Holy Lake was incredible. From our perspective, the lake appeared to be azure blue. Since it is considered holy, there is neither fishing allowed nor the presence of any boats. At first glance, we assumed it was undoubtedly a massive source of fresh water for the people, but turns out that in fact it actually is somewhat salty, and can't be consumed. We drove down to the lake shore. There were many locals with Tibetan Mastiffs that you could pay to have your picture with. Truly massive animals. I went down to the shore and washed my hands in the water, which is supposed to cleanse my soul. Not sure exactly how clean I got it with a dead fish floating a few feet away.

The best part was a yak that you could get on and pose for pictures. Of course I couldn't resist.  I hopped on, added the traditional Tibetan hat and scarf, and prepared my best Napoleon pose for crossing the Himalayas.

Tibet Part 1 - Lhasa

And this is where the fun misery for Miss Pratt really began...

Outside the un-opened train station

We arrived in Lhasa late in the afternoon, greeted by fresh air, blue skies, cool temperatures, and a beautiful, brand new train station - that was not opened yet. For Miss Pratt's sake, we I had to lug our bags about 400 meters around to the other side of the station to meet the tour van. While we waited for a few others arriving later, we searched for a bathroom. We found it in a huge building that turned out to be a military barracks, consequently, with neither running water nor any form of air freshener. Clearly, we were about to get a run for our money. 

Typical Tibetan facade

Lhasa is a stark contrast to the rest of China. Most noticeably, the sky was deep blue without the slightest hint of any form of pollutants. I was also amazed to find the streets clean and clear of clutter, modern bridges, tunnels, clutter-free highways, and buildings looking quite pristine. In my mind I had pictured decrepit structures stricken with poverty, and yet here was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen, alive with bright colors that contrasted with the dark-skin inhabitants (allow me to explain). 

Bless Her Heart....

…Miss Pratt will never, ever, leave the United States, maybe even Richmond, again.

(For those who don't know, my mother came to visit China for 3 weeks)

I am not sure how she survived China. I know deep down she was in pure agony from the moment she set foot off the plane. The sad thing is, even at the sight of "KFC" in the arrivals area, she had no idea what she had gotten herself into. Allow me to digress:

I arranged a special "Welcome" dinner party in her honor at a friend's upscale restaurant. The food is from Sichuan Province, which is spicy Chinese. We had a diverse spread of chicken, lamb, vegetables, and the piece de resistance, eel. Even two glasses of white wine couldn't build up her courage to divulge. While she did try some of the food, let me just say, Miss Pratt (a.k.a. Miss Scarlett) went hungry that night.