Tellie Part 2

Here is a link to Tellie's Dogster Page. There are several more pictures, a few videos, and her history (she was about to be put to sleep when the rescue agency stepped in)! My favorite video is of her chasing her tail, but in the video below you can actually see her happy doggy face.

http://www.dogster.com/dogs/506012/in/stroll/#diary

Land of our Ancestors

Rounding a bend on the trail to the Mystic Waterfall we encountered a stream bed littered with small piles of stones. Spring and Tao explained that each formation was built in honor of a family member who had passed away. We all stopped to build our own monuments. It was definitely an emotional experience for me. I started to build one for both Josh's family and my own. Then I knocked it down and built one for our combined family instead. It didn't seem right to separate the two. Then I built one in honor of my friend's families. Victoria's grandmother and great aunt, Dana's uncle, Sue's parents. After they were all done we stood together holding hands. Roy, Percy and Gail each said a blessing. I'm not very good at articulating my feelings in any sentimental way so I just pictured all of our loved ones sitting in deck chairs smoking cigars, drinking red wine, and discussing how the hell they ended up in China.

Tellie

This is Tellie. We adopted her today. She is a one year old Australian Cattle Dog and she is totally charming. We met her with her foster parents at Green Lake and while she was skittish with us at first, after a handful of treats and a good walk she started to warm up. Her foster parents followed us home to make sure our house was a good fit for Tellie. She liked the house, but she loved the yard. For a very athletic dog she is surprisingly dainty. We were playing fetch and the ball landed in our garden and she was very careful not to step on the strawberry plants. She doesn't seem phased by other dogs, she doesn't bark much, she is very bright and is eager to please. Welcome home Tellie!

Subconscious Colorado

On our first full day in Yubeng Village we set out on our hike to the Mystic Waterfall. Spring told us that pilgrims often sing while making their way down the trail so Roy, Percy, and I each crooned the first thing that came to mind. Sadly, the first thing that popped into my mind was,

"You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin when the dealins done."

Yes, the first thing I thought of was Kenny Rodgers. And I don't really like Kenny Rodgers. Seven years ago I was stuck in a blizzard on the most precarious road in Colorado with my friend Shelly Lee. She found comfort in Kenny and she was driving so I was subject to seven hours of the Gambler, Endless Love, I Will Always Love You, and Lady on a continuous loop. At least she spared me Elvira. Ever since I've gone out of my way to avoid anything associated with Kenny Rodgers, including his restaurant chain and the Seinfeld episode about his restaurant chain. And yet, he still managed to pop in to my subconscious in the very least likely place on earth. Bastard.

Yellow is the Color of Happiness

Working our way through the mud strewn streets of Yubeng Village we encountered a festive scene. At the edge of town in a courtyard temple the villagers were all dressed in costume, many colored flags were flying, children were playing, men were dancing, and women were singing. An honest to goodness living Buddha was there to deliver blessings! We dropped our packs at the adjacent hostel and wandered into the temple courtyard just in time for the ceremony to commence. Money was donated, rice was distributed, prayers were said, blessings given, and liquor poured. Only Percy, Spring, Tao, and Roy had the stamina to stay for hours and to consume copious quantities of shaojiu, a very strong local rice wine, but they were rewarded for their tenacity by the living Buddha with a yellow prayer shawl symbolizing wisdom, learning, optimism, intuition, faith, well-being, friendship, happiness, and sociability. I don't think the Buddha could have chosen a more perfect color.

View from Nazong Pass

I only have a few short seconds to blog but I wanted to share this 20 second video of the view from the top of Nazong Pass. If you press pause after 9 seconds you will see Yubeng Village in the valley below and a hanging glacier that is very near the Mystic Waterfall, the primary destination of the Inner Circle Pilgrimage. I believe the mountains, from right to left, are Kawa Karpo's General, his Crown, and his beautiful wife.

Taking a Step Back

In a previous post, I mentioned that the road from Shangri-la to Deqin was a real roller coaster road. Here is documented proof. This is a short video taken on that same road in March, 2007. Towards the end of the video you can see how precarious and high up the road really was. As an added bonus you can hear a beautiful traditional Tibetan song.

The Decent

Rounding the summit of Nazong Pass, Yubeng Village finally came into view. I had traveled 7000 miles in seven days to reach this small community in the foothills of the Himalaya and I was almost punch drunk with giddiness to see it. In my haste to reach the Village, I foolishly joined Mike on the decent. He seemed almost as anxious as I was to get there and was very nearly running down the trail past horses and pilgrims while listening to physics lectures on tape. Even though Mike's legs were twice as long as mine, I told myself that I could keep up. I was sure I had more experience on much nastier and steeper terrain and I had fully functioning knees, a rarity among most of my peers. Unfortunately, I miscalculated one key factor in my plan... Mike's intense motivation to find a place to sleep. He later said he was kept up the night before by a fellow traveler's snoring, but I'm not entirely sure that I buy it. It is just as or more likely that Mike met some new friends at the Hot Springs and never quite made it back to bed. At any rate, I was soon left in the dust. Literally. Shortly after I lost sight of Mike I went ass over tea kettle down the trail. Fortunately, the only witnesses to the event were both very helpful and, better yet, didn't speak a word of English. In the end, I made it to Yubeng Village in one very happy piece and Mike got his nap. Spring took this picture of Mike about five minutes after we arrived in Yubeng Village.

Happy Birthday Spring!

The Macroeconomics of Alvin the Chipmunk

For years I've tried to reach a zen like mental state when hiking or climbing. The point is to experience every moment for the moment in and of itself and not to really over analyze it. I've only reached that point once while hiking in the Olympics and the moment only lasted as long as it took me to realize that I'd finally reached it. I just can't seem to quiet my mind long enough to peacefully take in my surroundings without abstract thoughts creeping in. In six degrees of separation I can literally go from "cute chipmunk" to "macroeconomics." It's a sickness. Hiking on the Inner Circle Pilgrimage Trail though, I finally found something that works. The Rolling Stones. I was so excited that I listened to "You Can't Always Get What You Want" over and over again. When I reached the summit I shared my epiphany with Roy and Mike. Roy shared my enthusiasm, but Mike was less impressed. Here is a photo of Mike listening to the song for the first time. Maybe I should have started him on "Sympathy for the Devil."FYI:
(1) Cute chipmunk
(2) "Christmas, Don't Be Late" as sung by Alvin and the Chipmunks
(3) Christmas gift commercialism
(4) Consumer debt
(5) Economic downturn
(6) Macroeconomics

White Horses Have Attitude

Like most things in China, the trail between the Hot Springs and Yubeng Village is a dichotomy. It is spectacularly beautiful, moving from an arid plateau to a rain forest of rhododendrons and firs. But it is also littered with tons of trash. Pilgrims have been traveling along the trail for hundreds of years, but generally anything they left behind, like food waste, paper, or fiber materials, would biodegrade naturally. However, with ever increasing tourism and the prevalence of plastic water bottles, candy wrappers, and cigarettes butts, the trash just keeps piling up. Tao, stunned by the waste, and Percy, stunned after being knocked down a hillside by a cantankerous white horse, began to pick up as much of the trash as they could see. The response by other pilgrims was mixed. Some seemed shocked that Tao and Percy would condescend to do trail maintenance, some were pleased and said thank you, and others started to pick up bits of trash as well. Spring and Tao have since started an initiative to establish an anti-liter campaign on the inner pilgrimage circle.

No Sleep Tonight

I will get back to the China adventure tomorrow but first I want to make a plug for ilike.com, a website that lets you listen and download tons of free music by emerging garage bands of every genre. I may never sleep again.

Persecuted by Howie Mandell

Howie Mandell is inescapable. After a day of stress, chaos, and ridiculous amounts of food, I wanted nothing more than to pirate a wifi signal and send out a few e-mails, but the only place in this house that I can get a connection happens to be the same room where everyone wants to watch "Deal or No Deal." I can accept that today of all days my family could use a diversion like a silly TV game show, however, I think I would take Bob Saget's "1 verses 100" over Howie Mandell's "Deal or No Deal" any day. At least Bob Saget can tell a good joke. "A guy walks into a talent agent and says, 'I have this family act....'" You've got to love the Aristocrats.