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.