Paro, Bhutan: Beauty and grace emaculate

Bhutan: What a gem! We flew from Kathmandu this morning and after a 45 minute flight by Mt. Everest and many other Himalayan peaks we landed in the Paro Valley. This is a unique and very special place. The people are all gracious, kind, warm and welcoming. The landscape is stunning: forested mountains, crystal clear river waters and green valleys that are a patchwork of rice patties and straw. In Bhutan it is illegal to hunt. All meats are farmed. That level of conservation is reflected in the unspoiled countryside. The houses are all reminiscent of Swiss chalets, each kept clean and manicured. You can feel the sense of respect these people offer their belongings and their land. This evening we had dinner with the Bhutan Rimpoche Datong Tulku: a reincarnate of the original Buddha. He is the spiritual leader of Bhutan. Ellen and I sat and shared stories and were delighted in his easy humor, and amazing mix of business savvy and religious acumen. He is in the process of rebuilding a temple and we spoke of having him visit USA.

Lhasa, Tibet: Our first morning in Tibet

Awoke this morning after sleeping on a very nice, clean down comforter that was neatly draped over a slab of marble. ‘Firm’ is an understatement, these beds are made to make the mountain people comfortable when in the city. Ellen and I resorted to loading 3 thick winter comforters on top of the marble so we could slumber. At about 4am I went up to the roof for a view of the stars, the city and the surrounding mountains. Even with city lights the star came out to play. As the light of the sun brightened the day Tibet started to show us her beauty.
Factoid: It is illegal to have a portrait of the Dali Lama in Tibet. A tour guide was caught with a DVD of the Dali Lama and was sentenced to 6 years in prison.

Leaping Tiger Gorge

The legend goes that a great tiger, while being hunted, was able to jump from one side of the Yangtze River to the other at a narrow gorge in the river. We traveled for 3 hours to see what was billed at the "deepest and grandest gorge in the world." While quite impressive, the Tiger Leaping Gorge was a little overstated. Though to have another day with Ellen was truly Divine. Our guide for the day, William, was a local mountain man, very humble, very informative and very talkative. After an hour or so of his tutelage we had to resort to iPods and books to quiet him. The driver was Tibetan: calm collected and purposeful. Nice to have on the curvy mountain roads. The gorge is 35kms long and 12 km wide and at its narrowest spot the water is fierce and voluminous.

[Note from Ellen:
In 1989, when some brave adventurers rafted down the Yangtze all the way from its Headwaters in Tibet to its mouth in the East China Sea at Shanghai, the only fatality occurred in the Leaping Tiger River Gorge.
I'm not surprised.
While the gorge isn't as deep or impressive as the Grand Canyon, the power of the raging water at the spot we hiked to was Tremendous! I think this is not only because the river drops steeply there, but also because the steep, granite sidewalls of the gorge close in sharply approaching the gorge.
Hiking to the leaping tiger spot on the river takes 30-45 minutes and involves some risk. The walls of the gorge are vertical and the path to the tiger has been blasted out of the rock face. We hiked on the Lijiang side - facing Shangri La on the other side. Rock falls are common - 20 days before we were there, a guide from Lijiang was killed by a falling boulder.]

On the way there we stopped at a shrine overlooking the Yangtze that had Sensemillaen growing wild along the paths. We also were very close to Shangri-la. Though to be honest, I feel that we already have that in our hearts every day.
Factiod: The Tiger Leaping Gorge has caves chiseled in the marble banks that were used by emperors past to get the best marble and more recently to allow tourists to walk the 2.6km to the gorge without getting hit by rocks that periodically fall from the high cliffs above.

For more Pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/randpipp/20071007QiaotouChinaTigerLeapingGorge

Shanghai Huangou River Cruise

We just returned from a trip on the Huangou River. Shanghai is lit up like a Las Vegas night. The colors, movement and diversity are spectacular. We spent the evening with Peter and his wife, a freight forwarder for exporting goods from China, while floating along the Bund. The Bund is a section of town along the river where our hotel is located: the Weston Bund. It is the tallest building in the picture at right with the golden crown. Below (hopefully) is an attached video that shows one half of the river, the other side is lit up as well. We are continually amazed at the energy of this city: alive with a buzz that I can only imagine as Gold Rush San Francisco. My beautiful Ellen on one arm floating by one of the oldest civilizations in the world while I sip an ice cold Tsingtao beer.

Factoid: Tsingtao was first brewed in China in 1903, founded by German solders. Did you know that those safety conscious Germans are responsible for 470 Chinese injuries a year: due to exploding beer bottles, by all counts, schnitzels are safer.

For more pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/randpipp/20071005ShanghaiChinaJadeTempleShoppingRiverTour

Church Cave: Kings Canyon

Church Cave in Sequoia-Kings Canyon: great hike and adventure in the cave. We were able to get access to the circuit route and spend a few hours playing underground. Then followed it with a cool jump in the river. Aria hurt her foot and we carried her all the way out of the canyon.