Web update

Ah, the joys of unemployment. I have had nothing to do but update my personal web site (and apply to jobs). I would love it if my two readers (yes, you, Joan and Merrie) would take a look and gave...

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Goodbye, Hangzhou

Well, this is it. I'm leaving tomorrow morning at 6 am for Pu Dong Airport. I will actually arrive in San Francisco earlier than my plane leaves. I have a feeling that will be only the beginning of the bizzare...

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Gyantse and our last days in Tibet

I'm always interested in religious images like this one. To me, it looks so similar to paintings you would see in a European church built in the middle ages. This photo was taken at the Pelkor Chode, the buddhist...

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Don't come to China in July

This story about Qingdao, home of everyone's favorite Chinese beer, is the perfect example of why no one should ever travel in China in July. This is what Jiuzhaigou was like when I was there. Look at the Sea of...

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Mt. Qomolangma, where are you?

On the path to base camp, Everest's snowy peaks are nowhere to be seen. By day three of our adventures in Tibet, the four of us arrived near the base of Mt. Qomolangma, the awkward Tibetan name of the...

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Road Trip Tibet

Three Tibetan women and their children on the road from Lhasa to Shigatse. The monk guarding the doorway to the meeting hall at Sakya Monastery gestured for us to enter. I was somewhat reluctant -- everyone inside was barefoot...

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