Vagabonding begins!

I don’t normally get into these things, but I have some strong feelings about China and the Tibet situation. Beware, I have decided to vent my negative chi into something positive with this post!

This is a petition to try to get the Chinese government to come to the table and talk rather than sending in more AKs.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/98.php/?CLICK_TF_TRACK

They are currently at around 800,000 signatures and need a million. I don’t know if the PRC will pay any attention to it, but it is also a good thing to send the message out to the rest of the world as well - including the brilliant Olympics Committee that is strangely rewarding these people for their actions.

Tibet has always been China’s dirty little secret. By the end of the cultural revolution, 1.2 MILLION Tibetans were killed and 6000 religious sites were destroyed by the Chinese government under Chairman Mao. Tibet posed no military threat to them whatsoever.

[read on]

My playground

In the last 2 years, I have been to 15 countries…..far less than many of my backpacking counterparts that I have met. However, throw in 2 trips to Alaska, which can be every bit as expensive and adventurous as international travel, and the fact that I lingered in many of the places for months rather than just weeks, and it really doesn’t seem that bad. I covered some ground.

The problem is….I haven’t even scratched the surface!

[read on]

"How many roads must a man walk down....before you call him a man?" Bob Dylan asked that question years ago. I don't know either, but I intend to walk all of them and will become a better ... [Continue reading this entry]

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I managed to eat a bowl of soup today and not be looking at it again 20 minutes later. Thats quite an improvement over the last 48 hours. I'm definitely still weak and not up to par, but hey - ... [Continue reading this entry]

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Tourists. Bleh. Having spent hours and hours alone in China, I realized that a voice recorder would be nice to have. It is kind of a tool of the trade for writer-wannabe's anyway and I have had countless ideas for ... [Continue reading this entry]

The fluorescent light above my bunk came on without warning and obnoxiously broke me out of a nice dream. I could feel the momentum of the train slowing, which meant that it was time ... [Continue reading this entry]

Around 03:00am, I felt a soft tickle across my lips, then on my cheek. Something was up. Either the Chinese girl sleeping in the top bunk about 4 feet across from me had grown frisky or I had another visitor ... [Continue reading this entry]

Wow....Chengdu has been an eye opening experience for me. Not as much culturally, but personally. I no longer regret putting Tibet off until next year. Anyone that has read the book The Celestine Prophecy would understand...I have pretty much lived ... [Continue reading this entry]