Tibet to Shanghai

  Another long day of traveling.  I really don't know how I still continued to function at this point.  Traveling in a wheelchair in some of these airports was exceedingly difficult.  There were all of these rules that made no sense to me.  For example, I checked in for the first flight and was told to bring my wheelchair to the gate.  Then in security, the lady said I had to go back and check it and it would cost money.  The life long learners who "adopted" me were such a big help running back and forth through the airport so I could get to the flight on time.

  We had a several hour layover at one of the airports and that was another challenge.  Only one wheelchair was ordered for our group, but two of us needed one.  (One of the life long learners had gotten severe altitude sickness and was still recovering.)  I gave him the chair and told the lady pushing his chair that I needed one too.  That wee-otch looked me up and down, curled her lip, and haughtily walked away.  I was really mad.  I could tell she was judging me because of my age and she had no right to do that.  Plus she seemed like she had a giant stick up her butt even on a good day.  

  I made it in from the plane to security and asked again for a wheelchair.  The lady at security said there was only one in the whole airport.  I politely told her that I highly doubted that and I would be sitting beside her station until someone found me a chair.  There were many an annoyed look exchanged but I finally did get a chair.  I really hate being annoying like that, but sometimes I have no choice.  It's not like I could crawl through the airport (at least not without good kneepads).  

  We arrived back at the boat in the evening and had some time to take in the crazy awesome city lights.

Beijing to Tibet!

   Today was the moment of truth.  I had been greatly anticipating and greatly fearing Tibet since I signed up for this trip.  I was so excited to go to TIbet since I have learned about it all through school.  It was a place I always wanted to go.  At the same time, I was really afraid of the high altitude, particularly how I would handle that with my health issues.

   The flights there were easy.  Some turbulence as we flew over the mountains, but nothing too bad.

Then we landed in Tibet!  As soon as the cabin pressure was unregulated my heart rate soared and I started panting.  Uh-oh.  Still, I was able to get off the plane and make it part way through the airport before I collapsed.  I sent a guy who had hung back with me to get me a wheelchair and relaxed on the ground.  A few security guards started yelling at me in Mandarin so I drew a picture of a wheelchair on my hand and then pointed to myself.  Worked like a charm.  They let me stay collapsed where I was until I someone brought me my chair.  :0)

Behavior in Tibet is serious business.  We were lucky to be allowed there at all this time of year because of the uprisings at this time in 2008.  We had to stay with out guides at all times and the people in our group from different countries had to go with their own guides because the government didn't want too many different kinds of people in one place.  We couldn't go out past 10pm which wasn't really an issue because we couldn't go out on our own anyway.  No pictures of any government workers of buildings.  Even if a soldier walked into our picture as we were taking it, they would confiscate the camera.  We had to be extremely careful what we wrote or said.  One guy on a tour a few years ago yelled "Free Tibet" and was in jail for a few months before being sent home at his own expense.  For just two words!  It was likely, but unconfirmed that our rooms and busses were bugged and that our calls were monitored.  Many of us had skype shut off on us when we even said the word "China."  We also had to be careful of what we had on our computers.  It was common practice for government workers to go through tourists rooms when they weren't there and see if they had any pro-tibet freedom material.  So, I couldn't even start writing my blogs about China while I was there because they would have had to be 100% pro China.  It was really strange and a little scary.  It was that feeling of stress you get when you are avoiding saying anything wrong at an airport, except it was like that the whole time we were there.  And the people who live there deal with it all the time!

The information we received from our guides was also very regulated.  It was a China-based tour company, of course.  I did learn a lot, but nothing about any of the unrest in Tibet and little about what daily life was like for people there.  We weren't really supposed to talk to people we met or ask questions.  The guides were really nice, wonderful people, but they did make it out like China rescued Tibet and life is 110% better for everyone now.  And we had no opportunity to hear anything else than that.

Ok enough about the scary censorship.  Once I got past that (well I never got past it, I just got less distracted by it), Tibet was a beautiful place!  We were greeted on the bus with Khatas which are a white silk scarf signaling purity, friendship, and respect.  :0)  I spent the hour drive to the hotel splitting my attention between trying to breath and ogling at the beautiful sights.  

I finally figured out that my difficulty in breathing came from not only the dry air and low oxygen content, but also the fact that my cold allergy was making my airways swell.  Things went much better after I started breathing through my sweatshirt to warm up the air.  :0)

Our local guide, Dickee (pronounced DEE-KEE) demonstrated how to use the oxygen tanks we had in the bus and hotel, but I abstained.  Luckily being a POTSie makes me used to oxygen deprivation in my brain.  haha

Dinner (or was it lunch?) was a cold and delicious affair.  The restaurant was decorated in the brilliant colors that were common in Tibet.  

So this is one of my favorite dishes and I have no clue what it is called or how to make it.  Anyone know?  ^

After some traffic in the narrow side streets, we made it back to the hotel and I gladly retired to my bed.  I had a bit of a difficult time getting comfortable with the breathing problems, but I discovered I could breathe better if I slept with the covers over my head (sounds counter-intuitive, I know).  Once I got that settled, I was out in a second!  I barely had time to reflect that I was there, in Tibet, just like I dreamed, and I wasn't quite dead yet, in fact, I was feeling a bit better.  

Hong Kong to China

I guess the title is a little misleading considering I spend about two hours in Hong Kong before I flew off to Beijing, China.

I spent the morning packing for my China/Tibet trip and exploring the mall that was right off the ship with Andrea.  It was probably the fanciest mall I have ever and will ever visit!  There were all the name brands like Gucci and....um the other ones...for KIDS!  What kid needs a whole Gucci store to pick out clothes from?!?!  I don't think I bought anything other than some nasty KFC for lunch (it was the only thing I could afford! haha).

Then it was time to leave on my whirlwind trip around Tibet and China.  I started off almost missing the bus because I got behind struggling with my wheelchair on stairs.  Finally someone helped me and I made it to the bus just in time.  Whew!

I took some pictures as we drove through Hong Kong, but as most bus pictures tend to do, they didn't turn out very well.  There were many impressive bridges, buildings, and construction projects going on.

Airports in a wheelchair are always a challenge.  That kind of gets multiplied when I don't speak the language.  I got on the plane after a bit of minor complications.  I wasn't allowed to wheel my own wheelchair through the airport and the person who took over the wheelchair pushing was late.  STill, I got on the plane!  

And what a plane it was!  The thing was HUGE!  So huge that I could hardly tell when we took off or landed.  Each seat had it's own TV complete with movies, TV shows, and even games!  I watched a movie about a kid and a dolphin which was cute.  I would have certainly loved it when I was little!

We had a stop along the way, get off the plane and wait for it to be cleaned.  It was nice to stretch out legs and get some dodgy ice cream from one of the airport stores.  There were pea and corn flavored popsicles that no one was brave enough to try.  

The last flight was a short one and then we were in Beijing!  I was greeted off the plane with an airport wheelchair.  I was a little worried because I'm used to getting my own chair at this point, but they said I could go pick that up in baggage claim.  Whew.  

Although when I did pick it up in baggage claim, I saw that poor Benny (my wheelchair) was mangled.  :0(  There was no way that I could even sit in the chair, let alone get it to move.  I got very calm at that point which is a sign that I should be very stressed. 

It looked way worse in person.  

 The next four hours or so were spent banging my head against a brick wall.  Ok not really, but that was what it felt like. Things started off well.  The guy who wheeled me to baggage claim took me to an office for damaged baggage.  They started to fill out a damage report and then we started discussing (in a few words in English and hand gestures) what to do.  That was when the problem started.  They wanted me to take the broken wheelchair and get it fixed somewhere in the city and then drive the hour back and give them the receipt to get reimbursed.  This was not even remotely a possibility for me.  I was only in Beijing for a day and that day was booked with the tour.  They the offered to give me $70 and have me go.  That also wasn't a good option because I still wouldn't have a functional wheelchair.  I don't think people were understanding that this wasn't just a piece of luggage for me.  It was my freedom, my legs, my ability to participate in the tour.   Then they said that they couldn't do anything because there were no wheelchair repair places in China.  I stared at the guy who told me that with narrowed eyes and said, "So I'm the only one in China with a wheelchair?"  He laughed and walked away.  Then one of the group leaders and I sat in a room for a few hours going back and forth with the story changing and mostly being ignored.  We kept asking what we were waiting for and it was alway something different.  They were waiting for the manager, or the repair man, or...who knows. From the beginning I kept telling them that they probably could fix it there being an airport with lots of tools.  At around 9:00 they once again told me I had to wait another hour to find out how long I would wait after that for who knows what.  I basically got fed up at this point and told them that I was going home and they were going to get me a functional wheelchair.  One of the male guides translated this for me and poof! things started to happen.  If I were pessimistic I would say that the other leader/guide and I were being ignored because we were women.  They decided to let me rent a wheelchair for the next day and my male guide, who I got to know as Henry (the Awesome), would stay for whatever it was we were waiting past 10:00 for.  Turns out they were able to kind of repair it.  They put the seat on backwards and it doesn't fully open, but at least I got it back and I can sit in it without falling out now.  (I ended up getting it back the next night) But bloody hell that tested my patience!  Not to mention that everyone in my group was held up in a bus for hours waiting for me.  They finally got to leave about an hour before me and I took a bus all to myself back.  I think it is a testament to human nature that no one held that against me.

When I finally got to the hotel I was SO happy to see Andrea was there with her group too!  I had been really calm throughout the whole thing, and then I relaxed and melted a bit.  She gave me a big hug and commiserated on my crazy evening.  My luck continued to get better when I got to my room and found that it was REALLY nice and I had a great roommate.

It was a cozy place to sleep and recharge.  :0)

Safari!

   When I think back on today, it seems like it was a whole week!  It's amazing how much one can get done when they wake up at 5am and stay up until 11pm!  

    I had two flights and an awesome car ride to get to the safari resort.  And I do mean resort.  I was worried because the description said we would be staying in tents, but these are luxury tents with air conditioning, bath salts, and chocolate on the pillows.  I don't think I've stayed in a nicer place in my life!

   Backing up, the flights were pretty standard.  Get on, take off, fly, land.  There was some confusion about me being in a wheelchair, but it all worked out and we got to the flight on time.  An interesting thing about airports here is that it is perfectly acceptable to show up to the airport 40 minutes before a flight.  Security takes about a minute and there aren't any crowds to contend with.  It made for a very relaxing trip.  The airlines also gave us a meal, even on the flight that was only an hour long.  (Take note, airlines in the U.S.)

   The second plane was a tiny one with propellers!  It was quite bouncy but fun.  The airport we came into was in the middle of the South African bush and very small.  Within ten to fifteen minutes of landing we were already meeting with our guides who would take us to our lodge.  I was expecting a bus, like for most of SAS transportation, but we got to ride in a safari car right away!  And what a trip it was!  We saw lots of different kinds of antelope, warthogs, and even rhinos!  

The way they run with their tails straight up in the air is endearing beyond words.  I want one.

You can just barely see the bum of a baby rhino behind the big ones.

Unfortunately also lots of spiders that were bigger than my open hand.  They are like everywhere and it is terrifying to me.

     We were greeted at the lodge with a cool cloth to wipe the just off of our faces and guava drinks.  After a brief overview of our accommodations and the schedule for the next few days, we headed to our rooms to unpack and get ready for afternoon tea.  Instead of numbers, the rooms were given animal names.  I stayed in giraffe.  :0)   I spent probably 80% of that time ogling at the room and taking pictures and about 20% actually unpacking and getting changed.  

Our camp.

No doors or blinds for the shower!  Hope there weren't any peepers. haha

The most comfortable bed in the world.

Our luxury tend from the outside.  

   Afternoon tea was as quaint and fun as it sounds.  There were some sweet and savory snacks accompanied by hot and cold coffee and tea.  After some chatting and noming, I checked out the beautiful beautiful internet on my phone.  It felt strange and wonderful to be connected to the world again.  I did have to check myself though, because I quickly could have slid back into my anti-social internet habits.  

   At 4:30, it was time for the first game drive!  Somehow I managed to get on the least crowded jeep so we all had a "window seat."  The ride in itself was really fun.  Think Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland but without seat-belts and everything is real!  I expected the game drives to be lots of driving and a few lucky spottings of animals.  The rhino we saw about two minutes into the game drive told me my expectations were going to be very much surpassed.  

A rhino blowing kisses at us.  Or smiling.  With rhinos it's always hard to tell, you know.

  Our guides were really funny and loved to mess with us and play pranks.  One of the things the tracker did was to say he smelt something if he knew we were close.  It took us forever to figure out that he knew we were coming up to an animal because of the radio.  We were driving a long and suddenly stopped and he said that he smelled something.  He had us all try to guess what he smelled but none of us did.  We slowly pulled forward and saw...

  Amazing!  There were two lionesses and three cubs!  They were quite active for this time in the day with the little ones playing and nursing and the adults swatting at the cubs when they got to annoying.  I couldn't believe I was seeing real lions in the wild!  It's an almost spiritual experience.  I was in awe as I watched them carry on with business as usual, not giving a single care that we were there.  Even if I ever made it to a safari, I never thought I would be lucky enough to see something like this!

  Eventually, we had to move on to give other groups a chance.  There were tons of antelope, birds, and warthogs to see.  Part way through the game drive, we stopped for a drink and a snack.  I took the opportunity to take some memorable photos. 

Day turned into dusk which turned into night.  Still there was more to see.  Our guides somehow spotted this little guy in a tree by the side of the road.  It's a baby camelian!  

We got another sighting in of the lions before we headed back for an 8:00 dinner as well.

The cubs are nursing.  :0)

Dinner was fantastic as was the setting.  We were at beautifully set tables surrounding a central bonfire.  

By the end of dinner, I was stuffed and sleepy.  I stayed up a bit longer to get in some skype time with my family and then fell asleep the instant my head hit the pillow.  It was an awesome day!