More from the Archives

These are portraits that I shot in 2004 at a Children's Day celebration in western Yushu Prefecture. It was incredibly sunny and a lot of my shots from that day were washed out- but there was no hiding the beauty of the nomad families that camped on the grassland around the boarding school. It was late June - I think- and the afternoons were fiercely hot and the nights brutally cold. I had brought a soccer ball to the kids at the school and we played a lot during their days off- until it popped. Another local group from the community did some environmental workshops for the kids and I showed them some of the insects that lived in and around the streams. At night on the plateau above 15,000 feet the stars were infinite above, and the white summer-time tents were lit like lanterns on the grassland below. During one of those black nights, I snuck out between the glowing tents to the stream to bathe for the first time in many days. Even though it was June- there was still a good two or three feet of ice along the edge of the stream to jump over to get to the moving water. I scrubbed off days of grime in the icy brook while taking in the stellar majesty above and tiny dots of life spread out before me as the sounds of laughter and barking dogs floated across the open plain in harmony with the gurgling water. It was a truly delicious taste of life.

Reading Material and Local Fare

For those interested in reading more about the broader region, BBC correspondent James Reynolds keeps a blog here. Another interesting BBC article about the nearby areas can be found here. Foreign Affairs also regularly has articles regarding China, the latest written by Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson.
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As for us, it's been a slow week- mostly studying and helping some friends get their coffee shop ready to open next week. We'll have no classes from the 29th until the 6th, and so are hoping to help with some water/chemical testing, getting the office filing system in order, and re-formatting some of the computers. Since it's been raining most of the week, most of the highlights have been eating. Shinay already covered the ladies making dumplings, so I'll leave you with these pictures of a lady slicing up pigs' feet and a man roasting meat. When I was growing up, the Hammonds had a hog farm at the end of Booth Road. On one of my previous trips I tried some of the local pigs' feet at the night market- and they tasted exactly like the smell of that hog farm. I can eat just about anything, but I'm not planning on ordering pigs' feet again over here any time soon. The fellow roasting meat was one of the few folks still selling dinner as I walked back home in the rain after painting tonight at the coffee shop. He grilled me up five sticks and a flat bread brushed with oil and encrusted with spices, then stuffed the meat into the bread and poured me a cup of salt tea. It was the perfect late-night dinner.

A Day Not At School

I spent most of the day today with a friend from Holland. After a fine lunch of falafel, couscous, tomato salad, and fresh baked flat bread at his home, we ran some errands together. It was another damp, grey day as we crisscrossed town paying bills, picking up one of his sons from school, doing some carpentry at a friend's coffee shop, eating noodles, and buying fruit. It was really fun to be doing some construction work again- something I've missed a lot since over the past two years. We had a couple of doors to hang, a couple of shelves to put up, and some decorative woodwork to install. We got about half way through and will go back Friday afternoon to finish up.

The guys at the noodle shop were friendly enough to let me photograph them at work in the kitchen. They were a quick team pulling dough into noodles, boiling them, ladling out broth into the bowls and spooning vegetables and meat over each dish. The whole process took only a couple of minutes.



















After the noodles, we stopped by a fruit shop before heading home.

A Day At School

This is the inside of our school building. It's a pretty neat building- four floors arranged around a central open space with skylights overhead. When it rains there's quite a bit of dripping and there hasn't been any electricity this week- but overall a good place to learn. During breaks we come out to the common area to chat, stretch, and people watch.



Our classes get out just after noon, the same time that every school in the city sends kids home for their two hour lunch break. It's a complete mob on every street and quite a challenge to squeeze onto the packed buses. Today wasn't too bad and we managed a spot on a not so crowded bus.

After a long, cold morning (it was drizzling again and there's no heat in our concrete classroom), we warmed up at a Korean restaurant with some friends. The bibimbap, tofu soup, and spicy yak stew hit the spot!

The Rest of the Story

My wife also keeps a blog. You may want to read it to get the rest of the story. soyskim.blogspot.com

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Below is a picture from the trip over. It seemed like we were flying above a giant sea of cotton for hours upon hours. The plane was very new, the food good, and the flight staff very nice. All of this was an added bonus, however, as our single selection criterion was price. If you're planning a trip to East Asia, look into Hainan Airlines.

Laundry

I was hanging up the laundry today when I heard someone talking outside my window. I peered out and saw this woman and perhaps her grandson also doing their wash.

Sweets and Snacks

Shinay and I went shopping yesterday. These are some of the sweets and snacks we saw.

Local News!

Today's Post had an article about this area. Please read it when you have time.

From the Archives

I realize that I've not posted many pictures this year. Here's a shot from my first trip to the area in 2004. Between the river and the road leading out of Yushu, there was a little concrete pad with three walls and no roof. I was working with a friend on translating audio from a participatory video project we'd done with Insight Share and each afternoon after work, we'd head over to this little pad of concrete to play 3 on 3 soccer. There were two men of the cloth who often joined us. One traded in his robes for maroon soccer shorts and a saffron jersey, but the fellow shown below always came out in his full garb. Despite the disadvantages- he did have a certain trick of gathering the ball up into the robes where we couldn't get at it and he would then waddle towards the goal.

Warm Thursday

Well, dinner has been eaten, the dishes are drying in the rack, and a load of laundry is churning in the machine. Today we had a good class, got the accounting wrapped up, and got our residence permits and long term visas. There was even time for a good soccer match just before dark- from which my ankle is still throbbing. 

It's been a good week for getting to know folks around here. Every day we walk past a man with two steaming pots emitting the most delicious smell right at dinner time. Somehow each time we walk by, Shinay convinces me to look in his pots and ask "How much is it?". I think she just wants an excuse to look in the pots. I keep telling her it's the same price as yesterday- but the game doesn't seem to get old. Tuesday evening was grey and rainy and cold and we had a handful of friends over. After chatting for a while, I ducked out and headed down the hill determined to finally buy dinner from the man with the two giant pots (who must have been thoroughly bewildered as to why we always inquired and never bought). I found him happily tending his pots under a multicolored umbrella cozied up against a little shop where his wife was selling some kind of bread. It was a good spot- sheltered from the wind on the one side by the shop and by the rain from a giant willow overhead. He seemed absolutely delighted when I pointed at the larger of his two great pots and said "two of those please". He pulled back the lid to a billow of steam and revealed about ten whole chickens- head and all- boiling in a yellow broth. He stirred them about with a long, two pronged instrument, selected two suitable looking specimens and with the prongs hooked them about the neck and dropped them into a pot of boiling spiced oil. Wait awhile he said, grinning. He then politely offered me a cigarette and a seat beside him under the umbrella. Politely declining the former, I accepted the latter and began to chat over the inevitable questions. Where are you from? What are you doing here? How long are you staying? I fumbled through the answers fairly enough- I think- until another patron arrived to distract my host. He went through the same process and as he was dropping the next chicken into the oil I saw that mine were finishing to a lovely golden-brown. A few minutes later, he fished my chickens out and placed them in a cooling pan. About that time a young woman with two guys who had been eyeing the chickens from a distance hastened over and quickly said- "I'll have this one" as she snatched a bag and began to help herself to my chicken. Luckily the chicken-vendor shooed her away and let her know in no uncertain terms that those particular birds were already spoken for and that they would have to wait. The raiding party looked rather chagrined at their failed attack- as they should have. He then bagged them up for me, threw in a couple of packets of chili-powder and spices, and wished me happily on my way.

On the trudge back up the hill, I decided to stop and see the lady tending a  coal fire in a 55 gallon drum. On top she was roasting sweet potatoes ranging from moderately-small tubers to nearly football sized. I picked two of the largest ones, which she weighed out on a small stick-and-weight scale. With two bags full of steaming deliciousness- I scurried home to my hungry friends. 

The place was quite warm and cheery when I arrived. I stepped into the middle of some conversation about cultural interactions- but it quickly dissolved as the prospect of dinner became much more real. I put one of the Nepalis to work cutting the chicken- a task to which he applied such gusto and such a large cleaver that we all prayed that he'd not lose a hand in the process. Shinay prepared noodles and I scooped out the potatoes and washed fruit. At last we sat down to a feast of chili-peanuts, pumpkin seeds, chicken, noodles, sweet potato, bananas, apples, oranges and soda-pop. It was fantastic- both eating and getting to know some of the other folks in town. Now every time we walk up or down the hill- the chicken vendor smiles and waves to us.

Besides the chicken-man, we're also getting to know a tofu-seller and a family that runs a vegetable shop on our corner. The husband and wife are quite friendly and mild and they often have their young child in the shop with them. We try to go at less-busy times and ask what different things are called. Today we were getting tomatoes to make chili and the husband asked if we have tomatoes in our country. It took me a while to figure out what he was asking- but eventually assured him that we do. The shop has a good selection of fruits and vegetables and some grains and cooking oils. There is also an older woman who is sometimes in the shop and she is often tending the young boy. We assume that she's the man's mother, but don't know for sure. At first she would lecture Shinay at length about how to buy vegetables and how to count change- but after about the fifth scolding she must have realized she wasn't getting through and has resigned herself to trying to sell me old watermelons instead.

The tofu seller is quite a nice fellow. His stall is tucked in a back corner of a large, covered market on South Little Street. He makes the tofu daily and sells three items: straight tofu, pressed tofu, and bags of soy milk. He's nice enough, and Shinay likes tofu and soy milk enough- that we thought it would be a good place for her to practice her Chinese for the first time. I walked Shinay to the market on my way to play soccer and released her to practice and, hopefully, get ingredients for dinner. Two hours later, I stepped out of the dark into a bright and wonderful smelling apartment. Success! Shinay was happy, the tofu seller was happy, and there was a great dinner waiting.

Whenever someone asks me how big the city is- I usually say quite small. It is, however, over 1 million people. I thought for while about why I perceive it as a small town and realized that it's because I know only a few English speakers, and so I think of the place as about 30 or 40 people with lots of space and stuff in between. I'm looking forward to seeing the city "grow" as I meet more local folks and learn how to communicate with them. I could go on about the guys I play soccer with, our language teachers, the Muslim family that sells me noodles, and the ice cream shop that always has a double chocolate bar waiting for Shinay- but I need to head to bed and have something to write later. 

Monday Off

Well, it started off cool and grey this morning. We had the day off from classes for the Autumn Moon Festival. Last night all of the squares and roads were lit up and most restaurants and shops were closed. Driving home from a late farewell gathering, we watched little lanterns being released and floating up into the misty night sky. They rose slowly from the square and then drifted westward as they caught a light breeze. It was a very mild and peaceful evening and the bright moon was muted through the clouds.

I spent a lot of today in a prolonged meeting to schedule out the fall's activities through December. There's lots to do: a trip to Mongolia for local partners to learn from similar environmental and development projects, another study tour to other conservation projects in China, monitoring trips to check up on the 11 clinics that we help build/train staff for/fund, water monitoring work, checking up on the grazing study and repairing fences, test-running the snow leopard study equipment, test-running the bear fencing on-site (which we got juiced up and tested in the city last week), and so on and so on. There are conferences to attend, lectures to give, relationships to build, relationships to maintain. All this for three full-time workers with Shinay and I helping out part time after classes! Never a dull moment.

The day was less grey- but not very warm- by the time I left the meeting at 3:30. It wasn't cold either, just not warm. I headed home to see Shinay who'd been studying all day. We took a nap and then went to make something of the day off by playing soccer. Wouldn't you know as soon as we stepped out the door, clouds started rolling in from the west. We got in a good forty five minutes of play before the wind and rain picked up and the game fizzled out. We went to a noodle and fried rice restaurant for a quick dinner and were happy to find jia-jia-myun on the menu- but it didn't taste anything like the Korean dish we're used to.

After dinner, we studied some more together, checked up on our fantasy football team (we're almost last in our league- didn't really want to play but were coerced by some friends), dug through an old music collection, and practiced some swing dancing. Not bad for a day that started off with 5 hours of meeting! Tomorrow I'm skipping class to try to get our paperwork straight for residence permits and visas.

Random notes

There was an interesting article on outsourcing to China in this morning's Post. 

Since I'm in the city for a while, here's another site that tells a bit about the surrounding area where the projects that we support are being carried out. It's blocked here, but hopefully still up and running elsewhere. Oddly enough, I can now actually view my own site- which wasn't possible last fall. At that time it was blocked here, but I could post by e-mail. BBC news and Wikipedia are available now, too- though some folks think that a little while after the olympics these will be taken away again. We'll see.

Sunny Monday

Well, it started off cool and rainy. I got up at 6:30 this morning to catch the bus to the university for the first day of classes. The ride went quicker than expected, so I ducked into the welcoming, steamy warmth of a dumpling restaurant. It was packed inside with students in military fatigues. I squeezed into a small open space at a table by the door and ordered a bowl of fungus soup along with five meat-filled, bready dumplings steamed in a bamboo tray. From my perch on a little three-legged stool, I watched others trundle in out of the cold morning and wipe their glasses and blow their hands before spotting some classmate with a happy cry and tucking in to their own bowls of  rice porridge, fungus soup, and dumplings. I took my time- slowly waking and warming up with each bite. 

Outside again in the cool drizzle, I found someone to interpret my class schedule and lead me to the correct building. The computer lab where class was to begin at 8:30 was dark and locked at 8:20. I had no idea if I was at the right spot, but eventually a janitor came round and unlocked the doors. Around 8:40 one of the administrators showed up and explained that the teachers would arrive shortly and that no one had given them their schedules yet. I ended up in a small class with three others who had either studied or been using the language for two to four years. It was pretty rough, so I ended up staying for a beginner class being held at 10:30 which was a much better fit. There was also the added bonus that I got to sit by Shinay! 

After class, it was even colder than when we had left the house in the morning! My stomach had been growling through the whole second lecture, so rather than facing the long bus ride and walk home cold and empty, we hunted down a restaurant on a side street near campus. There we warmed up with many cups of hot tea and a heaping mound of fried rice along with eggplant cooked with garlic and ginger and tofu cooked with peppers and fungus. Feeling much better about the journey home, we stepped outside to find the day miraculously transformed from gray and cold to sunny and pleasant! 

Now that we're home, it's time to study study study.

Rainy Monday

It's a grey evening here. The wind is driving rain against the east face of our building. We're living at the end of a street that runs halfway up south mountain. It's a largely Tibetan compound and some folks gather each evening to dance in the courtyard- but I doubt they'll be out tonight. Along the street that climbs up to our apartment complex there are motor-tricycles loaded down with all sorts of fresh vegetables and fruits. The gate keeper is a little old Muslim man with a long wispy beard and the typical white hat. He seems very happy to see us each time we pass by. Everyone tries to speak Chinese to Shinay and they seem quite skeptical when she insists that she doesn't speak.

Things have been busy. Besides settling in and getting registered, we've been testing the bear fencing, getting the snow leopard camera traps ready, working on a proposal and design for a research and extension center, and setting details in order for a project in Mongolia. In between we've managed to make a bunch of new friends and catch up with old ones. Next Monday we'll be starting classes at the university.

We made it!!

Hey everybody. We made it here safe and sound. Every detail of the trip went great. Our friend Bill picked us up at the airport at midnight and we're here with him now (10:30 am our time) on the 16th floor coffee shop that he runs. We're running errands today- getting phones set up and what not. Hoping to move into our apartment on the 24th.

Back to the Plateau!

Great news!! Shinay and I are heading to the Tibetan Plateau where will be studying language and volunteering full time for a small NGO. The work consists of partnering with remote communities, natural resource managers, scientists, and local officials to improve the lives of the people and improve environmental management. On the human side- health care provision, education, and employment opportunities are severely limited in the communities, and are thus three of our primary fields of work. On the environmental side- the region is home to many rare, threatened, and endangered species that face poaching, habitat loss, and feeding competition. We address these issues through training programs, scientific studies, and extension activities. The aim is to realize all-around community health that integrates human and environmental concerns.

The rest of the team includes medical doctors, wildlife biologists, conservation ecologists, and environmental managers. We also draw on a pool of supporting professionals in the areas of medicine, veterinary medicine, and a number of other development and environmental related fields. Funding for project costs comes from public and private donors. International staff, such as ourselves, are responsible for raising our own support. Our hope is to get grant money to cover our expenses in the coming years- but until then we need the help of folks who are interested in supporting the work by supporting us. If you are that person- please let us know!

Himalayan Travel Films

Himalaya with Michael Palin covers quite a few of the places that I've traveled or would like to travel in the Himalayan region. Episode 4 shows Qinghai Province and Yushu- the areas where most of the previous posts and photos on this blog took place. I recommend adding it to your queue.

Bhutan via the Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Every summer the Smithsonian Institution puts on a folklife festival highlighting different peoples and communities from North America and around the world. There's food, dancing, crafts, music- all kinds of good stuff on the downtown mall in DC. This year one of the highlights is the Himalayan state of Bhutan. There will be a number of displays and demonstrations ranging from archery to architecture to textiles. If you're in the DC area it's definitely worth stopping by- much cheaper and quicker than a trip to Bhutan. The festival runs June 25-29 and July 2-6 from 11-5:30 with some evening events at 6.

If you need to beat the heat, check out the Freer and Sackler galleries on the south side of the mall near the arts and industries building. These galleries are home to a number of great Asian art and artifact exhibits from many different periods and dynasties of east, central, and south Asia.

Finally, if you've missed the folklife festival you can always go to the National Museum of the American Indian to see beautiful craftwork and artifacts. It is also one of the best places downtown to have lunch, offering native dishes from across North America.

Bear Fence

Well- we've been working over the past few weeks to settle on a solar-electric fence setup that would be capable of deterring hungry bears from breaking into nomads' winter homes while they are away with their herds for the summers. Our first choice was to build 6-strand, high-tensile fences with 12volt solar chargers- but equipment and shipping costs made these less than ideal. (Consider that many of these families live on less than $1000 per year and that any expenditures in their interest could be readily applied to a number of competing demands, not the least of which are education and medical facilities). Two other setups were also considered: 12v chargers with poly-tape lines and 6v chargers with poly-wire lines. We decided to try one each of those setups and will hopefully have them installed within the next month- the height of bear break-in season. The folks at Kencove and especially The McGregor Fence Company were really helpful in getting us info and equipment that we needed. Maybe we can get our expert Levi over there to check our setup next fall.

In other news, Apple's newest operating system will be released next year under the name "Snow Leopard". It is our hope that this publicity will bring increased awareness and support for snow leopard conservation in inner Asia. I've been using (abusing, actually) my Apple laptop on the Tibetan Plateau since 2004 and it's still going strong. Think they'll give me a new one since we're working with snow leopards?

Marketplace 6/3

There was a very interesting interview on Marketplace yesterday regarding the Beijing-Lhasa railway and its cultural impact. Some figures were presented concerning population moves, economic outlook, and resources in the region. Worth a listen. Or read the book