Life from abroad

The People of Tibet

Posted on Thursday, 10 March 2011 by robjkentjr

28 July 2010 | Lhasa, Tibet, China (29.6502, 91.1339)

In many ways Tibet was very similar to Mongolia but there were distinct difference. The overt religion being an integral part of the culture was the biggest and most enjoyable one.




		While waiting for our permits, I watched people make their rounds on the prayer wheels.




		An ancient lady adorned with all her religious amulets turning the prayer wheels.




		Another devout worshipper walking along with his overly sized prayer wheel.




		This jewelry head piece was a bit more elaborate and decorative.




		Monks with mobiles.




		I just loved these hats. There was a whole group of women wearing them, which made for a colorful scene.




		People are so in touch with nature here, couples walk down the aisle with their pet sheep.

If I had to pinpoint another difference it would be that people wear their traditional dress every day, verses Mongolia where it was worn mostly for the Nadaam Festival. It was even more obvious when we left Lhasa for a drive through the countryside to Shigatse over a 5,800m glacial pass.

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Posted in Asia, China | Tagged Asia, Buddhism, China, countryside, culture, distinct difference, drive, Lhasa, lhasa tibet, love, Mongol, mongolia, photograph, prayer wheels, Rasa, Religion, sheep, Tibet, tradition, Travel and Tourism, walking, wheels | Leave a comment

The Buildings of Tibet

Posted on Thursday, 3 March 2011 by robjkentjr

27 July 2010 | Lhasa, Tibet, China (29.6533, 91.1371)

With China investing so much capital in Tibet, it is changing fast so if you ever dreamed about seeing those amazing buildings and the traditions that keep them humming, you should make the trip sooner rather than later. Every day was more visually stunning then the next and I could have easily spent a month there just exploring the old market streets and temples.




		On our first day in Lhasa at 12,010 ft, we sat in our hotel trying to catch our breath.




		Another amazingly colorful doorway at the Norbulinka Palace.




		The kitchen shelves full of copper water buckets and pitchers that the monks have used of generations.




		Lost in the maze of passages that makes up the Sera Monastery, we trie every alleyway to find an exit back to the car but could only find monks.




		The turbulent clouds after a thunderstorm over the Jokhang Temple.




		One of the Emperor’s summer cottages at the Norbulinka Palace.




		A night shot of the Potola Palace.

With only five full days to see as much as we could, it really was nonstop sightseeing. To make matters worse, the Chinese police kept us on a very strict itinerary so this did not leave much time to people-watch but I got in a couple of good shots.

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Posted in Asia, China | Tagged amazing buildings, Asia, car, China, Chinese, Chinese police, Dalai Lama, good, hotel, Human rights, Human Rights Watch, Lhasa, lhasa tibet, market streets, maze, night, photograph, Sera Monastery, storm, temples, Tibet, tradition, traditions, Travel and Tourism, water | Leave a comment

The Great Smoggy Wall

Posted on Thursday, 24 February 2011 by robjkentjr

22 July 2010 | Huai Rou Qu, China (40.4128, 116.3390)

Always up for a new experience, we decided to climb 500m up the Great Wall and camp during the peak of Summer. What in the world was I thinking (choking on smog really was not worth the photos).




		Just barely starting out, we can already see how thick the smog is from our vantage point.




		A long, steep way to go until I reach the top.




		Just to give you an idea of how steep the wall really is, here are Rasa and Alisa walking past me.




		The Great Wall as it snakes along the top of the mountains and disappears into the distance.




		Finally making it to our campsite, I only have one dry spot remaining on my clothes.




		Here are the girls and our guide setting up our tent. I normally stand by and document all necessary work.




		Rasa doing her yoga poses on the Great Wall of China.

Exhausted, drenched in sweat, and starving from an unusual amount of exercise we were glad the insect infested night was over and we were on our way back to Beijing. Once back at our hotel, it turned out we had a problem with our Tibet visas and to our benefit gained an extra two nights to recover from our Great Wall hike.

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Posted in Asia, China | Tagged Air pollution, beijing, China, experience, Great Wall of China, guide, hotel, insect, mountains, night, photograph, Rasa, smog, tent, unusual, vantage point, visa, walking | Leave a comment

Beijing, China

Posted on Thursday, 17 February 2011 by robjkentjr

21 July 2010 | Beijing, China (39.9279, 116.4089)

The last time I was in Beijing was 2002; it has changed considerably since then. The first and biggest of those changes was the smog but other than that the shopping, food and sights were all amazing.




		This is the gate to Qianmen Street, a very nice place to buy all the latest styles and fashions on the High-Street.




		Walking along the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site, we have a glimps of life as it once was. So authentic.




		Where else would you see a man taking his pet goose for a walk down the street? You just had to be careful not to antagonize the goose.




		Ever since Philippines, Rasa and I have had a taste for stick meat. This cornucopia of selection left us breathless.




		These are the many flavors of Chinese tea. They taste as colorful as they look.




		This is the beautiful cityscape of downtown Beijing. I do not ever remember LA smog being this bad while growing up.




		I was so excited to see a real-life communist party member.

The other thing we forgot about was the heat; coupled with the smog it was unbearable. I guess we should have thought about that before we decided to climb and camp on the Great Wall.

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Posted in Asia, China | Tagged Asia, bad, beautiful, beijing, car, China, Chinese, city, food, life, Philippines, photograph, qianmen, Rasa, shopping, smog, tea, town, unesco, UNESCO World Heritage Site, walking, World Heritage Site | Leave a comment

IMPORTANT: Our next Adventure

Posted on Monday, 14 February 2011 by robjkentjr

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update as to what is going on.

After a year of looking for work and having my State Department job fall through (don’t travel to Cuba), Rasa and I are joining the Peace Corps and leaving this Monday the 14th for Zambia, Africa. Unfortunately, internet will be hard to come by so I need to make some last minute changes in the way I deliver the blog.

– IMPORTANT –

This will be the last blog email unless you are a confirmed subscriber. Again, sorry to do this but it is the best way to insure continued delivery of the blog.

If you would like to receive even more photos, which are all posted to our gallery, please subscribe here.

And most importantly, Rasa will be running a blog with a lot more written detail, please subscribe here.

I have seven more posts for China and after that I will start Zambia and our new life in the village hut. It should be fun so please continue reading and confirm the email from FeedBurner!

Posted in Nevada, North America, United States | Tagged adventure, Africa, China, Cuba, Development aid, joining the peace corps, life, next adventure, peace, Peace Corps, picture, reno nevada usa, sky, state department, tent, travel, travel to cuba, village, Zambia | 5 Comments

Life abroad: As Robert sees it

The People of Tibet

The Buildings of Tibet

The Great Smoggy Wall

Beijing, China

IMPORTANT: Our next Adventure

– IMPORTANT –

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