Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Dali, Yunnan: I've been in Dali for two days now and while I've had more than my share of banana pancakes (they are delicious) the constant rain has kept me from venturing too far outside the city center. I love the rain though and Dali's old town is perfect for sitting teashops with a steaming bowl of noodles and a good book.

It's now been five days since I spoke English to anyone. Most of you who know my jabberwocky side probably find that hard to believe but right now I don't find it difficult at all. The peace that comes with silence is a welcome change from the hubub that surrounded the end of the semester and leaving Chapel Hill.


Also (at the risk of sounding woo-woo) I feel that to find any kind of Shangrila you must recognize the part of yourself that is separate from where you are and who you know, where you go grocery shopping or what kind of music you listen to. Here, where I'm so far from everything I've known, I find it easier to listen to and respect that part of myself. Maybe, if continue to practice, I'll be able to take the Shangrila that I find home with me...

Saturday, May 27, 2006


Kunming, Yunnan: I've finally arrived! I've lost a few things along the way: my bags (between New York and Beijing), my lunch (thanks to an abalone allergy) and any confidence I had in my ability to speak Mandarin. But, more importantly, I've gained my first look at the culture I'll experience for the next three months and the excitement that comes with being in a new place with unknown adventures just around the corner.

Already, I'm confronted with a new world. The streets are crowded with motorbikes, all manner of beeping vehicles, and hundreds of bicycles carrying everything from huge bundles camellias, to a young yak and an entire flock of chickens. People are everywhere on the street, selling their wares, napping, spitting, doing Tai chi, you name it. Life is lived much more in the open here: shops are all open to the street and public places are treated like a living room. (Or bathroom, sometimes :) It adds a feeling of vibrancy to the air and makes things gritty and immediate, reminding you that life is all around.

Tomorrow I begin to make my way north into the mountains and to Shangrila. I'll stop first in the ancient Naxi town of Dali for a couple of days of eating banana pancakes (local specialty for tourists) and biking to the nearby lake. Next I'll travel further north to the tourist center of Lijiang just below Jade Snow Mountain (a sacred mountain that makes my heart skip a beat!) From Lijiang it's only another four hours by bus to Shangrila...

P.S. I get a kick out of some of the English I see around. I found this in my Kunming hotel room on a small card reading, "A Kindly Recommendation"

"Steamed stuffing Bun
The steamed stuffing bun is a traditional snack of Dian flavor. The skin makes use of low tendon flour power, and fully ferments, converting alkali, and cranking out the soft skin with the best lard. These have sweet and salty two tastes.
When the steamed stuffing bun comes out of the cage, the heat place was ajared, and looming the stuffing. Each the steamed stuffing bun fills up with a lustration white paper to avoid stick the cage. Tear the white paper, your can enjoy the absolutely best local snack."

Thursday, May 25, 2006



So what is paradise? This summer, I'm spending ten weeks trying to figure that out. I'll be living in the eastern Tibetan town of Gyeltangteng. In 2002, Chinese authorities officially renamed the town Shangrila, after the mythical paradise described in James Hilton's novel Lost Horizons. For me, this Shangrila promises adventure, solitude, and the chance to make friends and do good work among them. And good grief, look at that mountain.

I'm spending the months of June and July teaching English with the Eastern Tibetan Language Institiute. (The website has great info and pictures: http://etli.org)

I'll then meet up with Kate "Timberwolf" Harris and Mel "Melbenator the Great" Yule for whatever adventures ensue. They are currently on a cycling expedition on the silk road in northwest China. (Also an awesome site: www.cyclingsilk.com)

So what will this Shangrila be like? Stay tuned. . .