We're back, and sorting through our 600-some-odd photos. At the beginning of the set, there is a picture of our bed, covered in the clothes and items we planned to bring to Asia. Square in the middle of the frame, our dear little gray cat is taking a nap. When Eric opened the photos today, I felt a physical response to seeing my little cat- I miss him! We have to wait another full month before we see him, and then another month after that before we can bring him up to Montreal (we want to be settled first... it reduces the chances that he'll indicate his discomfort with the new place by emptying his bladder). Its funny how when you travel there are certain things that you miss so deeply it is hard to imagine what it will be like to see them again- almost like you can't imagine that you will. But even just five days ago, it seemed unreal that we could fly--in one day-- all the way to Canada and return to our homeland. It must have been something else to travel the way they did before planes- our return trip would have taken the better part of a year. Our whole Asia trip probably would have taken over a year even at a break-neck speed.
But we are back. We are with Eric's parents in Victoria, having spent our first night in Vancouver chez Aaron (some of you may recall that he was "the best man at our wedding". Incidentally, now Eric has the opportunity to be the best man at Aaron's wedding...). The re-entry process was a heady mixture of elation at the clean air and clear skies and culture shock. I went to buy a copy of the Economist (we have been starving for un-censored news), and get this... the guy behind the counter spoke English like a native! I was mute in my surprise. I think he thought I might've been ill. That night, we went to execute our long-awaited plan to make Betty Crocker Brownies and watch a movie. I think the woman in the movie story thought we were off our rockers or on something else- we were so giddy at the ease at which our transactions were taking place, and could barely hold it together long enough to make it up to Aaron's apartment and collapse on his couch.
Re-entry.
Everyone, let me tell you something that is *true*. In North America, we are living in paradise. And I don't mean to just sing that Peter Gabriel song. It is really true. The air in LA seems clear compared to even a "small" city (by Asian standards) like Ulaanbaatar (population 1 million). A reminder: Xi'An's population is 6 million, and Beijing is more like 20 million, I think. I could look it up in the Lonely Planet Guidebook (which we have been calling the China Brick due to its size), but I need a little break from it right now. It was literally our bible on the trip- we consulted it multiple times a day. When we got off the bus from the airport in downtown Vancouver, I just gulped the air, deep breath after deep breath, and drank in the clear skies and distant snow-capped mountains with my eyes and heart. Victoria is even better- yesterday I went for a run in Mount Doug Park, which is right beside Eric's house, and ran up to the top of the hill. From the top, I could see probably 100 miles (?). To the south, the Olympics rose up through their snow mantel into the sky. To the southeast, Mount Baker lept up high, all its snow-capped shoulders gleaming in their glory. And to the east, the Coastal Range wove its way north, still powdery and white. Between those mountains and myself, the Georgia Straight was deep blue with darker pockets from the wind, and the City of Victoria is just busting out its green and spring flowers. I could've flown.
I am still reeling in the beauty of this country, and also the re-entry treats like eating home-cooked food (local salmon! Potatoes and broccoli from Eric's dad's garden! Chicken cordon bleu!! and Roger's CHOCOLATES!!! For those of you who haven't been blessed with visiting Victoria (what are you waiting for?), Roger's chocolates are the absolute best, and I have been very much looking forward to them, and so Eric's parents bought us a nice big box). We have now washed all of our grimy clothes, even our back-packs and my narsty sneakers. Everything smells like fresh air now. When we first returned, I could still smell China on our clothes, the way a coffee-shop smell (especially Starbucks) will stick to you after you've stayed for a while.
We have a few stories we wanted to tell about Tibet, but were afraid to post them while we were still in China. Unfortunately, they are sad stories. For anyone who thought Tibet had kind of stabilized, be prepared to hear a different perspective. Maybe you all knew this stuff, but I sure didn't. When we arrived at Nam Tso Lake, we heard from our fellow travelers that the previous week there had been a police-monk face off at the Ganden Monastary near Lhasa. We are not sure about the details since the Chinese press quickly quelled the stories. Apparently the monks had raised a Tibetan flag (a no-no), or printed some forbidden materials, or something along those lines. The police arrived and there was some kind of struggle, and there are reports that from 2 to 6 monks were shot and killed. Another 200 monks were arrested and put in jail, which means they cannot go back to the monastery when (if) they are released. We don't know the full extent of this story, but we tell it to you know because we feel it is important to know that there is still a conflict between the Tibetans and China. We also heard a story of a Tibetan merchant being hit in the back of the knees by a policeman in front of a Canadian tourist and the Tibetan's family, all because the merchant and the Canadian were doing more than just an exchange of goods- although what they were doing beyond talking is unclear (and it may not have been more than that).
Eric also overheard a tour guide explaining to a few english-speaking Europeans about the penchant lama (who is the next highest lama after the Dalia Lama). What *we* knew about the penchant lama was that the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government agreed on who it would be, but the government was hesitant to announce him. The Dalai Lama was worried they would change their minds, so he announced the penchant lama to the Tibetans. A few weeks later, the boy and his family disappeared. Some people say they don't know where he is and fear that he may be dead. But according to the tour guide that Eric overheard, the boy is alive and well in Beijing, and in fact Tibet sends many of their lamas to Beijing to be "educated". It is so hard to get a straight story on all of this. We talked to the two british journalists we met in Zhongdian, and they couldn't really clear it up for us. One had written an article in the London Times about the penchant lama, but that was confusing too because it didn't acknowledge the story about that boy and his family disappearing. So if anyone knows anything else about this, we would love to find out more. We are going to research it online now that we're back.
The fact that we are back is slowly sinking in. I'm still a bit surprised in the morning when I wake up to the BC sunshine and can go do yoga outside, uninterrupted, on the green grass in the cool morning air. You may think this means that I didn't have fun on the trip. But that isn't the case. The thing is, we did more than have fun- we really saw this trip as a chance to *learn* and to reflect on our own homes and ourselves. Compared to what I am used to, many people in Asia make do with sooo little. You all know that, and I knew it before I went. But somehow, seeing it and living it ourselves has made me so grateful for what I have in North America, and I have renewed my pledge to work to preserve the natural beauty of this place and promote harmonious communities. I won't start spouting cliches, but I will say once again that in North America we are living in paradise.
I am grateful to have had the chance to remember that.
And now a few more thank you's...
Thank you to mom and dad for taking care of all our odds and ends back in Boston, including many plants and our bikes and some summer clothes, kitchen essentials, sports equipment and footware and frisbees.
Thank you to Dawn and Barry (Eric's folks) for hoisting our big backpacks (the ones we left behind) back to Victoria so that we'll have all our hiking equipment for our trip next week, and for allowing us the space and support we needed to recouperate!
Thank you to Patricia and Bruce (Eric's aunt and uncle) for being our launching pad in Vancouver and saving our butts when it came to the realities of currency and the real differences between the US and Canada.
Thank you to Aaron and Vanessa for providing a cozy home to depart from and return to on our way to and from the Vancouver Airport (and for providing us with some good local stories about engagements and the Boston Marathon- congrads!!!)
Thank you to Jeremy and Aislin for taking care of our little gray kitty!
Thank you to Wan Wei for being our friend and guide in Beijing and our "man on the ground" while we traveled.
Thank you to Xi Fangshuo and the Xi family for taking us under your wings in Xi'an.
Thank you to Oyun for inviting us to Mongolia and inspiring our whirlwind trip to Asia (along with Wan Wei and Fangshuo!)
Thank you to the Father of the Pudgy Jewel (my brother) for blog up-keep.
And finally, and I mean it, thank you to everyone who has been reading this blog. It has been very fun to write (turns out I like writing), and it has meant a lot to me (well, to both of us!) to know that you have been following us through this adventure.
