Apr 22, 2014 - 21st and 22 nd April

Sunday 20th April Our flight was scheduled to leave at about 8:00, so we had a very early start. Unfortunately due do very heavy rain the light was delayed until 11:30. Everyone was on board by about 10:30 and we received no information about why we weren't leaving. It would be mild to say that the local groups were restless and the flight staff showed no leadership. A group of Chinese began chanting and some came to the front of the plane demanding to get off. Still no information from the captain or flight staff. In fact. the flight staff...

Apr 20, 2014 - Chengdu

Saturday 19th April The flight to Chengdu this morning meant that we had to leave the hotel at 6:45. The result was no fresh breakfast only a take away that had been packed the night before-yuk! The airport was busy but I managed to get a very ordinary cappuccino. But luckily for a large number of the group, me included, we managed to get upgraded to business. This was very nice. The views from Lhasa to Chengdu were stunning, With snow capped peaks breaking above the clouds, one can easily see why this area is called the roof of the world....

Apr 18, 2014 - Taoist temples, giant Buddhas and yet more awful food

Just when you you think a Chinese menu can't throw you any more surprises, up popped this dish on offer in Pingyao - "Slow cooks the bull's penis". I'm sure the slow cooking process makes all the difference. In case you were wondering, I opted for vegetarian noodles. To give you some idea of how bad the food is, I ended up in a KFC the other night, and I hate fast food places. To be honest it was not much better than the Chinese fare on offer, but at least there were chips. I left Beijing last Monday heading west on an eight hour train...

Apr 18, 2014 - 17th and 18th April

Thursday 17th April Gyantse to Shigatse Another very cold start to the day, -2 degrees. Our first stop was the visit to the Perkor Chode Monastery. The morning light reflected beautifully off the buildings and the the place was full of pilgrims due to the full moon. While this monastery had previously been of significance this is less the case now. Areas within the monastery are used for storage of barley and wheat. From the monastery there also was a great view of the castle which was once used for military purposes. The drive to Shigatse...

Apr 18, 2014 - Hello from Hong Kong!

Sitting at the airport waiting to board our flight to Paris...wilting after our 40 hour "Amazing Race" around Hong Kong! The G Whanau are first timers in HK. And although Kev has been here before, it's about 25 years ago...so I don't reckon that counts! It's a city that immediately awakens all your senses - especially when it was still 25 degrees last night as we trawled around the night markets. A cacophony of Cantonese. Stinky was how the kids described their experience. Perhaps not a wonder many locals still walk around masked like...

Apr 16, 2014 - Tsedang to Gytanse

Wednesday 16th April An 8:00am start for the drive to Gyantse took us along the route back towards Lhasa airport. Prior to the building of a new freeway and bridge one would have followed this road making the trip into Lhasa an extra 120 km. we diverged from this road and started climbing. There were barren mountains with virtually no vegetation, some still with snow along some valleys. We headed towards Kambala pass which has an altitude of 4,700 metres. We could begin to see the snow capped peaks of the Himalayas. The day was clear and...

Apr 15, 2014 - Lhasa to Tsedang

Tuesday 15th April Today we left Lhasa at 8:00am and began the drive along the Tibetan Valley towards Tsedang. We followed the path of the Yarlung Zanbo river for about 230 kilometres. This River is responsible for the formation of this 1200 kilometre section of the 300 metre wide valley. Along the way the sand dunes formed by the erosion of the Rocky Mountains were impressive. In some places these dunes flowed done to the river. Tsedang is about 260 km from the Indian border and there a huge number of military vehicles travelling back...

Apr 15, 2014 - Climbing the Great Wall of China

China is a place of superlatives. It's the most populous country in the world. The Great Wall is the longest man-made structure on Earth. I've met some of the kindest people ever who go out of their way to show you directions and also the rudest when travelling on the metro. It's the most challenging destination so far. Oh, and the cuisine is the most disgusting and unappetising I've ever experienced. I crossed the border into Shenzhen by metro happily leaving Hong Kong behind. The train station concourse was vast, reminiscent of Communist...

Apr 14, 2014 - Day Lhasa

Monday14th April It was a 9:00am start again today, however I went down to breakfast at 7:15, hoping to do some emails etc as wifi is only available in the public areas. A group of four of us did the Age crossword at breakfast before it was time to head to the Summer Palace of the Dali Lama, which for some strange reason is only a few kilometres away from the main residence, Potala Palace. For me this palace was much more pleasant, only two levels and set in large gardens. This building was completed in the 1950's and is well preserved with...

Apr 14, 2014 - Hong Kong

Pete enjoyed his visit to Hong Kong but his time was fairly limited there because of an early call time back on the ship. He did have an opportunity to visit one of Hong Kong's oldest and most famous bars, Ned Kelly's Last Stand, a place famous for its jazz music. The trumpet player from the ship sat in on a couple of numbers while they were there. Upon returning to the ship, he was prepared to perform in a parade, as well as playing a Big Band set later in the evening. He has not received his Japanese credentials yet but neither have...

Apr 13, 2014 - April 12 & 13

Saturday April 12th Not a lot to report today. The wake up call was 5:30am as we had a flight to catch from Shangri La to Lhasa. The view from the plane was spectacular:flying over snow capped peaks or barren mountains that are way above the tree line. Lhasa sit sits in a very long valley with many rivers flowing along it. The barren mountains have eroded to create large areas so sand. Lhasa is a very large and urban city, much more developed than Shangri La. The roads, bridges and tunnels all seem relatively new. Jack, you will be pleased...

Apr 11, 2014 - Love man

googleTo continue) 4.Dare to ask yourself if it's worth it.If you can't find the part of your job that you like, or if you can see yourself turning into the person you said you would never be, consider the reasons.It may not be a new job that you need, just a new direction.Do you like the person you are doing this job?If not, are there changes you can make to the way you do your job or is the job itself the problem?Do you need to be doing a different position within the same company?Are additional responsibilities taking you away from the...