October 5, Chengdu

We've got a lot to write since our last entry...

Last we were off to the Homestay about 5 hours outside of Langmusi. While waiting for the bus, we saw 6 tiny little piggies about 8" long - very cute. When mommy piggy left, Liz snorted at them and they turned to listen and then Jeff let out a much louder snort, and then they squeeled and ran off making screaching noises.

We stopped at a Nomadic tent on the way to the homestay and our local guide asked this woman who happened to live near the road if all 12 of us could see the inside. She obliged and let us in to 12 x12 room with a stove and fire to burn yak dung for heat. There was also hanging meat that was drying and some more fresh meat sitting on a plate. Also inside the tent was a huge pile of dried yak dung about 5.5 feet tall.

From there we went to the Homestay which is considered a "winter home" for nomads. The woman we visited earlier in the day said that she and her husband and children would be moving to their "winter home" in a few days; she was 34. A "winter home" is made of bricks and has a similar stove / yak dung burning pit, a concrete floor and windows. The 12 of us plus our guide slept inside. Dinner was cabbage, veggie soup. We couldn't help, but be a little disgusted that the primary chef was not only our bus driver, but also Nan, the 67-year old grandma who would rekindle the fire by adding dung, and then roll the noodles. Needless to say, Jeff and Liz didn't eat much and about 8 hour later a few group members were feeling the affects.

Even though we didn't eat too much, there was beer and good conversation. The evening was cold and we all slept very close together. A few hours after going to bed, Allane (the French Canadian) fired up the chainsaw with his snoring that could break glass. No joke - we all woke up and then woke him up. Not only was it super loud, but inconsistent and then he'd choke and gasp for air. We were at about 11,000 feet there.

In the morning we watched our local guide pour 3 cups of oil into a pot to make scrambled eggs. We all kept saying, less oil, until finally Jeff just grabbed the pot and took over completely - hooray! Nan was shocked by how little oil we used, but seemed to like them as well.

From the homestay we drove 7 hours to a small town toward Chengdu in the snow. It snowed all day and was pretty chilly on the bumpy bus. We stopped to take photos at the first bend in the Yellow River where it meets the White River, and then continued to follow the White River. That drive was yesterday, and also Collin, the Englishman's birthday. We arrived at the hotel around 6 PM and all met up for a birthday beer, followed by a long-awaited hot shower. Yay! Then a birthday dinner. Last night's hotel was the first on our trip that we've had that had a squatty toilet. All the toilets in route have been squatty with the gas station variety being just a raised concrete floor with a small cut out for the crap to fall down beneath. Sometimes we think actually peeing on our legs would be more pleasant than using them. Ha! But the shower was great - Jeff was in it for 40+ minutes. It had been 3 days since he had showered. Dinner last night was a buffett which was good. Jeff found a dish that he loved - potatoes and pork.

This morning we woke up with sore throats from inhaling too much yak dung smoke! The day started early - 6 AM - with a 7 hour drive to Chengdu. The ride was uneventful, but long. We got in around 1 PM to a great hotel - very clean and normal toilets. Hooray! We had lunch and then went to the Giant Panda Breeding Center which was very cool. We got to see infant pandas through glass that were in incubators born Aug. 6, August 7 and August 13. Interestingly, two twin sisters each gave birth to two sets of twins within 24 hours. The 4 were in the incubators plus another one. We also saw some juvenille pandas playing. They were really rough housing and pushin each other off the play gym. We watched them for about 30 minutes. There were also adult pandas and red pandas, and an informational video. It was very cool.

Too bad we have such a nice hotel and have to leave so early tomorrow. We are meeting at 5:20 AM for the early flight to Lhasa. We will be there for 5 days and will have internet. We're going to try to upload a few photos now. Love Liz and Jeff