Farewell China Tour (Day 8)

Yamdrok Yutso Lake Whew! What a relief to wake up feeling relatively normal. We still couldn’t believe the dramatic effect of the altitude on our bodies. Chum Zhun picked us up after breakfast, and Feng Shifu drove us out of town. Puffy white clouds floated in a sapphire sky, bluer than I’d ever seen in … Continue reading Farewell China Tour (Day 8)

Farewell China Tour (Day 6)

Tibet!! As our plane approached Tibet, we bounced around through strong turbulence. Suddenly, the plane emerged smoothly into clear skies and the snow-capped mountains stretched as far as we could see. Stunning! From Approaching Lhasa Our local guide, Chum Zhun, greeted us at the Lhasa airport with white prayer scarves. Later, we saw similar scarves … Continue reading Farewell China Tour (Day 6)

Farewell China Tour – (Usually) Yummy Sichuan Cuisine

China recognizes around eight distinct regional cuisines. The food in Shanghai is a bit oily and bland, but the food in Sichuan Province (home of two stops on our trip – Lijiang and Chengdu) is notoriously spicy and delicious. Crossing Bridge Rice Noodles In Lijiang, Cath and I asked Li Qiong to take us to … Continue reading Farewell China Tour – (Usually) Yummy Sichuan Cuisine

Dalai Lama brings bliss to American Embassy School

Recently, global news has filled my heart with sadness and anxiety. As a teacher of little kids, I try to maintain a light-hearted demeanor and a smile on my face. With adults, I joke about suppressing my feelings as I sing a song from the musical, “Book of Mormon.” When you start to get confused … Continue reading Dalai Lama brings bliss to American Embassy School

Loving Life in Leh

Leaving Delhi Wednesday morning, November 11, the smog was so thick one of the kids in our group asked, “Can the plane really take off in this?” Just an hour later, though, we looked out the plane windows at the snowcapped Himalayas and a sapphire sky. At Ladakh Sarai, our home for the next few … Continue reading Loving Life in Leh