We'll be back in FL tomorrow at 9AM ...<< MORE >>

First let me thank everyone who has offered us housing for when we get back into the states. Unfortunately, I haven't been feeling well since I got off the plane and feel its best if we just go straight home to Florida. We're trying to get a flight from Cal to Florida using some Delta credit we have. If we can't get a flight by tonight, we'll probably crash at the airport until we do.We have gotten some presents but we're not 100% sure if they will get past customs. If they get stopped, we'll give pictures instead =PWe went ...<< MORE >>

Well, we had our fun here in Lhasa, time to move on. Note for any would be travellers, give yourselves about 2 weeks in Tibet, as the sights are 1-5 days away, so if you plan on seeing anything, you need to rent a 4wd and have the time to get to all of the remote locations. Nepal is a better starting place for Mt. Everest.We are hopping on the new Tibet Railway (The Qingzang railway, Qinghai–Xizang railway, or Qinghai–Tibet railway) tomorrow morning at 8am (7pm Thursday EST) for Beijing. It's a 48 hour ride, so hopefully ...<< MORE >>

Lhasa airport and taxi's. First off, make sure you follow the crowd after you pickup your luggage. Although it may seem silly since they are all standing in line to leave when the exit is right there, security is checking baggage tags. Be thankful for this, and dont complain about not having a clue A taxi from the airport to downtown should cost you about 40 to 50 Yuan per person, it's faster and more convenient than the shuttle, but not necessarily less crowded, as the taxi driver tries to get their monies worth by filling the ...<< MORE >>

First, here's a picture of me petting one of the 1,000 Giant Pandas left in the world.Now a word about haggling. The trick to haggling is estimating how much a product would cost you in the states and then taking into account the currency rate. For instance, if a handmade scarf cost you $10 in the U.S., your goal is to get the vendor to either match that price or go below it. This is quite easy in China since the currency is like 7.8 yuan to $1. Therefor you just need them to go down to 78 yuan to ...<< MORE >>

Well, we made it to Lhasa, Tibet. It's the main holy city of Tibet. We ended up flying here, left at 5:30AM and got in about 1pm, had a delayed flight. The outskirts are pretty run down, and the pollution is horrible. The taxi driver tried to rip us off, but I argued with him, and came to a compromise. The air is thin, and Kristin and I are slowly getting acclumated, she's a bit tired from the flight and delays, so she's resting for a bit. My sinuses are still clogged from Chengdu, horrible ...<< MORE >>

Chengdu has been a blast so far. We went to the panda breeding center a couple of days ago. This particular center has the biggest success rate in breeding and raising pandas. We got to see some newborn pandas and I was allowed to pet one! (I'll try to upload pics later). We went to the Wenshu Temple the day after that. We spent about an hour walking around in the gardens there. Beautiful place. You could really tell how the trees affect there air... outside the temple wall, there was smog as thick as heavy fog but ...<< MORE >>

We just finished our two day train ride to Chengdu. We got the "soft sleeper". This means we got a room with 4 beds (2 on each side). Despite the name, the beds weren't really that soft but the room was secure and could be locked. Half way through the trip, our two roommates got off the train and we had the place to ourselves. The bathrooms leave much to be desired. Bring your own toilet paper and lots of hand sanitizer. The smell also kept leaking from the bathroom into the sleeping areas (we were in the middle of ...<< MORE >>

Although I prefer not to persuade others to vote in any particular favor, I would like you to consider approving Amendment 7. This amendment will help several disabled veterans in Florida, as well as Kristin and myself. If you do not agree, please at least do vote, and ask the same of those around you. Yes I plan on going to the US consulate in Chengdu for an absantee ballot.End of public service announcement, and begging (for today)Brian ...<< MORE >>

The Jade Buddha temple is a beautiful example of craftmenship. From the traditional rooftops with fu dogs lining the edges to the sidewalks with clouds and flowers carved into the concrete. This temple has both Buddhist and Taoism idols. One idol is a 6 foot buddha carved out of white jade. On the premises of the temple is the Fo Yuan Tea House. They allow you to try a variety of teas and show you how to serve tea in the traditional Chinese style. The waitress asked us what alies us and suggested teas accordingly. Before this trip, I wasn't ...<< MORE >>