Stories of the Middle Kingdom

On the road again...

...going places that I've never been.

I am in week two of a three week trip to the western part of the Middle Kingdom. On this trip:

• I've gotten altitude sickness, twice rather severely (headaches, throwing up).
• Chatted with some Tibetan monks who were pretty laid back. No, I am not in Tibet.
• Got swatted at by one Tibetan monk.
• Got yelled at by another Tibetan monk (overall they are a rather angry group)!
• Met the Imam of an Islamic mosque. No, I am not in the Middle East. The Imam neither yelled at me or hit me; he was friendly enough.
• Visited a minority village out in the middle of nowhere.
• Ate more noodles in twelve days than I've eaten in the last twelve years, or at least I think so.

I can't wait to get back to my overseas home when this trip is over so I can resume my normal life. I don't care to ever be higher than 5,000 feet in elevation ever again (even though I know airplanes will go higher than that). I don't care to ever eat a noodle again either, although I might make an exception for spaghetti. It's fun to see new places, but three weeks of it is overkill. I miss my Mimi.