Boundless

No.52: Lengzem vrs Pathian hla

2009-07-04T14:15:00.000+08:00

Tuntum pawh a trhing ring leh mai teh ang.Hei hi 7th August, 2006 khan misual.com ah ka post tawh a, a ngai ngaiin ka blog ah hian ka han post nawn leh e. Summer holiday kan nei bawk a, thla khat leh a chanve vel zet hnuah ka update leh theih chauh hmel. Zin hawn ah blog anlo block tawh loh ka beisei.

LENGZEM VRS PATHIAN HLA
Tunlai kan mizo zaithiam lar tak tak lengzem hla sa thin ten Pathian hla an han sa ta tliar tliar a, chutah lengzem hla an sak theih tawh loh thu sawiin an han tuihnih zel bawk a. Pianthar avanga lengzem hla ka sa thei tohlo antih avanga dem ngawt chi anni lova, chutiang bawkin piangthar tawh pawhin lengzem hla lo sa ta pawh nise dem chi anni chuang lo.

Tin, hun reiah lengzem hla bawk anlo sa leh anih pawhin keichu ka hrethiam reng mai. Pathian leh anmahni mimal inkar thu ani miau a. Mitinin Pathian kan rinna level a inang miau lova chutiang bawkin kan mizia, ngaihdan leh thlir dan a inang thei miau lo alawm.

Mizo culture-in a ken tel chu a huhova thil tih hi ani. Chumai bakah mite tih anga ti ve tur a intihluihna tel thin hian min ti luhlul zual mai mai niin ka hre ve thin. Mahse rinna hi ‘personal relationship’ ania, midang an tel ve lo. Pathian leh mimal inkar ani. Ka tan ’sual’ a ka ngaih miau chuan lengzem hla sak loh theih chu a tha lutuk tlat. Rinna a thanlenna zel ani. Amaherawhchu, mimal tan sual anih avang ngawt in midang tan sual ani ve kher lo thei tih hi pawm thiam tha ve mai maiin ka hria.

Kei pawh ka pianthar tirh chuan lengzem hla ka ngaihthlakin ka inthiamlo tlat zel mai a, ka rinna thanlen na a min daltu ani tih ka hriat avangin ka ngaithla lo mai ani. Heng hi mi min hriatpui theih chi anilo, keiman ka thinlung chhungrilah ka hre kiau a, ‘decision’ pawh keima siam ngei tur ani a siam pawh ka siam reng ani.

Kum tam tak alo liam ve ta a, tunah chuan lengzem hla ka ngaithlak pawh hian inthiamlohna leh sual riau a hriatna ka nei hran tawh lo. Avang chu lengzem hla ka ngaihthlak hian ka rinna a khawih buai phak tawh lo ani ti ila a sual lovang. A chang phei chuan a hla thu khan Pathian lam hawi riau a a atan liau liau ni a ngaihthlak chang ka nei bawk.

Amaherawhchu, keiin a sual lova ka ngaih avangin midang zawng zawng pawhin a sual lova ngai ve ngawt turah chuan ka dah lo. Thenkhat tan sual ani anga, thenkhat dang tan sual anilo mai. Kan rinna thanlenna kawnga kan mamawh ang zelin mimal tin hnenah a sual/suallo turin Pathianin min hriattir ah ka ngai.

Thian pakhatin a sawi kala hriat ve reng chu, carrom (board) pen hi sual ah ka ngai a ti ve tlat. Avang chu han pen khan penluh mai tum lovin midang sa tihchhiat tel pah kha kan tum ani si a, midangte tan a rilru thalo put na ani ati ve tlat. Khatih lai khan ka tan carrom pen hi sual a ka ngaih ve kher loh avangin ka inkhel thova, pen lo turin min phutin min tilui lem lova, a inkhel lo ve mai ani.

Khami hunlai kha a kalsan ve tawh nge sual ah ala ngai chhunzawm zel phei chu ka hre zui tawh lo. Heng te bakah hian thil dang dang ani thei ang. Kan rinna min ti thuanawp thei tu hrechiang ber tu chu keimahni bawk kan ni.

Mahse thil dang awm thei leh chu, kan thinlunga chhia leh tha hriatna haider luih hi a ani (hei hi kan zawm zawk tlangpui). Pathianin tuna kan thiante nen kan in be bawrh bawrh ang hian ‘aw’ in ka tana tha leh thalo chiang deuhin minlo hriattir lo. Mahse eng thil pawh nise chhia leh tha hriatna hmanga mimalin inthiamlohna riau kan neih pawh a kan haider a kan tih luih tlat thin hian ani kan nunin nghawng a neih thin ni.

Vawihnih..vawi thum kan haider a kan tihluih hnu ah phei chuan a awlsam zual chho zel a. Vawi engemawzat haider luih hnuah phei chuan inthiamlohna leh sual a ngaihna a bo thak thei.

Chuvangin, piangthar in lengzem hla sak hi a pawilo ani ti an awm pawhin pawmlo tawk an awm anga, a pawi ani ti an awm pawhin pawmlo tawk chu kan awm tho tho dawn. Tichuan midangin an tih ve leh ve lohah buai tam lo ila, Pathianin mimal tinte a kan zawm tur min hriattir zawm phawt mai hi a pawimawh ber chu ani. Pathianin ‘duhthlan theihna’ min pek pawimawh tak hi hmang thiamin dik taka hman tlan tum ila ava tha dawn em.

Engnge I ngaih ve dan le?

No.51: ** *Lanu

2009-07-01T09:50:00.000+08:00

Blog leh youtube te helamah an block avangin update a har hle. Proxy ka hmang a, edit hleihtheih pawh a ni lo. Chuvangin edit vak ngailo kum 8 lai kal ta ami ka haichhuah ka han post mai mai ang e. A thumal thenkhat phei chu a ziak a fiah tawh lova, ka chhuchhuak dik lo maithei bawk. Ka ziah anilo tih minlo hriatpui dawn nia.

***LANU
A iang zo awm maw lanu zawng zingah;
Rose par iang a rimtui leng vel hi,
Aw tuar a har,i bahsam, i bawrkhang (chawrkhang?);
Vala'n mawi a ti a thlir vawng vawng
I rem lawm ni ka sawm che nuthaia'n.

Mahriak awm khawhar chang ni hian;
Ai ang a cham kan sul i hnu zawng te,
Rairah riang chan a na ka ti,
Engan ka lo tawn che tha Rengpui!
Nuih zai rel a har ngei kei ka tan,
I chuai dawn lo a riang val thinlaian.

Damna dawi a ni zaleng zawng tan;
A dawn ngai em val rual zingah lungdumtu,
Mahse khuanun a ruat lo nge kei ka tan,
Par ang a vul dawn e leng dang tawnah
Uai a chul a a chuai mai tur;
I pam hmai lua ka ti valmawia'n,
I rem lo maw ka ti hraileng chunan.

*Jaitley - iang a sakhmel dar ang tui luan,
En chim loh luite kiang ainawnpar;
Nau ang nui a i seih hian chhuihthangvala'n,
I tawn ah duh thu ai ang a sam thin:
"Siamtu ruat ni teh reng se ka tan", tiin.

Hraileng chun atan khuanu
Ruat reng em lo ni ka tan hian,
Urmila - a iang ti dawn ila;
A iang leh si lo zawlkhawpui lanu maw,
I chawi e ka ti i lenna tlangpui pawh;
I rem mai lawmni run lum nuthaia'n.

No.50: Ka Nu, ka lawm e

2009-05-06T22:50:00.014+08:00

Picture source

Tun chawlhni lo awm tur 10th May 2009 a 'Mother's day' (Nu ni) denchhen pahin ka post 50 na hi, ka nu min hmangaihna leh ka tan a hlutna te ziahchhuah nan ka dedicate ani.

Nikhua ka hriat theih tirh te atangin sikul kal tura kan unau a kan chhuah dawn tep a , ka nu in nitin kan lu chunga kut nghata min tawngtai ziah thin kha ka hrereng thin. Zingah kan unauvin kan han thova, hmai kan inphihfai a, thingpui in zawh a zirlai kan bih lailawk laiin ka nu'n zing chaw kan eitur leh 'tiffin' kan paitur buatsaihin rawng alo bawl thin a. Chutah, chumi ni a kan zir tur lekhabu kan ipeah kan han thlak kual a, uniform kan han ha leh te te a, tichuan chaw kan ei thin.

Sikul kal tura kan inpeih fel vek hnuah, room a khumah min thut dun tir ren rawn a, kan lu chunga kut nghatin Pathian hnenah min hlan ta thin ani. Kan tet te atanga hetianga min tawngtai ziah thin anih avangin kan len deuh hnu chuan ngaiah kan neih mai a. Khua reiah chuan kan insiam zawh a kan inpeihfel vek hnu ah, kan unau chuan khumah kan thu awt a, ka nu chu tawngtai tur in kan ko mai thin. Ka nu a damsam lohva, a hmanloh chang erawh chuan ka pa in tawngtaina a hmang thin thung.

Ka u thiante leh ka thiante hian min lo sawm ve ve thin a. Chhuah hmain kan tawngtai ziah thin ani tih hriain anni pawh chuan kan sitting room ah minlo nghak ve mai thin a, a chang chuan anlo tel ve lawp lawp thin bawk a. Tlai deuh chang khan a hrehawm thin, rilru kha a hmanhmawh zek zek duh khawp mai. Mahse, ka nu min kaihhruai danah tlai leh hma khan awmzia a awm vaklova, tawngtaina chu kan thulh phah ngai meuh lo. High School ka rah ve tak kum atang chiahin min chhunzawm pui talo chauh ani.

Tun hnuah hian, a inpekna leh taima taka kha leh chen tawngtaia min hlan leh min kaihhruai thin avang chiah khan tun dinhmun hi thleng chho thei niin ka inhria. Fa han neiin han ti ve tur ni ila, ka tlin ka ringlo takzet. Ka nu mah nise, a tih tang tangna nun kha ka ngaisangin, entawn tlak tak nu kalo nei hi vannei ka inti hle.

Ka theihnghilh tawh loh tur dang leh pakhat chu, inkhawm a ngaih pawimawhzia kha a hmutu mai nilovin, a taka min zawm pui tu ani bawk. Naupang te kan nih atangin, kan unauvin zanah leh ruah sur hnuaiah pawh inkhawm turin biakinah kohhran inkhawm awm apiang deuhthawah min hruai ziah thin kha ani. Rinna lam a min kaihhruai alo tum ruh zia mawlh kha a hlu ka ti. Naupan lai chuan a hlutna hrethiam lovin ning thin hle mah ila, tun hnuah hian kawng dik min kawhhmuhtu anih zia hrechhuakin, ka nu min hmangaih zual tirtu alo ni ta. Ka nunkawng min kaihruaitu ani a, ka damchhungin ka theihngilh ngai tawh dawnlo ani.

Ka nu, entawn tur min hnutchhiah avang leh nun kawng dik mi kawhhmuh avangin ka lawm e!

No.49: Thang leh thar tan

2009-04-28T17:33:00.001+08:00

Ka hlabu hlui

Tun kumtir ka haw chu, lekhabu leh thil hlui dang dangte a kum a kum tel ka khawih tawhloh ho ka haichhuak e ka tia. Lekhabu ho ka enna ah chuan tunhma a Pathian hla (mizo/sap/vai/nepali) hlabu hlui, kut ngeia ka ziah te ka hai chhuak nawlh mai a. Ka ngainat thin em emte leh biakin a lo sak ve thin leh female voice anga kanlo sak thin hlate anni hlawm a, lung a leng duh khawp mai.

Zai ngaina mi tak ka ni a, miten hla tha tak tak an han phuah hi chuan thiam ve dawn riauva inhriat hunlai hi a awm ve a. Chutiang hunlai vela hla ka phuah ve te chu chhuanawmlo zeta ka hlabu phek hnung lam chang pha tawka kalo dah ve ran mai ka hmuchhuak thar leh a. A ril em em hranlo, mahse haichhuah leh takah chuan ka hlut thar ta riu mai a. Avangchu, hla hi ka pian ahnu lamah ~~pahnih~~ pathum chiah 'keima phuah' tih tur ka nei ve ani. Ka hla phuah pakhat zawk phei chu biakina vawikhat ka sak bak ka tiri chhuak leh ngai tawhlo. Lekha a ziah chu tih riral mai a awl si a tiin ka blog ah hian zah pawh dawn lovin leh dahthatna nipah fawmin ka han post rawih e.

Hla tamtak karah chuan, 18th May 1995 a hla ka phuah hmasa zawk, Shillong YMA Madanriting Branch in "Nungchate humhalh" tih thupui hmanga hla inphuahsiak an huaihawt tuma ka thehluh ve ngei hi ani a. A grammar, thumal hman dan emaw a sentence structure a dik em tih lam pawh ka ngaihtuah lemlo. Kala hriat zawng chu, mizo dictionary nen inchhawp a harsa taka ka phuahchhuah ve liau liau ani, tih hi. A thluk erawhchu ka hlabu ah hian a solfa ka ziah telloh avangin ka hre mai tawh lo. Hemi tum hian pakhatna ka hauh nghe nghe - chupawh thehluttu dang an tlem vang mai mai ania :) A Aw B hi formal taka zir kala nei lova, school leh college ah lah Mizo subject kan neih ngailoh avangin heng mizo tawnga ka kutchhuak ve ngei te hi, mite angin a mizo in emaw a sap tawngin emaw thu leh hlaah sang velo mah ila, ka hlut thar takzet ani.

THANG LEH THAR TAN
1. Chung khuanu leng ruatsa khawvel lungdumtu;
Hringmi zaleng zawngte thinlai hnemtu,
Siahthing leh mau, nungcha leng hlimna,
Hringmi zalengte chawlhna siahthing hlim.

An vullai thliak lovin khuarei atan,
Hram thiam va tinrengte dam reng turin;
Thang leh thar ten thinlai rukah vei ve in,
Venghim zel ang, siamtu kutchhuak.

2. Hril thiam ila tukloh ram fan chang hianin,
Kan tan an hlutnate chawisang thiamin;
Keini lungmawl hnam chem hmang zawng ten,
Siahthing leh mau, ramsa leh sirvate.

3. Dawnthiam leng ten tukloh ram vulloh hlauvin,
Leng zawngte min au ve vul reng turin;
Sik leh sa siamtu tukloh ram zawng,
An vullai thliak lovin thang leh thar tan.

Mizo ziak leh chhiar chu ABC thiam chuan in zirtir vak pawh ngai lovin mahniin ka thiam chho ve mai a. Mizo hawrawp inzirtir te chu nu leh pa te mawhphurhna tiin kan ngai maithei a, mahse ziak leh chhiar thiam zut zut ta chu A Aw B zirtir hran ngai lovah minlo dah pawh alo ni maithei. Kei lahin zawhna chang kalo hrelo ve bawk nen. A mak hle mai. Mizo hawrawp chungchang hi kalo ngaihtuah ngai meuh lova, tun tuma hetia blog a ka ziah mawlh mawlh lai hian formal taka zir ka nei hauh lova, a inziak pawh kala hmu hauhlo tih ka hrechhuak zawk mai. Thil tamtak hi 'granted' a lo lak hi a awl riau anih hi mawle. Khawnge, A Aw B chu ka inzir chawp angin, tah hian ka han ziakchhuak dawn chhin ange. Dik emaw chu? :)
A Aw B Ch D E F Ng H I K L M N O P R S T U V Z = 22

No.48: Ngaihzawng

2009-04-20T12:00:00.005+08:00

Khawvela kan awm chhungin thil chi hrang hrang kan kal tlang a. Chung zinga nun tinuam pawl tak chu 'ngaihzawng' neih hi ani awm e. Ngaihzawng neih a, kan hmangaih a, min hmangaih let ve tluka nuam hi a awm dawn amoni te ka ti hial. Engmah harsatna awm lova, induh leh induh han awmdun phei chu nuam tak ani. Mahse a hrehawm chang pawh a awm thin ve thin tho mai. Inhmangaih tawn si, khaw hmun khata awm siloh hian hrehawm tak ani.

Khaw hranah pawh awm ila kan duhberte ngaihtuah chuan rilru ah an han cham veng veng a, awm hi a nuam em em a. Phone, sms, chat leh e-mail an hnen atanga han hmuh phei hi chuan rilru a hlim hliah hliah thin. Nghakhlel takin an aw hriat chakin leh message min thawn leh hun nghakin kan han awm a. Chutah alo thleng ngei a, lawmin kan zuang tawr tawr thin lo chauh ani. Amaherawhchu, kar hla na na na chu, a taka hmuh mai tur awm silo, email leh phone atang ringawt chuan thil hote ah pawh inhriatthiamlohna (misunderstandings) neih lah hi a awlsam em em a. In hriatchian tam hma phei chuan hahthlak chang a tam thin. Chuvang chuan inbiakpawh (communication) tam tluk a awm theilo.

Kar hla a ngaihzawng nei angah lo inchan ta theuh ila. Kan bialpa/bialnu khan min be pawp duh ta tlatlo mai se, rilru na leh rilru hah reng reng in kan awm phah ngei ang. Aw, min han be pawp hram se chuan ka rilru a dam mai tur. Thu pakhat tal pawh han tiri se ka tan chuan thu tamtak sawi ang ani dawn si a. Eng vanga min be pawp duh tlatlo nge? Min hmangaih tak tak lo nge ngaihzawng dang anei ta? tih leh ngaihtuahna dang dang neiin rilru hah teuhin kan awm ngei ang. Chanchin inhriat/inhrilh tam miau loh chuan, inhriat chian a theih lova, inhmangaihna pawh a nghetlo thei.

Ka rilrua a lo luh tak dan chu, Pathian nen a kan 'relationship’ pawh hi kar hla a ngaihzawng neih nen in an na riau a awm tih hi. Pathian nena relationship tha tak neih dawn chuan, inbiakpawh (communicate) tam a ngai khawp mai. Kan hmangaih kan tih a kan biakpawh that duh tlat loh chuan kan hmangaih thuk lo viau ani theia, chhawm nun kan tum loh chuan kan hlat tulh tulh anga, a tawpah phei chuan hmangaihna a dai thei dawn alo ni. Pathian chuan a mobile hum reng chung leh computer bulah kan online hun nghakhlel takin min chang reng thin. Kan phone, sms, chat, e-mail, lekhathawn hun nghakin (kan tihdan ang chu nise) a ‘hui’ pap pap anga, a vei tawn ve zak zak maithei ani.

Min hmangaih thu lekhathawn (love-letter) tihtakzetin Baibulah chipchiar takin min thawn tawh a. Min 'break-up' pui ve mai mai dawn lova, rinawm takin a tawp thlenga min hmangaih a intiam a. Nupui/pasal atan min duh ngawih ngawih a, inneihpui atan min sawm (propose) reng a. Kan hmangaih let ve hun, nupui/pasal a kan pawm theih hun nghakhlel takin minlo ngaichang reng. Inneih hnuah pawh nupa hlim tak kan nih tur leh min then (divorce) ve mai mai loh tur zia a ziak lang nghal bawk.

Hmangaihte chungchang a tam thei ang ber kan hre chak thin a, an duhzawng leh hlimna tur zawn/tihsak kan chak hliah hliah thina, chutiang tih chuan inpawh/inhmangaih lehzualna a siam thin. Chutiang bawkin, ka hmangaih tawh ti leh la hmangaih ve lova inhria te tan, Pathian duhzawng leh duhlohzawng hriat nan te leh hlim taka kan siam theih nan chuan biak (contact) tam hi a ngai khawp mai. Chuvang chuan, kan phone (tawngtai) mawlh mawlh hi a pawimawh em em a. Pathian chu englai mahin a ‘offline’ ve ngai lo tih kha hria ila, engtiklai pawhin; kawnga kan kallai, motor a kan chuan lai, class kan kal naah, kan hnathawhnaah te be deuh reng mai ila, kan hmangaihna chu a pung ngei ang. A tam lua a awm theilo. A hmangaihna kan rinhlelh chuan, a love-letter min thawn (Baibul) kha chhiar nawn leh ila, pawh that leh dan zawng ila. Ani lam atang chuan engtiklai mahin disconnection a nei ve ngai silova-‘no problemo’ ani ringawt. Keimahni leh kan duhthlannah ah a inghat lian em em thung. I contact mawlh mawlh teh ang u.

(Thiante u, rilrua awm ang pawhin ka ziak chhuak thiam veleh peklo ani e. Minlo chhiar mam sak mai dawn nia :P)

No.47: Hawn min ti hreh thintu te

2008-12-19T01:05:00.024+08:00

Christmas leh hawn chak tuipui hunlai ani leh ta. Keipawh hawn tumin ka inpuahchah ve mek a, amaherawhchu keini ang tan chuan hawn a chakawm rual rualin, a chakawm loh ve thei tlat. A chhan tlemte ka han sawi ve teh ang.

Ram danga awm lai hi chuan lungkham tur hi a tlem zawk amoni chu aw ka ti. Mahni rama han haw dawn meuh chuan, helama kan mamawh miahloh thil tamtak lei/hawn leh ngaihtuah a ngai leh dawn anih hi.

1. Thawmhnaw lam hi rilrua lang hmasa pawl chu ani thin. He lamah formal taka inchei a ngaihna a awm miau loh avangin, haw dawn hi chuan biakin leh thil tihkhawmna mitthlaah a han lang nghal a, thawmhnaw formal deuh ngaihven nghal ruai hi a tul tlat thin. Chutah, mahni chenna lamah eng ang 'ishtyle' nge tunlai an uar tih kanlo hre em em tawh si lova. Thing bik emaw over emaw nih kanlo hlau ve roh bok si, lu a hai duh deuh chu ani!

Ka hawn hnuhnun berin thawmhnaw ka lei haw lova, Aizawlah ka lei chawp mai ang ka ti a. Millenium ah ka han bazaar chu, China lam siam thawmhnaw hlir anlo zuar chu niin. A man lah chu an han chhiar to hlawm khawp mai a. China a a man hre kur si, lei tho ngai bawk siin, ip chawih chawih in ka lei ta anih kha. Kalo hawn talo chu a inchhirawm duh khawp mai. Tun tum chu mahniin hawn lel tawh teh ang.

Tunkar ka bazaar naah helama pheikhawk brand tha ve pawl (Daphne) an sale ka hmufuh hlauh maia. Sale loh lai chuan lei tinah pawh kan tin ngamloh kha ani a. Tichuan, vannei inti takin, chatuan daih turin pathum kan lei pawp mai. Bun ngai silovah chuan duhthawh ve tak chu ka ni :) Pakhat dang hi chu sale ka hmuhfuh hmain a to a to mangkheng in kalo lei hman pek a. Pawilo ti tawh mai ang. Hawn leh hun atan inhmakhua sa ni mai. 2006 kumtir pawh khan Shanghai ah pheikhawk rawngsang ka leia, inah ka hnutchhiah nghal daih a, hawn apiangin bun chhuak veleh mai :P
Pheikhawk sang sawi takah chuan, helamah chuan bun chu sawiloh, a neih pawh ka nei lo. Tunkum kumtir kalo haw pawh, in lam (Shillong) a haw hmasa lovin Aizawlah ka tlang diah si a, ka cousin pheikhawk ka bun hawh tehreng anih kha! A sang a sang mangkheng hi min hawhtir lehnghal a. Saron vengah ka inkhawm a. Inkhawm kal lam kha chu kala bun tluan thei hram a, haw lamah chuan ka ti thei ngang tawhlo. Thlenna in hnaih deuh hnuah ka phelh te te a, ka khai nawlh a, kelawngin ka haw ringawt tawh bawk. Tuntum kalo haw leh tur pawh eng tak ang leh ang imaw!!

Helama hak ngai reng reng loh, coat te pawh ka han lei ve a hei. Alo out-dated hman tawh leh China 'ishtyle' alom kan ti zeih ve tawh mai ang chu.

2. Mahni in/khaw lama haw ni thin mah ila a khawharthlak. Thian hluite hmun dang dangah anlo khawsa/hna thawkin anlo awm darh dial tawh a, a awm chhun te lah mahni buai buaiin anlo buai em em tawh mai si a, kawm tur nei lova hawi hil lawl a awl duh khawp mai.

3. Phur leh chak takin mahni inchhung ngeiah kan han thleng a. Mahse, mikhual ang mai a chet alo ngai tawh a. 'Mikhual ang' ka tih hian eng dang nilovin, ka thawmhnaw ho pawh ka zin bag ah ka vawm lut leh zel. Avang chu in dah darh deuh chuan, in chhuahsan leh dawnah zawn buai leh chiam a ngaih bakah theihnghilh a awl si a, chuvangin mahni inah pawh kil khatah ka inkhuar thin ani deuh ber mai. "He khawvel hi kan khualzinna ram ani", tih hi ka tan chuan a dik lehzualin ka hre thin.

4. Mahni vengah kan lang duh. Kum tela hmun danga awm daih hi chuan chanchin inhriat pawh alo har a, thenrual leh thiante nen ngei ngei pawh titi a rual tawhlo. Thil tawn, hmuh leh hriatte alo inang tawh lova, duhzawng te pawh alo inthlak vei nen, titi a rualrem tawh thinlo. Khawr tut a inhriatna a lian duh.

5. Han inkhawm ila, tunhma a kanlo hmuh than em em leh kohhran puipa te leh inti neitu kanlo tih ve em em thin te hmel hmuh tur awm talo thin hi chuan lung a tichhe thin. Vanramah kanla inhmu dawn ani tih chu hre mah ila, han haw ve changa hlim tak leh nel taka han biak bawrh bawrh tur an han awm takloh hi chuan rilru ah an cham veng veng thin.

No.46: Prayer

2008-11-05T19:50:00.007+08:00

'Heavenly Father,

We come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says,

'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Amen!'

A prayer by Billy Graham aired by Paul Harvey in his radio program, "The rest of the story". Also claimed to have originated from Joe Wright's prayer offered in the Kansas State House.

Irrespective of the controversies as to who first prayed this prayer, I personally find it to be greatly inspiring and motivating.

No.45: Tai Bai Mountain

2008-10-27T22:13:00.009+08:00

Tai Bai Shan
24th-26th October 2008

Several friends and I went to spend last weekend in Tai Bai Shan which is about 2 hours drive from Xi'an towards the west. It's my second visit to Tai Bai Shan. But the last time we went, it was snowing heavily and didn't go up to the mountain peaks.

We arrived in the evening and checked in at Qianbaizhong Grand Hotel at the foot of the mountains. The air was crisp and fresh and the weather was very pleasant throughout our stay. As October is an off season for tourists, I particularly enjoy the quiet and sparsely populated village.

The pictures above are noodles made of corn.

We took a mini bus to Tai Bai Shan and as we reached the entrance, I was surprised when we needed to show our passports. I've rarely encountered such requests before. It costs us several minutes before we could finally proceed. (I later came to know there is a military base up in the mountains). The bus made a stop at three different locations: at a waterfall, a Temple in a cave and at the Tai Bai National Forest Park.

Qingling range

The winding pattern in the picture is the road that leads up to the mountain top. From the mountain top, we can either hike for another 3 hours or take a cable car to reach one of the peaks. We chose the easy way up and went by cable cars that took us 16 minutes each to go up and down.There is a small mountain trial at the top that leads to another peak. We decided not to go any further as the trial was slippery with hardened snow and would require another 2 hours hiking to reach the other peak. The view was amazing and I find the trip totally refreshing.

No.44: Chindia Digest No.14

2008-10-21T16:47:00.007+08:00

Tunlai khawvel hi a chhe tawh mang e tirawh u. Chanchin han chhiar ila, ram leh ram, hnam leh hnam indo/inthah, lirnghing, tuilian etc leh khawvel economy tlachhe mekte han thlirin, keini ringtute tan chuan thilmak vak ani lo. Baibul ah alo hrilhlawk dim diam tawh si a. Chutih laiin, Isua hnungzuitute kan nih angin, Isua la hre ve lote 'hrilh leh zirtir' hna kan kova innghat hi tihtakmeuh a tan lak a tul ani. Hun hi a hluin a hmanhmawh si a, a ram tihzau nana kan tihtheih ang theuh va hma la thar turin ka han chah veleh phawt che u. Engpawh mai hi ngaia neih hi a awl riau ania.....chuvangin in hriat tawh hnu pawh nimahse ka han tiri leh ani e. Mahni in/chhungte/khua/ram kalsana penchhuk ve thei lote pawh, kan awmna zawn theuhah tihtheih kan neih kha inhre thar leh ila, tawngtaipuina a tan minlo lakpui bang lo turin ka han chah leh mawlh mawlh phawt mai ang che u.

Ringtute nunah din changte, kal chak chang te, tlan chang te a awm thin. Kan kal beuh beuh chauh emaw intih laiin Pathian hnathawh a thleng tup tup a, chutih rualin hmelmapa lahin tan alo khawh ve nasa bawk. Rin phak bakin Pathian an chet meuh chuan, rawngbawlna ah a um a um dawr dawr ngaih changte pawh a awm ve ta. Pathian thu hreduh leh a chanchin hrechiang duha min kawm duh hi an pung nasa hle. Helaia kan rawngbawl dan erawh chu in hriat tawh kha. Mi chuti zat ringtu ah an inpe/ bap-tis-ma an chang tih lam nilovin, a chanchin hriatir turin remchanna tinreng kan lei a, mi engemaw zah Isua chanchin hre duh rinloh lam atangin an rawn awm nawlh nawlh te hian, heng huna lo puih hi kan tihtheih tawk ani miau mai a. A chi tetakte kha kanlo tuh ve a, a tuipek leh thanlen lam erawh chu kan tih phak bak niin Thlarau Thianghlim kuta hlan ani leh mai.

Ka zirtir leh thian hluite, heta an zirna an zawh tak avanga hmun danga hnathawk leh zir zawm ta te, khawnge an awm tak tih pawh hriat loh te hnen atanga, an hnena a 'chi' kanlo tuh ve teng teng thi mai lova, Pathianin tui alo pek zawm zel chanchin han hriat te hi a nuam a. Tun hnua an thinlunga hai rual lohva lo thang zel ta chanchin han hriat hian, a ropui tih mai bak chu sawi ngaihna pawh ka hre lo. Ka zirtir lai mekte ah pawh Pathianin nasa takin hna a thawk mek zel ani.

"Ringtu ka ni thuai dawn":
Kum 3 kalta khan Dandy a ka zirlai niin ka kawmngeih hman hle a. Sorkar hriatpui kohhran a ka naute 8 ho ka inkhawmpui tuma tel ve kha ani nghe nghe. Ka thawhna University atanga graduate chhuak tawhin mahni 'business' a tan a. Shanghai a khawsa thei tak anni bawk a, a hna lamah pawh a hlawhtling angreng fu a. Phone hi chuan a khat tawkin kanin biak zawm zauh zauh thin a. Tunhnai mai khan Xi'an alo tlawh dawn leh min hmuh a duh thu min hrilh a. Xi'an alo thlen chuan minlo phone in chaw ei chhuahpui ah min sawm a, a zirpui thin leh a kawmngeih em em Rocky leh ka thian dang ka sawmte nen kan chhuakho ta a. Kan chhuah hma atang tawhin ka thinlungah hian Baibul ka pek tak te kha ala chhiar zawm ta em tih leh engang chiahin nge rinna lamah a dinhmun tih hriat ka chak hle a. Mahse midang ho nen kan nih nuaih avangin a hrana han zawhna hun a awm bawk silo.

Kan chhuak ta a, bus dinna atanga chaweina tur pana kan kalphei tham tham chu amah zawk chuan ti hian a rawn sawi phawng mai a. J, "Ringtu ka ni thuai dawn" a rawn ti phut mai a. Ka hriat chak tak leh ka titipui duh tak sawina hun a inhawng chu ani ta reng mai! A sawi zel naah chuan, khawvel hausakna/sumdawnna hlawhtling ve tak kar pawha a rilru a hahchawlh loh thu leh, Pathian thu a thinlung a a cham reng thu min hrilh a. Chu chuan Isua hnung zui duhna thinlung a neih phah ani. A classmate thin Rocky a, ka kawm ve hman nual tawh, pawh chuan rawn chhunzawm vatin duhtawkin Xiaozhai, Bazar na hmunpui, mipui kal nuaih nuaih karah chuan tui takin kan sawi phei ta bawrh bawrh a.

Kawm chhunzawm pawh ka chak hle. Mahse, a tuka haw leh nghal mai tur ani a, Pathian kuta nghah mai kha a him ber mai. Shanghai a ringtu dang awmte hmang pawhin aniang, engtik emaw niah chuan Pathian angchhung a thlen ve ngei hi ka ring tlat ani. Kan Pathian hian mite a ngah a, hna a thawh chuan engmahin a dalzo lo. Dandy leh Rocky te pawh hi inlo tawngtaipui thin kha anni a, Isua ke bul thleng rak an thlen theihna turin inlo tawngtaipui zawm zel dawn nia.

"Sakhaw zawm tur ka zirkual mek"
Ka thawhna University a Foreign Affairs Director (Waiban) hmasa ber Freeman, Chaina ka thlen hmasak bera ramdangmi zirtirtu te min enkawl tu hmasa ber kha ani a. Kan in kawmngeih hle a, duhsak pawh min duhsak thei viau a. Thlaruk ka awm hnu lekah lekha zirzawmin University hranah a insawn a, tichuan nikum lam atang khan Zhejiang Province (Shanghai bul lawk) ah hna a thawk tawh a. Ani nen pawh kanla in contact chhunzawm zeuh zeuh reng a. Amaherawhchu, ka u mipa a accident tawh avangin Zoram a kalo haw zawk leh, lirnghing leh olympic vuatvelah tunkum chu kanin contact mumal vak lova.

Nikhat chu a sms ka dawng nawlh pek a. A subject zirtir lai lekhabu a awm Buddhist sakhua thumal pahnih (ka hre ta mai lo tlat) lam dan leh a awmzia min rawn zawt a. Kristian kani tih a hria a, a hnenah pawh titipui na ka nei nual tawh thin a. Mahse India mi ka nih vangin Buddhist sakhua lam hre tak turah min ruat ni ngei tur ani. Tichuan, kalo en anga, minlo phone chhunzawm turin kanin remsiam a. Min rawn phone ta reng a. Min zawh bak, ama rinna lam te kan sawikai chhoh zelah chuan, tunlaiin sakhaw dang dang bu a chhiar kual thu leh, sakhaw engemaw ber zawm a tum thu min hrilh a. Kristianna pawh a zir mek bawk tiin, darkar khat chuang kanin bia ani.

Tunhma chuan a buai a intih avangin a ngaihtuah ngai lem lova, mahse tunhnu a sakhaw vawn neih a thatzia a hriatchhuah thu leh a duh thu min hrilh a. Kalo tawngtaipui tur thu in kanin thlah ta ani. Hei vang hian alawm, rawngbawla pen chhuak ve theilo te pawhin, mahni awmna apiang a rawngbawltu kan nih theih na chu. Amah hmangaih em emtu leh a nun pawh ui lova petu, Isua alo zawn hmuh ngei theih nan tawngtaipuina a mamawh takzet ani.

SMS hmangin:
SMS hrelo kan awm tawh lo ang. Ka nu takngial pawhin message thawn alo thiam ve tawh nge chu ka hrelova, thawnsa ho hmetchhuak kha chu a thiam tawh chiang mai a. Tunlai thil, thalai te kutzungtang exercise nan a hman tamna ber, rawngbawlnan pawh alo tangkai veleh zel mai.

Semester tin zirlai 280-320 bawr vel hi ka nei thin a. Ka zirlai te ho hian ka mobile number min dil ve ziah thin a. A hma chuan privacy awmlo khawpin minlo call/sms hlawm ang tih ka hlau thin a. Mahse ka pek tak hnuah sap tawng rawn hman a ngaih thin avangin minlo call/sms erawh chu an tam vak thin lo bawka, min dil chuan ka pe ta zel a. Tumkhat chu, tu ber tih hriatloh ka zirlai pakhat atangin sms ka dawng nawlh mai a. A thu rawn ziah chu "Khawnge Pathian hi a awm a, tuin nge Pathian hi siam tih ka hre duh ani?" tih ani bauh mai! Ka call duh lem lova. A chhan chu, sap tawng hmang hreh tak leh thiam vaklo alo nih palh hlauh chuan, kan topic sawi a tuilo zo vek ang tih ka hlau a. Tichuan, sms vek chuan kanin chhang ta char char a. Chuta tanga ka hriat thiam dan chuan, an dormitory/hostel ah Pathian thu anlo sawi hova, he zawhna chhanna hi anlo hre duh hlawm chu niin! Kan in contact zui ta lem lova, tunge anih pawh ka hre zui ta lemlo. Thlarau tuihalna an neih a, zawhna tamtak an neih theih nan kan tawngtaina ani fo bawk a, a bak chu Pathian kuta nghah leh tawp ani mai. Mahse, rilru a tihlim thove.

Vawikhat dang leh pawh, Kor 13:4-8 thu hi sap tawnga ziakin ka zirlai pakhat hian minlo thawn leh nawlh bawk a. Tunge anih leh ringtu anih leh nihloh ka hre lova. Sawi zawm pui ka duh avangin zawhna tihian ka thawn let a, "Khawi atanga lak chhawn nge i hria em? He thu hi i hre tawh ngai em?Engnge i ngaihdan?" tiin ka thawn let a. Minlo chhanna chu a nuihzatthlak zawk, "Baibul ami ani a, Kristian i ni sia i hrelo ami?" mi rawn tilet zek mai a. Ringtu kanih hriain minlo thawn ve chu lo niin. Khawi atangin nge lakchhuah na chang a hriat pawh ka hre lo. Mahse, hetiang han tawn te hian nun hi a tihlim em em ani.

"Pathian thu min zirpui thei em?"
Pathian hmanraw ngah zia hi chu aw, mihringte ngaihtuahna hian ava han hrephak lo tak em!
Tunah ka thawhna ah hian ramdangmi zirtirtu pahnih chiah kan awm tawh a. Kei leh James a, ani hi American ani. Kan sakhua a inan loh mai bakah, kan tum a inang baulo bawk a, kanin hnim hnai vak lemlo. Ani Baha-i sakhaw vuantu nghet tak anih mai bakah, he sakhaw rawngbawltu (M) ani a, nasa takin zirlaite zingah hma lak a chak em em a. Kartin vawi 2 tal, an baibul ani mai ang chu, zirpui na a nei thin. American ani bawk a, naupangte tan lah tawng zir nana remchang tak ani ve bawk nen.

A pathian lehkhabu zirpui naute zinga pathum hi zankhat chu dar 8:30 vel ah anlo leng ve mial a. Sakhaw lam te pawh sawi kaiin kan titi hluah nghe nghe a. Tuna ka zirtir lai te vek anni. Tichuan, hun a rial deuh a, an zinga pakhat Sandy-i chuan nikhat an class ka lak zawh hian min rawn panin, tihian mi rawn zawt a. "J, Baibul thu min zirtir thei ang em? Hei tunlai chu Baibul chhiar ka thinlungah a lang tlat mai a, James a Baibul ka dil a. Pakhat a thian ten an pek veleh chhawn alo nei hlauhva, chu chu min pe a ka chhiar mek. Genesis atangin ka chhiar rawih a, mahse hriatthiamloh ka ngah lutuk a, min zirpui theih chuan ka lawm ngawt ang", a rawn ti a. Hei tak hi ani Pathian hmanraw ngahzia ka tihna chhan chu. James a hnuaiah Bahai a zir thin a, James a bawk chuan Baibul a pek a ngai ta bawk si a. Mak thei ve tak chu ani.

A duh phawt chuan a tuka lo kala ka zirpui theih tur thu ka hrilh a. Tichuan hlim deuhin ka hawng a. Mahse, chumi ni vek chuan, e-mail hlimawmloh zet mai ka dawng ta tlat mai! Ka rilru an hnual rawih phawt a, mahse tunhma pawha kalo tawn thin thlarau indona nasa takah ka lut mek ani tih ka hre thuai a. Pathian in kawng a hawn apiangin, a inzawmzat deuhthaw hian India lam (chhungte/thiante/thenrual etc) atangin chanchin thalo, minti hnual tur hi ka tawng deuh ziah thin. Chu chu hria in, ekhai! hmelmapa min beihna anih hi. Intihhnual nan ka hmang dawn awkawnglo...ka rinah ka chiang a, Pathianin min awmpuiin he harsatna hi min kaltlangpui dawn ani tiin ka rilru tawngtai chungin ka insawhnghet ta a.

A tukah chuan (10th October) Sandy leh a hma a min tlawh duhtute sawmin Marian, Sunny leh Miya te nen kan panga chuan hun kan hmang ho ta a. Kan Australian thawhpui, an ram lam atanga DVD "Indescribable" tih an rawn thawn ka hawh, minute 45 awh kan enho phawt a. Khawvel pawn ropuizia, planet hrang hrang leh mawi tak tak te, leh vansangah kan hmuhloh leh hriatloh thil ala tamzia, siamtu awm lova a awm mai theih rinawmloh na te Pathian thu leh astronaut ten a an thlalak hmanga buatsaih ani a. Kan han enzo chu sawitur an ngah nasa mai!

In hriat theuh angin, Chainese ho chu 'athiest' an ni a, science hian an nunah hmun a awh zau hle a. Hetianga mithiam leh astronaut te ngei thlalak hmanga Pathian thu a sawi chuan a hneh hle ani. Pathian awm an rin miau loh avangin, anni tan chuan zawng thlah kan ni tih kha an pawm mai a, scientist ho sawi chu an pawm mai zel bawk. Kan sawiho zelna lamah duhthlanna (choice) te kan sawi chho a. Chungte zinga min zawhna thenkhat chu:

1. Pathianin duhthlanna nge a siam hmasak mihring?
2. Pathianin engkim a hriat chuan, ngatinge thil diklo kan thlan dawnin min stop loh?
3. Thil diklo kan thlan tur pawh a hrelawk vek awm sia, duhthlanna min pek engnge a sawtna?
4. Eng Pathian ber hi nge dik? Engtinnge ringtu ka nih theih ang?
Tihte a ni nuaih mai a. Tunhma chuan, theo.deuh kaihhnawih zawhna chhang turin ka insit thei em em a, chuvanga Pathian thu zir leh duhna pawh nei lian thin tak kha ka ni a. Mahse, mak deuh chu, hemi zan hian Pathian thlarau thianghlim kaihhruaina a takin ka chan ka hre thei. Pathianin ka aw leh ka min hman sak a, finna min pe ani tih ka hre thei ani. Keima irawm atanga chhuak atan chuan ka chhanna te kha ka thiamna leh hriatna in a tlin hlawl lo. Ropui tak ani, a huna Pathian rawn intumchawp dan hi.

Tichuan, an pali chuan engtinnge Pathian diktak an zawm/hriat theih ang, sakhua lah a tam si a an ti a. "Pathian hian thil chi hrang hrang hmangin amah zawngtute hnenah a inhriattir thei a. In thiante, chhungte, midang in la hriat ngai miahloh leh thilsiam atangte pawhin a inhrattir thei ani. Pathian diktak in hnena inlar/inhriattir turin tawngtai tawp phawt mai rawh u", tiin kanin thlah a. Inhmuhkhawm leh pawh an rawt nghal a, harsatna dang te a awmlo anih chuan kanin hmu khawm leh dawn ani. Pathian hnena minlo thlenpui dan tur chu a chiang thawkhat in ka hria. Mumang lam hial te pawh Pathianin a hman tangkai theih kha maw.

Baibulah : "Pathian thu hi a nung a, thil a ti thei a, khandaih hriam tawn eng ang ai pawhin a hriam a, nunna leh thlarau, ruhtuah leh thling phel hrang khawp hialin a chhun thei a,thinlunga ngaihtuah leh tumte hi a hre nghal thei a ni".(Heb 4:12) tih kan hmu a, ka naute leh ka contact ho zawng zawngte hi Pathian thu nungin an thinlung chhun tlang se tih hi kan tawngtaina ni se.

Ka mimal harsatna tawh pawh chu mak tak maiin chawlhni zan a thlen meuh chuan tihkianin a awm leh ta vek mai a. Fiahna ka tawk ni ah ka ngai. Mahse Pathian thutiam ah ka ding nghet a, ka harsatna ah focus lovin Pathian kutah zawk ka nghat diam a, anin a thutiam ah dingnghetin ka harsatna tawh pawh min kaltlangpuiin min sutkian pui ani tih ka chiang. A hming fakin awm rawh se!

(Hei hi ka newsletter ami ani a, fimkhur thu hlaah tlem azawng thlak danglam/siamrem ani. Tawngtaipuina tam zawk an dawn theihna tura ka blog a rawn post ka ni e.- J).

No.43: Xi'an - Tang Paradise

2008-10-10T20:00:00.007+08:00

Tang Paradise
2nd October 2008

No.42: Hmeipa? (Pics)

2008-09-20T00:44:00.000+08:00

Transsexual show in Bangkok

Seki, Father, Sandman et al kan 'khilai' hlek ang che u :)

No.41: Mid-Autumn Kut

2008-09-14T21:26:00.010+08:00

Mid-Autumn Festival

14th September 2008

Vawiin hi China kut pawimawh tak pakhat 'Zhong Qiu Jie' (Mid-Autumn Festival) ni ania, a hmei a pain an phu suau suau ani ber mai. He kut denchhen hian naktuk (Monday) hi chawlh a puan ani bawk.

Zanin thla a eng bial pap a, zirlai ho pawnah he kut lawmnan intihhlimna an nei a, thil chi hrang hrang (lam, zai etc) ti khawmin hun an hmang a, an ri dur dur bawk a. Zirlai naupang pathum leh ka American thawhpuipa anlo len thut avangin ka kal ve thei ta lem lo. He hun hi kut pawimawh tak anih avangin, chhungkua a an hman theihloh pawhin thianza hova chaw ei hona tal an nei ngei ngei thin.

Keipawh chhun lamah foreigners thian dangte nen inkhawmna hun kan neih zawhah, ka naute hovin zan chaw an rawn ei khawm dawn avangin ka haw hma a. Anmahniin duhtawkin an khaw chawhmeh 'sipicial' theuh siamin ka inah an rawn kal khawm a. Inchung lamah rawngbawl chhung chu ka awmsan daih a, anni inhnuai lamah duhtawka engthawlin rawng an bawl suau suau va, an te chel chul ngaihthlak te hi nuam tak ani. Hostel a awm annih hlawm avangin hetiang hun pawimawh, chhungte thlahlel tak si, awmkhawm thei silo ho keiin kalo hui khawm ve ani ber mai. Mahni in ang taka an rawn khawsa thei hi nuam an tiin lawmthu pawh min hrilh bang lo ve ani. Kei atan lah nuam ka ti ve em em bawk si....a nuam huaiz ani ber e :)

Kumtin hian kan Uni. in Mooncake 'sipicial' box khat leh thei, ramdang zirtirtute hi min pe ve ziah a. Tunkum phei chu a hun hma ni 5 velah min pe daih tawh a, holiday anih vang aniang e. Chuan Uni. hian zirlai naupang zawng zawng (30,000 bawr) ho mooncake pahnih theuh an pe ve ziah bawk. Naupang thenkhatin mooncake leh thei chi hrang hrang te min rawn hlan sap sap a, a bik takin, ka zirlai naupang ho kum hnih/khat kalta a zirchhuak ta, hmun hran hran a hna chelh tawh ten minla rawn hrechhuak ve a duhsakna sms/phone/e-mail a min rawn hlan sap sap phei chuan rilru hi a tihlim takzet! Kumdang anglo takin, vawiin an kut chu, awmze nei tak leh nuam ti taka ka hman ber tum ani awm e.

No.40: Native American Dance (Video)

2008-08-21T22:45:00.001+08:00

Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6BCGdgscuE

The Red Indian (Native American)dance is performed by Dakota of the Lakota Tribe during my 2 weeks holiday in Xining, Qinghai Province (4th-17th August 2008).

The following pictures courtesy to Istrate

No.39: Three..two...one...

2008-08-15T13:06:00.011+08:00

14th August 2008

I'm visiting my Mizo friend and her hubby, the Istrates in Xining for two weeks and I'll return to Xi'an this weekend. This picture was taken on the night of the highly anticipated Olympic Opening Ceremony. We had dinner at my friend's with E, a Mizo who also came to Xining for her holidays, and an American friend. Over dessert of chocolate ice-cream banana split, we watched the artistic and colorful display of the opening ceremony and cheered for the participants of our respective countries broadcasted live on TV. It wouldn't be as much fun if I were to watch it alone back in Xi'an. I'm so glad I decided to come. And as it turns out, it's definitely a lot more interesting with friends. Jiayou Beijing Olympics!

No.38: Bangkok - Floating Market

2008-08-06T13:30:00.000+08:00

Floating Market

18th August 2006

No.37: Solar Eclipse (Video)

2008-08-02T10:19:00.005+08:00

Youtube link here

Solar Eclipse on 1st August 2008 (7:00 - 8:00 p.m)

I constantly read about the Solar Eclipse on the news and a pretty good opportunity of viewing it in Xi'an. I was determined not to miss the chance to see such a rare eclipse. But I wasn't sure if we would be able to see it clearly with the smog hovering above us almost all the year round. Anyways, at 6:45 p.m I grabbed my tripod and camera (not exactly built to get the best shot for this event) and rushed out. I was quite relieved to see that even through the haze, I could make out the eclipse. I wish the tall buildings weren't there as I couldn't capture the eclipse ending as seen in the video. I could hear loud cheers as the eclipse gradually darkened the sky into total darkness. I myself was pretty excited.

I thought of posting the video I took in my blog but realised that the videos turned out to be rather too big a file to upload it. I attempted using Windows Movie Maker. Taking on the challenge to edit videos for the first time, I cut, cropped and split the unwanted parts only to find out after an arduous and huge amount of time spent that there's a glitch with my movie maker and couldn't save it at all. Oh the precious time I lost...I'm travelling on sunday and I have plenty of better things to do :( I wasn't ready to give up though. So I turned to the ever helpful google. After browsing, downloading and installing/uninstalling several (free) video editing softwares, I finally managed to get one that works, though it comes with the software watermarked on the video for a free version. But the fact that I was able to see the solar eclipse and finally managing to edit my first video is quite satisfying :)

No.36: Kanchanaburi - PoW Cemetery

2008-07-28T16:20:00.003+08:00

Kanchanaburi War Memorial
15th August 2006

On the way to The Bridge of River Kwai (previous post), we stopped by at the Allied War Cemetery also located in Kanchanaburi, about 3 hours drive west from Bangkok. This is one of the two Cemeteries in Kanchanaburi Province.

About 7,000 PoW victims are buried there and the cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. It was very moving to see the wartime photos, original PoW relics and artifacts and graphic life size displays of amputation surgery and ulcer patients undergoing treatments in the War Museum located next to the cemetary. The hardships they went through is unimaginable.

The victims buried in this cemetery are mostly of Australian, Dutch and British nationals. I had very little knowledge of the history of the Burma-Thailand railway construction other than from the movie I've seen several years back. I wasn't aware that Indians were involved in the construction of the railway. Naturally, I was quite surprised and touched to see a plaque at the main entrance to commemorate Indian war prisoners who lost their lives during the construction of the Death Railway.

The headstones bear the national emblem, rank, name, company/regiment, date of birth, age and epitaph of the fallen victims.

Rest In Peace

No.35: Bangkok - Bridge on the River Kwai

2008-07-22T11:00:00.005+08:00

15th August 2006

Trailing the 'Death Railway' tracts built by the Prisoners of War along the River Kwai.

No.34: Bangkok - Cultural Show

2008-07-17T13:10:00.009+08:00

18th August 2006

I went to Bangkok for 10 days during my summer holidays in 2006. As soon as I landed in the airport (old airport then), funny thing is, I felt as though I reached home. There were Mizo's everywhere, or so I thought, as we have very similar features :) Though a bit humid, the climate seems to be most agreeable with my skin which glowed with a tone I never realised possible. I toured several places and has since become my favourite place on planet-earth. I had the most amazing and exciting time of my life. I looove Bangkok! The pictures in this post were taken in a cultural show. Well...I'll stop ranting and just post pictures instead...here you go..

Just called 'Thai Bamboo Dance" I don't exactly know what it's called in Thai.

Note the looong nails. Will be great for a miewww....cat-fight :P

Too bad, my other pictures of the wedding were blurry as I sat about a few metres away and was a bit dark inside.

I remember having watched Muay Thai on TV several years back. The thought of watching it live (though on a show) never crossed my mind.

No.33: Tunkum

2008-05-23T22:27:00.002+08:00

Kumin chu thil chi hrang hrang ka tawng nasa hman hle mai. A tha lam aiin a chhe lam a tam zawk lehnghal a. Amaherawhchu Pathian hnathawh leh a thutiam a a rinawmzia min hmuh chiantir tu anni tih ka hmu chho zel. Tunkum Zoram ka hawn hmasak (Jan/Feb) in kum 6/7 dawn kalo hman tawhloh Mizo inneih leh thihna ka rawn tawng phawt a, China ka let leh hnuin sorkar in visa apply chungchangah rules anlo ti danglam a, harsatna liantham em2 chu nilo mahse rilru kap tunin ka han awm leh phawt a. (Min enkawltuten passport an thehluh tlai avangin 'working visa' ka hmuh hmain ni hnih ka overstay hman ani. Mahse overstay man approx.Rs 6000 vel pek ngai miah lova, ka thawhna Uni.ten min tihfel sak diam dan te kha thil mak tak ani.) Chutah ka u accident tawh avangin thlakhat chawlh lain Aizawl pan ahan ngai leh rum rum te. China ah kalo let leh hnu ni 5 lekah nasa tak lir ahan nghing lehnghal. Sawi tur a tam hle mai.

Ka thil tawn zawng zawng chu sawi ka tumlo.Ka u damlohna chungchanga Pathian kaihhruaina leh a thiltih mak takte hi upbo pui atan chuan ka phal hlawl lo ani ber e.

India lamah thlasik chawlh (Jan/Feb) ka hmang zo chauhva, thla 1 leh a chanve awrh hna ka thawk leh hman chauh tihin, Aizawlah ka u (unau neichhun) feet 10 vel ko atanga tlain a nunna hial hlauh mai thei dinhmuna a din thu 11th April khan minlo hrilh thut mai a. Tichuan (13th April-12th May) khan Aizawl lam ka pan leh ta rum rum a. He chhiat thila Pathian hnathawh ropui takte (kan chhungkaw tan chuan miracles) avangin lawmthu minlo sawipui mawlh mawlh nan ka han tarlang ange:

1. Ka u tlakna hi , Saron vengah ani a, Civil hospitalah dah ani. Ko chung atanga motor siamna hmun, thir chhia leh thil hriam takte awmna hmuna tla ani a, a sahuat (vital organs) pakhatmah a khawihlo hi thilmak a tling ani. A mitmu tak khawih chhe silovin, a dinglam mit ko chung atanga a khabe thleng thuk takin a thler thla hawk a. A taksa dang engmah a tina tello bawk. (Kan hriat danin, a tlakna ngaihah chiah hian midang lo tla ve tawhin, a nunna a chan ani.) A tlakna enin, a nunna chhanhima a awm hi a makin a ropui kan ti thlawt ani.

2. Khualkhua a na kan nih avangin, eng angin nge an kalpui thin tihkan hre chiah lova.Thisen a hlauh nasat em avang khan a nunna hial derthawng kha ani a. Mahse thisen unit 10 lai an pek kha, a sumin emaw, thisen veka chhungte atanga donate/replace leh tura min tilo kha kan tan chuan thil mak a tling.

3. Ka u accident zan in, zai ngai dang/accident tawk damlo dang awm miah lovin, (vun,ha,ruh) specialist thah doctor pathum rualin duhthusamin an khawih rawn thei kha ava lawmawm lehzel em!

4. Doctor ten an zai laiin a lungphu leh mar an hlauh hman a. Doctor te hial beisei bo hnuah Pathianin a chhanchhuak leh ani.

5. A accident zan hian, hmelhriat miahloh leh la hmuh ngai miahloh Pi Tluangi (Rev.Rualkhuma nupui - Pathian hla sa thin Isak Malsawmtluanga nu ani awm e) leh a thian thenkhatte tawngtai tura hmun dang pana kal, Aizawl civil hospital bul anlo thlenin a 'tul' ta tlat mai a. A chhan pawh hriat silohvin hospitalah kal ngai tlatin thlarauvin a hriattir a. Hreh chung chungin, hospital gate panin a 'tul' chhova. A chhan a hre bik silo. Hmun danga kal a tum pawhin a kal thei hlawl bawk silo. Chuta kan chhungte lo ding pakhat hnenah chuan,"Engnge min hrilh duh i neih?" a ti tawl mai a. Tichuan kan chhung chuan ka u accident chanchin alo hrilh a. Chutah, blood bank a a dawn tur thisen chunga tawngtai turin Pathianin a hriattir leh ta a. Ka u thisen dawn tur te, amah zai mektu Doctor te leh an hmanrua hman tur te chenin Pathian hnena hlanin tawngtaina an hmang ta ani. He thil mak tak hi chiang vak lovin kan hre thuak a, mahse kar hnih hnu velah amah Pi Tluangi ngei ka u tlawh tura lo kalin min rawn hrilh a, chiang zawkin kan hre ve chauh ani. Khualkhuaah hmelhriat ngai miahloh hmanga Pathian hnathawh mak tak zawng ani!

6. Ropui leh em em dang chu, tawngtaina khati zozai a dawng kha. Aizawl, Lunglei, Shillong, China leh Australia a kohhran tamtak ten an tawngtaipui kha chhanin a awm tih hi. Kohhran bik pawh awm lovin, kohhran hrang hrang (Bap, Presby, UPC, Salva-tion, etc) thahnem takten an tawngtaipui ani tih kan han hre lehzel kha a ropui thlawt ani. Aizawl veng hrang hrang ami, a hmaa min hre ngailo tute pawh anlo lenluh changa kan chanchin min zawh atangin, 'eeee...nangni inni maw? kan kohhranah kanlo tawngtaipui asin', anti thei deuh zel khan mizo leh ringtu nih a tinuamin, rilru hi a tihlim takzet. "Lalpa, keini chhung hi engnge maw kan nih a heti ema min hmangaih ni?" ka ti vawng vawng.

7. Khati khawpa nunna hial hlauhthawn awm khawpa na khan, kar hnih leh a chanve lek hnuah mahni insaseng thei vek khawpin a tha chhuak leh a, doctor te hial mak tih khawpin a tha chak kha a ropui tawp!

8. Khualkhua a harsatna tawk kan ni a, min lainattu chhungte leh thiantha rinphak baka thahnem nitin min tlawhtu kan hmu khan rilru a khawih hle mai. ICU ward a awm lai atang tawhin, pawnah hian hmun awhtu tamber ni khawpin min thutpui hmur zel mai a. ENT ward a a insawn hnuah lah, nitin inkan hun a thlen hi chuan damlo dang thutthleng hawh ngai khawp leh nurse te hialin, "chhuak then mai teh u" tih ngai khawp a min lainattu leh min tawiawmtu zawng zawng te Pathian malsawmna rah liau2 ani tih hriain, a let tamtakin malsawm mawlh rawh se tih hi ka tawngtaina ani.

Tunah chuan ka u pawh tawngtaina avang chauhin rin phak bakin dam lam a pan chho mek a. Operation tenau leh khawih ngai neuh neuh chu la awm mahse, a pawimawh ber, a nunna a him a kan lawm hle tawh ani. Mangang, bangbo, taksa leh thlarau nun chau taka kan awmlai te chenin kan Pathian hi a thutiamah a rinawmin a dingnghet ani tih hi a chiang em em a. Mi tam thei ang berin kan chunga a rinawmzia hi hre ve se tih hi ka duhthusam ani.

No.32: Shaanxi - Ankhang

2008-04-01T19:06:00.022+08:00

Ankhang

21st-23rd March, 2008

Two weeks back during Easter weekend, I find myself walking the streets of Ankhang with nine other foreign friends from Xi'an. Ankhang city lies to the south of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province. It's about 5 hours away from Xi'an by train. I have had a pretty rough time since I came back to China and wasn't all enthusiastic to join the trip. But it turns out to be a good time for the much needed rest. I spent one entire day in my hotel room resting while all my friends went out boating in one of the largest artificial lake Yinghu in Northwest China.
I enjoyed the walk in the small and quiet yet modern city. The local people were very friendly and hospitable and I love the not so busy streets and the simplicity of the living condition there.
Our Chinese contact P, a chemistry teacher in Ankhang University, arranged all the needful during our stay there.

Photo: With Ankhang University students.

Inset : An impromptu Latino dance lesson :)

On Holy Saturday night P arranged for us and some of his students to go to a temple. It wasn't very far from our hotel and stood on a hill and was beautifully lit up. Very conveniently, it was a full moon night and renders a special effect on the cloudless sky. The entire area and the reflections of the lights on the calm river that runs parallel to the temple was a pleasant feast for the eyes.

Every time I went home to India, I'm left camera-less! Friends or relatives...umm...I need not explain further. Anyways, the point is, I went to Ankhang without a camera. But many thanks to S and P for willingly letting me post their pictures of Ankhang.

No.31: Old Photos

2008-03-06T02:54:00.035+08:00

I had a restful and wonderful time for 6 weeks in Aizawl, Lunglei and Shillong respectively. I'm now back in Xi'an for the third week and started work in full swing 3 days after my arrival. I hardly had time to relax and reflect on my experiences, let alone in updating my blog! I'm gradually settling back to the normal life of getting up early, changing my meal time, adjusting to the time difference and back to a secluded life in my rather huge apartment. Even the knowledge of billions of people around me don't seem elevate my loneliness. I really miss home!

At home, I was able to do something I've been meaning to for quite a while now - recapturing old photos in my digicam! I remember stacking away piles and piles of it and I realized how it has become suddenly important over time and can as well be considered as family/personal 'treasures'. These photos can never be recaptured! There's also the chance of losing or accidentally destroying them and can never be recovered. And I don't recollect having saved any negative films for reprinting. So, I took it to task to retake the photos for future storage.

Our beloved family dog Simba, who died two years back while I was away. He gave us much joy and loving company for eleven years.He will ever be lovingly remembered!

No.30: Home Sweet Home

2008-01-07T23:31:00.001+08:00

Yep, I'm going home! I was meaning to stay here and save up for this year's summer holiday somewhere far away from Asia :) But due to various unforseen although managable circumstances, I made a somewhat 'spontaneous' decision 2 days back. (No tossing and turning this time Sandman hehee) I came up with a very favourable International flight deal, arranged for the domestic flight in India and within a day, everything for my journey back home is taken care of.

Now that everything is settled for, I'm very much looking forward to be among my dear and loved ones. Don't get me wrong, I always miss home. But given the chance and resource, I'd prefer to travel elsewhere with the knowledge that I'll get the chance to go home the following year anyway. In order to travel in a long and far away land, that's the like of sacrifice I have to make. With divine intervention, it's my hope that I'll still be able to travel to my desired country for my summer holidays. I'll keep my fingers crossed :P

I'm a bit uneasy as I'm taking a new route this time. I've always gone via Delhi but this time I'll be going via Kolkata on the 12th of January which is a bit unnerving as I'm not familiar with the city. I'll have to stay overnight and it's my hope and prayer that I'll get a good hotel near the airport, that my flight from Kolkata won't get delayed and that everything else will take place smoothly.

I'll be home 'sweet home' for six weeks. Until then..adios!

No.29: Christmassy Moments

2007-12-28T09:10:00.000+08:00

Surprisingly for the first time, the University I work in gave us a Christmas party on 21st December. That was the best time they could manage as the students were to have tests from 22nd-25th December. The 5 foreign teachers (1 Canadian, 2 Americans, 1 Philipino and myself) and some Chinese teachers were invited. I was very impressed with the effort they put in to make it Christmassy. They had specially decorated the room and set up a Christmas tree and lots of goodies to eat.

Two media persons from the University were there to cover the celebration for the website. I got a thermos as third prize from a lucky dip for the foreign teachers among the other presents they gave us. There was lots of singing. There I was, home-sick and missing Christmas back home, but the party really cheered me up.

A week before Christmas, I took lessons on festivals. And of course, with Christmas just around the corner, Christmas was the main theme. I organized card-exchange and some games for the occasion. I played some Christmas songs while the cards were being exchanged and the students had a lovely time...including myself :o)

On Christmas Eve, I invited three colleagues (2 Chinese and 1 Philipino) for dinner at an Indian restaurant. We now have two great Indian restaurants in the city where I live. Though they've never tasted Indian food before, I was very delighted to see them joyously gorging down the scrumptious Indian food. Though it's considered disgusting to eat with bare hands in China, I was surprised and impressed to see one of my Chinese friends attempting to eat with his bare hand. You rock, L! :p

Another thing I couldn't miss to mention is that I really felt blessed to receive many Christmas presents this year. It may as well be the year I received the most gifts ever. To top that, I bought a Christmas present for myself. Yep...it's a percolator. I had been circling around different super-markets debating if I should get one. After our dinner on Christmas Eve, we walked back for quite a distance window-shopping and enjoying the night until we finally reached a supermarket where they sell imported goods. As it's a special occasion, I decided to purchase the percolator as a Christmas gift to myself. An ideal purchase at an ideal time indeed! Now I can have real grounded coffee. I know...I'm such a weakling when it comes to chai and coffee. I just can't help it :)

Christmas day was spent with friends and home-cooked lunch and slurrrrp.....cheese cake and apple pie for dessert.

No.28: 'Warming up' for Christmas

2007-12-14T23:16:00.000+08:00

14th December 2007

It's almost hard to believe we're now spending the last month of this year! The end of the year is all about Christmas for me. Come November, I'd already start reminiscing of my childhood when we'd look forward for the holidays, Christmas shopping, carol, feast and wearing pretty new dress on Christmas day. All the fun and contentment I used to have is now just a beautiful memory. Even then, my spirit tend to soar with expectation around this time of year thinking perhaps this Christmas I can relive those good old days.

This evening, I invited some students for dinner and to decorate my Christmas tree and apartment. They were all enthusiastic as they have never done this before. They are familiar with Christmas trees and Santa Claus but to actually take part in decorating it and learning the true meaning of Christmas is something new and exciting for them. They did a pretty good job on the decoration too. Christmas in China is highly commercialized. In fact, the shopping malls and streets are beautifully decorated and one can hear Christmas songs in many stores for more than two weeks now.

Well, the truth is, when I said I invited them for dinner...I didn't cook. They did all the cooking :) Three of them (two male and one female) are very talented cook. Since they all live on campus, I wanted to create a home-like environment for them where they can make special food of their choice. The weekend home-cooked dinner has become more of a routine for quite a while now. So, it's not yet pre-Christmas dinner. That is yet to come in a few days time. Tonight is just a 'warm-up' dinner :)

Other weekends we mostly had rice but this time they volunteered to make dumplings (momo). Believe it or not, there's only one restaurant (in China) where I like the dumpling so far...only one! But the ones my students made were superb! The fillings were a mixture of pork, leek, eggs and Chinese masala. Besides dumplings, an addition of roasted chicken, stir-fried 'qing cai' and pork-ribs with squash soup made excellent dinner. Burp!

No.27: Beijing - Great Wall of China

2007-12-05T19:20:00.001+08:00

Great Wall of China

8th July 2005

In the summer of 2005, I went to Beijing with my friend J for a week. That was my first experience of the over-crowded train ride during major holiday seasons. WhenＩagreed to go by train, I had no idea just how crowded it could get, but I'm more attuned to it now. It takes about 13 hours direct from Xi'an to Beijing. The Great Wall and the Shaolin Temple are the two most important places in my list and have considered them as priorities for my travel plans. I consider it a great blessing to be able to visit these places in my first two consequent years in China.

Around the end of our stay in Beijing, my friend arranged for us to join a Chinese tour group to go to the Great Wall. We visited other places first and had saved the best for last. My first experience of joining the Chinese tour group didn't leave a good impression on me and have since tried to avoid them. The tour guide yapped away non-stop throughout the whole journey which was quite annoying. I promise you, the tour-guide's voice blaring through the loud speaker, the loud humming of the bus engine, the humid/hot weather and cramped ride can really get to your nerves after a while. We finally reached Badaling Great wall, thankfully, without much further ado. Phew!

There are several Great Wall sections we can visit near Beijing. We went to Badaling which is the most popular and is the best preserved section and is close to Beijing. It is located over 70 kilometers north of Beijing. On reaching the gate, our tour guide bought us tickets which I thought to be the usual entrance ticket. I was very surprised when we were led to this individual sled that were joined together to ride up instead. It's uncomfortable on the way up but turns out to be quite enjoyable on our way down as the sleds were dismantled and we were able to ride and control it individually.

We finally made it to the top of the wall. We went past plenty of souvenir vendors and photographers trying to persuade us to buy their goods and have our pictures taken. Once we reached the foot of the place where we had to start climbing, it was a little overwhelming to see steps after steps leading up to each of the watch towers. I took a deep breath (also because I wore short skirt...lolz) as I could clearly see that the hike up and down was going to be a serious undertaking. It's hard to believe that the old women were also there to make the climb. It was equally unbelievable to see several women with high heel shoes! It took us quite a while to make our journey up the super steep stairs.

Once on reaching the tower, I could see the wall snaking all along the hills in a distant view. The climb was totally worth it and the view was spectacular. It still feels like a dream to have visited one of the (old and new) Seven Wonders of the World!

No.26: Melbourne - Healesville Sanctuary

2007-11-28T02:42:00.001+08:00

Healesville Sanctuary

21st January 2006

During my stay in Melbourne, C&J drove me to the Healesville Sanctuary 65 kilometers or one hours drive from Melbourne. It is located in the Yarra Valley region. Healesville Sanctuary covers 31 hectares of bushland enclosure but is small enough that we can see most of the animals in a days visit. It was great walking through the bushland surrounds and to see the unique wildlife animals of Australia. There were kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, dingos, emus, Koalas, platypus, wombats, monkeys, birds of prey etc. There's this huge butterfly house. Once I entered, I felt as though I'm in a fairyland. Hundreds of different butterfly species fluttered around us and some of them actually landed on our clothes. We have to be careful not to step on them. It was fascinating. Healesville Sanctuary is one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in Australia with a wide range of Australian animals to see.

The most interesting animals for me are the meerkats. I've seen documentaries on discovery channel some years back. Even then, I was fascinated with them. I spent a great deal of time watching the meerkats. They are cheeky and very lively. I find them soooo adorable especially when they stand on their two tiny feet.

Wombats are nocturnal animals. Wombats, like the kangaroo, has a pouch in which it carries it's baby. But it opens backwards to prevent the sand from entering their pouch while digging burrows. The droppings of the wombats are called 'scats' and each wombat's 'scats' have different smell to help them find their burrow in the night :)

Aren't they adorable? They look so cuddly..

The Emperor Tamarin monkey is so cute. I wish I can cuddle him and twirl his moustache in my fingers...hehehee!

The first time I saw the dingos, I was puzzled as to why they kept dogs in the sanctuary. I thought that there's nothing special in keeping dogs there! But soon C&J explained to me that they are dingos and not normal dogs. Apparently, a dingo generally do not bark like a dog and is quite fierce. Oooopsy! I was quite misled by its appearance. Reminds me to be careful so as not to be torn into shreds when crossing the path of a dingo in the wild thinking it to be a dog. Appearance really is deceiving in this particular case ;)

The different tools of the Aborigines in Australia were also displayed.

On our way back, C drove us through the countryside. The blue sky, the huge span of open space with the mountain in the horizon makes it very picturesque. The beauty and serenity of the countryside triggers in me a nostalgic feeling. I'm so glad they drove me throught that route. It was breathtaking!

No.25: Yunnan - Shangri La

2007-11-21T00:03:00.000+08:00

Shangri La

9th-12th August 2007

I took a short break and posted a different topic in between. I'd like to continue with my travel account of Yunnan Province during the summer holiday. Though it's long gone now, but it's still fresh in my mind.

After our Lijiang visit my two friends and I proceeded on to Shangri La. It took us 7 hours by a mini-bus from Lijiang. We were warmly welcomed by C (a Mizo, who used to study in Shillong) and her Singaporean husband J who owns a villa-type hotel there. The hotel is made of wooden and is two storeys. It's quite luxurious with glass slide as the outer door, king sized bed made cozy with electric blanket for the chilly weather, a kitchen and a cool and sophisticated shower capsule. To top it off...they wouldn't let us pay for it!! I'm very grateful to C&J for their hospitality. J advised us not to take shower the day we arrived as we were at an elevation of 3700m above sea level in order to avoid headache and latitude sickness but to first get used to the weather and high elevation.

The original name of this place is Zhongdian, and was renamed as Shangri La in 1977 which means "the sun and moon in heart" in Tibetan. Yunnan Province promotes this place as the real Shangri La from the fictitious mountaintop Utopia of James Hilton's novel "Lost Horizon". Many people believe this to be the place mentioned in the novel. Also, with the adoption of this novel in the big screen by Frank Kapra four years after the novel was published, it gained popularity that stirs up a longing for this dreamy and mystical paradise making the town a hot spot for many foreigners from all over the world. Most of us may know this name by the hotel chain all over the world.

Although Shangri La is located in the north-west of Yunnan Province, the people there are mostly Tibetan. It's located only about 300 kilometres from the Yunnan-Tibet border. It is much higher than Lijiang and is divided into old town and new town. It is a pretty old town with lots of well preserved Tibetan houses with wooden structures and twisting and narrow cobblestone and dirt roads. Everything is made and smells of wood. The weather is cold enough to require a jacket in the day and quite chilly in the evening. Even in summer it remains between 15-20 degree Celsius with constant rain.

Near our hotel is a big square where several barbeque stalls are set up during the daytime. The barbeque ranges from meat to roasted vegetables like potato, mushroom etc and dried bean-curd in skewers for 1 or 2 yuan a piece. This very same square is cleared up in the evening and the whole town seems to gather here and dance to the traditional Tibetan music with a modern dance beat blaring through the sound system. At first, they would dance in a big circle and gradually a concentric circle is formed as more people joined up. It's an exhilarating and fantastic sight. There were old women with the Tibetan traditional garb and young/teenage girls in their designer clothes, old and young men...some with business suit :) all dancing joyously and in perfect unison. Anyone can join them and it was especially fascinating to see many foreigners dancing with the local people at the bouncy and danceable Tibetan music. I too joined in and found that the dance steps weren't complicated and quite easy to pick up. I believe the dancing to be more of a regular community thing and not solely for tourists.

A little bit down the road is a Buddhist Temple on a hill with an enormous prayer wheel spinning overhead and is said to be the biggest at 24 meters tall. We had to climb up steep steps to reach the temple. Personally, I consider this prayer wheel to be the greatest icon in Shangri La. The prayer wheel is so enormous that it takes several people to turn it. We can also get a very good view of the old and new town of Shangri La from the Temple.

The following day we arrived, J drove us to a new ski resort which is still under construction about an hour's drive away from the main city. My guess is that the government has poured in a lot of funds in Shangri La to attract more tourists. We didn't stay long there and J dropped us off halfway in the city. The three of us then proceeded on for the famed Shangri La Monastery about 3 hours north out of town. It's a 300 year old monastery called Songzanlin Si, the largest monastery in Yunnan Province, and the main attraction in Shangri La. It was named after the famous Tibetan king, Songzan and built by the Fifth Dalai Lama. It's an imitation of the Potala Palace in Tibet and is considered as the smaller Potala, still...massive and impressive. We went in a crowded mini bus full of foreigners and the locals living there and the ride was bumpy, dusty and quite uncomfortable. We were told about a backside way and found it to be under renovation. Soon, the monastery will have walls all around built like a fortress.

The monastery is composed of two lamaseries, Zhacang and Jikang. It is quite dark inside the temples and has massive hall with giant buddhas, prayer mats, huge donation boxes, incense, frescos in bright colors depicting gods, demons and legends. Every time I visit a Buddhist monastery in any parts of China, I'm struck with this feeling of familiarity of the gods and demons with that of the Hindus in India. Many of the temples has gods with many hands (pretty much like Kali Ma, one of the Hindu goddesses) and the demons looks very similar to the ones from the Hindu faith. I reckon that the Buddhist gods in China are from a mixture of the Hindu and Buddhist religion. The temples are mostly windowless and lack of light inside the temple often makes me feel like suffocating. However, Buddhist temples are always one of the main attractions in all the Provinces and places I've visited in China. Sadly, I'm the least interested in Temples but almost always have to visit them on joining a tour group.

On the third day, we hired a van and headed for "Bai Shui Tai" (white water terraces) located about 101 kilometers southeast to Zhongdian County. I wasn't sure what to expect as we headed for this place but soon found out to be a tufa (limestone terrace) formation, pretty much like the ones in Jiuzhaigou.The road is narrow and zigzagged but with few traffic. It is situated in Baidi Village. We had a hard time trying to find a decent restaurant for lunch and had to settle for a dingy, dirty and ill-serviced one as there was no other choice. And the food was terrible! To make things worse, while we were on our way to the main attraction, climbing steep and hundreds of steps, my friend L started to show symptoms of allergy and was quite distressed. Probably from the food we just had. We were quite alarmed as we didn't take any medicine with us. In short, our Bai Shui Tai visit didn't turn out quite as expected.

On our last night, J&C invited us for dinner with 2 other Singaporeans. We had a lovely time and greatly enjoyed the Indian food C cooked for us. We got to eat dhal, papad and curry (prepared with Indian 'masala'), which is quite a treasure in China but often taken for granted while in India. And of course, after dinner and the following day, we got to sing our hearts out concluding a superb stay in this mystical land.

I've heard of the novel "Lost Horizon" but hadn't actually read it. Having visited the much talked about Shangri La, I bought a copy at Kunming Airport on my way back to Xi'an. Got lots of time on the plane and turns out to be a fascinating read. It would have been more interesting had I read the novel before visiting the place. Quite the other way round eh? But as the saying goes..."Better late than never"!

No.24: Girls Day Out!

2007-11-13T01:16:00.000+08:00

J & R

9th November 2007

I took a break from the blogging world for the past few days. I was kinda busy as I had Aussie guests (J&R) for about a week from Sydney and New Castle respectively. We had a helluva time together :) One particular day, we had a girl's day out...and yep...I took them to the photo studio near where I live and spent several hours in the studio. A typical girl thingy :)

It's a three storey building with the first floor for make-up, a huge collection of dresses were on the second floor and the third floor is the main studio where the shooting is done. One can select outfits ranging from Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Victorian era, formal and wedding gowns. One of my students accompanied us and stayed with them throughout the time spent in the studio as I had to leave early. At the end of the photo session, they were able to take several professional, yet 'fun' photos. With my friends' permission, I'm posting the photos taken by myself and the professional photographers.

More than an hour was spent in applying make-up. It's rather amazing watching the gradual transformation on my friends :)

There were some chinese couples and I instinctively took a few shots of them too :-)

Sandwiched between two Aussie beauties *_*

Professional Photos

These are the professional shots. I made a few changes though...I spent a great deal of time using Photoshop for the first time. While peeps have moved on to CS3, I have Photoshop CS2 for almost a year now but haven't had the time to try it out. Needless to say I'm an amateur. I collated the photos (the ones I got from the professional photographers) and as you can see, it's far from perfect...but then...it's a good start! :P

Luv this shot *_*

No.23: Yunnan - Lijiang (Part 2)

2007-10-30T21:27:00.000+08:00

Lijiang Old Town

7th - 8th August 2007

Lijiang or Lijiang Old Town is the home of the Naxi (Na-Shee) minority people. The Naxi's are noted as one of the few Asian people who have maintained a matriarchal society. The women inherited all the property, held power over the males for love affairs with flexible arrangements, the children belongs to the women and are held responsible to raise them. Even the disputes were resolved by the female elders. In short, the women officially ran the show of the society. Pretty much the same to the Khasi's in Meghalaya who follows the same excepting for adjudicating social disputes.

The Naxi's are one of the last practitioners of the pictograph language still in use today. They claim that it can be read by anyone without being taught. Dongba is the culture they follow as well as the name of their religion and shamans.

Night life in Lijiang Old Town is very scenic. The main part of the old town highlights the rooftops with red lanterns. Our nights are mostly spent rambling along the winding lanes with hundreds of shops on either side. We would walk past canals and over bridges with the weeping willows bordering the canals.

We were lucky to have witnessed the three day Torch Festival during our two days stay there. The Torch Festival is an important traditional festival of many ethnic groups in Yunnan Province. The Naxis celebrate this festival to protect their crops from destructive insects by fire whereas the Yi Group firework version is to serve as a warning to ghosts and for keeping away the evil spirits. They set up giant torches by bundling pine woods together decorated with flowers and lit on streets around the old town. Some of the locals gathered around the flaming bonfire singing and dancing to their hearts' content.

We also came across women selling candles with colored papers made in the shape of lotus flower to hold the candles. Many tourists bought these candles and released it on the water that runs through the town. The candle lights could be seen bobbling up and down along the canal which lends a romantic charm.

On our second day, we hired a van and went to the Tiger Lake (Lashi Hai) 15km from the booming tourist town of Lijiang. It's a natural reservoir of plant and animal species including several species of birds which winter there. It is a grassland with mountains surrounding it. Horses could be hired to tour the distant places and around the grassland. Once we reached the spot, we found that it was highly overpriced. Having visited the grassland in Inner Mongolia, I wasn't very impressed with the place plus I probably had food poisoning and wasn't feeling well at all. So we just wandered around the grassland on foot then went back to the old town.

We rented bikes the same day and toured the city. I always enjoy pedaling through the unfamiliar roads and discovering new places. With the weather just ideal for the ride, we went to a place where at one end there is a large square with a waterwheel. Here too was swamped with tourists. We spent a few hours there taking pictures and then headed back to our hotel. We went out walking again in the evening, had dinner beside the canal and took in the beauty of the old town to be ever imprinted in my mind.

No.22: Yunnan - Lijiang (Part I)

2007-10-23T22:44:00.000+08:00

Lijiang Old Town

7th-8th August 2007

This year's summer vacation is spent visiting two provinces in China. I've written about my Guizhou Province visit. From Guizhou I proceeded on to Yunnan Province, known for having the highest percentage of the minority people group in China. It was my second visit to Yunnan Province, with my first visit in 2005 mostly spent visiting places in and around Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. This time, two of my friends Lz, J and I went to Lijiang.

Located in the north western corner of Yunnan Province, Lijiang is an old town comprising of a maze of little cobbled roads, rickety old wooden buildings, winding alleyways, drooping willow trees, little stone bridges, markets, inns and canals running through rows and rows of restaurants and bars on either side. It is at an elevation of 2400 meters above sea level, or about 7500 feet high. Lijiang old town has a history dating back to more than 800 years old. The bright lights and the Naxi (Na-Shee) culture handicraft shops seem to lend a bit of an authentic atmosphere.

On 3rd February 1996, the deadliest earthquake of the decade struck Lijiang Old Town with a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale. Surprisingly, the old Naxi buildings were able to withstand the severe earthquake and were still found standing whereas all the high rise buildings were destroyed. This instantly raised the fame of Lijiang and since has been a hot spot for many visitors. The new city of Lijiang is just another city, but the old city is what most of the people come for.

We set out from Kunming on 6th August at 8:10 pm. We boarded an air-conditioned sleeper bus with rows and rows of bunk beds instead of reclining seats. I was fascinated as this actually is my first tour on a sleeper bus. But the fascination was short lived as once the bus gets into motion, the passengers started smoking a great deal, that too with no windows!(air..air...gasping for fresh air). Also, on our way back, we took a sleeper bus again where two western women smoked at the front near the driver (hmpfff....they should have known better!). The Chinese passengers took this opportunity to practice English using all their Chinglish from their bunks. This time, my friend J, amidst the 'English practice' took the opportunity to tell them from one dark corner in a very broken English not to smoke :) I don't think they figured it came from another foreigner. But it sure did the trick :)

We stopped twice, at a bus station and at another place where the driver had something to eat at a restaurant(probably to kill time) and we, who needed fresh air and wanting to stretch our aching bones went out in the crisp night air. We finally arrived early in the morning at around 5:30 am. We lingered for a while on the bus as no public transport runs that early. At around 6:20 am, we met a girl looking for people to stay in their hotel. After bargaining and settling for the price, a van took us to our hotel which was right in the Old Town area. As we entered the Old Town, it was still very quiet and empty other than travelers like ourselves. After checking in, we wandered off to find a restaurant for breakfast. Most of the shops were still closed so we settled for a Chinese breakfast which was about the only shop open at that wee hour.

Having rested, we set out to explore the narrow cobbled streets listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We soon found that the streets were very convoluted that it was very easy to get lost. By now the streets have come alive and it was rather shocking to find that almost all the houses turns out to be shops other than the ones at the outback area. I'd say the place is literally mobbed by tourists of about 90% Chinese and 10% foreigners! The entire town is pedestrians-only and cars, bikes and other vehicles are banned making it easy to explore and pollution free.

No.21: Sichuan - Jiuzhaigou

2007-10-11T03:21:00.001+08:00

Jiuzhaigou
17th-19th July, 2005

After J and I traveled to Beijing and back again to Xi'an during the summer holidays in 2005, we proceeded on to Chengdu in Sichuan province which is his hometown. He studied in Xi'an and having graduated, was heading for home. I also helped carry several things back to his hometown. The only train ticket we could get hold of were hard seated ones. I need not explain again how it's like to travel in a crowded train plus extra luggage this time :P I stayed with his family who were very hospitable and helped me better understand family life in yet another province. Since Sichuan dialect is spoken in a fast and high tone, it seemed to me as though they were quarreling many a times *_* It was only after a while that I came to realize that it was because of the dialectal difference with Xi'an. Sichuan dialect sounds too quarrel-like to the slower and low toned Xi'an dialect I'm used to by now. Sigh!

The day after we reached Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, I went to Zetong County (15th-16th July, 2005) to visit one of my students and stayed there for two days. After coming back to Chengdu, we left for Jiuzhaigou Valley with my friend J, his father and two of their family friends from Guangdong Province in the morning of 17th July. Another reason for their visit was to see off J as he was to leave for America the following month to study there. (That was two years back, now having finished his studies; he's got a good job in the US).

We joined a Chinese tour group and took more than 12 hours by bus to reach Jiuzhaigou. It took us longer than usual as we were blocked by a landslide for more than 2 hours. We then took a detour in an old and deserted road which is not just unleveled but had to zigzag through places where there are no roads at all. Several times the bus careened dangerously to one side that I thought we weren't going to make it. But to my relief, no ill-incident befell us and we reached our destination safely at about 7:30 pm.

I was supposed to share a room with other Chinese women. Fortunately, the tour guide noticing that I'm a foreigner arranged a separate room for me. I was very thankful as we were to spend three nights there and I wasn't exactly eager to share a room with total strangers. It was colder than anticipated and was drizzling most of the time we were there. The next morning, we headed for the main attraction - Jiuzhaigou.

Most of the scenic spots in Jiuzhaigou are scattered in a Y-shaped valley. The highest mountain peaks in Jiuzhaigou are at an elevation of 3500-4500m above sea-level. The main attraction are the natural beauty with tranquil lakes, swift waterfalls, springs, the snow mountain ridges and it's geological structure with karst sedimentations.

It took quite a while for our tour guide to get the tickets. Being one of the most popular tourist spots in China, there were thousands of visitors. Appareantly, there are about a million inland and foreign visitors thronging this place every year. Once we got the tickets we could wander off on our own, which I much preferred to being shoved around by tour guides taking us to places we're not interested in with limited time. I've experienced such tours before and didn't exactly enjoy it. I was indeed grateful to be able to tour the place on our own.

Upon entering the scenic area, we soon came to an eye-catching group of exquisite, crystal clear ponds. We could actually see the bottom of the lake and the fish swimming in it. There were many lush green trees. I'm told that in spring, the leaves changes to different luxuriant colors to enhance their glamour even more. The ponds are surprisingly crystal clear and we can see the reflection of trees, mountains, clouds and sky, which is a pleasant feast to the eyes.

Before going to Jiuzhaigou, I was shown different pictures of the amazingly blue and clear waters. I expressed my doubtfulness to find such clear blue waters and tranquil places and thought that the pictures must have been edited/altered to attract more tourists. However on reaching the spot and having seen for myself the beauty and serenity of the place, I took back my word. I couldn't help but feel that this place is like a paradise, and hence aptly known as the 'Fairy Land on Earth' by the Chinese. It turns out to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. It's truly breath-taking!

On the second day, we went to Huanglong about 42 Kms away from the entry to Jiuzhaigou. Because of the high altitude, cans of oxygen were sold at various intervals for people who gets altitude sickness. I for one didn't think needed it only to realize much later, that I was affected too :) I had a mild headache while walking up towards the multi-colored pool, our final destination. Thinking it to be one of those random headaches I tend to have before, I thought it most unfortunate to have one just when we were on our way to see the most important and beautiful spot. Little did I realize then, that I was at an altitude of about 3500 meters above sea level!

One thing I'd like to mention is that some of the people using the can of oxygen continued to smoke! They would inhale the oxygen and then smoke repeatedly. I wondered how they managed to do that :P There were also some litters, a chair carried on a pole by two bearers, made available for a certain sum of money. People who took these litters were rushed up and down which is quite annoying as the road is way too small to accommodate both the bearers and the tourists. With us making our way up, tired and feeling uneasy with altitude sickness, it's quite unpleasant to have to constantly give way to these sometimes rude and pushy litter bearers. Not to mention hoards of travelers going up and others coming down.

After a while, we had to walk on narrow wooden planks. Even an attempt to stop and take pictures for a while is next to impossible with hundreds of people jostling behind me. To stick with my other friends also became very difficult at this point because of the crowd. Since there is only one way, I knew that I could soon catch up again with my friends. So I took my time in enjoying the beauty of the scenery in leisure and in taking photos.

We finally reached a Taoist temple and behind that is the multi-colored pool. I was immediately enchanted with the ethereal beauty of the clusters of tufa formation. It was strewn with gold colored limestone deposit and seems to give a myriad of different hues to the water. Its beauty is beyond mere words. I guess one needs to see it in person to truly appreciate this wondrous 'Fairy Land on Earth'.

No.20: Melbourne - Culture Shock

2007-10-02T03:30:00.000+08:00

Need I mention that I had culture-shock in Oz? I say....definitely! Lemme write some of my interesting, hilarious, goofed up and first time experiences :P

As informed by my Aussie friends before I went to Melbourne, the climate was very unpredictable. One moment it was sunny and extremely hot and the next instant....there tends to be a downpour! When it's sunny, it's extremely hot and can burn your skin. I can't recollect ever having sun-burn until I went to Melbourne. I ended up buying sunscreen lotion which I never had the need to use before. And during one of these extremely hot days, we'd just stay indoors with our swimsuit on and take a dip in the family pool at various intervals. We needn't even take off our swim-wear; we'd jump into the pool, then would go inside the house to relax and after a while would take another cooling dip in the pool. Though it's summer, when I went out, I learnt to go well equipped to face any kind of weather....I'd mostly take an umbrella and a sweater along :)

Having gone from China where there are lots of people everywhere, I was sometimes a bit lonely and scared the few times I went out walking alone in the empty and deserted streets in Melbourne. By around 7:00 pm, most of the shops are closed in the residential area and people mostly go to bed by 9:00 pm. I'm a latie...I normally go to bed late and I often find it hard to go to bed early. I would either read books or watch television before going to bed. And I just couldn’t have enough of the television. I didn't realize I was yearning for English Channels. In China, all the channels are in Chinese and I hardly watch them. But in Oz...purrr...I spent a lot of time watching the television. It was during my stay in Melbourne that 'Prison Break' was advertised and started airing only after I came back to China. Haven't missed any of the episodes so far...and of course not on the television but through the internet....lolz. In fact, I watched the latest one last night :)

I've often heard of expressions that Churches in the west are deserted and are now used for other purposes. Well, I merely had the general idea but seeing these deserted Churches with my own eyes had a very great impact on me. I was filled with nostalgia seeing Churches at different intervals. It doesn't seem to emit warmth like Churches back home. It looks forlorn and ill-maintained. It was quite saddening to see them. But on the brighter side, that doesn't mean Churches don't exist anymore. I attended services on Sundays in Churches that looks like normal houses but filled with warmth and passionate believers.

Traffic rules are strictly followed in Australia whereas in China and India it's pretty chaotic. Somehow, when friends offered to take me out driving or sight-seeing, I always ended up in the drivers' door side. :) Reason: it's opposed to the driver's side in China. It took me quite awhile to get used to the systems in China, and I had to struggle all over again in Australia. I needed some time to get used to it again. Sigh!

During my stay there, I had one birthday party experience. It was Jen's Birthday. She invited several friends to dine out in a Thai restaurant in the city. Four of us went together and met the others in the restaurant. City life is quite another thing. It's full of life till late in the night. In the restaurant, we had to sit on the floor and were served in Thai style ;) It was quite interesting. One thing I'd like to mention is....all of us made a donation for the meal at the end...quite unlike the tradition I'm used to back home. To us it's always like...it's your birthday? Ahhh...you have to 'treat' me....rite? I understand it's not always expected to 'go dutch' in Oz either. But the idea is quite appealing to me. We get to enjoy...including the birthday girl/boy...not having to pay for everyone. Everybody's happy this way :P

One day, Mar invited me to go to a cinema. I didn't have other plans that day and I was all enthusiastic. She drove me to the Rivoli Cinema in Camberwell, a very famous theatre in Melbourne. The Rivoli Theatre is where the likes of Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Matt Damon, Daniel Radcliffe (to name a few) had attended the premiere of their new movies. There were several movies to choose from. And there was this new movie called 'The Brokeback Mountain' and looks quite interesting with a western cowboy theme complete with horses, cowboy hats, boots etc. We had no idea what the movie was about and had chosen for the sole reason that it was recently released and looked as though there's gonna be lots of action...we were soon to find out that it's not quite the kind of action we expected :) We bought the tickets, bought some coke and popcorn and were comfortably seated in our seats. The movie started...halfway through the movie, we started to shift uncomfortably with boredom. Imagine the look on our faces after the movie was over.... :o)

Another thing I wanted to do was to see a real live casino. One of those places we don't have back home. Jill had previously offered to take me round the Yarra River and other 'must-visit' places in Melbourne. She agreed to take me to the Crown Casino which was conveniently on the way to the places we were planning to visit. She drove me to the Crown Casino in the evening. It was larger than I expected and was buzzing with life inside. Hundreds of people were there hoping to strike big. I was there merely to see what it looks like so we didn't stay long. I wasn't quite sure if we were allowed to take pictures, but I attempted a few quick shots anyway which, sadly in my hurried state, turns out to be all blurry. Even though I didn't actually take part in the gambling itself, yet it was an interesting experience for me...:)

I often went out walking or sight-seeing on my own and when I went out, I mostly use the Metcard for train, trams and busses.Once, my friend Mar invited me to have lunch in the city. As she was already in the city, I was to go and meet her at Flinder Street. I decided to go by train. I had taken the train once with another friend and I was confident I could make it to the city. I waited for the train in Auburn Station, boarded the same (I thought) train my friend and I took before. I'm pretty good in remembering landscapes/landmarks. As I was quite confident that I took the right train, it was after several stops that I looked out the window and realized I could not recognize the places we passed by. I quickly looked at my map and when we stopped at the next station, I realized I went right the opposite direction from the city towards Lilydale ! Hahahaha...It was too late for me to get down at that station but I got down in the next station. I rang up my friend and explained the situation. We had a hearty laugh during lunch.

Once, the B's took me shopping in a mall not very far from their house. I was meaning to buy Aussie souvenirs. But imagine my disappointment whenever I looked at the tag in the clothes, shoes and many other items. On it were written....'Made in China'! Thud! I didn't come all the way from China to buy Chinese made souvenirs...:)

Another time I went shopping with Kel, we were to go to the second floor and had to use the escalator. There were many people that day and the escalator was in frequent use. Once on the escalator, I found that the people going up were all standing to the left side. I innocently stood beside my friend to her right. I was finding it rather odd why all the people chose to stand only to the left. Hmmm....something's going on but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Must be cultural thingy....On reaching the top, I asked Kel why all the people stood to the left. She replied saying that the right side is often made empty so that people who are in a hurry could speed up by walking on the right side. Arre....I wished she had told me that earlier....or perhaps she was afraid she might offend me...dunno what but I felt like a complete fool. No wonder, several people who were behind me were looking up at me with those curious and questioning eyes...*_*
(All the names are shortened)

No.19: Melbourne

2007-09-26T03:02:00.000+08:00

Melbourne

20th Jan - 20th Feb 2006

On the night of 28th October 2005, I was tossing and turning, battling hard to sleep when I had a sudden brainstorm. The more I thought about it, the crazier it seemed and the impossibilities came flooding in at the same time. However, I remember having a very strong conviction then. I slept brushing it off as a mere thought that would be forgotten the next morning when I wake up.

But I soon found that the idea was far from being forgotten. I wrestled with it, but somehow couldn't make it go away. Two days later, I shared this idea with my mentor, who very wisely advised me not to give up without taking positive steps first. And if it's not meant to be, then my attempts will not come through. Fair enough for me.

This crazy idea was to go to Australia. Crazy....because Australia had never been in my travel list, perhaps owing to its long and arduous process to obtain visa. The thought of going there had just not occurred until that fateful night. Anyways, I decided to take necessary steps in order to ease my mind. I thought that if I tried and the visa didn't come through...that's it. If it does...then its God's will!

So I started taking initiatives. I went through processes like acquiring necessary documents, sending the documents to Shanghai, giving phone interview twice with the Australian Ambassador in Shanghai and not to forget the constant help and valuable advice from B.Vanlalvawna, the then Vice-Consulate General of India in Shanghai. To my great joy, I was told that I was approved my visa to travel to Australia...yay! Now I was fully set to take a break from the freezing cold in Xi'an to spend my winter holidays for a month in Australia where it's sunny and warm. Woohoooo!

I was very excited but at the same time had various concerns as I was to travel alone. Given a choice, I'd always prefer to have a travel companion. My experience when coming to China on my own was already a bit stressful. But things went quite smoothly this time, probably because I was able to communicate in English and could read the signs :), unlike the first time I came out to China where I felt quite at loss as I couldn't understand any of the announcements made and my inability to read Chinese characters. I felt further blessed as I was able to get a very good deal on my round-trip flight ticket.

After spending 10 wonderful and memorable days in Shanghai, I finally left for Australia from Shanghai on the 19th January 2006 at 8:40 pm (CST). The flight took 10 long hours and we landed in Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne the next morning at 7:15am (CST).My first impression of the airport terminal was....uuummmm...it's not that different from Indira Gandhi International Airport!

My flight was delayed and E, who came to pick me up waited more than an hour for me. As she drove me from the airport towards the city, the first thing I noticed as always whenever I travel was...the blue 'pollution-free' sky and white clouds. Can't exactly figure out why...but I was hit with this feeling of familiarity when I watched the landscape as we passed by. Weird...I found it somewhat very similar to Shillong in India. Yet, it's thousands of miles apart!

I seem to take in everything with the curiosity of a child and a series of questions shot at E, who graciously and patiently replied to my unending queries. Many thanks to you E :) Another surprise for me was the residential area (suburb). I expected to see Melbourne full of high rise buildings and skyscrapers...more like New York City I guess :P. This proves to be quite a contrast from my previous mental picture of Melbourne. Most people live in houses and I reckon this to be the reason why I was so much reminded of Shillong *-*

I had just landed and had a month to find out all about the people and culture. As we headed for B's house where I was to stay for a few days, I thought to myself, 'finally... it's now time to enjoy and learn all I can about Australia'.

No.18: Nocturnal Encounter

2007-09-22T21:29:00.000+08:00

Three days back, I went out and left one of my windows wide open (with the movable net that prevent insects from entering). In my absence, a baby bat entered my apartment. When I came back in the evening, I put on the light and was most surprised to find a bat flying around in my study room. I continued to keep the window open hoping that the bat would eventually find its way out. After a while, I stopped hearing its wings beating and had no idea where it was. I searched for it but couldn’t find it.

Since I didn’t see it again the following day and the next, I had totally forgotten about it. Today, as I was cleaning my apartment, I was very surprised to find it hanging in my bathroom window net! I reckoned it must be totally exhausted and dehydrated. It was still breathing and as an animal lover; it was my full intention to nurture it back to health. But the problem is that I have no idea whatsoever about bats! I have had dogs, cats and a monkey as pets before, but bats!It was most unusual and challenging.

I quickly googled on bats diet and how to feed it. I found that majority of the bats eat insects and fruits and that we can feed a very young bat with cow or goat milk. First, I went in search of small insects...the equivalent of a mosquito in size around my apartment. I doubted though if I'd find one during the daytime but I searched for it anyway....and as expected....no such luck!

I attempted the second alternative....milk. Since I have no paintbrush, I used a swab of cotton to feed the baby bat. At first, it licked the milk off the cotton and I was most relieved. It then started to suckle and I could see its weary eyes brightening gradually. I repeated the feeding after every hour as suggested in the website and I was amazed at how fast it regained its strength. It flew around once more and I have a feeling it was frightened. Once I caught hold of it again, I was convinced that it felt much better and can find its way back (hopefully)home. I freed it from my window (but not before I took these pictures *_*) and watched it disappear into the darkness of the night.

No.17: Guizhou - Duyun

2007-09-14T04:37:00.000+08:00

Duyun

14th-24th July 2007

After touring the different places of interest in Anshun, we finally headed for Duyun where my friend was posted to enroll new students during the summer holidays. After being informed that it is a fairly small city compared to other cities with the population of uumm...4.6 million people :) (mind you...it's considered as a 'small' city), I looked forward to go to Duyun just to spend several days relaxing and exposing myself to its culture and environment.

Prior to my going, my friend had arranged for a hotel by the side of a river that has a good view. It was surprisingly cheap (22RMB = about Rs.130 per night) and has fairly good facility complete with a television set. The food however is quite expensive in Duyun and wasn't to my liking. I ended up liking the 'cold noodle' that has reasonable price, tastes good and served my purpose conveniently with the weather being hotter than expected.

The people in Duyun are down-to-earth and easy-going. There are several bars and discothèque near my hotel and I really enjoyed the nightlife that goes on round the clock. At around 7pm, many food stalls would be set up along the riverside and hundreds of stalls that sells clothes, books, cosmetics and goods of all kinds could be found in the city along the pavements. Goods sold there were cheap too. I spent ten days in Duyun and I basically spent the days in the hotel, as it was quite hot during the daytime. Then my friend and I would take a walk in the evening, have our supper then would go on a shopping spree. Aaaaah! That sure was life...splendid way of having a true holiday :)

I guess majority of the locals can swim. Other than the river, there is a huge swimming pool and other recreation island-like built in the middle of the river. To get to this place, we had to walk across a ropeway. Besides swimming pool, there were a few basketball grounds, several pool tables and restaurants there. I got to like Duyun more the longer I stayed.

It was also in Duyun that I was introduced to a new kind of sport (Or at least new to me). Every morning and evening, the local people would swim in the river. I could see them enjoying and cooling themselves from my hotel window. It's a pity that I can't swim. Some middle-aged locals would perform, what I call it a 'bamboo pole riding/acrobat' :} (I don't even know the name of this sport. Check out my pictures).

A long bamboo pole is kept afloat on the water, and a man/woman would stand on the pole holding a smaller bamboo to maintain the balance. They would then row themselves along the river using the small bamboo. I was very impressed with their ability to maintain the difficult feat of balance and coordination. For some, it's not easy either. They would go...plomp...into the water. They would then climb back again...and plomp...into the water over and over again. However, some of them were very skilled. The fact that most of these performers were middle-aged makes it more fascinating. Try as I may, I just can’t imagine myself trying out this difficult feat...let alone in taking simple exercise *_*

No.16: Guizhou - Zhilin Cave

2007-09-04T17:39:00.000+08:00

Zhilin Cave

13th July 2007

Day two in Anshun was spent about four hours trekking (unintentionally) and touring the Zhilin Cave. We took a local mini-bus which took us about an hour to reach the main gate. I was particularly thrilled with the bus ride which took us through beautiful landscape and villages. The passengers range from tourists to a woman from one of the many minority groups in China. This woman is attired in a traditional dress with a very interesting head band.

It was only after sometime we got down from the bus that I found that my camera case with the spare battery in it was missing! I could do without the case, but not without the spare battery. The one in my camera was already half used and I was counting on the spare battery. Sheeeesh! On an act of impulse, I wanted to immediately pursue the bus. But then the gate-keepers assured me saying that the bus would return soon. Even if the bus did come back, my major fear was that the passengers from the other end would find and keep the case.

I had no choice but to wait. Well...I never liked waiting. In that case, I could definitely say my patience was tried to the extreme limit! Finally, the bus came back and the gatekeepers flagged it down and quickly explained the situation to the driver. I rushed in...and to my greatest relief...my camera case was still lying on the floor, which I must have dropped in my frenzy when taking pictures of the villages on our way. What a close call! Phew!

It was a fairly hot day and the tour started with the not so pleasant incident. To make things worse, after two hours trekking up and down mountains and narrow path, we got suspicious as to why we were the only people going in that direction. After enquiring with the very few people coming from the opposite direction we found out that we had entered from the back gate! We weren’t prepared for such a long walk. We were further told that we were still very far away from our destination! Grrrrrrrrr...My legs were aching and I was sweating profusely by then. But there was no stopping...even if we turned back the way we came...no...no...two hours to retrace our steps...no way! What a dilemma we were in!

The plus point of our exhausting trekking was that we got to see beautiful sceneries at various intervals. After about two more hours of further trekking, we finally reached Zhijin Cave. That too accidentally...!!

Lemme explain...There was this huge cave on the way with steps going down to the bottom. I was too tired to even attempt and go down. I sat down at the entrance waiting for my friend who was still energetic enough to investigate it. After a while, she called out to me telling me how beautiful it was and asked me to join her. I thought, ’I’m never coming back here, so why don’t I just ignore my tiredness for today and be adventurous’. My joining her turned out to be very favorable for both of us. As we wandered further into the cave, both fascinated by the walkway kept floating on top of the river, we ended up in this enormous dark cave illuminated with beautiful colored lights.

There were boats that would take visitors around the different caves through narrow passageways. We boarded one and felt as if floating in a magical place. The caves are spacious and room after room, often reaching from floor to the ceiling, was stalactites and stalagmites. The karst precipitation of calcium deposits, formed into spectacular spirals and shapes, are definitely a rare and fantastic sight.

As we went from cave to cave I found that all the different caves hold unique beauty. One of the tourists, probably fascinated by the cave began singing in his rather loud baritone voice which echoed throughout the caves. At the end of his song, he received warm applause from the rest of the tourists from several other boats.

As we rowed out of the cave on the other end, we were suddenly hit by the bright sunlight and heat, a stark contrast to the cool and dark but beautiful sight just a minute ago. We then headed back to Anshun tired and yet contented at having seen one of the most spectacular caves I've ever come across.

No.15: Guizhou - Bonsai Garden

2007-08-28T22:18:00.000+08:00

In Anshun, on the way to Huangguoshu Waterfall, we had to walk past the Bonsai Garden.It has an impressive number of Bonsai collection. Apparently, for three or more consecutive years, these trees were grown from dry and old tree roots under artificial support.

No.14: Guizhou - Huangguoshu Waterfall

2007-08-25T04:38:00.000+08:00

Huangguoshu Waterfall

12th July 2007

Guizhou is located in the southwest of China. It’s one of the provinces that have high percentage of minority people. After 26 hours journey, I finally reached Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou at around 7:00 pm. Guiyang is named the “City of Gardens” because of the abundance of flowers and trees due to its moist subtropical climate. I was warmly received by my friend who came all the way from Duyun, a small city about 3 hours away by train. We checked into a hotel and finally had a long restful night.

I would have loved to rest the next day, but my friend has planned for us to go to Anshun, located 150 km from Guiyang. We set out early the next morning (yawn…) in a (thankfully) comfortable train that takes about 4 hours. On reaching Anshun, we first checked into a fairly nice hotel and then headed for Huangguoshu Waterfall about an hours ride by the local bus and then by a bus shuttle. I really enjoyed the bus ride as we passed beautiful mountains with lush greenery covering the hillside.

We made a detour first to Doupotang, a fairly small waterfall 1 km upstream of Huangguoshu and then passed through clusters of minor waterfalls forming fantastic natural views.

Duopotang Waterfall

Huangguoshu is the largest waterfall in Asia and the third largest in the world (As claimed by the Chinese). It is 243 feet (74 meters) high and 266 feet (81 meters) wide. The thunder of the falls can be heard for some distance. It has three different vantage points offering the best views.

We reached our destination late in the afternoon. It’s a rather long walk from the entrance gate to the waterfall. We had to hike down long fight of steps. It’s a good thing I took my umbrella along as the force of the waterfall causes light shower. It’s very wet, slippery and dark (because of the thick mass of trees) The mist from the waterfall rises up like thick cloud to the village above, opposite to the waterfall. Unfortunately, the water was murky as it rained two/three days back. Yet, I’m thankful for the opportunity to add this to my list of "Places I’ve visited".

No.13: Guizhou - On the train

2007-08-21T23:13:00.002+08:00

10th July 2007

This summer holiday witnesses the highest record of travel influx in China. It amounts to 10 million person per day! Incredible-isn’t it? During this peak season, the price for plane tickets doubled and getting hold of train ticket becomes a matter of great concern for many students and travelers alike. The number of days when tickets can be bought ahead,differs with different provinces. The tickets cannot be ‘booked’ or sold before the days fixed by the different Provincial Governments.

Being fully aware of the situation, I still decided to travel to the southern part of China this time. It’s a decisive choice I have to make every summer holiday. The choice to stay in the ‘almost’ nonfunctional (institution, restaurants, supermarkets and other shops) campus during the holidays or travel in over-crowded train or busses or pricy plane. The latter choice mostly outweighs the former one :)

Train Ticket

I love traveling by train and I actually prefer it to planes or busses. It’s less noisy than flying by plane, less bumpy than busses or cars and I can thoroughly enjoy the beautiful scenery on the way. With regard as to 'where' to travel, I had various options and endless time to kill (2 months). I didn’t chalk out any clear-cut plan. I just intended to head out for the first 'planned' destination, stay there as long as I felt like it, and then undertake another (unplanned) journey. This way it would be more time consuming as well as exciting.

Travellers sitting in the aisle

At the invitation of my colleague, my first destination was Guiyang the capital of Guizhou province, which takes 26 hours by train from Xi'an. As suspected, I could not get hold of the sleeper ticket at first and so I had to sit in the hard-seat in an over-crowded compartment.Even the aisles and areas around the toilets and smoking area were full of people standing and squatting on the floor.I informed the conductor to give me a sleeper ticket as soon as it's available. I guess noticing that I’m a lone foreign female traveler, he must have had compassion on me, and eventually gave me the first sleeper ticket available after roughing up for about 2 hours. Of course, I had to pay more for it. What a relief! There were less people and more room in the sleeper compartment and I was very grateful indeed. Once comfortably on my bunk, I could then relax and eventually go to sleep.

Hard-seat compartment

I have the tendency to be elated whenever I travel to new places. The night before I reached Guiyang, though I’ve researched and learned all I could about Guiyang, I still recollect thinking what kind of people, food, climate etc I’m going to see, feel and experience. Gaining knowledge from books and internet about places is totally different from experiencing it first hand. I was full of anticipation and eagerness to see and know more about the place I’m about to visit…this is life…I smiled…then I drifted off to sleep..

Hard-sleeper compartment

No.12: Henan - Longmen Grottoes

2007-08-17T23:17:00.000+08:00

Longmen Grottoes

(3rd October 2004)

Though I had a months' break from blogging, I think it best to wrap up the Henan Trip before turning my attention to the recent ones. Let me get back to my Luoyang tour. I've written about the Shaolin Temple visit and I'd also like to mention our Longmen Grottoes visit. Since one day is quite enough for visiting the Shaolin Temple, my friends and I felt that we could then spend our time going to other places of interest in and around Luoyang. We decided to go to the Longmen Shiku (Dragon Gate Grottoes) the day after we went to the Shaolin Temple.

I wasn't sure what the Longmen Grottoes was all about. Is it a park, Lake, museum or Temple? As my initial intention to go to Henan was solely focused on visiting the Shaolin Temple, I wasn't sure what to expect. Neither did I undertake any research to find out places other than the Shaolin Temple prior to our going.

We took a taxi and on reaching the entrance, we bought our tickets for 80 RMB at the Dragon Gate.I soon found out the Longmen Grottoes to be an ancient Buddhist Cave art. It was named the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in November 2000. It is located just 13 Kilometers south of Luoyang.

With the Yi River washing along the gorge, it has a series of caves flanked on both the mountainside. In it were numerous carvings of Buddha. Apparently there were more than 100,000 statues, some small ones and the biggest, as tall as 56.23 feet. But mind you, if you ever plan to go there make sure that you have comfortable walking shoes as the whole place covered a kilometer from north to south.

The Qianxi Temple, the Three Binyang Caves, Ten Thousand Buddha Caves, Laolong Cave, the Lotus Cave, Fengxian Temple etc., in Longmen are awesome. Especially, once finding out that some of these carvings dated back to 493 AD, makes me wonder and rejoice on how we humans are specially designed and created with wonderful craftsmanship and unique talents.

No.11: Things I came across....2

2007-08-17T19:35:00.000+08:00

It's summer holiday and I travelled for a little over a month. I've now come back and hope to be active in my 'blorld' again.Wanna share these pictures I came across in the TRAIN. Some of the pictures turned out to be a bit blurry as I took these while the train is in motion. Kinda hard naaa......but I just couldn't help my trigger-happy fingers from clicking away once more. Trut-trut-trut!

Below - Near the wash-basin.

On the door-frame of the coach.

No.10: Henan - Shaolin Temple

2007-06-29T22:45:00.000+08:00

Shaolin Temple

(1st-4th October, 2004)

After July-August summer holidays, another major holiday in China is from 1st-10th October. 1st October is the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and Double Tenth National Day celebrated every year on 10th October to commemorate the 1911 Wuch'ng Uprising, a milestone in China's political development and new chapter in the history of the Chinese people. October holiday is also a good occasion for many people to take a short excursion.

After a wonderful time in Inner Mongolia for my summer holidays and a month of work, it was time again to plan on how or what I would do during the October holidays. By this time, I've befriended G, a teacher from my University who was also open to travel. Though we knew October holiday was gonna be way crowded in all the tourist places in China, we felt we needed to take a break away from the confinement of our campus. So together we decided to go to the famous Shaolin Temple. whah-huh-hah!!

I got to know about the Shaolin Temple from martial arts movies I've seen which happens to be my favourite action movies. Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Bruce Lee...I love watching their lithe moves :) I've set my priority of not missing the chance to visit this place once I set foot in China. It's a 'must visit' place on my list. The fact that it was started by a Buddhist monk from India named Buddhabhadra, or Ba Tuo in Chinese, made it more special for me.

Back-gate

We went to Luoyang in Henan Province (1st-4th October, 2004) with three other friends by train which takes 7 hours from Xi'an. We arrived at Luoyang in the afternoon. Since we didn't book a hotel before going, we had a tough time finding one that could take us in. As a law, China permits only certain hotels to host foreigners. We finally came to a Youth Hostel after endless hours of searching for a hotel....Phew! The five of us shared a dormitory......but that'll do. The more the merrier :)

We went for a walk after supper. That was the first time I came to know about the 'Pink lighted hair salons'....ummmm....a variant to the red-light zone. During our stay, we also came across shops that sells things I've never seen before. I just couldn't figure it out until I was told the ultimate truth....it turns out to be sex-toy shops! It was rather shocking for me to see it so publicly displayed. I reckon that's the reason I just couldn't figure it out in the first place. But I haven't seen the like again in any other cities I've been to in China.

We also booked a KTV (Karaoke)room and sang our voices out. Funny though, the only English songs they had were so old that I've never heard them before. And the ones I knew were by Backstreet Boys, which most of us still couldn't sing along with!! Well...you see, we were...one chinese, three Indians and one Aussie.....imagine the rest....When our chinese friend sang Chinese songs, we couldn't join in, and when we sang English songs, she couldn't follow us either.....lolz! What a night ...but we still had a lot of fun together.

The next day was the 'big day'. The day I had been waiting for with anticipation for quite sometime. The day I thought would never happen or would have the opportunity to make it come true...not even in my wildest dreams. The thought that we could as well be the very first few Mizo's to have visited the Shaolin Temple makes it almost...humbling. First and foremost...we 'had' to go to the Shaolin Temple before visiting any other places.

We took a van and was about an hours ride from Luoyang. On reaching the Shaolin Temple main gate, there were hoards of tourists....But that's not gonna deter me. We purchased our ticket which costs us 40 RMB.

The Shaolin Temple can be described as comprising of three major places. The first comprising of Kung Fu performance hall, about 10 minutes walk from the main gate. However, we got to see the performance at the end of our tour as we thought it better to see the rest of the place first. Their concentration and skill is palpable and was just incredible watching them perform live, right infront of us.

Area two comprises of the Shaolin Temple. We had to walk 20 minutes from the Kung Fu performance hall. Entering from the bottom, we had to make our way up through multiple halls to reach the top. We took sometime to enter as we clicked away photos as though we were afraid it would all vanish :)

Inside, there was the training hall aka Hall of a thousand Buddhas where the floor was badly battered due to many years of training by the monks. If you have seen Jet Li's movie "The Shaolin Temple", you'll get the idea how it'd look like. In fact, I recently watched the movie for the first time and it's fun as I've been there and could picturise the place in which the movie was shot. I could make out the many changes it's gone through the years. I'm told it's Jet Li's first movie! Hmmm....

There were also multiple stone tablets erected in memory of the great Buddhist monk leaders. What I realised after sometime was that I don't recollect coming across any 'real' monks. I understand the Shaolin Temple is highly commercialised now. With thousands of visitors thronging the place every year, the Temple is flourishing. We saw many martial art schools in the nearby vicinity where thousands of Chinese children were practising.

The third area is the Pagoda Forest, about half a kilometer west of the Shaolin Temple. There are more than 250 stone and brick pagodas from various dynasties. These pagodas are tombs for eminent monks, abbots and ranking monks at the temple. We took the whole day wandering around the complex. It takes quite a while and taking photos without people in it was next to impossible with so many people around us. And majority of the visitors were Chinese.

I bought a set of miniature art work posing in different kung fu styles, a T-shirt imprinted with different kung fu pose before actual combat and a huge painting which now grace the wall of my home back in India. The Shaolin Temple is fully worth visiting.

A minute of Shaolin Kung Fu lesson *_*

No.09: Fun Pics

2007-06-24T01:31:00.000+08:00

No striding on the rooftops...:P

At Hua Shan (Hua Mountain)

In front of a waiting room

Ticket Counter
At Hua Shan (Hua Mountain)

No.08: Things I came across....1

2007-06-18T17:17:00.000+08:00

Chicken foot......any takers? Yep, I'm warning you....it's 'Dang rous'

'Don't Get Over' this wall.....will ya?

Do NOT ignore the sign on this trash can......:o)

Pulizzz.....follow the rules in this bar!!

No.07: Inner Mongolia - To the Grassland

2007-06-15T00:24:00.000+08:00

Xilamuren Grassland

(04th-16th July,2004)

I was often told about the scenic beauty and relaxing 'grasslands' of Inner Mongolia. I was intrigued. Students coming from there would often tell me with pride how lovely and peaceful it is in the grassland. I quite couldn't picture how it'd look like at the time. As it turns out, it is no less amazing than as described by my students. It's breathtaking!

After spending two days in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, Cathy and I went to the different tourist agencies to negotiate for a tour to the famous grasslands. There were several grasslands to go to, but I was particularly looking for a tour agency that can offer us with an English Interpreter. No such luck! Well... not at the amount I'm willing to pay anyway. The popular travel agencies charge exorbitant fares on tours for foreigners! So, we embarked on a tour with a group of 8 other chinese tourists. And then off we went to the famous "Xilamuren Grassland".

After travelling several hours, we made a turn from the paved road into a dirt road. The bumpy road was soon tucked away at the back of my mind to be replaced by the striking sight of the prairie , the bluest sky and herd of cattle dotted here and there like moving white clouds.We also drove past hundreds of the largest and most conspicuous white wind-mills I've ever seen!Wow!

We reached at about 3:00 pm in the afternoon. As we got down from the van, I noticed several Yurts, traditional Mongolian houses called "pao". We were to stay in these Yurts.We were welcomed by several Mongolian youths at the gate all attired in the colourful Mongolian traditonal dress. They started singing songs and each of us were given a drink in a tiny china cup. On enquiring about the drink, I found out that it was a traditional drink of liquor offered to visitors. I told Cathy that I don't drink and was about to hand over the cup back. Cathy explained to me that it would be taken as an offense not to drink. I eventually gave in and thought that just one small peg wouldn't be of any harm or have effect on me. I downed it in one gulp!! Ooops....a big mistake!! The drink turned out to be VERY strong, or so I think. My head started to spin and I felt like throwing up! We were immediately shown to our room in the Yurt and the rest of the day is spent feeling pretty sick. I urged Cathy to go on ahead with the others. There's no point in staying with me, who's quite whacked because of one little 'harmless' peg of Mongolian traditional drink! Tsk tsk!

I felt a little better by supper time. We were served special traditional dishes including a whole-roasted-lamb! After supper, they made a bonfire and there were traditional singing and dancing. We were also entertained with the traditional 'horse fiddle', a stringed musical instrument which has a horse head carved on the top. The strings are made of horse hair!It's quite chilly outside in the evening though. The sky lit up with millions of stars, a sight to behold in itself. I haven't seen so many stars in my life!

The next day, we went horse-riding. We paid 100 RMB (about Rs. 520) for 2 hours, to go to another village and back. It was just as I imagined. As a child it was my dream to own a horse :) I have always been facinated by horses and riding on one in this vast and beautiful land felt almost...surreal. We headed for the village which comprises of more Yurts. We were offered milked tea inside the Yurt with Genghis Khan's picture peering right down at us from the wall. As an ardent tea lover, I found the tea a bit yucky which was lukewarm and has no or little tea-leaf on it. Yuck! But then it was all part of the culture experience.

I also rode a camel, yay! The local youth performed horse race and traditional wrestling which was very entertaining. I especially enjoy the time we went out walking. There were wild-flowers everywhere and I could see horses and other cattle grazing nearby and in the far horizon.The kind of feeling I had at that moment was total freedom...just myself and nature....nothing else..and it was definitely rejuvenating and invigorating. I wished I could stay on for a few more days. But all too soon, it was time to head back to Hohhot again.

No.06: Xi'an - Cui Hua Shan

2007-06-04T00:09:00.002+08:00

Heavenly Pool

(3rd June, 2007)

A month before, my friends and I decided to go for a days tour away from Xi'an for the weekend. But it was kinda difficult to set an ideal date together when we'd all be free. So 3rd June seemed to be a favourable time for us all and hence marked our diaries for the wonderful day out together.

However, as mentioned in my previous post, I hadn't been in the best of my health of late. Now that I've fully recovered, I woke up on Saturday morning with mixed feelings. The morning started off being fairly hot. The weather forecast for that particular day was around 39 deg.cel which dampens my desire to go to a certain extent. I went anyway with the intention to make the best out of the day.

We hired a van as we were a rather large group of 11 friends altogether(6 Australians and 5 Mizo's). We started off from Xi'an at 8:30 am towards the famed 'Cui Hua Shan' (Cui Hua Mountain) which was about an hours ride from where we started. Though I've been to Cui Hua Shan before, I went late in the afternoon to join my friends and had missed the chance to see most of the places. This time, I was determined to have a smashing time.

When we reached several kilometres still shy from our destination, by Jove.......we found out too late the road was under construction these days! We arranged for the van particularly to drop us at the top of the mountain to avoid having to walk on foot. And yet here we are...left with no alternative but to gradually make our way up to (I guess) more than a kilometer to catch a van to reach the main gate, and from there we had to catch yet another bus to reach the top of the mountain! The sun seems to enjoy our ill luck and was burning down on us mercilessly. We walked past rough and dusty road that has been unearthed, dug and furiously drilled by huge machines.

After paying for the entrance fee, we took a bus, crossed a tunnel drilled through a mountain and finally reached our destination. The sight that greeted us was so amazing that I forgot all my tiredness to absorb the scenic beauty that nature offered. I found that the dusty rough climb, van plus bus ride up which seemed determined to break me down is now fully worth it.It was like drinking sweet cool spring water after prolonged thirst.

Tunnel in the mountain

I tried out the 'flying fox' (I don't exactly know why it's called 'flying fox'), which has a long cable attached from one post to the other. I was straddled to a seat like a parachute, and wheeeeeeeee..... Exhilarating!!

But the major highlight of our day out is the 'jetski'.....I went ... vrrrroooooom....vrrroooom on the jetski all driven by myself with the instructor sitting right behind me....I could feel the wind on my face as I raced around speedily on the lake.I felt very proud of myself being able to maneuver the water bike on my own...hooray!!

What an awesome day!

No.05: Official Blog Release :)

2007-06-01T00:07:00.001+08:00

Today, on the 1st of June 2007 (12:07 a.m) , I hereby officially release my Blog posts for public view. Feel at home... Take a seat, have a cuppa coffee and enter my "blorld" (blog+world). And oh yes, don't forget the cookies. :o)

Cheers!!

No.04: Inner Mongolia - Photo Session

2007-05-28T23:54:00.000+08:00

In Tang Dynasty Dress
(04-16th July, 2004)

It was a glorious day. The sun was streaming down warmly on my skin and I can't have enough of the blue sky. Another day in Inner Mongolia. I've bought a second-hand bicycle to use during my stay there. It was more fun to pedal around the city as it wasn't very big and has less traffic. Cathy and I would cycle in and around the city.

On that delightful, warm and sunny day, we decided to go shopping. I wasn't looking for anything in particular but we thought it such a shame to waste the beautiful day staying indoors. Cathy and I often went window shopping, so we made up our minds to go out as usual. We came upon a photo studio which offers professional photos for a surprisingly reasonable price. I've often enquired in Xian on the same but haven't had the time or chance to make it into reality.

We went into the studio, asked about the price range then selected the dresses of my choice. I was very tempted to take pictures with the beautiful and delicate wedding dresses. Sadly I reckon that'll have to wait :P We made an ideal bargain and in we went into the studio. The beautician 'plastered' my face and viola! I was ready. However, my hair was a different problem as I had it short at that time and found it pretty difficult to style it altogether other than using wigs!

The photo session began. Relax.. relax... click.. put your right hand up smile.. click..click.. RELAX.. lean back a little more.. smile SMILE.. click..change your dress..ok now relax...And all this said in chinese to Cathy who then translated it to me. I felt like a zombie...Nothing was overlooked - Every little detail was given importance, from tilting my head to my fingers which at that time I found quite unnecessary. But the photographer knows best and I just relented.The shooting went on and on.To me it feels like ages. By the time we were finished, I was quite exhausted but with a great sense of accomplishment!

From this experience, my long time desire(I guess it's every young girl's dream) to be an aspiring model was partially reversed. The 'looking good, high salary and popular' part still retains, but the photo session - ummm...that's something else. I just never thought it to be that tiring :) But once again, it's an experience which doesn't come by easily and it will be fondly remembered and the pictures treasured.

No.03: Inner Mongolia - Shower Sham

2007-05-28T02:44:00.000+08:00

Hohhot, Inner Mongolia

(04-16th July, 2004)

We reached Hohhot, the Capital of Inner Mongolia at about 9:00 am. We proceeded for Cathy's house which was on the fourth floor of a five storey building. I was warmly welcomed by her parents. Since I was the first foreigner in their locality, many curious neighbours came probably to see what an Indian/foreigner looks like. I had a feeling they're a little disappointed to see that I don't look much different to the Chinese other than the fact that I have bigger eyes and darker skin. But they were all very friendly and asked Cathy a lot of questions about me.

After the visitors left, we had tea, Cathy showed me to my room and prepared to take shower. Unfortunately the bathroom was on repair, so Cathy apologetically explained that we had to go to the public bath to take shower. I found nothing strange in that until we proceeded for the public bath which had separate rooms for men and women.

After paying for our shower, we proceeded for the locker room and next to it is the shower room. Cathy started stripping and I followed suit. Quite normal. But to my shock, there was no stopping! She discarded all her clothings until she was standing in front of me stark naked! I stopped and paused......Oh Lord! Do I have to do that? She doesn't look the least flustered.

I've heard of students taking shower in the public baths before. But what I didn't realise until now was that it was quite normal for them to take shower naked in the public ones. Cathy waited for me with a questioning look. I found it very difficult to proceed. At some point I finally decided to do the same, for the sole reason as not to offend her. So I took off (all) my clothes pretending hard not to show my embarassment and self-consciousness while reality is quite the opposite. Right at that moment, I wished I'd just 'poof' into thin air. But no turning back now. I thought to myself, 'It's just Cathy here. I don't want to offend her. Quickly strip and run into the confinement of the shower room'.

I stepped into the shower room flushed with embarassment still pretending hard to be casual about it. But oh no, there was more shock in store for me! There, in front of me were about eight women of various ages, all taking shower naked in one room without any partition. I wanted to turn back and leave instantly. But drat....Cathy was right behind me blocking my way out. I was trapped!! I had no choice but to proceed.

Before entering the room, I thought that there would be partitioning on each shower for privacy. But nay, that's not to be the case. I wished Cathy had informed me in detail what to expect in public baths. I really felt violated! All I could remember from then on was that I turned my back to all the others and glued my eyes on the wall, and the bag of toiletries I kept in front of me. I could sense Cathy taking shower next to me and talking to me. I bet she sensed then that it was my first time in the public baths and was trying her best to ease my discomfort.

Looking back now, I realised that the incident was all part of the culture experience which can help me better understand the Chinese society. But going back to the public bath will be something I'll try to avoid as much as possible. One public bath experience is quite enough for me to last for a long long time to come.

No.02: Inner Mongolia - The Journey

2007-05-28T01:17:00.000+08:00

Snap taken from the train

(04-16th July, 2004)

It was my first summer in China in the year 2004. My first long holidays, which usually amounts to about two months. Two months is a long time and I decided I'm definitely not gonna stay put in Xi'an. It's hot and dry, and I was told the city would almost come to a stand-still as majority of the students go home during this time. After a semester of teaching, I was ready and eager for a break and some adventure.

Prior to the holidays, Cathy, a student friend invited me to spend the holidays with her family in her home town in Inner Mongolia. I thought to myself,'what better opportunity can there be other than starting my first journey from the north of China'. So I gladly accepted her invitation and thus waited for the much anticipated glorious holidays.

'Shan' aka Mountain

On D-Day, we proceeded for the train station which to my utter horror was way too over-crowded filled with excited students and few tourists who looks almost scared of the overwhelming crowd. After waiting for about an hour we finally boarded the train. It was about 22 hours ride direct from Xi'an to Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia. The train was filled with excited squealing, singing and loud conversations from students. There were students I teach in our compartment and were kind enough to take turns to explain as best they could about Inner Mongolia in broken English. It was fun!

Huang He (Yellow River)

We passed through many long and short tunnels in the mountains and the famous River Huang Ho (Yellow River). Unlike India, most of the mountains in China are very barren. They are mostly treeless and looks bleak. However, on entering Inner Mongolia Province, I could feel my spirit soaring at the landscape which was altogether different. The sky was blue with patches of cloud and there's the beautiful stretch of grassland as far as the eyes could see. It has cool fresh air...Purrrrr..Oh...It's just gonna be glorious!

On the way to Inner Mongolia

No.01: Rough Time

2007-05-23T23:11:00.000+08:00

Gao Xin Hospital

Having what one may call a ' rough day', out of boredom I sat in front of my computer browsing through different websites. The truth is, there's really nothing else to do around here for entertainment or for a friendly chat with friends living miles away from me. Somehow, nothing seems to capture my interest. Then I decided to try my hand in writing in order to take my mind off this boredom. At least if I begin writing, it'll kick-start my dormant mind which haven't been functioning as it should for eons now. So, here I am, clicking away about my not-so-pleasant but recent experience. And it does help me to get my mind away to focus on my new venture into the 'blogging' world!

For the past two consequent days, I've been to the doctor for check-up on eye-inflammation which seems to come up out of nowhere a few days back. I've had the same problem a month ago on the other eye for which I had no medication and it just seems to heal almost perfectly by itself. This time, I decided I'd better consult the doctor.

I went with my 'waiban' (Director of Foreign Department). It was about half an hour ride from my University by car. After registration, we were ushered into the doctors room. The fact that I cannot communicate with the doctor who speaks none other than Chinese makes it doubly frustrating. So I explained (or at least to my waiban) the problem who then translated it to the doctor.

The doctor nodded, took a quick look at my inflamed eye, scribbled some medicine to buy, asked me to take a therapy (I still don't know what that therapy was for!) and to come back the next day. We were then quickly ushered out of the room. That's it! I don't know what I expected. But I'm quite sure one quick glance at my eye is definitely not one of them!

We went down to the second floor to take the therapy. I was asked to lie down. A long adjustable iron attached to a domineering machine behind me, with a round black patch at the end was adjusted near my infected eye. It doesn't emit any heat nor any physical sensation felt. So, there I was, lying down with the machine churning behind me for 20 minutes.After the therapy, I don't feel any different!

We went back the next day to find the doctor take the same quick look, same therapy for 20 minutes and we were off again. The only difference this time is that I was asked to go back after two days and if there's no improvement, I may have to undergo a minor-operation. This is no good news at all for me. I dread the thought of having to go through surgery especially in a foreign land.

I've asked several friends for prayer support. Meanwhile, here I am brooding with doubt and yet with a teeny weeny ray of hope that I will somehow be healed. I'm hoping and praying my heartfelt prayer that I'll wake up tomorrow to find my eyes completely healed. I know I'm being tried to the highest limit of the little faith I have in Jesus. I also know that if it's His will, I can be healed. Even if not...I still believe that I'm going through this for a higher purpose which in His utmost grace decides to keep it unrevealed for the moment. This is just another step I have to overcome.

As I sat with mixed feelings, my eyes caught this writing which I printed out several months ago. And I'm amazed at the accuracy of his promise and timing.....I know this is His way of telling me that "He'll never leave me nor forsake me - EVER".

"Our Thinking vs.God's Promise"

"It's impossible"
All things are possible (Lk.18:27)

"I'm too tired"
I will give you rest (Mt.11:28-30)

"Nobody really loves me"
I love you (Jn.3:16)

"I can't go on"
My grace is sufficient (II Cor.12:19)

"I can't figure things out"
I will direct your steps (Prov.20:24)

"I can't do it"
You can do all things (Phil 4:13)

"I'm not able"
I am able (II Cor.9:8)

"It's not worth it"
It will be worth it (Rom.8:28)

"I can't forgive myself"
I forgive you (I Jon 1:9 & Rom.8:1)

"I can't manage"
I will supply all your needs (Phil.4:19)

"I'm afraid"
I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Tim.1:7)

"I'm always worried and frustrated"
Cast all your cares on Me (I Pet.5:7)

"I don't have enough faith"
I've given everyone a measure of faith (Rom 12:8)

"I'm not smart enough"
I give you wisdom (I Cor.1:30)

"I feel all alone"
I will never leave you or forsake you (Heb.13:5)

By Faith Sealock