life with the nomads and more

so, as you read this picture pigpen from peanuts. that is the only way you will be able to approach my last week.

last week i spend restfully in chengdu, the capital of sichuan province. i ate good food, met some fun people, and stayed in the nicest hostel i've ever seen. imagine a downtown loft refitted to accommodate guest with a lounge/bar with free big screen TV and pool table. it was a refreshing time between stints with the nomads.

on wednesday last i left for a little town called hongyuan. i had no idea what to expect. it was small, but bigger than i expected. i went to meet a friend from xining who grew up in the surrounding grasslands. today marks six days with the nomads. i returned this morning to the relative comfort of hongyuan. and my first shower since chengdu. now you understand why there is a cloud above my head. there may not have been a more refreshing shower in my life.

with the nomads i rode horses, herded yaks, at plenty of tsampa (uncooked barley flour mixed with lots of butter and milk tea) and yak. enough for a life time in my opinion. the life of a nomad is more than austere, it's spartan. it was a shock to my senses. who knew i was mildly addicted to the internet. or perhaps just to connection. i felt very lonely there, even with a friend sticking closer than a childhood puppy. the constant attention, and serving of every (perceived) need, while incredibly kind, grew tiring.

in my time with the nomads i finished a mildly entertaining book, which was given to me in chengdu by a brit., watched 3 1/2 movies, nearly was thrown from a horse running near full speed, and was chased by a wild tibetan mastiff, which are known to be vicious.

but alas, after all the drama, internal and external, i survived. really, it was more difficult than it needed to be. the fact that i have slept in a hotel for three weeks, have eaten out too many times, and am tired of not having a close friend to share things with added to my discomfort. only a few more days of travel and i am 'home.' i await xining like a kid christmas.