Eric's Beijing Diary

Well, it's time to head back to the Tibetan Plateau. I like Beijing, but the summers here are really quite miserable. It isn't just the heat. It is the humidity. It surprised me at first, because Beijing is actually known for having a very dry climate, and that's the way it is in the winter. But in the summer it does a reversal, and becomes very humid. Like Guangzhou. I usually go to the western mountains in the summer time. Problem is, the Tibetan villages were closed last summer because of the rioting and because of the Olympics, so I was not able to get up there last year, and I was a bit uncertain about this year. But I got an email a few days ago from the lady who runs the horse trekking in Langmusi, and she said it is open to foreigners now.

Train tickets are always a problem in China. I tried to get a ticket to Lanzhou, but there are none available. I finally called Eason, because he has access to cheap plane tickets, and he was able to get me something for 1000 kuai. That's more than a train ticket, for sure, but not that bad for a flight. Wednesday morning I head out.