Goodbye Tibet
June 23 – Goodbye Tibet, Hello China
Earlier in our trip, as the daily travel times became more apparent, we discovered it was possible to fly from Shigatse to Chengdu. There was one flight per day and it left at 9am. If we could get on it (none of the people we had asked had even heard the ft he flight mich less, known anyone who had done it) we would save the 7 hour drive to Lhasa and would arrive in Chengdu at 11:30am instead of 8pm.
Tom had booked the flights in Gyangtse as a backup plan once he discovered that unlike in the US flights in Tibet are 90% refundable. So at 6:30am we loaded back into the van and headed to the airport. We arrived at 7:30 and easily checked into our flight and by 8am were ready to go to the gate (there is only one gate as there is only one flight per day).
Before doing so, we went outside for a last group photo with our Tibetian family Nyima and our driver. As we said goodbye, we were all overcome with emotion and Nyima openly wept tears of joy and sadness. She and Evie had built a special bond as they often walked through the street holding hands. Sue had been reading a book to the kids about a Tibetian girl who after having her dog stolen crosses the mountains and journeys down to Calcutta to retrieve it. We finished the book just before arriving at the airport and gave it to Nyima along with some handwritten notes of thanks (and a tip of course!)
With our eyes misty but our hearts full, we went back inside to head through security. In line, we met the only other westerners in the airport and the conversation went like this.
- Us: “hi, where are you guys from?”
- Them: “we live in Palo Alto.”
- Us: “no way, us too! Where about?”
- Them: “we moved from Paris about 6 months ago. We live on California ave above Joanie’s”
- Us: “no way, my mom lives in Paris and that’s our local breakfast place! We live on the other side of Alma! Where are you coming from?”
- Them: “we were at Everest 2 days ago and then drove back.”
- Us: “no way! Us too! (After getting their names one sounded Swedish) “is that a Swedish last name?”
- Them: “yes, my grandparents lived near Goteborg on the west coast of Sweden.”
- Us: “no way! That’s where Tom’s mother is from!”
One works at SLAC and the other is a scientist turned startup founder. Needless to say, we spent the next hour sharing stories and being amazed at the coincidences.
En route the views out the right side of the plane were spectacular as all of the Himalaya were bathed in clear blue skies and thankfully Sue was able to snap some amazing photos. On the ground in Chengdu, we said goodbye to our new friends (after collecting their contact info) and went immediately to, what else, Starbucks! Latte and frappachino in hand we decided to splurge and took a taxi the 70km to our 5-star hotel in Dujiangyan. It was double the estimated $30 but it was worth it. By 2pm we were in our rooms and by 3pm the kids were in the pool!
At 5pm, Sammy (one of the lovely teachers we had met when they came to visit Bullis) met us in the lobby and we walked to a nearby hot pot restaurant. She ordered for us and requested the least spicy option, so it was merely super spicy rather than unbearable. After dinner, she drove us to the old part of town dominated by the raging rivers of the famous irrigation system. Now converted to a shopping / dining section it was easy to see how this area would be extremely popular.
Around 9:30pm, we were back at our hotel after making arrangements for the following day. It felt wonderful to make our transition from Tibet by landing in a city where Sue and Tyler had been before and to be so well cared for by our friends. And we all commented how strange it felt that China now feels “comfortable” when a few years ago our visit felt so foreign.
Travel is indeed an amazing teacher.