Following our measly breakfast, it was time to head back to Danba. After our experience with the drunk driver the previous day, we were naturally not all that excited at the prospect of hiring another van to take us back to town. We asked our hosts if they could help us find a sober ride, but they actually ended up just driving us themselves for a very fair price. It was a nice … [Read more...]
Homestay in Jiaju Where A Film Crew Steals our Feast
Once we had gotten rid of our drunk, lunatic driver, we had no choice but to walk around Jiaju village with all our bags until we found a place offering homestays that actually had rooms available. It took us about an hour, but we eventually ended up staying with a really nice family who had no other guests, leaving us with our choice of rooms. Of course that choice was between … [Read more...]
Hiring a Tibetan Driver and Somehow Surviving the Experience
After exploring the villages of Zhonglu and Suopo, it was time for lunch. If you remember, our driver felt we should have stopped for lunch much sooner and was none too pleased when 10 am rolled around and we still hadn't eaten, but he was in a much better mood now that we were finally asking him to take us back to Danba for some food. Once there, we chose a Tibetan … [Read more...]
Exploring the Tibetan Villages of Zhonglu and Suopo
Last week, I wrote about our first afternoon and evening in Danba, which we spent getting a hotel room, arranging a car and driver for the next morning, eating an average meal, and buying fresh fruit and a giant bag of peanuts to supplement that meal. I created quite a little mountain of empty peanut shells before going to bed that night, but barely managed to put a dent in my … [Read more...]
Danba in Western Sichuan: A Tibetan City I was Actually Allowed to Visit
I generally enjoy traveling in China, but I've met a lot of people who completely disagree with me and I certainly understand why. Moving around the country is rarely easy on often downright torturous. During my most recent two-month visit, I dealt with all the standard government interference and transportation problems, plus an added bonus. In the small town of Danba in … [Read more...]