Photos from the rooftop of the world

I figured it was about time I put up a few photos from my winter holiday trip to Tibet, Mt. Everest, and Southwest China. Here are a few pics to get you started, but be sure to check out the larger archive of my Tibet pics here and my Southwest China pics here. Enjoy...

Some Tibetan kiddies check out my Camera

Tibetan woman at a monastery in Lhasa

Buddhist worshippers, prayer wheels in hand, rest during their circumambulation (devotional walking circuit) around Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet

Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet

A Buddhist worshipper lays prostrate as part of his circumambulation

Yamdrok Yumtso Lake, Mt. Nojin Kangsang in the background

Gyantse, Tibet

Gyantse Dzong (fortress)

Worshipper in traditional garb

Prayer wheels

Mt. Everest, about 8km from Base Camp at Rongphu Monastery (16,896 ft.)

Everest Base Camp (17,060 ft.)

Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet

Panda research center just outside of Chengdu, Sichuan Province

Lijiang, Yunnan Province

Black Dragon Pool, Lijiang, Yunnan Province--arguably the iconic scenic spot of Southwestern China. 

Tiger Leaping Gorge

The Three Pagodas at Dali, Yunnan

Yuanyang Rice Terraces in Southern Yunnan Province

Yuanyang Rice Terraces in Southern Yunnan Province

Yuanyang Rice Terraces in Southern Yunnan Province

Near Nanning, Guangxi Province

Beihai, Guangxi Province

That one post where I remind you why you wish you were teaching English in China too

Last year, during my seven-week winter holiday, I had the incredible chance to backpack through Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. 

Yes, I am lucky. And this year, I'm lucky once again. 

For the winter holiday I will again be backpacking to new places in this incredible world. This time around I'm sticking with just China, but that's no reason to think I'm not going to see and experience some of the world's greatest sights, sounds, tastes, and smells, nor does it mean I'll be experiencing anything like what I already have encountered living in Northeast China. As I write this, I'm in Lhasa, Tibet at the apartment of a good friend I'm visiting (he teaches English here). Sitting at a cozy 11,700 feet, this city of half a million is warmer and more pleasant that you'd think for the winter season. Tomorrow my friend and I leave for what is sure to be the literal and figurative climax of my time in Tibet: a five-day trip to Everest Base Camp. To see, with my own eyes, the world's tallest mountain is an experience I never really thought I'd have. It will be one of those times when I have to keep reminding myself the that dream I appear to be in is actually reality. And you better believe I'll post the amazing photos. 

After about two weeks in Tibet, I'll make my way to Yunnan province, located in Southwest China. At this point I have no set plans--just wandering about this province for about a month, which is probably not enough time to see all that is has to offer. With peaks of 17,000+ feet in the Northwest and tropical jungles in the South (containing China's greatest hotspot of biodiversity), Yunnan's diverse terrain and even more diverse mixture of ethnicities (it contains over half of China's 56 ethnic groups) makes it a dream destination for expats and Chinese alike. I'm sure to revel in the jaw-dropping scenery and unique encounters with the minority groups living there. Imagine the terrain of Alaska combined with the lush and diverse wildlife of Hawaii mixed with the diversity of New York's people, and you might get a sense for why I'm thrilled to be spending a month there. 

My travels will render me mostly incommunicado, with the occasional and brief internet cafe stop, so don't expect any posts or pictures until I return to Qinhuangdao around February 18. Until then...