It’s Like I Didn’t Even Leave Seattle…
starbucks inside the forbidden city
Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City
I tried to get up early in order to “beat the crowds” at Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City. My efforts were in vain. 🙂 The tour groups were already out in full force. Like much of Beijing pre-Olympics, the main two halls were undergoing renovation. They did, however, provide a nice mural of what I should have seen. Hands down, my favorite part of the Forbidden City were the side halls. These were not crowded, often passed over by the tour groups (which meant no matching hats & no microphones). In some of the ornately decorated nooks, it was just me wandering around. …
Terracotta Soldiers
Went to Xi’an & saw the Terracotta Soldiers. Also, had a most pleasant time wandering around the muslim quarter, eating street food & seeing their very small, very beautiful mosque. The soldiers were beautiful and timeless.
SLR Sadness
My SLR is dead. 🙁 It’s been on the fritz the last few weeks, but last night it refused to respond the shutter button at all. I have to say I’m really sad. It was my first SLR, and I’ve traveled to a lot of places with it. And I was really excited about shooting pictures of China with it. Hopefully the film that I’ve already taken will turn out. Looks like I’ll be going completely digital when I get back to the States…
Waiting at KLI
It’s about 10:30pm & I’m waiting in Kuala Lumpur International Airport for my 12:30am (6 hour) redeye to Beijing. To my amazement, they actually offer FREE WiFi in the terminals (!). Anyways, will be back loading some photos & stories from the last few days in Malaysia soon. But just want to report that I am VERY sore from my climb to the 4095m summit of Mt. Kinabalu….which was absolutely breathtaking.
Kota Kinabalu
Walking around Kota Kinabalu, post-hike. local boats to the islands. filipino market. boats at sea
Mt Kinabalu – Hike Back Down to Laban Rata
It was beautiful seeing what we had just hiked up in the morning light. Though the rock was slippery… and the descent was slow. looking back to the peak – notice the size of people for prespective karen falling chris’s descent into the clouds rock faces pools – it was slippery
The Summit @ Low’s Peak
We had perfect weather at the summit. It was cold, but not freezing. And the skies were mostly clear, with just enough clouds to give perspective & help color the red morning sky. There were probably about 100 people up at the top… of all ages & ethnicities. The oldest person to climb the mountain to date was 81 years old. karen at summit sunrise (kodak moment killer: that’s an umbrella on his back and he’s sending a text message.) looking down chris, karen, & guide treats at the top
Mt Kinabalu – Laban Rata Lodge
The lodge was warm & heated… and had lots of food. The kitchen was stocked with water, chocolate, and other supplies (INCLUDING postcards & stamps – I sent one to my parents) . All the supplies for the lodge are carried up by porters. As we were hiking up, we saw locals carrying HUGE loads strapped to their back and hanging from their heads…. as they passed us. Up to this point, the sky has been foggy & drizzly. Just before sunset, the skies cleared for the first time. on the balcony sunset – on level with the clouds …
Hike to Laban Rata
Chris & I left the trailhead around 10am with our guide Julius. (I know that’s probably not how he spells it… but that’s the best that I could pronounce.) The trail was steep & I started really feeling the altitude about 2 or 3 hours in. Chris (who had just climbed Mt Rainer) taught me a couple helpful tricks, including power breathing (taking a full, short breath out every few breaths). We arrived at Laban Rata around 4pm. start of trail – looking fresh scenary sillhoutte action shot start to see peaks