The Chans are reunited! My wonderful brother met up with Melissa and I in Xi’an on Sunday night, along with two of our friends from Hong Kong. Our dynamic duo is now a rabble of travelers. We are at a funky hostel in Xi’an called the Han Tang Inn. And naturally, terracotta warriors greet us at every corner.

Something all hostels should have: kittens. While settling in and waiting for the guys to arrive, three tiny kittens wandered into our dorm. I am immediately obsessed. My first night is somewhat sleepless, due to the constant purring from a tiny white kitten who has decided to curl up next to me in bed. It’s like sleeping next to a tiny furry engine.

Xi’an is one of the ancient capitals of China. Most famous now for the terracotta warriors uncovered in the 70′s. It is also the one place I promised I wouldn’t go without my brother, who is a big history buff. Oh man.. it did not disappoint. My jaw hit the floor as we walked inside a live archaeological dig the size of an aircraft hanger, with hundreds of soldiers standing in battle-ready formation. Perhaps the only thing I enjoyed more than the actual warriors was my brother’s constant stream of commentary and obvious excitement

This morning we headed towards Hua Shan, one of Taoism’s holiest mountains. Having been in the Himalayas and the famed Yangshuo carsts, I wondered how much I would be impressed by Hua Shan. In truth, the Lonely Planet doesn’t do it justice. The five peaks are all around 2000m each, and the hike up is more often climbing up a vertical stone ladder while gripping a metal chain. It was a grueling afternoon, and it didn’t help that our 2 hour ride back to the city was spent on flimsy plastic stools in between the aisle of the bus. Oof. Think of it as the post-hike anti-stretch.

Tomorrow evening we head back to Beijing. It’s hard to believe that my trip is more or less over. It feels like yesterday I was just touching down in Lhasa with my entire summer stretching before me. We’ll still be touring around Beijing, but I’m simultaneously wrapping up my apartment and this time next week… I’ll be back in Hong Kong preparing for the next chapter. Eep.

Naturally this means I have a ton of images to work through.. a photographer’s trip is never over Ok. I am totally beat. Time for sleep.. zzzzz..

It’s been about a week since I met up with Melissa. We spent our time in Sichuan visiting (and holding) pandas, stuffing ourselves silly with local Sichuan cuisine, and touring around the local sites like Le Shan Buddha, carved out of the side of a mountain and the largest seated Buddha in the world.

Jiuzhaigou deserves an entry on it’s own. It’s a harrowing twelve hour bus ride from Chengdu, winding through mountains and bumpy roads, with unexpected traffic jams thanks to avalanches and reconstruction after the Sichuan earthquake. Our driver probably deserves a medal for either getting us there in record time or making a third of his passengers throw up. But once you are in the mountains, it is worth every bump and jostle along the way. Despite being Canadian (and darn proud of our national parks) I have never seen anything so beautiful and pristine. Hard to imagine that it is all part of the same country that is so heavily polluted and developing at a breakneck pace.

Undoubtedly the best part were the friends we made along the way. Nothing beats bonding over yak skewers and dubious dishes imbibed with yak butter. We traveled with a group of hilarious Canadians guys and a lovely French girl. Melissa and I actually waved little while hankies as they pulled off for their next stop. They will be sorely missed, but I have the most wonderful memories of us horseback riding through Tibetan mountain villages, playing with a new born lamb (I have never seen Melissa’s mothering instinct kick in until now) and being blessed by Tibetan monks. Oh and meeting a living buddha. Because how many people in the world can say that??

Tonight finds me on the docks of Chongqing. After a minor scare aboard what appeared to be the steerage class of a cargo ship, we are finally aboard the right ship bound for the Yangtze river on a cruise for the famed Three Gorges. I wish I could show you a shot of our room right now with Stevie Wonder streaming in through the PA system. I was a bit concerned about the floods which hit the area about a week ago, however things as of today are back to normal. Praise God it has air con. They don’t call Chongqing one of China’s three furnaces for nuthin’.

Anchors away!

That said, this entry is about how we got accidentally left behind on Mt. Everest, lost in the dark and how we found our way back to base camp. With a little photographic creativity.

setting off
I set off for base camp three days ago from Lhasa. Our little band of travelers consisted of random people from all over China who wanted to share a ride. Tibet is seriously politically sensitive territory. Foreigners and local Chinese don’t really mix as foreigners need special permits, a local guide and a set itinerary. Which means the only back packers you will be able to organize a shared ride with, are Chinese travelers.

This has been a bit of a new experience for me as an overseas born Chinese, and certainly eye-opening. However I must say, I’m really grateful to have had these new friends.

From Lhasa to Mt. Everest base camp is a two day drive, stopping over at Shigatse. I had struggled with headaches in Lhasa but thought I had acclimated by the time we arrived in Shigatse, which is 1000 km above Lhasa. The moment I stepped foot on Everest at 5000 km however, I could tell it wasn’t going to be easy.

base camp
Within an hour of our arrival, everyone else seemed to be doing fine. Except me. I was fighting back the urge to dry heave and a pounding headache. From base camp, most tourists will take transport to the next summit where there is a fantastic view of the top of Mt. Everest. Against what is probably my better judgment, I got on the bus. I don’t think I could have forgiven myself if I came all this way and passed up the chance to see it up close because of a stupid headache.

This side of the Himalayas is completely barren and icy. Nothing but the tiniest weeds grow, and the ground is cut with icy streams from the glaciers above. Nat Geo adventurers make it look so darn easy. I’m a pretty healthy and active girl, but I felt like I moved in slow motion up there and was panting for air after every few steps.

for the love of the game
There is something unique about photographers that sets us apart from other creative pursuits. For one, our craft straddles between technology and artistry. Another is that to be a photographer is to be infinitely curious about the world. We lug our cameras to the far corners of the earth and even though the trip is over, our journey is only half begun. We wake up at insane hours to catch the light and in short, go to great lengths to capture the perfect frame.

So naturally, it was a dozen of us photographers that got left behind on the summit, after the remaining transport had ferried back the very last frozen and weary tourist.

lost
By the time we realized there was no bus coming back for us, it was almost night fall. There was some debate in the group (“no way they would leave us here!”) before the consensus was that it probably wouldn’t be a very good idea to wait and find out.

We were likely only three to four hours’ hike away from base camp, and the feeling of imminent danger wasn’t particularly overwhelming. But how utterly unprepared we all were was rather frightening. We split into three groups (mostly based on hiking speed) and before long, we had lost the main road and were stumbling in the dark, following icy streams. We had totally lost the other groups, and despite China Mobile signs along the road up to base camp, there was definitely no reception.

Somewhere far ahead, we saw a tiny flash of light, followed by another. It took a few minutes before we realized it was the first group, using their on camera flashes and strobes to signal to us. Every 10-15 minutes or so, we’d see a few flashes, return the signal, and then flash the last group. In this way we were able to make sure we all stayed together and moved in the same general direction.

Pro/am photographers often complain that every other person now has a fancy SLR and flashy gear. In this particular instance.. I’ve never been quite so grateful.

A few hours later, we finally came to base camp, half frozen and looking like we’d all smeared blue ink on our lips. Inside the nomad tents we were staying at, the remainder of our group who had made it back earlier fussed around us offering a dozen different herbal remedies. I half heartedly gulped some down, force-fed myself a few spoonfuls of rice before falling into a restless, head-pounding slumber.

As I type this on the road back to Lhasa on my iPhone, there have already been more misadventures. But that will have to wait… Right now I’m just enjoying being at a normal elevation of 4000 km.

Some things make it worth all the trouble though. The people you will encounter while on the road, and the feeling of total freedom and empowerment. If I had to summarize this into a phrase, it’s a mindset of being open to possibilities.

Chinese travelers I have encountered often remark “niu” when they find out I’m here on my own. Niu literally means “cow” and translates as “cool” or “awesome”… (It’s a funny language sometimes) What I think is really “niu” are the people I’ve encountered along these last few days of travel. Like a retired Dutch couple who hiked across northern India together. Or a 19 year old girl from Beijing who hitched a ride to Lhasa. Or a PhD candidate and a former information officer for the Chinese government. Whoa.

Tomorrow I set off for a four day trip that will take me to the base camp of Mt. Everest. It’s 5000 M above sea level and nearly 2000 m higher than Lhasa… Which I confess, I’m a little concerned about since I am still showing slight symptoms of altitude adjustment. If all goes well, three days from now I’ll peek my head out of a yak hide tent and see the sunrise on the Himalayas.

I really, really hope I’m able to make it.

I’m traveling with a rabble of Chinese back packers, from all over the country. As the only native English speaker.. my mandarin is getting quite the work out. But in the short time we’ve gotten to know each other, it’s really remarkable to see how we’ve all bonded and take care of each other. How it all happened was a bit of kismet. I wandered into a hostel to use the bathroom and saw a notice to share a ride.. And the rest is history.

So here is a quick sign off from Lhasa, in hopes that my next entry won’t be one where I’m delirious and needing an IV.

As it turns out, Keith is one awesome guy. He didn’t tease me too much, but he did shove me through the door. Literally. I found myself blinking, dazed among all those girls. And I had been the awkward tomboy all throughout high school. But sometimes what you dread the most, turns out to be a blessing in disguise. This post isn’t about the merits of greek life. But it is about friendship and sisterhood. Because that’s how I came to know Melissa. Who even on a bad day, is seven different shades of awesome.

There are some experiences that bond you together for life. I happen to consider breaking an international embargo one of those experiences.

Sophomore year, I had this hair brained idea to go to Cuba. “It’s easy. We’ll go via Bahamas and… figure out the rest when we get there.” I was a little floored when Melissa actually agreed to come. We spent a week backpacking around Havana, smuggled back contraband, and have been inseparable since. This girl gets me and my wacky sense of humor, can put up with my neuroses and is always up for an adventure. She’s pretty much a saint and Lara Croft rolled into one. If I were stuck on a desert island, I’d want a swiss army knife.. and Melissa. It’s a toss-up as to which would save our butts first.

Since that fated trip to Cuba, we’ve had more adventures.. both together and apart. Melissa decided to commit to serving with the Peace Corps after graduation and was stationed in Kyrgyzstan days before the revolution broke out. A little over a week ago, she was evacuated and is now back on US soil. I was stunned to receive her call, which was only two days after her return. And….. immediately launched into a speech on why she should fly out to China and spend a month backpacking with me.

She agreed.

…

.

I told you she was mind-bogglingly awesome.

Next Friday, she’s flying into Jetsonville before hopping onto another flight to the mainland, where we rendezvous after I get off a train from Lhasa. I can not even begin to tell you how insanely excited I am that she is coming.

Mel, you are a sister and friend in so many more ways than I can count. We’ve seen each other through thick and thin, and as I like to say – we are like iron sharpening iron. I would not want to be one of those-annoying-girls-who-are-married-to-each-other-on-facebook with anyone else. I can not WAIT to see you!! Epic Trip 2010 is going to be a blast. I’m so thrilled you are coming!!!

Created with the help of my good friend and accomplice, Michela. Who is the most awesomest tripod and  wireless trigger ever.

Still with me? Good.

In my last post, I was heading to Harbin in China’s Heilongjiang province. At the turn of the 20th century, Harbin was a bustling city, and Heilongjiang the home of the Manchus, China’s last dynasty. Today, it is the home of the world’s largest ice festival, a quarter of the world’s Siberian tigers and of course, brutally cold temperatures. There is not only strength in masses but also body heat. With this in mind, nine of my friends and myself hopped on an over night train to my most frigid adventure yet.

Trains have always seemed the most romantic form of travel to me. (Next to ships, but how romantic is sea sickness?) Knowing how insane train stations can get in China, we decided to meet nearly two hours early. Despite our good intentions, our departure still resembled a scene from Home Alone with us running like MAD through Beijing’s railway station and quite literally made it with seconds to spare. Scratch that. Second to spare. Just one. We jumped on the end of the train as it began to pull out of the station, and dragged our luggage and sorry butts to the front of the train where our berths were located. I wish I could say this was a first for me. But at least it was better than last time on a 36 hour train ride to Yunnan, where we flat out missed our train by five minutes and watched it pull out of the station. (Baby steps, right? Baby steps.)

Despite our somewhat rocky start, the rest of the trip went off pretty much without a hitch. 45 minutes of negotiating and bunk swapping, all nine of us were settled into our bunks, and rocked to sleep by the gentle lulling and swaying of a train bound for almost-Siberia.

(SERIOUSLY) bright and early the next day, we found ourselves in a twilight zone between Russia and China. Welcome to Heilongjiang. A magical wonderland where the streets are littered with slides and sculptures made of ice, the bing tang hu lu (skewers of fruit coated with hardened sugar syrup) are the food of the gods, and everyone is a child once more. Our first stop, the Siberian Tiger Reserve.

The Lonely Planet calls this a dismal place where tigers are locked up and tourists are encouraged to buy livestock to feed to them, but personally, I thought it was amazing. I’ve been to plenty of famous zoos, but this place puts an enormous tiger within inches of your face. There may or may not have been some tiger-feeding by the gentlemen in our group. For those PETA activists, I assure you, there was plenty of squealing and squirming from the ladies.

A female liger (cross between tiger and lion). Remember Napoleon Dynamite? Well it turns out, ligers are real!!

After a Russian dinner (borsch, anyone? mm…) we were off to Harbin’s biggest attraction. The Ice and Snow festival. I have never seen anything so incredible. Here I have a sort-of regret. My fingers were pretty frigid, and I didn’t shoot as much (with my SLR) as I would have liked. But that’s only part of the reason. The bulk of it is I felt like I was six years old again, and was WAY too busy having fun. For the first time since I was a kid, the ice-slides were proportional to my size! It was truly amazing to see full grown adults running around like giddy children. But then again, how could you help it???

bing tang hu lu!!!!!! (nomnomnomNOMnom)

Doin’ it penguin-style!!!

So much fun that I split into multiple personalities to cover more ground

After taking in Harbin’s amazing sights, we set off further north for Yabuli. Once the hunting grounds of the feudal elite, and now China’s largest ski resort.

Here I’m obliged to point out Simon’s ridiculous get up (which you may or may not have noticed already). It is a bonafide PLA jacket, which he wore over his usual jacket. The ski mask and badass spider-branded gloves made him *quite* the conversation starter indeed.

I have no idea why, but Pac Man was everywhere in Harbin. And I mean everywhere! They quite literally lined the streets.

Simon, overwhelmed by the fact that he’s on the frozen Songha river, which effectively becomes a new highway in the winter, alleviating traffic.

Beautiful Harbin, on a gorgeous sunny day. Completely surreal in its east-meets-west-meets-21st century architecture.

In just about three hours, myself and nine other awesome friends are boarding a sleeper train and bound for Harbin, Heilongjiang. Otherwise known as China’s frozen tundra. The premise is to go check out the world famous ice festival, but also on the agenda is to feed a live chicken to Siberian tigers (not my idea…), go ice-sailing, and of course, snap some amazing night photography.

It’s been a rather busy semester for me and hence, I haven’t traveled anywhere in particular. This will be a much needed break, not to mention a reminder of what frostbite feels like.

Now that I’ve managed to get the internet working on my iPhone, I’ll be tweeting photos “live” from the trip (www.twitter.com/evaychan) and maybe even sneak in a blog entry or two.

See you all on the flip side!

Determined to boldly go where no KFC had gone before, our travelers headed for Tiger Leaping Gorge. A terrain so perilous said to be infested with (leaping) tigers. Twice as deep as the grand canyon, with icy waters originating from the Tibetan plateau, ranked the #4th on the world’s best white water rivers.

Booyah!

Our heroes arrive at a Tibetan guesthouse. The walls are lined with intricate carvings of ill-fated travelers:

LEAPING FOR THE BEST BED!!!! (and the mysterious Richard makes his appearance!)

Deep in the heart of the gorge.. a promised “sky ladder” … but where is it?!?!..

Conqueror of Tiger Leaping Gorge, thy name is EVA!!!

Training for the sequel of kung fu panda..

I’m pretty convinced that JK Rowling traveled extensively in China and that the sleeper buses (long distance buses packed with narrowly crammed bunk beds) were the true inspiration behind Harry Potter’s “Knight Bus”. This is me passed out in the back. Note that this is the back of the bus, and the long mattress is shared with 5 strangers. No dividers. (And no showers either.)

I swear I didn’t complain that much.. but evidently I did because this was my next transport:

Being surrounded by Frenchies really brought out my Canadian pride. Especially when I came across a real live maple tree! In a fit of nostalgia/inspiration, I came up with this. The ULTIMATE Canadian gang sign.

.. yeah, you know it’s awesome.

Perhaps one of the nicest things about being a photographer is that once a trip is over, it’s really only just begun. Then comes the massive download (nearly 20GB worth in my case) of images, the processing and tweeking, and generally reliving the experience over and over again.

So part one of my trip. We begin with the train.

Now for a few hundred kuai more, I could have spared myself a 45 hour train ride from Beijing (in the north) aaaaaall the way to Kunming, Yunnan (in the south). But there’s really something rather magical about trains and watching the scenery go by your window. Concrete jungles soon melted into picturesque countryside from the comfort of my berth

I should probably not mention that our trip began with us actually MISSING our original train. By a measly 5 minutes. Seriously. We were schedules for the fast train which would have been around 36 hours, so we lost about an additional half a day in transit. But maybe that was a good thing. Because we wound up getting a soft sleeper… which was really, really cushy.

but first, our cast of characters! The band of rabble that I was privileged to travel with for two weeks.

From left to right: Alex, Mona, Scott, Florien (aka “cacahouette”, aka TGV), yours truly, Justin.
Missing: Richard and Sofiya (aka, the Valkyrie)

Scott was a random (but awesome) American we some how picked up just before getting off our bus in Dali. We initially meant to share a cab but we all got along so well we wound up traveling together for several days.

With exception to Justin and myself (once we lost Scott that is) – everyone else is French. Which mean Justin and I spent a lot of time mucking around in really really bad French accents. Who says Frenchies don’t have a sense of humor?? Speaking of which, Alex has a wicked sense of humor. Let’s get a close-up of our fearless leader:

Alex and Richard (still missing..) did awesome job(s) of keeping us all together and in the black. MAN. Those two know how to bargain.

First stop on our trip: Dali! THE original hippy town in Yunnan, now designated too “touristy” by the Lonely Planet. Oddly enough, I found it a lot more authentic than Lijiang – which was way too shiny and clean for an 800 year old town. Seriously.

We saw some of the Bai, a Chinese ethnic minority famed for their matriarchal culture. The girls are referred to as “jin hua” or golden flower. Isn’t that SO much nicer than getting whistled at on the streets of NYC? I think so. Here’s a Bai minority dance performed by a jin hua

There’s something to be said about the level of savvy you need when traveling in China. I speak specifically of bargaining. We initially were quoted 100 RMB for a taxi ride, which wound up costing ups 10 RMB in the end. Our driver took a shining to us and offered to take us around for a flat fee the entire day. I guess he thought he’d make a quick buck off of us and take us to the paid attractions so he could get a cut. Thanks to him, we nearly missed the main attraction in Dali, one of the most sacred Buddhist temples in all of China. Props to Richard for insisting we take a look at least.

After meandering in Dali for a day, we got on a bus and headed north for Lijiang.

There are a few things really worth seeing in Lijiang. One of them in particular is the Black Dragon Pool. A stunning lake/park that costs a whopping 90 kuai to go in. Convert that into US currency and it’s not much.. but consider that to get into the Temple of Heaven or even the Forbidden City costs only around 40 kuai.

… but where there’s a will, there’s a way!

On principle, we (cheap) students refused to shell out that many kuai for a park. Instead we encountered these little old ladies (all knitting furiously) that essentially smuggled us in via a back entrance for 10 kuai each. Where there is market inefficiencies, there will always be black markets. Thanks Econ 101.

Back to Lijiang city. Now in my travels, I’ve come across some pretty interesting Chinglish signs. But I was actually more surprised by how gramatically correct the signs were. If only with a Chinese twist in the syntax or wording.

… oddly shiny for 800 years old, no? I call this Venice meets Disneyland.

More to come. Hop on over to the FB page if you haven’t already seen some of my more “serious” portraits: here