Back to Lhasa

"Lhasa - Here we are, back in civilization and hardly any of us seem to be able to enjoy it. Kate was wretchedly ill during the drive. Frank felt bad. Last night after Carlos' birthday party, Jordan fell ill, like really ill and overnight, Ace also developed a stomach problem."
- Mark Newcomb, October 18

"Back in the City... Lhasa for three days... We did celebrate Carlos' birthday the other night. Ace and Kate had gotten gifts for everyone. Carlos got glacier glasses modeled after some 50-year old pattern, Frank got a really classy picture of the Potala with red blinking lights around the frame. Too funny! Mark got a big axe, and I got The Speaking Calculator! It is absolutely hysterical! It not only speaks in Chinese, it also has an alarm that sounds like a rooster. It is out of this world! I just have to figure out how to set it..."
- Carina Ostberg, October 19

"I think I have set a new world record in shopping these last few days. I was wearing my Tibetan dress on all my shopping adventures, both because I like it but also because I am a bit sick of all my other clothes. It does raise eyebrows wherever I go. The younger people are sort of snickering, and laughing, but the older ones love it! They cheer and give me thumbs up, some of them get so happy they get tears in their eyes. Only one negative reaction, one old woman spit at me. I'm not sure if it was because I was a Westerner or because I was a Westerner dressed in Tibetan dress. It doesn't really matter, but it would have been fun to know.

I'm torn in my feelings regarding leaving Lhasa. It will be really nice to get back home and so forth, but at the same time it feels like I am leaving an endless adventure behind."
- Carina Ostberg, October 19

"Now begins our odyssey home. Will try getting on the Asiana flight today. But all indications are that it is overbooked. So if we can't get on, we'll likely have to wait until Thursday to try again for another over-sold flight. And if we can't get on that one, then we'll have to try more desperate measures… My next major task is the looming Powder magazine article - time to get started..."
- Mark Newcomb, October 20