What a few months it has been. We arrived back from the US at the end of January, and just a few days later, Wuhan was locked down. Our last guests left on January 28, and then, we were... silent, for a long time. The exits to the village were blocked, even the walking exits. … Continue reading Finally
Blog
Huge Home and Parasitic Tourism
One of the things that has most touched me about living in this place is the amazingly deep connection to land and place that exists here. In January 2004, when we took our first trek to Zhakra Mountain, I asked Djarga and the other nomads guiding the group to plan the trek themselves, since I … Continue reading Huge Home and Parasitic Tourism
Late Spring and Early Summer Flowers
This year has so far been an amazing year for flowers here! Enjoy the color extravaganza! Please let us know if you the names of any of the flowers, so we can improve the listing!
Early Morning Yak Call
This morning, I slept in a bit and had a missed call from 7 AM from Woobzang in Sertar. Later, I mentioned it to Tenzin Nyima and Rekho, who said that Woobzang had called Rekho's phone before 7, asking them to please send Pengtso's yak across the river. Pengtso did not want to call me, … Continue reading Early Morning Yak Call
Work, Capitalism, Barter, and the Non-Monetary Economy
One of the things that is most different here from other parts of the world is that people have not fully bought into the necessity and normality of money and work — the basic capitalist system. This is why it is so hard to get people to work for us; they simply don’t really believe … Continue reading Work, Capitalism, Barter, and the Non-Monetary Economy
Translations and Aid
In the past few days, I have received two requests to translate or compose request letters to a Swiss group (whom I know very little about) from Tibetan students who are being supported by them. I’ve done this before — even for the daughter of our Ecolodge manager! The letters are composed in Chinese, … Continue reading Translations and Aid
What are the happenings around the pasturelands and the Ecolodge this spring? The electricity has been off locally for 10 days; it was cut by the government because of power-stealing by nomads. Whenever the power is cut, we get a lot of visitors, mostly young men, charging their phones. It is a pleasure to see … Continue reading
Filmmaking
This week, we’ve had a team of Thai filmmakers here. It’s a student project, an undergrad final project, and there are 8 Thai people, all young men but one. Having guests one learns a lot about peoples of the world — two of the Thai guests were cold during the night, and when I made … Continue reading Filmmaking
The 15th (and a birth)
Tibet has a lunar calendar. The 30th is the New Moon; the 15th is the Full Moon. Yesterday marked the 15th of this, the 1st month of the New Year in the Tibetan calendar. Tenzin Nyima was off to take a hike, a round-about of Lhagang that crossed many miles, visited 2 temples, and climbed … Continue reading The 15th (and a birth)
Guided Hikes and Horse Treks
2018 Short Trek Catalog Day Rides Nomad Visit: Ride up into the high Lhagang grasslands, stopping for lunch with a nomadic family. Return to the Ecolodge in the evening. In spring, fall and winter, the nomads are close enough to allow time to visit a small nomad temple as well. (6 hours with lunch) … Continue reading Guided Hikes and Horse Treks
