The previous post is Namtso (July 12).
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Lhasa (July 13) · Jul 15, 12:11 PM

Generators for the camp are parked a couple hundred meters off. They’re running loudly as I fall asleep, but go silent at some point in the night and everyone losses electricity. The dogs didn’t go silent. There’s a lot of them, and they’re roaming freely. I woke at two and didn’t get back to sleep till maybe four or five. I made a dark, nervous dash to the far-off bathroom, then tossed and turned in bed.

I wanted to sleep, but couldn’t, so it was easy enough to get out of bed at seven to climb a hundred meters or two up the eastern hills. It’s easy enough to get out of bed, but the climb is a lot more work than yesterday’s. Two hills and one mountain later Mikael and I are at the highest point with a weather station and great views. Beauty here is either big (grand panoramas) or small (alpine flowers) — no middle-scaled ground. We enjoy the moment, then descend back to camp to eat, pack, and walk around along the rocky lake shore and up among prayer flags flung and strung on the rocks.

We leave around noon. The return to Lhasa is three hours and long, passed without even a smoking break for the drivers. I feel bad for not tipping ours. I hope he didn’t lose money on us.

Back in Lhasa our fellowship dissolves. Shawna and Adele split off to book a plane ticket. Mikael and I check in to the HI hostel amidst a mixed Chinese and foreign throng at the reception desk. The others from the other car are staying somewhere else. Mikael and I spend some time trying to book train tickets. He burns some photos onto a CD and I price out DVD, but everyone wants 40 per DVD with no quantity discount. We end up in an expensive 40 yuan cab to the Lhasa Station where we buy tickets directly from the ticket office. We’re on the next available seats to Lanzhou in three days. It’s maybe a 24 hour ride; I’m hoping the hard seats on this line will not be like other hard seats I’ve seen in China. This hope is based on a brochure another traveler picked up in Golmud. If my experience with frozen ice-cream treats tells, we’re in for an unpleasant trip; maybe I should look into a Valium prescription. Heh.

When we get back, we run into Shawna and Adele, who’ve been having their own trouble booking a flight. Mikael and I head off for street kabobs. I wander off and eventually into the internet shop attached to the Snowland Hotel’s courtyard, where I negotiate four DVDs for 120 yuan. For four hours starting at 21:00 I’m in that shop, alternatively copying files for burning or wasting time reading aikiweb and e-budo forum threads. While I’m there I buy water, instant noodles (which are promptly opened and eaten for dinner), and chocolate. It’s a late night; I don’t get back till one.

I’m ambivalent about waiting until the 16th for the train. It’s time I won’t be spending in southwest China, but I’ll catch up on my online chores — blogging words and uploading pictures.

Also, our dorm room door doesn’t lock, not without calling over the floor attendant.

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