The Final Chapter

I have been home a week- in 'real time' if not Danielle time. Until yesterday it didn't seem like I'd stopped anywhere. I continue to yo -yo back and forth between 'please take me back to Asia' and 'I just want to stay here with the people I adore'. There are some definite plus points to the UK. I can go for long runs in leafy fields by the Thames (and not be dripping in sweat or breathing car fumes). My family are here, especially my grandpa who's been seriously unwell and my grandma who is going a bit dippy (she thought she'd won the lottery on Wednesday- turns out she'd got her ticket confused with the slip you print the results on. Oh lord..) . And I have wonderful, smart, challenging friends here, who I love and want to be part of the fabric of their lives again. One of my old flatmates appears to have been in a relationship for a year without me knowing. I'm ashamed and saddened to have missed out on the important experiences of the people I love.

But.

There it is- that niggling but. I love Asia. I loved Hong Kong. In terms of lifestyle, I could have a better life in HK than the UK. And I would probably love my job for the next two years as a primary school teacher. I could continue to travel, enjoy HK and save. A lot.

But.

There it is again. There is a hesitancy to commit to going back.

Who knows what the future will hold. I’m awaiting my epiphany. Failing that, I just have to make my mind up...

-The End-

Russia and Transiberian pictures

Petrohof- St. Petersburg
Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood- St Petersburg
The spot where Alexander II was assassinated Stanislavsky's grave (well, I was excited..)
St. Basil's Moscow
'Peasants? What Peasants?'
Inside the Hermitage

The outside if the Hermitage
The transiberian...

The makeshift poker table.. Our decorate cabin (for 5 days and 4 nights)

Mongolia Pics..

Our driver
THE meat feast (the closest I've come to being a Flintstone) sheer nothingness
I want a goat.

Our first home in a ger..

Where I've been..

7 days in Mongolia

I ended up staying in Ger's and touring the countryside for a week in Mongolia! It was awesome- sadly this PC won't let me add any photos and I don't have time to write a full account, but you can cheat and read Danny's excellent account of the whole week if you're interested: http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Danny+in+Asia/ (Dan- hope that's ok? Let me know if not and I'll take down the link..)

5 days on a train

I took the transiberian express from Ulaanbaator to Moscow across Siberia! It took 5 days- the train running on Moscow time for the whole journey (so outside it was dark and inside the train it was only 3pm!)
My wonderful companions from our Mongolia trip helped load me, and my huge box of food, into a small 2 berth compartment. My roomie turned out to be a Chinese born Texan, who turned out to be close to the perfect buddy. We decorated our little cabin with Tibetan and Mongolia prayer flags, multicoloured butterflies and shawls. I think this means we got extra inspection at the Russian border- which took six long hours anyway. As with the Mongolian border crossing, the officials were all in frighteningly pressed and starched uniforms, only without the stiletto patent black ankle boots of the Mongolian officials.

The days rolled past easily; we spent the hours reading, talking or trying to have a wash in the tiny metal sink while being thrown around by the train. To one side, we have the company of two Canadians, Ian and John. Ian was John father, and I can only describe as 'Clint Eastwood' character with his gravelly voice and swaying hips. To our other side, we had two English lads, one of whom a poker addict. After fashioning a makeshift poker table out of the train back rests and suitcases, we would settle down for the night to play Texas hold'em. we improvised chips with pretzels, various coins from our travels and worthers originals (although Ian was sad to let them go.) There may also have been a little vodka involved...

Moscow and St Petersburg

I met dad at the train station yesterday- slightly vexed that in Asia, spotting someone is normally easy. Here suddenly I was faced with the prospect of finding my slightly greying father in his signature leather jacket in a crowd of.. middle aged men sporting leather jackets. However, as the people here so far have had cold, hard faces with steely eyes, I soon picked out a friendly face. We spent yesterday wondering around the city, which is actually more beautiful than I expected, but like it's citizens is steely and cold. I got my first glimpse of St Basil's last night at dusk, and had my first proper meal in about 2 weeks. Wonderful.

Staying in proper hotels, internet access is going to be expensive and I doubt I'll have much free time. So I promise a full train, Mongolia and Russian run-down will appear one I am back in blighty (with no job or any money- I'll have nothing else to do!!)

made it to Moscow!!!

...more later!! xxx

Mongolia

Just o say I'm alive and well and have had the most awesome week. I've eaten dried yak for a week, slept in Gers and smell of goat, but it was a truely wonderful week.

I have to catch a train to Moscow tomorrow that will take 5 days, but more tales to follow..

Romance Found

Once again, China has flummoxed me.

I arrived on the Beijing sleeper train the only laowai in sight, and was immediate fussed over by the two women in my carriage. They lifted me and my backpack up onto the top bunk with much huffing and puffing, and satisfied smiles when I was safely installed. I'm not sure any middle aged women in the UK would pick up a 17 kilo backpack and a 9 stone white girl (seriously- hands lifted me like the scene in Labyrinth when she falls down the hole.)

Beijing is stunning right now- I spent yesterday wondering around the lakes and Hutongs and today exploring the summer palace with my room mate. They were both the stuff of Chinese poetry- cobbled pathways, cherry blossoms, little arched bridges and intricate gardens. How does such elegance fit with such coarseness in the country? I am vexed, and jealous once again that in Asia, something can be totally contradictory and still understood. Darn Descartes and Derrida.
blossoms
The views to the hills over the lake- the summer palace is only an hour from the centre of Beijing and yet very serene
the view over the lakes at dusk yesterday.

I had a wonderful dinner last night with a guy I knew from Hong Kong who lived here now. Having formally been someone that used to show up when I was drunk (and he was battered) we actually took some time to talk over yummy hot pot. It was a great evening.

I have also realised I've become an avid reader again since I left HK- around 15 books so far I think. I've been given a copy of The Brother Karamazov, which is apparently essential transiberian reading (although apparently no one ever has time to read on the train) by Tom, who has been no where near the train journey (ah, the travel gods...)

But my favourite is my current book, The Snow Leopard: 'Indicating his twisted legs without a trace of self pity or bitterness, as if they belonged to all of us, he [the lama] casts his arms wide to the sky and the snow mountains, the high sun and the dancing sheep and cries, 'Of course I am happy here! It's wonderful! Especially when I have no choice!''

The perfect passage, in a perfect novel, in the perfect place. Perfect.