Nyalam to the border

The next day in Nyalam, the gateway to Hell, we did a bit of trekking. We hiked up a stretch of the mountain in search of a lake. We found out the lake was much further than we had thought. We never saw it but it was still nice walking along. I managed to step through some ice and got my foot sopping wet. I was worried I'd have to turn back but it wasn't that cold during the day and I forgot about it awhile later.

We found a big rock with some Tibetan prayer flags atop it, we climbed it. We saw some yaks. An abandoned house. Not really interesting to read about.

Then we drove to Zhangmu on the border with Nepal. It was so surreal. At first we are in the desert where nothing grows and only shepherds, goats, yaks, mountains, and rocks can be seen to really lush hills. Tibet was nice and all but we were pretty ready to leave. It must be much nicer in the summer. We were still all filthy animals. Zhangmu was just surrounded by trees and plants, all these waterfalls, and it really felt like Tibet was so far away. We found a place to stay and bid goodbye to Dawa. The hotel had actual showers, actual electricity, real menu options. It's hard to believe I could be so excited by such a thing as an electrical outlet or flushing toilets.

We spent the night out having a few beers. The girls went to bed and Sam, Scott, and I (lured by promises of bread that I never received) snuck out again. I was already pretty drunk and just wanted to sleep. We went to some club with performers on stage. It was kind of odd. Some Tibetan (city Tibetan I guess) kept trying to proposition women for sex. The last woman he approached was appauled, but only by the price he offered. At 500, it was all settled and the 2 of them hugged and walked off stage. Very odd story line. Then we danced with locals for a bit to Tibetan/Nepali/Chinese traditional music with a dance beat. A lot of them were in traditional clothes dancing the night away. One lady there must have been well over 40. It was jolly good fun.

Then we decided to switch it up. I was pretty tired but still went. I had a drumstick that I bought from a street vendor. Very good drumstick but a bit too spicy for my liking. I still managed to have 3 of them that night though. I didn't enjoy the second place so much. I missed the dancing girls who Scott had said were better than strippers and I didn't do any dancing there. I just longed for sleep or more chicken legs. I don't know why I was so tired.

On the way back we stopped for chicken legs several times passing a few places with red lights and Sam singing Roxanne. At one chicken plac, we saw 2 guys come in who were served chicken right away at no cost. The guy and his wife were so attentive to these leather clad serious men that we were sure they were local mobsters. Then we finally got back to hotel and Sam tried the key and it broke off it the lock so he kicked the door open. Ok, this part came between the girls going to bed and us going out again but I just forgot to mention it.

The next morning, the girls came in to wake us at 8. I guess we'd agreed to the time earlier. We got out of bed at 10. The girls were a bit upset and anxious to cross the border into Nepal. We had to get to Kathmandu before sunset or I'm not sure, something very bad would happen to us. We ate breakfast, exchanged some money, got into a small argument about the key (I'd conveniently gone in search of postcards), and then walked 10 feet and cleared Chinese immigration. Out of Tibet and China and into no man's land between the 2 borders.

So at long last I finish my travelogue of China and Tibet. I'm still one country behind since I'm actually no longer in Nepal either. Where could I be? Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until I'm 2 countries behind since I'm leaving this one in another few hours. 4 entries in one day, it's not that there isn't anything to see or do where I am but due to some unclear explanations by the ticket agent and people's unwillingness to watch my bag for just the afternoon it really isn't worth seeing or doing anything here with my heavy pack across my back.