asia unfolding. a journey in transition.

start here:
from the beginning...

until we meet again...

I guess disclosure of why we returned early from our travels is my choice. I wasn’t sure it belonged here or if I even wanted to, but as I write many of these entries after our return, in subtle ways it has already crept in and to be fair, was affecting me during most (all?) of our time abroad. As many of you already know, in August of 2009 I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I would be lying to say the journey since has been easy, but life is just that, a journey and i have done my best to make the most of it. In writing these stories I hope to retain all that I gained from our travels, to remember myself and my own experience as vital, valid and accept it for what it is. We all unfold each day of our lives, and really, experience is ever changing. I hope each of you has even a measure of the love, friendship and support I have in my life to be with you for your journey. In peace Laurel

In peace
Laurel

urumqi. xinjiang. china. may 7th – 11th. 2009

a night on a sleeper bus. contemplation. a pit stop at 4am in the middle of nowhere, just a hut and the endless stretch of the flat, barren landscape. as dawn rises the most otherworldly arrival in Urumqi unfolds. lying awake i just catch sight of hills dotted with windmills, hundreds of them, lying there as this windfarm is framed magically against a lightening sky.


Urumqi is a series of these snapshots for me. Angela and Joon, guests and immediate friends at our amazing hostel. movie night. children doing morning exercises outside our window.



Jiohe ruins. Toyoq village. vegetarian food. windmills. the mural on our hostel room wall. my time here is bittersweet and what i remember most is stoically visiting the ruins and the amazing people in the hostel. it is the last stop in China. a fitting close to the amazing 9 months we have spent in Asia, we are so grateful to have had this experience and cherish it still 10 years later. to life, love, beauty and the magic of friendship and travel. Stephen and Laurel

laurel's urumqi photos on flickr

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dun huang. gansu. china. may 1st – 6th. 2009

we board yet another train and say goodbye to Sichuan Province and enter Gansu Province on our trek ever further into Northern China. a vital point on the ancient Silk Road, the gateway to Lhasa and India, the edge of the Gobi desert, the far end of The Great Wall of China. our train ride shared with a mother and her young son. no shared language but a meaningful exchange and shared experience with a reluctant goodbye when they get off the train just before we do. we opt to stay 20 minutes out of town in a beautiful hostel literally on the edge of the desert, we catch site of stunning sand dunes on our way in. after settling briefly we head straight to the park and catch sunset amongst crowds doing the same yet somehow it is a uniquely personal experience. and breathtaking. we never make it further into the desert then this, we miss the camel ride and night in the desert under the stars.      

there is a day trip to the stunning Yadan landforms, another landscape used by Zhang Yimou in 'Hero', He Cang city and the outlying remnants of the Han Dynasty Great Wall, there is something starkly beautiful about this barren landscape that is magical and reminiscent of the ancient history of this place. our time here is dotted with something as of yet undefined but clearly concerning for me but we pack our bags, get on a bus and spend the next 17 hours making our way further along The Silk Road to the most landlocked city on the planet in the far north west of China.

laurel's dun huang photos on flickr

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jui zhai gou valley. sichuan. china. april 23rd – 26th. 2009

Jiuzhaigou valley. part of the Min Mountains on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Unesco World Heritage site. World Biosphere Reserve. one of many stunning locations in Zhang Yimou's film 'Hero'. otherworldly. an intense bus ride through the Northern part of earthquake devasted Sichuan Province. as we enter the valley, staring out the window down the side of huge precipices. truly humbling and breathtaking moments. the hotel is nestled among a very small village, there is little here outside of infrastructure for visiting the park. we sleep early tonight as it is an early start and full day tomorrow. arriving in the park the next morning, we take a bus from the lowest elevation to the highest elevation and spend the entire day meandering down. it is raw, natural beauty and we absorb it all in. hundreds of photos. azure lakes. waterfalls. stunning foliage. stoic trees. words really can't describe the sheer beauty, our photos try to do it justice. and we get to come back tomorrow. continue exploring. getting to see it at our own pace with the handful of others who chose to walk the length of the park instead of just busing to the key sites. we don't even scratch the surface here but are truly awed and grateful for the experience. 

namaste.

laurel's jiuzhaigou photos on flickr
stephen's jiuzhaigou photos on flickr

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chengdu. sichuan. china. round 3 april 9th – 23rd. 2009

Chengdu round three. We arrive late night, but having done this twice b4 we have our bearings. Manage a cab, Stephen shows the driver a text message from Judy and we are dropped off around midnight. Following what seems like slightly cryptic directions in the dark, we find  the right building, Judy and Mark, and proceed to make ourselves right at home. 4 or 5 days… we linger instead for 3 weeks. It is so nice to be here, to cook meals ourselves (for everyone!) to relax and hang out with Judy, Mark and their roommate Eli. It is a much welcomed time to chill, spend time with Judy and feel at home. We visit ‘old’ haunts, are taken to new ones, meet more of Judy’s friends. A lovely dinner at ‘home’, ping pong, nights out, massage, acupuncture, cupping, it is amazing to reflect at all we did do, it seemed like we spent most of the time lounging around the apartment. A really cool visit to Re-c Art Space with Mark, really contemporary, thought provoking work. The find that is the Sichuan Museum. I am glad Stephen brought his camera, the room of shadow puppets was stunning and Judy, Stephen and I practically had the place to ourselves. 

Nirvana cover night, Beatles cover night, Eli’s DJ night, dinners out, we definitely experienced a variety of Chengdu. A day trip to Leshan to extend our Visas, a few more days visiting Jiu Zhai Gou and it is with reluctance we make our plans to move on. It is time to let Judy, Mark and Eli have their apartment back though (we slept/lived in the ‘living’ room), and the lure of the Gobi Dessert and North Western China draws our time in Chengdu to a close. Thank you for letting us invade the apartment, we will miss you and our new ‘home’.

laurel's chengdu photos on flickr

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xiamen. fujian china. round 2 april 6th – 9th. 2009

Our return to Xiamen was even more complicated than our first visit and after burdening Stephen with my stress about it, we arrive again by cab to our hostel. Jenny is back too, our friend on staff and a new couple who is enjoying the space and the chance to just chill out as we are. We are trying to figure out how to get to Chengdu from here, not a straight forward journey by train. In the end, we choose to fly to Chengdu and are in no hurry , so spend a few days here first. We watch all of Heroes season 2 again, a couple of films, wander to a nearby temple grounds. Chat with our new friends here. Food is easy and close by, and 7 months in to our travels it is nice to feel no need to DO anything in particular. We are looking forward to seeing Judy again though and don’t linger too long before making our way back to Chengdu. Maybe we will see Xiamen again one day.

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