Mom

I rang in the year of the Tiger in the company of friends and loved ones.

It had been a lovely 15 days and I’m looking forward to what Tiger year holds.

恭喜发财，虎虎生威！

Cousin-in-law

Drama

Herz

Tini

Last fall, my friends Ed and Tini got married. They had their wedding shoot on The Great Wall.

I tagged along. I was borrowing my friend’s Nikon FM 3, had a few rolls of black and white film, and went wild. Well, not really. But still, it was fun shooting B&W film, as I usually shoot color digital.

I just got around to start scanning the first roll of film (I know, punctuality is not my middle name!). These are some of the frames I scanned.

Ed

Walking

Ed changing

Tini

Ed and Tini

Friends

Recently, my friend the Tibetan Lama came to Beijing.

It was lovely seeing him again. He showed me some pictures from back home. This was one of them.

I quite like it.

Pangzi

I have not been a very good blogger. Tsk tsk.

2009 was a very pleasant year. Let’s cross fingers for an even better 2010 to come.

A big snow storm 3 days ago crippled Beijing and since then, the temperature has dipped (CNN reported negative 20 Celsius!). It’s not very encouraging to know that when you go out, you’ll need to face the blasts of Siberian wind. It chills you to the bones. I dug up the above picture today while sifting through some movie set stuff. Looking at it reminds me of the beautiful grassland and warmer times. Literally.

This is also the third time in about a month that I haven’t been feeling so hot (the first time was an ulcer in my throat and now I think it’s mild bronchites!). Between that and the cold, I’ve pretty much barricaded myself indoor. Not necessarily a bad thing considering that January is awards application season… Good luck to everyone applying to any kind of photo award this year!

Swine-mate

This is a bit overdue. But alas…

I returned to Beijing about two weeks back, after a month traveling China’s western frontier. Em, after a 6 hour flight delay and a border snafu, also safely returned to Hong Kong.

I miss the road already, and it feels odd not having The Swine’s presence around 24/7. She has been a good colleague throughout the trip, as well as a good friend.

For that, thank you.

Xining

Paoma Mountain

Kangding’s most well-known landmark is one of its nearby mountains, Paoma Mountain. The snowy peak was made famous by the immensely popular song, Kangding Love Song.

Going from Ganzi to Kangding also marked the longest bus ride Em and I had this entire trip: 14 hours!! While the ride was beautiful, being on a dirty bus for 14 hours was pretty trying…

Bus ride

Passby Lake

Ganzi

Ganzi is a Tibetan trading town, located in a stunning valley in the shadow of the nearby Chola snow mountain range.

Across the street from the Ganzi bus station, there’s a restaurant called the Daba Han Tibetan Family Restaurant. The hole-in-the-wall joint is owned by a middle aged Han couple and a young Tibetan help. A+ to them in name creativity.

Trola

Trola Pass lies between Dege and Manigango. At 4916 meters above sea level, it’s the highest pass outside of Tibet.

Dege

Dege was a charming little town nestled deep in a remote mountain valley, close to the border of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Logistically speaking, it was one of the hardest places for Em and I to reach. Thanks to a bit of persistence and rerouting, we got there with no problem.

However, a half a side of yak carcass was involved in our transportation. Em almost gagged on the way (note: the woman is a vegetarian). I wonder how the Tibetans would have felt about that.

Manigango

Manigango is a one-lane, rough and tumble kind of town located in the middle of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The town is rustic and the surrounding scenery beautiful. Conditions made the town difficult to stay in, but it worked for a night as a transition stop.

It was also our first stop on the proper Sichuan Tibet highway, which means we got into the province with no problem.