whoot! got my flights all booked... had enough miles for first class... unfortunately, no seats, dagnabit... it's ok, i'll survive in biz class (ahhhhh... business class...) actually, the flights are FAR less chaotic than those i'd booked last year...anyhoo, i'm leaving lax at about 2 a.m. (ugh!) on june 4, have three-hour layover in hong kong... and end up in chengdu around 1 p.m. on the 5th.. i'll have about 24 hours in chengdu... will be interesting to see the recovery after last year's earthquake... i'm hoping to get over to the panda preserve but
i'm not holding my breath about it... and, as much as i wanted to see the massive leshan buddha, it 
just 'aint gonna happen... next time! :) i WILL, though, have plenty of time to check out wen shu temple and eat obscene quantities of mapo dofu.... which, according legend, has its roots in chengdu.... mmmmmm... spicy! i head off to Lhasa at about 1 p.m. on the 6th... and will most likely make the kirey hotel my home for the
subsequent 15 days... i know. you're jealous... actually, you should be because the tashi II restaurant is right next door and it serves up some seriously tasty curry! rumor has it that it offers a fairly reliable internet, too, which is great, as i'm seriously considering taking a laptop with me. I'll have a day or so to get acclimated to lhasa's 13,000-foot elevation (waaaalllkkk sloooowwwww), before i begin my two-week (m-f) stint at jatson chumig school and orphanage, which is a short busride from the kirey. take a moment and check out the website. there's some really amazing stuff going on. 
not sure what i'll do with my free weekend in the middle... would like to get out to namtso lake, one of tibet's three holy lakes and the highest salt-water lake in the world... pretty cool, eh? didn't get the chance to see it 2006 so it's at the top of my to-do list. also want to be sure to venture out to ganden monastery, as well as meander through lhasa's muslim quarter at some point.
anyhoo, i'll be heading home june 21... exhausted, but happy, i'm sure... that's about it for now... looking forward to FINALLY embarking on this long-awaited adventure!
