Why and how is David in a Tibetan teahouse in Lhasa? . . . .
. . . find out below how an April Fool joke made it happen!!!!
. . . . Who is the lady next to me?
This morning I enjoyed a walk down to the 'old ford' at Knox
Oak Beck near Knox Mill
Knox Mill. . . . .you can just see the old waterwheel behind the car.
make sure to be up early!
It was the 1st April 1985. Lynne and I with our friends, Christine and Patrick, were travelling in China. We were in Shanghai. I have digitally copied all of these photos of China taken in 1985 from my Kodachrome slides. The buildings on the 'Bund' waterfront were at the time the tallest buildings in Shanghai! They were built in the 1910's and 1920's and are said to remind people of the waterfront buildings in Liverpool. Thirty five years later Shanghai is now a mega-city of hundreds of skyscrapers! | I actually took these two photos on the morning of April 1st 1985! |
It was a time consuming process but eventually we were second in line. The PSB officer was extremely smart and spoke perfect English. We waited anxiously for our turn as we realised permission to travel as far as Xinjiang was not always granted. Passports and visas ready we waited . . . . .
Wow!! We couldn't believe it!!! Tibet . . . the fabled 'Roof of the World' had suddenly been opened for independent travellers! It had been my dream to one day see Tibet! In just a few seconds we immediately changed our travel plans . . . but it wasn't to be that straightforward!
Earlier that morning we had enjoyed watching the locals doing their tai-chi exercise on the embankment of the Huangpu River. We had watched children, with their bright red 'Young Pioneer' scarves, playing games and flying kites. We were so excited just to be in Shanghai but now . . . . the incredible opportunity to quickly change plans and go to Tibet. But we were still in the PSB queue . . . plus we didn't know how we would get to Tibet even if the PSB official granted us permission! |
Above is my travel journal for China in 1985.
It's such a joy to read through these precious travel memories!
Silence . . . . He looked at me, then Lynne, then Christine and then finally Patrick . . . He kept looking at Patrick who was well over six feet, well built and with a red beard! He just said "Mmmmm. . . . passports?"
I collected everyone's passports and handed them over. His English was perfect! He said . . . . . . . . ."Just wait for a moment".
The grandmother on the left is looking after the baby while parents were at work. She was sat in a garden just off the Bund embankment. You can also see that her feet were once partially bound when she was a young girl. Foot-binding was banned in 1912 but sometimes this was still done in secret. On a back street just behind the waterfront we came across these men playing a traditional game. The aspect of these photos from the 1980's in China that stands out is that nearly everyone is wearing blue 'Mao' suits. |
In perfect English he gave me my passport with confirmation that I could travel to Tibet . . . a brief pause . . . he gave Lynne her passport and nodded approval . . . another brief pause . . . then Christine but then he looked straight at Patrick in a most serious manner! His face showed no emotion whatsoever . . . he simply shook his head . . . briefly saying as Patrick had an Australian passport he couldn't go to Tibet!
Oh no!!!
We looked at each other with the realisation that Tibet was still just a dream! We tried to plead with him . . .
. . . . . . but then his face suddenly changed with a broad beaming smile!!!
He looked at all four of us and said . . . "April Fool!"
He had tricked us knowing full well that it was the 1st April. It is not a Chinese custom but he was obviously so knowledgeable about English traditions and spoke with an almost perfect English accent. That is why the Chinese PSB had put him in this position dealing with overseas visitors. It is even more remarkable that we are talking about a time, in the 1980's, when China was only just opening up to the world.
We eventually did make it to Tibet! But it involved several exciting days trying to get there!
But that's another story . . . . and blog in the future!
Below are a few photos just to whet your appetite . . . it was truly awesome!!!
Flying over the frozen Tibetan Plateau on our flight from the remote military
city of Golmud in Qinghai in the far north of China.
Finally we landed in Tibet! There was no airport just a runway! It took us 8 hours to drive to Lhasa the capital of Tibet. They were still building the road . . . digging by hand as you can see above. In the photo on the left you can see Lynne standing by the bus when we had to stop to check where we were going to drive across the river. Thirty one years later, in 2016, Lynne and I returned to Tibet! There is now a new airport with a fast major highway to Lhasa!!
It was dark when we arrived in Lhasa. We managed to find rooms in a Chinese workers guesthouse. We had a room but no water! The next morning we opened our curtains to see the majestic Potala Palace rising up above the old Tibetan city. We went for a walk and that is when I took the above photo. We spent a truly awesome few days in Lhasa. It was a travel moment in time I will never forget!
We found this wonderful traditional Tibetan teahouse in the old town. In the front are Patrick and Christine. At the back, drinking her Tibetan tea, is Lynne. You can see the large lumps of sugar crystal on the table! The other two were fellow travellers. We were all so excited to be in Tibet. The girl on the right was from Denmark. Amazingly she was looking into the possibility of riding on horseback across the Tibetan Plateau, parallel to the Himalayas, as far as Ladakh!
So above is the photo of me in the Tibetan teahouse that was at the start of this blog!
So yes I am standing in a Tibetan teahouse in Lhasa on the 'Roof of the World'!
Why? . . . . all the result of a PSB officer in Shanghai catching us out with a brilliant April Fool joke!!
Who is the lady? . . . . She is a Sherpa from Nepal. On our Trek to Everest three years before, in December 1982, Lynne and I stayed overnight in her home village in the Khumbu on our approach to Everest Base Camp. She was so excited to learn that we knew her home village! We proudly had our photo taken together!
Lynne and David in Lhasa 1985 Lynne and David in Lhasa 2016
I want to end this blog with continued prayers and grateful thanks to the NHS (National Health Service) and all key workers throughout our nation at this worrying time created by the Coronavirus pandemic. I extend this prayer out beyond the UK to the whole world. I also continue to pray for all families who have lost loved ones.
'Stay at Home' . . . . 'Protect the NHS' . . . . . 'Save Lives'
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Take care!
David