Getting Started

When I went to Tibet a few years ago I kept a journal, to help me see and remember such an unusual experience.

And it has: on our first day in the Chang Tang reserve I wrote: “We are in the Change Tang Reserve!! The wind is blowing so hard it moves my tennis shoes inside the tent, which is rather dicey because I have a can of pop sitting in one shoe…We are camped right next to a nomad enclave. When our land cruiser got stuck they all turned out to help. Then they stayed to help put up tents.”

The next morning one of these Tibetans arrived on his motorcycle, wearing his chuba—a long robe made of sheepskin—and a helmet. He was our guide to the Aru Basin, where we hoped to see chiru.

Without the journal, my Tibetan memories would be a hash of tenting, chiru, long drives, quiet, loneliness, nomad enclaves, and excitement at seeing chiru.

At home, too, a journal helps me sort things out, save what might be lost, remember the quiet times. I’m hoping this blog will also help sort things out, comment on what might be lost, savor what should be saved, perhaps even start a conversation about what we love, what we share, what we wouldn’t want to lose.