After spending 1 year working at Zhilam Hostel and Cafe in the eastern Kham region of Tibet, we returned to the city on the northern Tibetan Plateau we have been based at for the past 9 years. Tamara and the boys took a car to the city of Chengdu and then flew out the next morning. I (Jamin) left at around 5am Friday morning and made it back to the city by 3pm on Saturday afternoon. Of the 5 or 6 times I have made the long drive, it was the fastest time yet. When I last did the drive in January, compact snow and ice covered the roads for the first 400 miles or so. This time, the weather was sunny and the roads were clear.
A Tibetan family living beneath the glaciers of Amnye Machen ཨ་མྱིས་རྨ་ཆེན།, the highest mountain in northern Tibet
The boys are so excited to be back in our apartment in the city, which is about twice the size of our home in Dartsendo. Plus, most of the kids toys and books are here in the city, so it is like Christmas for them to be back at this home! It has been nice meeting up with our colleagues and seeing our Tibetan friends who live in the city. Our time working at the guesthouse was amazing and it was extremely sad and difficult to leave. But, we know that we are much more equipped now with the experience needed to start a guesthouse in Jyekundo in the future. Thinking about our future in Yushu prefecture (Jyekundo is the capital of the prefecture) gets us both so excited and we cannot wait to return to the remote mountains of the central Tibetan Plateau.
Nomad on horseback on a 16,000 foot mountain pass in Trindu county ཁྲི་འདུ་རྫོང་། in northern Yushu prefecture
Several of you have asked us what are plans are for the coming months. In the next few days, we will write an update outlining what our plans are for the next 6 to 12 months. We thank all of you for keeping our family in your prayers!
Blessings!
