Where to Go...?

Time really does fly when you're kept busy. The past 2 months have been somewhat like a blur to me, but at least I enjoy what I'm doing at work - yes, finally. It's true that I'm not as good at what I'm doing now, but there's always room for improvement. I rather build skills in an area that seems interesting to me than to become an expert in something that bores me to death.

We have planned to go to Tibet in May for a long time now. But, while we are going back and forth on whether I want to take 3 whole weeks off just for Tibet, the riots broke out. The Chinese government has, of course, tried to stifle foreign media coverage, but that's not so easy to do when Tibet is swarming with tourists.

Below is a link to a video captured by an Australian tourist:



According to the video, the Tibetan protesters aren't exactly peaceful, so it's little wonder the Chinese government brought in the tanks. I know that this is just one video, but it certainly looks like the Tibetans are the ones who are instigating the violence. The activists say that the influx of Han Chinese is threatening their ancient culture. But, killing the innocent and looting stores owned by the Hans do not help the situation. Whether they like it or not, Tibet is part of China right now, and Chinese citizens are free to go about the country, even if Tibet were autonomous. Tibet could have the Chinese government step in to help preserve their culture, but causing Beijing to lose face on the eve of the Olympics isn't going to help make their case. Luckily, China has to worry about its image before the showcase Olympics. But, who knows what they will do after August 24.

As for my vacation, I guess I don't really have to worry about taking 3 weeks off anymore, since Tibet is probably not the safest place right now. Yunnan is enticing, but part of me really wants to explore somewhere else. I guess I'm feeling a bit Chinaed out at the moment.