I am alive and very well.  I am in Lhasa, Tibet at the moment and should be heading to Nepal on 5-6 day jeep tour in the morning.  With stops for lakes and monasteries along the way the trip as well as the countryside in general should be amazing.  While I am on the road, I will probably not have any email access for about a week or so.  We¡¯ll see. 

The traditional Tibetan part of Lhasa is amazingly beautiful.  This is in spite of the fact that the Chinese have done everything possible to slowly eliminate the Tibetan culture by encouraging Han Chinese to move out here, but that¡¯s another story.  Plus this is my second liberal diatribe in as many journal entries.  If I keep it up, I might lose my voting card for the next election.  No Maria/Dad, this will never, ever happen.  Come on Condy!

The authenticity of the pilgrims who come to Lhasa is what makes the place very special.  Imagine standing upright then falling to your knees and then on to your stomach waving your hands on the ground from your side to above your head then getting back up only to walk three feet to do it all again all while chanting the entire time.  Now do this for a couple of hundred miles.  This is what some pilgrims to do when they make their pilgrimage to the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa.  You don¡¯t have to understand their religion to admire the dedication.  What¡¯s more, you just sense that it really comes from their heart as you see the people in their daily life. 

With that said, it is the interaction with the locals that is my favorite part of course.  I went to a monastery that was absolutely amazing, but the highlight of the day was not the monastery.  Instead the best part of the day was 20-minute ride out there and back on the local bus.  I was the featured attraction on the bus both there and back.  Westerners in general are a novelty here, and Tibetans are not afraid to stare, touch hairy arms, etc.  I was the only Westerner on the bus, so I got lots of attention.  It was a riot.

Go Horns; congrats to the Brahmas who managed to beat Brazos in spite of Kovar¡¯s planned attendance; may the Ags get another BIG win over another mediocre Big XII opponent so they keep Fran around a little longer, and may one of you have the gumption to make a trip to South America to join me next spring.

Take care,

Jason