Traveler Profile: phishtopher

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lao and cambodia in august and september

This user hasn't written any guides yet.

Screen name:

phishtopher

Age:

Gender:

Male

If you must know:

I'm single

Travel status:

Putting down roots

Hometown:

austin, tx

Currently in:

austin, tx

Expert Tibet, China

i suppose, like so many others, my fascination with tibet, and china by default, began with glossy magazine articles and national geographic TV shows. the mountains, the people, and as the chinese always say, the mystery.

i first came to china in 2004, as a first year graduate student, then again each year since. i am now living in qinghai province conducting research on tibetan identity. i have lived in beijing as well, for language studies, and have traveled many places in china, but most of my time is spent in the tibetan west--qinghai, sichuan, gansu, yunnan--and xizang provinces. i often find myself staying with nomads on the grasslands and in mountain villages for research. these places, regardless of whether they fall within the tibetan autonomous region, are my favorites, as they offer the most unadulterated look at tibetan culture available. lhasa is nice, but it's more or less a chinese city now. i find myself preferring qinghai and sichuan provinces above the others.

i am now in my fifth year of grad. school, the research phase. so if i am an expert in anything tibetan, it is issues involving identity, memory, narratives, exile, and the ways in which tibetans adapt to life in cities.

Traveling Next:

nowhere. i've been gone so long, home is where i want to be.

Favorite places I've been:

all of laos, but especially luang prabang and muang ngoi; dublin; koh phi phi island, thailand; sabang island, off the coast of northern sumatra; phalut along the songalila ridge in sikkim staring out at kanchenjunga and everest as the sun rises; oahu's north shore; our family cabin in birkin, bc; vancouver island-especially hiking the west coast trail: ladakh in northwest india; salzburg; bamberg, germany; the annapurna circuit, nepal; county kerry, ireland; new york city; and of course my home town austin, tx (there's no place like it, except where my mom lives, flagstaff, az, and well portland, or)

Places I want to go to:

anywhere. i have an unrealistic aspiration to visit every country on earth. i guess that will depend on how long i live.

About me:

i am an anthropologist currently writing his dissertation on tibetan identity and narratives based on research in western china and india. i love God, hearing and telling stories, the random joys and friendships of travel, and my family. also, i used to have a semi-formal relationship nau clothing, they put me in clothes and i give them stories about my research. now they are wiser with their money.

also, i am helping out a tibetan friend while he starts up his own travel company. so please check out his blog (until a website is ready) if you are planning on traveling in western china.

www.DrukpaTibetanAdventureTours.blogspot.com

Profile URL:

http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/phishtopher

Read more about phishtopher

I'm fired up on:

things that make my emotions come alive. these are many, and there are many things i've yet to experience, but mostly just things that stir me.

Tunes I rock out to:

too many to list, but most here are a few: sufjan stevens, adem, the veils, the album leaf, patty griffin, annuals, band of horses, white rabbits, the frames, winterpills, the twilight sad, radiohead, mew, glen hansard, rosie thomas, damien rice, the postal service, patrick wolf, the editors, of montreal, the notwist, my latest novel, the dears, jeremey enigk, johnny cash, iron & wine, grizzly bear, feist, elf power, cold war kids, bob marley, death cab, and of course marvin gaye

Travel style:

not sure, i just love to travel--grunge backpacking and upper crust glamor. i do know that traveling with a loved one would make it better.

Quote:

important events--whether serious, happy or unfortunate--don't change a man's soul, they merely bring it into relief...such events highlight what is hidden in the shadows; they nudge the spirit towards a place where it can flourish.

--irene nemorivsky, suite francaise

Sports I do:

soccer, basketball, mountain biking, and plenty of hiking/trekking

Favorite artist(s):

those that somehow capture the weakness and endurance of humanity

Favorite books:

uncle tom's cabin, the road, on the road, the idiot, the trial

Who I'd like to meet on my travels:

humble people who challenge me to understand the world better

I want to make a difference by:

showing true love to everyone i meet

Languages spoken, other than English:

chinese and some tibetan and spanish

I felt the most immersed in a foreign culture when:

every time i get into an argument in chinese, and whenever i realize i feel at home among tibetan nomads as in new york city, or even my home town.

Why I travel:

to enjoy the creation of God, and to meet new people

Ideal place to watch the sunrise:

standing atop the ridge above phalut near darjeeling as everest and kanchenjunga are bathed in new light

Ideal place to watch the sunset:

any beach with friends and ice cold beer

Before I die I'd like to:

set my heals to every nations soil and raise children who make a difference in the world

Let's collaborate:

i'm an anthropologist looking to travel, research and write about people. really i am an aspiring renaissance man, so if you need anyone trying to be too many things at once, that's me.

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by Allen Burt | 2009/04/18

Hey,

Apparently your the man for questions about Tibet! I'll be crossing the border from Laos to China in about a week and want to make my way into Tibet as quickly as possible. I've heard you can do "unorganized" tours where you cross with a group to make the authorities happy, and then dispurse on your own. Any knowledge about this?

Any other suggestions of good Tibet itineraries or tour operators?

Thanks!
Allen Burt

by Baxter Jackson | 2008/11/14

Hey, there.

Plenty to do in Oman.

Hike and swim in Wadi Dham and Wadi Shab. Spy on some sea turtles at Ras al Had, camp amidst the dunes in the Empty Quarter and kick it on the beach in Salalah with some coconut milk. Wahiba Sands for a taste of the bedouin lifestyle.

My couch is avaialble for surfing.

Salem,
Baxter

I went to St. Ed's - love Austin. It's got the coolest movie theater in the world.

by mtintrepid | 2008/10/31

Thanks for the welcome. Hope you are having great time in India.

by CandiceV. | 2008/10/29

Ha! I wish. I actually don't work for the airline, but for a publishing company contracted by the airline to make their magazine. We don't even get discounts on flights! Laaaaame.....

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by Noo Nid | 2008/08/08

Thank you. Have a great trip. :-)

by Noo Nid | 2008/08/07

Wow, you'll be in quite a few places in these 2 months. Will you be doing research in Thailand and Cambodia? Have you been to Thailand before?

I'm going to Cambodia for about 2 weeks in December. Can't wait! =)

by atom7 | 2008/05/26

Thank you very much for your kind comment. I am very jealous of you being in Western China. I hope to head out that way in the next couple of years. I hope that you are having a great time.

by lyza | 2008/05/21

My sister's middle name is "Lhasa" because it was my dad's favorite place in Asia. I've never been but I hope to someday to appreciate his love for it (granted, that was 40 years ago). Safe travels!

by Keri | 2008/04/24

no way! i sent it to you a long time ago! must have gone to the wrong place. i'll try again...sorry!!

by Ross | 2008/04/24

Damn man, some of your photos are really special. Very impressive.

by sachairena | 2008/04/13

Hi Phistopher,

I am trying to find out if it would be possible to travel overland from Thailand to India. Without spending exorbitant amounts on special visas. And it seems clearer and clearer that you are a very good person to ask. I am in Chiang Mai at the moment; these months I am volunteering at Pun Pun ("thousand varieties" in Thai) organic farm and seed-saving center. I am guessing sometime around July or August I will want to go to India for a couple of months, then come back to Thailand. (Or if I can stay in Thailand until next February, I might possibly want to do that and then go to India.)

One of the best experiences I've had was crossing Colombia by bus (to go to the World Social Forum in Caracas). It occurred to me that if I go by bus to India I would probably see many amazing places. But I don't know how hard it is to get into Tibet, or whether the best option to go from Tibet to India would be via Nepal or via Sikkim. From what I remember reading, I think it would be quite hard or even impossible to go via Arunachal Pradesh, though if I could, I think it would be an amazing experience.

PS I majored in Anthropology at Williams College. Then I stopped liking the extent of theoretical talk in academia. Maybe someday I will go back to school, but not soon.

by Keri | 2008/02/05

hey...yeah, we should get on that! i finally have wireless again, so my connection is good for an internet swap. let me know.

by paciipaseo | 2007/11/13

Mahalo!! Thank you for the welcome!!

by caris | 2007/11/01

thanks for the warm welcome :) check out my recently uploaded photos! zai jian!

by junglekelly | 2007/10/19

I will definitely add some pictures, I just joined Matador and haven't had time to upload the pictures yet. I love your pictures, they are amazing!

by Keri | 2007/10/17

Just spent some time reading your blog. You really have some nice photos/stories, especially the ramadan pieces.

on a side note, i feel your pain for having giardia. you think you're going to die, don't you?

look forward to reading more...and i think maybe we should do a music share sometime. i liked your picks.

by camilaluana | 2007/10/12

hi there.
saw ur posting on thailand.
i will be there form dec-january and then heading to cambodia.
i can certainly recommend some areas to go. I love railay, in krabi. stay away from phukhet and phi-phi if you do not want crowds though.
I am thinking in going to ko-chang and ko-wai (since it is closer to the cambodian border) on january 1st. Since I am travelling solo, meeting new people is always awesome.
Cheers,
Camila

by lyza | 2007/09/19

Sounds like you have an interesting outlook. A road trip from Alaska to Chile? Sounds like the trip of a lifetime....cant wait to read about it in the future!

by ArizonaGirl | 2007/09/18

oh! amazing photos. I used to live in Chengdu. Your pics make me miss China. Safe travels.

by Adam | 2007/08/29

Those black & white photos are killer..espeically the close up of the children's faces.

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i am the poet, me

By phishtopher | Location: China | 04/24/08 | Pics: 0

i wrote this a month or so ago in honor of one of the most distraught men i've ever laid eyes upon. this is no more than my first draft at trying to capture his plight in words.

hopelessness embodied

slack jawed, head hung low
back and forth this pariah strode
loose and aimless, one foot before the...

2 comments | Send to Friend |

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