Point2Point

It was past 1pm when our bus escorted us though Lhasa. We were heading in the opposite direction of the Jokhang temple so the there was little to see in terms of burnt out buildings like there had been from our hotel. In fact it was now our turn to be stared at. We were a group of foreigners squashed into a mini bus with our bags crammed everywhere staring out into a combat zone.

Anil was standing in the center aisle by the front doors. He was nervously looking around and continuously pleaded with us not to even take a camera out. He made mention of how the camera would be taken away by the army, and how he would be punished. This was the first time Anil openly admitted he was scared of the Chinese. It wasn't a tactic either, the man looked at us as if his life depended on us doing as he asked.

Ordinary Tibetans on the street peered up at us with sadden eyes. Most likely for their own suffering, but maybe also for seeing their former country be displayed like this to strangers. Some looked almost embarrassed by the whole thing.

The army types stationed at regular intervals along the road also stared. For the first time I actually caught a little emotion in their faces. Their eyes darted along the buses windows as they too started at the evacuating faces. Some had a look of confusion, others just scowled.

Passing by the Potala Palace was a little eerie. The large white temple grounds were surrounded by tanks. At least 15 of them were dispersed throughout the parking area and road surrounding the temple. Almost like a coup force surrounding a presidential palace.

Our escort stopped briefly at a junction before letting us head off alone into the suburbs of Lhasa. Anil continued to pleas with us not to take our cameras out. The suburbs looked peaceful. Showing no signs of damage from the riots. It was obvious some shops were shut up when normally they would be open, but surprisingly every thing looked quite normal.

One of the Australians asked what we were all thinking. "Where are we going?"

Anil looked perplexed as he answered back, "We just need to get you out of the center."

"Are we going to another hotel?" Asked someone else.

Anil paused this time, before answering back, "Your safety is our main concern. We are going to arrange for you to get back to Kathmandu."

No fucking way! My blood pressure rose and I felt an immediate reaction to escape from the bus. There was not way in hell I was going back to Kathmandu. I was one hundred per cent sure that the Chinese would seal of the borders to Tibet after such an event. I would never be able to complete my overland journey.

My mind raced through the vision of arriving back at the guest house in Kathmandu, and then planning a reverse trip back though India, Pakistan and then into China through the Karakorum Highway. It was the wrong time of year though, the highway would be blocked for months. Heck to get into China I would nearly have to double back into central Asia and then into Russia. It would be a disaster.

"No way Anil, I am not going back!" I stated loudly.

Ignoring my statement Anil tried again, "We will arrange the Landcrusiers to pick us up and we will be back in 3 days."

There were murmurs of positive reaction from behind me. I looked at Quinnell beside me as he shook his head, he had wanted to move into china too. Though I did not know how seriously he would try. I had to move fast to get support.

"Anil, I cannot go back. It's not possible," I said with force. "I have a plane ticket for Shanghai. I spent 8 years planning this. I am not going back."

It was a weak argument. I failed to engage the others emotionally in their own trips.

Anil shook his head, "We need to take you back. We are in trouble with the Chinese. If we do not look after you we will go to jail. And the trip to Kathmandu will be free of charge.

A free trip back sent another ripple of interested murmurs though the bus. It meant nothing to me though.

I tried again. This time looking at Stefan and Quinnell as examples. "I understand. But some of us here have plans. The riot is over. It's safe. We just want to go to the train station."

"Yes", confirmed Quinnell at last, "I wish to go to Chengdu. I cannot go back. I 'ave my ticket already."

The Australians objected loudly, "No way mate. We want to go back. This guy's life is in danger here if we don't."

My blood boiled, this was coming from the guy who spent most of last night making plans to publish his videos on-line and contacting the media with his footage. He had promised to blank out people's faces but the mere idea of using Anil's life as an excuse enraged me.

"No!" I barked, "His life is not endanger. It's over already. Now we continue on as we were meant to."

"It is our job to protect you." said Anil trying once again to confirm his intentions. "We must see you safely out of Tibet. Otherwise they can put us in Jail."

Waving my hand in protest I sat up high in my chair, "No it's not! Your contract was to give us a tour, not to see us out of Tibet."

Stefan nodded in agreement.

"This is China, not your country." replied Anil with authority.

"It may be china," I replied but I know a contract. "Our contract technically finished with you today. After that it states we are free to do as we please."

My argument was too aggressive, Anil reacted with authority as he left the bus. "No. We go back. That is the end."

He left the bus as a car pulled up beside us with the travel companies name on it. Inside the bus the Australians behind me chipped in again.

"Listen mate, this guy's life is endanger. We should do as he tells us and go back."

I looked around and glared at the sunglasses wearing twenty something. In truth I never felt like smashing my fist into someone's face to shut them up more than I did then. IT would solve nothing though, and I knew that. Still I was angry, and it showed.

"His life is not in Danger." I snarled back. "His contracts up with us. I did not come all this way just to go back now!"

The back seat occupants mumbled to each other. They saw my rage and were unsure how to respond. Anil's last words were they were going back, so that's what they settled on by themselves.

Quinnell began to show his frustration to as he started out the bus window. "Dis is not good. I don't want to go back either," he stood up to follow Anil outside, "I will talk to them."

As I stood up to follow, and possibly make a run for it a clam, unexpected hand touched mine. It was the German lady with an obsession with her guidebook.

"You need to remain calm," she said in a hushed manner. "Think about approach him about all of us, and not just about you."

At the time I thought she meant to help me. Encouraging me to fight for what I wanted my making it sound like a group thing. But in hindsight I think she was telling me to shut up. She wanted to head back to Kathmandu after all. But telling me to calm down and approach things from a different angle did help me rethink my strategy.

By the time I got out of the bus Quinnell was already approaching Anil in a calm manner asking about alternatives. Anil had been joined by a lady holding a clip board with all our names and seemed to be listening, though perhaps not agreeing.

"We 'ave the train tickets 'ere." stated Quinnell calmly, "all we need to do is get to the train station."

I interjected with an easy thinking fact, "He's right. And the train station is not far from here."

Anil looked in thought as the Australian duo came out of the bus behind Stefan. I immediately positioned myself in front of their path to Anil to prevent any interruptions. I was sensing we were getting somewhere.

"There's no harm in trying."Added Stefan.

"And its better than waiting around here on the street," I added.

Looking around Anil listened as lady beside him nodded. He agreed to take us to the train station.

We had won a moral victory. We had bought some time to think. My worst fear was that if the train station was closed, which was a strong factor considering the last twenty four hours, we were screwed. It all hinged on the station being open, and in the military letting us through.

The bus headed off slowly. We stopped twice en route to the train station on the cities outskirts for a brief military inspection. Then on bridge, within sight of the station, we were boarded by an army officer. Strangely he looked none of us in the eye. Instead he had Anil ask if we were carrying and large knives over 6 inches. I had the feeling her had not been briefed, or rather programmed, to deal with potential riot escapees. Either that or he felt it necessary to say something relative to security.

The train station was a large stark and bland open area. It was empty bar for a few cars. But the neon train timetable outside was still working, it gave me hope. Refusing to let us check for ourselves Anil headed inside to check if trains were still running. He asked for out tickets. I had hoped that he would never mention that we had been due to leave at 9am this morning, but he never said anything. Instead he headed off to find out what our fate would be.

Trusting Anil was a no go option. At lest that was my call. He could have come back and said anything he wanted. He would have failed in making me beleive there were no trains running. This was confirmed as a group of four American tourists now showed up in a taxi. They'd been here earlier and had left to confirm with the rest of their group about what trains they wanted to take. I didn't have much to do with them, but Mara told me later that they had had there cameras confiscated my the military the day before. Again I thought of the Italian in our group, his memory card uncomfortably positioned in a rubber sheath nestled into his posterior.

Anil appeared and as he walked towards us he let loose his first smile of the day. Trains were running. We needed to pay a little more, put even our old tickets could be reimbursed for new ones the following day. We had succeeded in getting a way out of Tibet.

The mood changed instantly within the group. Anil's boss turned out to be the lady with the clip board, and she confirmed that they would now offer anyone wanting to go to Kathmandu the option of doing so with their Landcrusiers, and those going to mainland China could get the train to Xi'an with the rest of us.

Everyone was happy bar for two New Zealanders. They had remained quiet during all of this. But seeing their opportunity no embarked on a triad of demands upon the tour boss. They wanted a flight to Chengdu instead. I have no idea how they comprehended how a flight to another part of China was going to happen for them. But they were determined in their argument. Unfortunately snap comments and nasty remarks from the soon austrisized them from the rest of the group.

During the last 36 hours I had learned a lot about peoples reactions under different life threatening situations. From all out panic, to follow the crowd mentality. To selfish actions to self sacrifice to help others. Humankind is very diverse in its personality's. Putting a diverse group together in a situation like this was almost like pealing away personalities, leaving behind just raw emotion and basic wants.

We each saw what we can be like in a potentially life threatening situation we were not trained or experienced in. It was a unique moment in time that would live with us all forever. The faces, the events, the feelings, the experience.

Anil emerged with our tickets. HE also seemed very relieved about the situation. His next course of action was to try and get us accommodation for the night. Our own situation taken care of, I took the opportunity to ask him about his own situation now.

He was fine, he lived outside Lhasa and his family were safe. With the two Australians in the background mentioning the media again a thought crossed my mind and I asked Anil about the amount of Video and photographs we had taken over past few days.

He looked at me with humiliation, "I cannot make a comment on this."

He meant that if he told us not to use the photographs of his people during the riots, then he too would be in trouble. It was a serous point that meant life and death to those involved. Anil and his team had helped us. And although I am not sure of what would have happened if any of us had gone missing or had died. I was sure that photographs and video showing the faces of Tibetans would surely be picked up by the Chinese police.

Speaking with Mara I asked if she could make sure the two Australians understood the consequences of releasing unedited footage of the riots. She had a good relationship with the two young men. And, after my snarling at them earlier I figure she was the best one to talk with them.

We ended up at another fairly plush hotel on the outskirts of the city that night. It had internet and the true scale of the riots finally came in light. As did the selfish side of people appear. The American's Chris and his mother Valerie had a laptop, and dissipated to their room without a word when we could not get the public computers downstairs to work. When they did work Karla and her friend immediately set out to work on spending the rest of the day and night contacting the Swedish press. Even Stefan ended up with a press call.

It was the sending of photos that hit me hard. As I looked at some news footage on-line one of the landcrusier drivers came up behind me in a rush.

"Is that me?!" he exclaimed, pointing at a blurry closed up of Beijing Xilu Road.

It didn't look like his face. "No, it's not you I don't think."

He looked at me with wide eyes, "But it's the same coat I have."

That was true. But then again most Tibetan men had a partiality towards dark coats. HE continued looking at the news photographs. They were sparse, but each one was discussed in local Tibetan. An occasional hand would point out someone they might have recognized. Across on an other computer Karla plugged her camera in as the Landcrusiers headed back to Kathmandu with the rest of the group.