The Slow Plane to China

So, tomorrow I embark on the greatest adventure of my life. The plan – go to China for two months, then Thailand, Australia and New Zealand and then (eventually) return home. “What’s the impetus for this trip?” you might ask, and if you did that would be a good question. My main interest is in going to China, and although it might seem strange to pick a place half way around the world where few people speak English, it turns out I have my reasons. Among them:

1. I studied Mandarin for three years (san nian) in high school, an educational pursuit which has so far remained totally unutilized;
2. Two words: panda preserve (anyone who’s caught a glimpse of Tai Shan, or “Peaceful Mountain,” just shy of Connecticut Avenue understands this draw);
3. Dumplings;
4. China’s increased importance in effecting global energy supply and demand as their economy emerges onto the world stage of developed nations (blah, blah)…;
5. I’ve never been there.

So I’ve taken a long break from my consulting job in Washington, DC, moved my stuff back to the ‘rents in NH, and packed my bag for a 4 month trip through Asia and Oceania. For those interested in following my progress, or, more likely, for those interested in measuring my lack of progress in comparison to the original plan, here’s the tentative agenda:

November 8^th – Fly to LA, crash at Vijay’s for a night.

November 10^th (approximately 12:30 am) - board a 747.

November 11^th - 15 hours and more than a couple of time zones later, arrive in Hong Kong, and somehow it’s the next day – who figures? I believe this has something to do with something called the international dateline but it still doesn’t make sense. Later that day fly to Beijing.

January 10^th – After two months of adventure (TBD) and the expiration of my 60 day visa, fly from Hong Kong to Bangkok.

January 24th – After two weeks in Thailand involving a pending rendezvous with Katie, whom will be researching sustainable fishing in the Klong Na Kha inlet – fly to Sydney.

February 20^th – After three+ weeks in Australia and a visit to Severine and Laurent (I hope your French is better than mine) I’ll depart to New Zealand.

March 14^th – After enjoying the natural splendor of New Zealand, fly from Christ Church back to San Francisco.

???? – Granted, I don’t know how I’m getting back the east coast from San Francisco, but in international traveling circles we call these type of issues “details,” and we don’t tend to worry about them too much.

So that’s the (tentative) plan. Luckily, I have a high degree of flexibility in travel dates and times, so, as a wise man once said about projections, “The only thing we know for certain is that they’re wrong.”

As for what I do to occupy my time between these transportation milestones, you’ll just have to stick around to find out, because your guess is almost as good as mine. It vary well may involve Tibet, Three Gorges, Vietnam, Great Barrier Reef, Platypuses and/or kangaroos, but then again, it might not.

So what does one need to rough it in China, Southeast Asia and Oceania for 4 months? I have no clue, but will show you what I’m bringing, and we’ll see how that works out:

That’s all of it. I won’t bore you with the intricate details, but the basic list goes like this:

• Pack and day bag
• A change of clothes, and a few warm clothes
• Digital camera and accessories
• Old GSM cell phone
• Lots of Yuan, and even more travelers checks
• Passport and Visa for China
• Toiletries and various emergency medications
• Fleece sleeping bag and camping towel
• 5 oz flask with some good ol' american whiskey
  
• Bug stuff
• Guidebook, big map and Mandarin phrase book
• One blank notebook

If you’ve made it this far through the post, it’s a probable testament to your dedication, and I hope that means you’re in for the long haul. I hope to post 1-2 times a week, so stop back occasionally and see what I’m up to. I’m leaving the blog open for comment and encourage you to post a response, give travel suggestions, or just stop in to say hi.

See you in a couple months…

Cheers,
AJ