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March - October 2005

Intrepid Season 2005 - China, Tibet, & Nepal (part I)

Brett Voegele
2005-11-19 14:15:37

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And with that, another journal entry is completed. I hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I'll catch you from somewhere down the road.

April 24, 2005

Well, the visa run to Hong Kong was less than successful. Doesn’t pay to be an American. I’d talked to an agency on a Saturday and told them what I wanted. With the old Chinese visas I had in my passport already, they felt certain they’d be able to get me what I wanted, but that they’d make some phone calls and let me know on Monday. Monday rolled around, and I got the call with the good news – I’d be able to get exactly what I wanted! Or not…when I picked up my passport on Wednesday, I had a 6-month multi-entry business visa, but could only stay in-country for 30 days at a time. So the saga continues. Definitely a hassle, but I should be able to work around any issues…famous last words.

While in Hong Kong I went to a Thai restaurant with some local friends. It was definitely Thai with a Chinese twist, as we had chicken feet, pig's cheeks, and fish skin. Still excellent - amazing what Thai spices and sauces can do.

So, after Hong Kong I headed to Kunming – starting point for my first solo trip. As I was about a week early, I set out exploring the city a bit, but then also traveling to Dali and Lijiang – meeting some of the local operators, finding good restaurants, and pricing some activities. It was good to be back in Yunnan, as it’s one of my favorite provinces in China – very diverse topography, and also contains 25 of the 55 minority groups in China, so it has a great feel. Not to mention it’s cooler here, as the elevation in the cities I traveled ranged from 1900-2400 meters. Nice.

Tomorrow I start my trip, and am definitely looking forward to it. I’ll have a full group, which with this company means 12 people. It’s only a 15-day trip, but will involve seeing several different minority groups, getting to Zhongdian, which, after much ‘research’ into the subject, has been found to be the true Shangrila, and doing several days of trekking. Should be good. I finish that trip on May 9, and then start a 21-day Tibet trip on the 10th. Looking forward to that one as well.

I recently received my camera, after a couple months without, so hopefully the next journal entry will contain some photos.

I hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll catch you later.