Friday 18 October 2013

Pre-trip: Packing

I made my own packing list in Thai in excel file some years ago when I was traveling a few times a year. It is similar to other packing lists that you can find on the internet. 

http://kailaibala.blogspot.com/2012/05/general-travel-tips-for-kailash.html
http://www.theintrepidtraveler.net/2010/10/27/the-ultimate-adventure-packing-list/

Below are my must-bring items.

Shoulder scarf
>> Multi-purposes. I used it to cover my face and mouth when it was too cold. I used it in the car as well to block the sunlight by clipping it with the side handrail. In some guesthouses, the blankets were a bit dirty, so I used the scarf to cover the rim of the blanket side that was near my face.

Neck pillow
>> I got the one which has little foam balls inside. I used it when I was sleeping in the car/bus and also as a side pillow to hug when sleeping in bed.

Eye mask and ear plugs
>> I can sleep at anywhere anytime.

Wet tissue
>> In some places where there was no toilet/bathroom, I used wet tissue to clean everything from my face to my shoes.

Folding bucket
>> To make your own warm water to brush your teeth and clean your face/body.

Pocket soap
>> I don't like the feeling of liquid alcohol on my hands. I used this pocket soap instead.

Facial mask
>> If you travel for a long time, facial masks are lifesaver!!!

Sunscreen SPF50 PA++ and hand cream
>> Tibet is very dry and the sunligh is very strong.

Pantyliner
>> Nothing is worse than wearing the same underwear for many days.

Bratop
>> Some days I didn't feel like wearing underwire bras.

Disposable charcoal dust mask
>> For all the dirtroad rides.

Perfume
>> When you couldn't shower for 5 days, perfume was the only resort of freshness.

Body spray
>> Not to be used with your body. I sprayed it on the smelly blanket in some guesthouses.

Zip lock bags
>> I used it to keep my map/documents, snacks, and etc.

Small calculator
>> Very useful when negotiating price with minivan drivers and for cost calculation.

Adapter
>> In some guesthouses, there was only one outlet plug.

Brimmed hat with band
>> For sunny days.


For my next trip, I will buy these useful items which Jeff brought along with him this time.

Water purifier
GPS tracker
External battery USB charger
Liner for sleeping bag
Tang orange juice mix


Pre-trip: Food Stocking

I started looking for snacks that I wanted to bring with me actually even before I booked the train ticket LOL. During my previous trips in Yunnan and Sichuan, I knew that there wouldn't be many options on the road. In Yunnan, with my limited Chinese vocabulary I ordered almost the same dishes every day. My friend was so sick of "fried tomatoes with eggs". I was kinda sick of it too, but I didn't have many choices.

I've become my so-called vegetarian for almost 6 years or so. I'm a flexible type. I normally don't cook/order meat dishes on my own. When I eat out with my friends, I don't mind if they order meat dishes. I could eat vegetables in the meat dishes. What kind of vegetarian is that?, you may ask. Well, I just don't want to trouble animals, and I don't want to trouble people also. In China, some restaurants might use pork oil instead of vegetable oil. I don't want to trouble the restaurants by going to their kitchen and see what kind of oil they use. Also, sometimes when you order no-meat dishes, you will somehow end up getting some pork in the bowl anyway.

For the past year, I have also tended to become a vegan (sorta). I've avoided drinking milk and consuming dairy products for the past 5 years. I'm not lactose intolerant type, but I noticed that whenever I consume dairy products, I always have more acnes on my face which I don't want that. When I cut out dairy products, my skin has become clearer. I still do eat cakes and desserts which I know there are dairy products in it. I really cannot resist it. Above all, I love chocolate!! I used to eat eggs like a lot. It was my only source of protein in my opinion as I didn't drink milk, but later I also cut out eggs from my daily food intake (except what i mentioned above).

However, once in a long while when I feel like eating sushi, I will eat fish. Also, when I need to eat instant noodles, I will eat whatever flavor it is as long as it's not beef flavor. Again, what kind of vegetarian is that??? My own kind, I would say. I wouldn't categorize my eating style as 100% vegetarian, but it's easier for other people to understand when I tell them that I'm a vegetarian. 

Actually, my eating style could be defined like this...

80% vegetarian
15% vegan
4% raw
1% whatever I want
And my friend would say, "equals to 100% junk".


This trip I would want to try local food as much as possible, but at the same time, I would still also want to eat my favorite food. I bought small ziplock bags to put the snacks in so it would save some space. When you go to high altitude places, the snacks inside normal package would get swollen due to the air pressure, but if you put in the ziplock bags squeezing all the air out, it will not get inflated. I would only list what I thought was delicious and convenient to eat when you're on the road (which I will also bring it with me for my next trip).

- Alpen energy bars >> I bought 3 flavors - chocolate, strawberry, and coconut












- Kinder Bueno chocolate bars












- Muesli or cereals 

















- Favorite choices of instant noodles and instant porridge (from Thailand)























- Pretz larb flavor (from Thailand)

















- Sriracha chili sauce (from Thailand, not Vietnam)

















- Lotus speculoos >> individual pack for two biscuits













- 3-in-1 mix drink >> I prefer Milo and Ovaltine white malt
- Gummy bear and gummy banana
- M&M
- Japanese rice crackers
- Coconut flakes
- Dried raisins and dates
- Peanut butter and Nutella >> packed in a small tupperware together
- Green tea bags and lemongrass tea bags

I also brought eating utensils with me which were very useful.

- Plastic water bottle (1L) >> a thermos is too heavy in my opinion
- Small plastic tupperware >> for instant noodles
- Cup
- Chopsticks
- Spoon

I ended up packing one extra small suitcase full of food which I managed to fill up the supplies through out my entire trip. Thanks to Jeff who helped me drag this suitcase along the trip (coz he wanted me to walk more quickly).

Most people recommend vegetarians and vegans to eat lots of nuts as they are rich of nutrients. I am not that lucky. Somehow (a bit embarrassing) I constantly break wind even when I don't eat nuts. I did bring nuts with me in this trip, but I really regret it. Based on my own experience, I do not recommend eating nuts when you travel to high altitude places. You will come to know the reason why later.

Pre-trip: Equipment Preparation

If you personally know me (you probably wouldn't wish that), you will come to know one way or another that when I pack, I pack literally almost everything. This woman is specialized in bringing 50-75kg luggage containing various foods and beauty products from Thailand to China every year (for personal use only, not for commercial), so trust me I do know how to pack things in terms of quantity. So when it came to less quantity, more quality, I literally didn't have a clue.

First, I would need a bigger backpack. The Lululemon backpack that I always used barely had enough space for my previous 2-week trips in Yunnan and Sichuan. Probably, it was about time to buy a real decent backpack. BUT that would mean that I would have to spend around 2,000 RMB for it. I wasn't sure whether I could spare that amount of money at the moment coz I was not sure how much this whole trip would cost me. I desperately hoped that it would not cost me more than 20,000 RMB at most (please T_T). So, buying a new backpack now was out of the question. Then, how could I get a backpack without buying it? Borrowing one, of course. But from whom?

I looked around me. None of my friends and colleagues seemed to be interested in backpacking. There were one colleague that liked hiking though, but I wasn't sure that she would have any huge backpacks for me to borrow. Anyway, I asked her about the backpack, and she said she didn't have one. I asked whether she knew anyone who might have one. I wanted to borrow and perhaps give some money in return (otherwise I would feel guilty borrowing the backpack for free for a long time). She said she didn't know anyone who had it. My hope was shattered. Oh what should I do now?

I came back home and talked about this problem with my Chinese flatmates. Amazingly, my flatmate said that she knew someone who could lend me the backpack that I wanted. My hope was rising high again. Still, she wasn't sure. She had to ask her friend first.

She contacted her friend and told me that her friend had the backpack and agreed to lend it to me (WOOHOO!!!). I was really really happy to hear that. She gave me his number and told me to contact her friend about the backpack. Actually I was hoping that she would help arrange the meetup and things for me as it would be better to contact her friend  through her, but she said that she was busy with her pre-MBA-exam tuition class. 

I got her friend's number from my pre-MBA flatmate and asked my hiking colleague to help contact the guy. The guy first said that I could go get the backpack from his place on 28 Aug. Then later, he changed the date to 3 Sep as his friend wanted to borrow the backpack from him before that. He also asked whether I needed something else. I asked Jeff whether we needed the tent for our Amnye Machen kora. Jeff said that he would buy a new tent from Taobao for us two, but I probably would have to bring my own sleeping bag and mattress. I asked the guy whether he also had it. He agreed to let me borrow them from him, but he would probably need to ask me to pay some money. I accepted it.

On 3 Sep, my flatmates and I went to his place to get the stuff. It turned out that he had many backpacks, sleeping bags, tents, and mattress. I was amazed at what I saw. Seriously, he could open a shop selling it. The guy himself was also very friendly although he couldn't speak English, but I could feel from the way he spoke to my flatmates. His apartment was also very huge. It could fit 50 people in his living room! I personally had no clue about camping and trekking equipment, so I called Jeff and asked him which one to choose. I chose his warmest sleeping bag (-10 C min), the inflatable mattress and the 50L orange backpack. I paid him 130 RMB for the three items. He showed me how to use each item and even gave us ice creams (WOW!!).

I  already got the rest of the required equipments for hiking, so I thought I should be okay.

Jacket with fleece >> I only have the wind-proof one, but not water-proof. Goretex is a lot better.
Hiking stick 
Hiking socks
Knee support >> for my left knee
Ankle support >> for my flat feet
Hiking shoes >> all worn out
Hiking pants >> I only have a thin layer one
Gloves
Beanie
Torchlight >> headlight is better if you have

Not a hiking expert myself, I made do of whatever available in my closet. 

Oh boy, I would learn an important lesson from this trip.


Thursday 17 October 2013

Pre-trip: Final Travel Plan

The departure date was approaching and we were still waiting for the Tibet permit so we could book our return flight. We were getting really anxious.

Meanwhile, I was researching for the trip and finally planned our route. Jeff left the mission to me as I told him that I liked planning the trip beforehand. He, on the contrary, usually traveled without planning and just went with his feelings instead. I tried that once and failed horribly, so here what our trip was supposed to look like...

6 Sep: Hangzhou - Xining (plane) >> booked
7 Sep: Xining - Chaka Salt Lake - Heimahe (bus/minivan)
8 Sep: Qinghai Lake - Xining - Kanbula Park (bus)
9 Sep: Kanbula Park - Xining (bus)
10 Sep: Xining - Lhasa (train) >> booked
11 - 23 Sep: Tibet Tour [Lhasa - Mount Kailash - Everest Base Camp - Namtso Lake] (4WD) >> booked
24 Sep: Lhasa - Xining (train/plane)
25 Sep: Xining - Huashixia (bus)
26 Sep: Huashixia - Xia Dawu (minivan)
27 Sep - 1 Oct: Amnye Machen Kora (trekking)
2 Oct: Huashixia - Yushu (sleeper bus)
3 Oct: Yushu - Manigango (bus)
4 Oct: Manigango - Yihun Lhatso - Ganzi (minivan)
5 Oct: Ganzi - Kangding (bus)
6 Oct: Kangding - Chengdu (bus)
           Chengdu - Hangzhou (plane)

Many people suggested to have a rest day after 10 days of traveling or so, but that would never gonna happen to me, not before, and not in a million years. I thought I was tough enough for this 31-day trip. Mostly we would be in the bus anyway. And normally on the bus, I would be sleeping. I had been running (30 mins) and cycling (10-30 km) almost every day. I should be fine, I hoped.

Wednesday 16 October 2013

Pre-trip: Hotel Reservation

Our Tibet tour didn't include accommodation, so we had to find the hotel/hostel/guesthouse on our own. Jeff and I didn't have any problem with whatever kind of places we might end up sleeping in. For me, the cheaper, the better (as long as the place is not full of rats and cockroaches.. I could tolerate some spiders though). The Latvia couple was asking a few times about the hotel in Lhasa for our first three nights during 10-13 Sep. They said it would be better if we booked in advance so we didn't have to find one on the first day that we arrive as we might be tired from the train ride already. On that point, I agreed with them.

I managed to compile the information about the hotels in Lhasa that I found in Qunar website. I sent the pdf file to the couple to choose the hotel.


[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

We agreed to choose Hotel #1. I told them that I was going to book it for all of us.

Unfortunately, I just realized that my credit card was already expired (bah!). I was still using my Thai credit card. In China, I normally used my UnionPay debit card. I only used the credit card when I went back to Thailand anyway (except when I had to book flight/hotel). I thought I'd better get a new credit card right away in case I was short of cash or for emergency situation, so I asked my brother to send a new card to me from Thailand (together with Diamox - AMS pill. Luckily, the card arrived a few days before I left ^___^

I asked Jeff to help book the hotel for us, but it turned out that this hotel didn't accept foreigners. Make sure that the hotel you want to stay in accept foreigners. Some small local guesthouses might not have the license to accept foreigner guests. If you book the hotel in a famous website like hostelworld, booking.com, yha, and etc, then it should be okay. 

Jeff managed to find a new hostel Dalan Youth Hostel on Beijing West Road which I thought it was near the center of Lhasa. We booked a 4-bed room (60 RMB per person). For the accommodation outside Lhasa, we didn't book in advance. The travel agency said that the guide would help us find the hotel. 

I checked the hostel in Xining for our first night on 6 Sep and was planning to stay at Heng Yu International Youth Hostel which is near the train station and bus station. I thought that we could just walk in there and there should be plenty of rooms left as it wasn't the holiday period, so I didn't book the room in advance. For the rest of our trip in Qinghai before and after going to Tibet, we also didn't book any room coz we still didn't make up our mind about the exact places to go yet.

Always print out the photo of the hotel and the direction from Google Map. It helps to find the hotel easier. Also, always print out the hotel information in both Chinese and English in case you cannot find the hotel and need to ask people for the direction. The hotel number is also important in case the taxi driver does not know the way to the hotel.


Qinghai Heng Yu International Youth Hostel
No. 13 Weimin Lane, Chengdong District, Xining, China 
青海省西宁市城东区为民巷13号(马步芳公馆1号院)
Tel: 086-0971-5223399





Dalan Youth Hostel
172 Beijing Middle Road, Lhasa
名称:达兰客栈
地址:西藏拉萨市城关区北京中路172号
电话:0891-6725172




Tuesday 15 October 2013

Pre-trip: Train and Flight Ticket Booking

Train Ticket

In China, you could only book the train 20 days prior to your departure date. We wanted to take the train on 9 Sep, so we had to book our train tickets first and foremost before it was sold out.

On 22 Aug, we booked our train tickets for Xining - Lhasa with the help from Jeff's friend from this website (in Chinese).

Train No. T165
Type: Hard-sleeper (middle bed)
Price: 497 RMB
Route: Xining - Lhasa
Departure: 9 Sep @ 8:15 PM
Arrival: 10 Sep @ 8:15 PM

You will get a reservation code in SMS (ex: E123456789). To get the train ticket, you will need to go to the ticket service booth at the post office (or could be any train ticket agency center). Tell them the reservation code and pay the fee (usually 5-10 RMB). Don't forget to bring your passport. You could also go to the ticket booth at the train station. I guess you won't need to pay the fee in that case (not sure).

The couple booked the ticket with the travel agency. Their train T22 would leave Chengdu at 8:55 PM and arrive in Lhasa on 10 Sep at 4:40 PM. They got soft-sleeper for 1,300 RMB per person.

The guide and driver would be picking us up from the train station and take us to the hotel (which we didn't book yet).


Flight Ticket

Jeff and I were planning to arrive in Xining on Friday evening (6 Sep), but I couldn't find any reasonable flight ticket. In fact I found one from Shanghai to Xining, but I didn't book it soon enough. It was around 700 RMB and arrived on Friday evening like we planned. But only a few days later, the flight was all sold out T__T. I was really mad (at myself). In the end I had to book the flight from Hangzhou instead from Qunar website.

Flight No. 3U8821
Airline: Sichuan Airlines
Price: 1,049 RMB
Date: 6-Sep-2013
Route: Hangzhou - Xining (via Chongqing)
Departure: Xiaoshan Airport  8:20 AM
Arrival: Caojiabao Airport 1:35 PM

I decided to leave Hangzhou in the morning and arrive in Xining in the afternoon coz it would probably take me 2 hours getting the luggage, taking the bus to downtown Xining and heading to the hotel. I didn't want to arrive so late in the evening as I wanted to start slowly on the first day and get enough rest on the first night so that we could start early on the following morning (fresh start for the journey oh yeah!).

Jeff's flight would arrive in Xining around 9 PM. By the time he arrived at the hotel, it would be quite late already, but he said he was fine with lack of sleep, no problem.

For flight out from Lhasa on 24 Sep, we would decide again after we arrive in Lhasa. There seemed to be plenty of flights and the prices weren't much different.

We didn't book our return flight yet. Jeff was worried about the permit whether or not we would get it. He wanted to make sure that we got the permit first before booking the return ticket. We wanted to overland to Sichuan and probably fly from Chengdu (would be my third time going there). We would fly back on 6 Oct, so we had to hurry with the booking, otherwise the price would be more and more expensive.


Monday 14 October 2013

Pre-trip: Qinghai and Date Planning

During the last two weeks before our Tibet tour, Jeff and I started our intensive research on where we could go in Qinghai primarily around Xining. I didn't think I would find so many interesting places in Qinghai. See all the useful links I came across on the internet here (no need to pay for guidebooks, trust me!).

My initial rough plan for Qinghai part was something like this...

Xining -> Kanbula Park -> Tongren -> Machen -> Amnye Machen -> Huaxishia -> Xining -> Qinghai Lake -> Bird's Island -> Xining 

If we decided to travel around Qinghai before going to Tibet, we would have to fly to Xining on 30 Aug (which was quite too soon). But if we decided to go after Tibet, we could fly to Xining on 7 Sep instead (which we would still have enough time to plan our trip). We could also choose to overland to Sichuan and fly out from Chengdu at the end of our trip without returning back to Xining.

At first, I was planning to take vacation leave only for 3 weeks meaning I would come back to Hangzhou on 29 Sep. I had to ask my colleague to take care of my dog while I was away. It would be troublesome for him to take care of my stubborn Giant for the whole month. I didn't want to bother him too much. But later I took a closer look at the calendar and realized that there would be a week long holiday during China's National Day (1-3 Oct for my company, but for other Chinese companies would be 1-7 Oct). It would mean that I only needed to take 2 more vacation days and we could travel for one more week! 

I wholeheartedly knew what I had to face if I chose to travel during the golden week...
1) Incredibly expensive flight ticket
2) Huge crowd of Chinese tourists everywhere
3) Crowded bus/shared-van/train/flight/restaurant/toilet
4) More expensive dorm bed/room cost (if there is any left)
5) More expensive shared-van cost
Avoid traveling during the long holidays at all cost.

I had experienced the REAL nightmare last time when I was traveling in Yunnan in 2010 during  National Day. I didn't wish to relive that nightmare again. But one week more was very tempting. We could go to many other places. We could do the full Amnye Machen kora (which would take at least 6 days to complete). Overland to Sichuan would also be possible for one and a half weeks without any haste. Too tempting that I could not resist. I decided to face the nightmare again.

I asked my friend whether it was okay for him to help look after my dog for 4 weeks. He said no problem. I felt very grateful for his kind help. So, we were good to go!! 

Travel Period: 6 Sep - 6 Oct 2013

6 Sep (evening): arrive in Xining 
7 - 9 Sep: travel around Xining
9 Sep (evening): take train to Lhasa
10 Sep: arrive in Lhasa
11 - 23 Sep: go with the tour in Tibet
24 Sep: fly out of Lhasa to Xining
25 Sep - 5 Oct: travel around Qinghai and overland to Sichuan
6 Oct (evening): fly back to Hangzhou


4 weeks on the road. The longest trip I would ever take in my life so far and it would seem to be the most adventurous and exciting one also. I couldn't wait for things to unfold. I knew it would not roll smoothly as on the rose carpet. Still, I could try my best to pave the path to be a little less bumpy.