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.