I delayed the start one more day... not feeling mentally ready and continuously undecided about a route to take since arriving to Dali. Starting in Yunnan instead of Kham has thrown me off, because I'm completely unfamiliar with the terrain and towns and people here. In Kham, I would have started started walking across any random field and mountain following a compass course; I've studies the ranges there and that's my comfort zone. My Kham Khomfort Zone! I will start in Eryuan, a village north of Dali, to reach Lijian. I'm following a river course well off main roads. If I left directly from Dali, I would have faced an immediate steep climb up the Changsan range, which hovers over Dali like a Tim Burton nightmare mountain, ascending 2000m over 7km... no thank you! That's too much the first day out! Plus, on the other side of Tim Burton's nightmare is an ugly highway to clump along; I'll say it again: No thank you! Above, you can see the overall Phase I course of my 215km trek (starting at the small lake, and heading west toward blue and white icon). I cover one shallow range that barely reaches 3500m and is only 15km (8mi) wide, heading due west from Eryaun. This is The Beginning of the UltimateKhamTrek2019 and will count as Day One. I expect this portion will lack arduousness as I follow tributaries and ridgelines. There are several backcountry homes on top of ridges along the way. Once I reach the bifurcation of the Heihui River, I'll head northwest. Although I'm not hiking along main roads, I'll pass many small villages along the way. Of course, I reserve the right to change course at anytime, being Invictus, the captain of my fate. My desire is to hike in the mountains, not along roads of drudgery and cars. But, I want to make the first phase very, very, very easy! I will veer as far away from main roads as possible, but I also need to be close to a water source. Since there is a complete lack of emission controls here, I'll be breathing puffs of black truck deisel fumes on main roads, ugh. No thank you! If I want to breathe 100% pure cancer, I'll move back to Chengdu. No thank you! Right now, I'm on the west side of Erhai lake, slightly south of the West Gate of Dali Ancient Town. I leave manana, after taking a week to figure out my route; well to be honest, that and figure out the GaiaGPS app I'm using to map it out. Tomorrow morning, after SF Express picks up my carry-on for shipment to Lijiang , I'll endure a 1 1/2 hour long bus ride to Eryuan, then a taxi west to the non-existent trailhead, otherwise known as Gina's Entry Point Trailhead Mile 0. Most of the range crossing will be at 2500m if I stay in the valleys. Friends and Fam, please remember how entirely safe I am in China, whether in the wilds or the among Beijing's 20-30mil people. I do NOT, I repeat, I do NOT have to worry about being attacked, raped, or murdered. This is not the US where everyone wants to rape and kill people. My biggest fear is being cold at night and the damn popo saying I can't camp somewhere because I'm a helpless foreigner. For the first, I have seriously warm jammies, a silk sleeping bag liner, a -5 to -23C rated down sleeping bag, an inflatable air mattress, a closed-cell foam sleeping pad to go under those, a 3-season tent, and a tent pad. I may actually get too warm! As far as popo, well that's why I want to avoid big towns and main roads. Besides, I didn't come out here to walk on effing roads! I came to traverse mountains. So once I'm in a groove and go my confidence, I will literally take to the hills. Oh, I suppose there's a Number Three: rain. It's monsoon season in Asia, and damnit, I only had a few days of rain last summer, but it is raining HARD every single dang day here in Dali and Kunming! Hard rain, for hours! I have an excellent rain jacket, but I may have to set up tent mid-morning for a few hours and wait it out. I didn't come out here to be miserable 1/4 of each day either. I believe that once I reach Kham, I'll be beyond the daily rain boundary.
So once again, Peeps, I will not be interned in a post-Mao work camp nor will I be attacked by insane Tibetan nomads. The worse they'll do to me is invite me into their yak hair tent and make me drink too much butter tea and eat tsampa. Did I mention how much I LOVE yak butter tea and tsampa!!!! After Phase I, I'll buy some for the next leg of my trip. Oh, the other horrible thing that might happen is that I meet one of these gorgeous, tall Khampa men and we get married and live in the mountains. Darn! Okay, I'll admit, I don't know how to work around the lack of wifi, but with a gorgeous Khampa man, I may not need it. I promise to listen to my instincts and remain safe. I will check in when I am able. Rest assured, I'll be having the time of my life... again! Or I'll be wet, cold, and miserable, having the time of my life... again!
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More Doorways of Possibility have opened! An idea tinkled its crystalline wind chime in my mind, catching my attention. I delved further and learned more and voila! New avenues paved in yellow-brick brighten before my eyes; an Emerald City of Opportunity and Adventure beckons! I answer, "Yes!". I shouldn't be surprised at the number of opportunities awaiting me online, but I am. I come across blog and after blog of writers living the life I have vicariously sought out. Then I discover estate management, pet sitting, house sitting ... the hurdle of finding long-term, affordable lodging while I travel and write is bounded over with joy and relief and renewed excitement! There are less than half-a-dozen reputable websites serving as contact exchange between home/pet caretakers and those seeking such service, but they have shown me a very real way to partially fund my writing endeavors! I can choose almost any location in the world for a duration of one weekend or more than several months. I have the option of dog-sitting in Hong Kong to bird-and cat-sitting in Queensland, AUS. I can work as paid employ in estate management or trade my caretaking service for lodging in a luxury villa on a palm tree-lined, white-sand beach. This feeds my hungry dream to focus on writing and publishing. It becomes a simple matter of timing. How and where do I fit this in to my trek? Should I even return to China? (Yes, all of my belongings will be stored here, and yes, I still want to trek through Kham!) The timeline is perplexing me because in between the trek and travels and Chinese tourist visa procurement (atotalbeeyotch of a process), I want to get some freelance copy-editing work. I will also need time to establish an online professional portfolio for estate management and caretaking service. ...And then there's the entire Get Published Universe I am barreling through, with Monetizing My Blog To-Do Lists asteroiding through this I-Need-More-Time-Zero-Gravity-Vacuum while Freelance Opportunity Dwarf Stars expand and contract in their brightness, miniature Galaxies of Copy-editing and Proofing Jobs blur past me beyond the porthole as a Podcast Wormhole leads me toward the Time Suckage Black Hole that is the minutiae of this National Ginagraphic Digital Nomad Start Up. I really need to hire some of this out to a Social Media Tesserac Assistant who can complete the drudgery of photo uploads, SEO activities, and online promotion -- propelling me past the mundane so I can remain grounded on my Authentic Creative Production Effort Planet of Ginaness. The creation of this particular missive is purely to work through the options, rolling them around, testing New Flavors of Serendipity on my tongue. My thoughts flow into The Plan. Phase 1 includes flying to Hong Kong to acquire my tourist visa (2-4 days). From there, Phase 2 begins. I will take a train northwest to Kunming and Dali, hole up for a week to dayhike, relax, and write. Then, remaining mindful of sleeping elevation gains (which affect AMS - altitude sickness), I will make my way north to Bathang and Lithang, to begin my trek. All destinations and times are variable and flexible dependent upon discovery of Yunnan and its trekking options, elevation, and increasing fitness level. Adhering to my budget, one month or so later I will embark upon Phase 3: caretaking/petsitting in some amazing ocean or mountain setting with plenty of time to realize the goals below. The logistics of transporting trekking gear and a small carry-on for Base Camp Activities (holing up at a guesthouse for an extended period to write and work) are still unfolding. The Prep Phase has already begun: packing up the household for storage, planning my trip to Hong Kong, and planning the UltimateKhamTrek2019. The timeline of all the above is flexible since although my school contract ends July 21, I can stay in my apartment through the 31st. Also helpful is the Humanitarian (H) Visa I will get, allowing me to remain in China after my resident permit expires, extending my stay through July 31. I can either wrap everything up in Chengdu the weekend of July 21st, head to Hong Kong and then back into China to begin my trek in Yunnan, or return to Chengdu to finalize packing and depart for Kangding to begin my trek, which has been the original plan all along. I do want to have the household packed and ready by the 14th -- or 19th at the latest, just in case I experience visa issues. Expats in China don't just have to jump hoops to gain entrance into this Communist, tightly government-controlled country, we have to leap talleffingbuildings in a single screaming bound -- while the building is on fire. Yes, that is an apropos metaphor for getting a Chinese visa. As today is June 30, I have a few more weeks until my original work permit expires. It will then be transferred to H visa status, allowing me to remain in China 30 days from application, expiring July 31st. As soon as school ends, I will fly to Hong Kong for a Tourist Visa. Considering that I will have an additional 11 days before I have to leave the country (between work permit expiry and H visa expiry), the dates for my trip to HK may change, depending on what happens over the next few weeks while waiting for the H Visa. I'll have to research and compare the costs of returning to Chengdu and heading west to Kangding, versus going straight to Yunnan from Hong Kong. At least I have options and flexibility when my work permit expires. The school doesn't tell its overseas staff that we even have the option of the H Visa --- most think they have to leave the country immediately upon work permit expiration. I am lucky to have learned about this from a coworker who lived in China previously! Last year, teachers scrambled stressfully to get packed and prepped to leave the country, while still working up to the day of their departure! It's really a horrible game if you don't know the rules; a shame that this legal right of legally-employed expats is kept secret by our school (I have no idea if other employers do the same, but our school is reputed as one of the better and more upstanding schools for whom to work. Some foreigners have gotten completely screwed by their employers, so I guess we are lucky). Back to organizing and packing! I will decide this week when to visit Hong Kong, and start making reservations for Phase 1. As I pack and organize, I will also plan logistics for all the options available to me, and perhaps get a head start on applying to publishing companies for freelance copy-editing positions. Thank you Goddess Serendip! Click "Read More" below the image to discover my goals for both the KhamTrek2019 and career transition to published writer!
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