Pre-departure OMG-ness
Trip Start
May 17, 2007
1
37
Trip End
Jun 30, 2007
Singapore,
Singapore
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
I've been hearing people tell me how crazy I am, how dangerous this is, and how I may well be meeting a bunch of psychos from the Internet.
Yes, I know, but I only take calculated risks.
This is calculated - not mathematically, so don't worry too much about me.
I still stand by my belief that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger eventually.
If it kills you, well, then you know you just weren't good enough :)
No, I don't have illusions about myself.
Like when I wrote that postcard to myself at Gare St Pierre alone in Marseilles, my hands covered in cuts, dried blood like cranberry stains streaked across my palms, I know "I am not as weak as I feared, but not as strong as I would like to believe".
2 years on, I would say that I am mentally tougher, though also physically fatter and slobbier.
Still, I think it's worth doing.
If I'm crazy enough to cycle across swathes of French countryside with nothing but a sense of adventure and an amateur bike, I think I'm game to traverse the face of Tibet :)
Why am I doing this solo trip anyhow?
Well, for one - because Erik's been jetting around to Dubai/HK/somewhere and can't go traipsing thru monasteries with me.
And second, being alone has never stopped me from doing what I want to do.
Thirdly, the question is "Why not????". While I'm young, mobile, sufficiently reckless and with a certain amount of time/money to spare, Why Not?
I have to concede that the butterflies in the stomach now feel more like... Chinook helicopters instead - the buzzing is stronger than ever, the uncertainty grows. It's frightening and exciting all at once, and I'm loving it (kinda).
So! Here's my tentative plan:
First 2 weeks: Chengdu - Xining - Kham region of Tibet
Next 2 weeks: Xining - Lhasa - Everest (if travel restrictions are lifted)
If travel restrictions remain... then we'll see.
As mentioned to some of you, the route I'm travelling on is pretty remote, so no WiFi / Internet / Email / Starbucks for me.
Be patient with me, and I'll update this travel blog as and when possible.
Do feel free to send me SMSes and emails, I'll be glad to hear from friends :) Only thing is, I'll probably not be able to reply to all of them.
Well! 12hrs to go and I still have heaps undone.
Keep me in your thoughts, and I look forward to coming home with stories to tell and photos to share.
Cheers,
Feli the Wong
