I have been planning for this trip since last year, when things went slow at work and get stuck in personal affair, I decided that I want to stop doing on what I am doing for a short while and think about what I really want to do in future. Travelling is a great way to refresh yourself. While some people like to go on the packaged all-inclusive vacation and not to worry about everything else -- I am a little cheap and lonely, in a way that I want to save money but also I found myself really enjoy being alone in unfamiliar terrain.

Normally when I go travel, I have no such patience to document it, and now I am making a webpage for it! I guess I have a little too much time

The first thing need to be done, and has been done, is to visit the travel clinic to get vaccinations. I have took four different shots of vaccine at once, on both hands, in the morning before heading to Squamish rock climbing. Needless to say my arms were a bit sore on the rock... Back to topic, I spent over $240 to get all the vaccine, plus doctor prescription for Acetazolamide (for altitude sickness), Azithromycin (antibiotic) and Lariam (to prevent Malaria). The medicine cost over $170.

Now I am taking six months off from work. It feels a little strange to wake up at the morning and not going to work. I am still staying in Vancouver for another ten days because of my dad is having a surgery next week. I should stay in town to give him the mental support, while at the same time I can really start preparing the trip.

My friends keep asking me what my plan is, where I will go and when I will be in where. To tell you the truth, I have no definite schedule. I know there are few places I will definitely visit, such as Beijing, Yunnan and Tibet. I will also bring my climbing gear along, as I am sure I will spend some time climbing in Hong Kong and Yang Shuo. I still need to research more about the winter weather in different part of China. I was told that although it is quite cold in Tibet and Nepal, it is actually not bad to visit during November or March as the low season tend to be less crowded and therefore more enjoyable. Also it is Tibet New Year in March so there will be a lot of ceremonies and events going on in Lhasa. I guess I will head up there in March to finish off the trip.

So where should I go to kick start the trip? I bought the Korean Airline ticket to Hong Kong, I will probably stay in Hong Kong for at least few days before I take a train to Mainland China. The first thing to do in Hong Kong is to get the SAR Passport (Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong) to make things easier in case I need to get the Tibet Travel Permit and get across the border to India, Nepal or Pakistan. I guess I will leave my Canadian passport behind for the first time. Being a Chinese and have dual citizenship do give me an unique advantage when traveling in China and the neighborhood countries.