verstehen libre.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
done and done
It's official: I'm gradu-a-mated. It's so strange. I've been so focused on this for so long and at such a breakneck pace for the last two years that I don't really know what to do with myself. I managed to distract myself for a few weeks with last-minute conference planning, and the thing finally went off without too many hitches yesterday, despite a near-fatal week of cancellations and even several no-shows. The flake rate was not nearly so bad last year; I have no idea what happened. Still, the papers that were presented were quite interesting: I know a hell of a lot more about shipbreaking in India and images of the Middle East in U.S. newsmagazines now than I did before. And there were cookies. I'm graduated, somewhat educated, and there were free cookies. Nothing to complain about, really.
Packing, obviously, is the next thing. I'm picking up my new pack tomorrow, which is so far the one Big Costly Pre-Trip Indulgence ($109 on sale at REI, yo). Even though this is a pretty small pack as far as they go (compared with the favored styles of long-term backpackers, many of which are as large as a ten-year-old), it's initially all going to weigh far too much since the first part of the trip is the coldest and will require me to tote around several extra layers of crap (and, like, real shoes). But I seriously don't want to get stuck in Chengdu without some decent long johns, not to mention that February excursion to Tibet. I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to visit Shangri-La before it really does become overrun when China completes the Lhasa railroad and opens the roof of the world to all and sundry (i.e., definitely for the '08 Olympics, if not before). I found some especially stunning photos that have me reeeeeally excited about connecting with some fellow travelers, going in together to rent a 4WD, and hitting the "Friendship Highway," which links Lhasa with Kathmandu. Here's a charming little map of the route (note insane proximity to Everest base camp, which is itself at an altitude about 3,000 feet higher than Mt. Rainier):
So the current plan is to hang out in Beijing for a bit and take full advantage of Peter's translation abilities, then take the train to Chengdu, fly to Lhasa (apparently a terrifying and spectacular flight that skims right alongside Everest's summit), wander around Tibet for a few weeks, and wind up in Nepal--which is, like China, very much part of my larger intellectual project on this whole trip. After that, I'll probably be very much in need of some warm weather and good wine, and Dan will be in Australia by then...so I'll have to look into cheap tickets from KTM to Southeast Asia. Even with the detour, I should be back to Central Asia--and then Russia--by early April. And I should know where I'll be moving in August by then, too...I just can't believe this is what my next three months look like. ¶ 1:01 PM
Packing, obviously, is the next thing. I'm picking up my new pack tomorrow, which is so far the one Big Costly Pre-Trip Indulgence ($109 on sale at REI, yo). Even though this is a pretty small pack as far as they go (compared with the favored styles of long-term backpackers, many of which are as large as a ten-year-old), it's initially all going to weigh far too much since the first part of the trip is the coldest and will require me to tote around several extra layers of crap (and, like, real shoes). But I seriously don't want to get stuck in Chengdu without some decent long johns, not to mention that February excursion to Tibet. I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to visit Shangri-La before it really does become overrun when China completes the Lhasa railroad and opens the roof of the world to all and sundry (i.e., definitely for the '08 Olympics, if not before). I found some especially stunning photos that have me reeeeeally excited about connecting with some fellow travelers, going in together to rent a 4WD, and hitting the "Friendship Highway," which links Lhasa with Kathmandu. Here's a charming little map of the route (note insane proximity to Everest base camp, which is itself at an altitude about 3,000 feet higher than Mt. Rainier):
So the current plan is to hang out in Beijing for a bit and take full advantage of Peter's translation abilities, then take the train to Chengdu, fly to Lhasa (apparently a terrifying and spectacular flight that skims right alongside Everest's summit), wander around Tibet for a few weeks, and wind up in Nepal--which is, like China, very much part of my larger intellectual project on this whole trip. After that, I'll probably be very much in need of some warm weather and good wine, and Dan will be in Australia by then...so I'll have to look into cheap tickets from KTM to Southeast Asia. Even with the detour, I should be back to Central Asia--and then Russia--by early April. And I should know where I'll be moving in August by then, too...I just can't believe this is what my next three months look like. ¶ 1:01 PM
