I’m up late tonight getting really excited about our trip to China. We leave in two days! We fly out of Philly to Chicago early morning on February 29th, then we catch a 15 hour flight to Shanghai. We will spend the night there and then fly from Shanghai to the mountains of Guilin where we will meet Stephanie and Jack, our new Chinese friends who we have been chatting with over Skype. I am looking forward to spending a few days in Guilin getting acclimated to Chinese culture. Over the weekend we are planning to take a boat down the Li River to Yangshuo. This is where we will spend the majority of our time. We hope to buy or rent a pair of bikes and explore one of the most beautiful places in Asia. As far as logistics go, that is the majority of our plan. We both think that it fits our objectives well. I am sure that we will make some friends and come up with a more detailed adventure when we get there, but for now we are primarily playing things by ear.
We have not officially bought our tickets back to the US yet, but we are planning to be home no later than April 1st.
Packing
We will be packing tight and light! Everything that we need for the next month must fit on our backs including our laptops and camera equipment.
What we are most excited about
Joe – I’m excited about seeing the mountains in Guilin and Yangshou. I look forward to making some new friends on the other side of the world. I’m excited to see the world from the Chinese perspective and to share my perspective with the people.
Ann – I’m excited to meet the university students in Guilin. We finally we get to meet Jack and Stephanie! This is going to be so fun. I love seeing new places, particularly mountainous country where most people don’t travel to.
What are we most hopeful for
Joe – I hope that this trip bonds Ann and I closer together. I am looking forward to moments where we really need each other.
Ann – I hope it doesn’t rain too much. As of now the weather does not look good. I am hoping to get the fullest Chinese experience.
Our fears
Joe – I’m afraid of getting sick. Traveling abroad exposes your body to illnesses that your body has not built up immunities to. Nothing can ruin our trip faster than getting a stomach bug and spending our free time on the toilet.
Ann – I’m scarred that someone will break into our hotel and take our lap tops. In the part of China that we are headed the average person makes between $500 and $1000 a year. They could live for a couple years from one ransack of our room.
Thanks for following us on our blog! We are so excited for this big adventure! More to come from China…
