Travel The MEGA Travel Thread!

[oldirtybizza]

Yeah I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, more suitable for peeps who have already done some traveling in developing nations.

Yes actually credit card facilities will be available in major towns, best to transfer funds to your CC periodically and then access them at ATMS as needed , your currency will be converted to local currency usually with a small exchange fee from your bank and a withdrawl fee from the ATM.

due to this is it's best to withdraw a few hundred at a time to avoid too many fees. It's a good idea to have a few hundy worth of US or Yuan notes tucked away just in case.

 

[lostNfound]

Sounds like a good time.

 

[Care]

Looks like it was an awesome adventure as always, get's me thinking I should at least take time to enjoy the outdoors in my area a little more. The photo I quoted was really striking to me, just totally surreal. If you happen to have a higher res version of it, I'd be greatly interested in it.

I dont, unfortunately. I just use my little point-and-shoot on hiking trips. That is a place called Kaweah Basin on the south side of Colby Pass in Sequoia National Park. It is at least a 3 day journey to get there (probably more if youre not a fast hiker). That meadow was absolutely gorgeous, I wish there weren't so many stormclouds around when I took the picture.

The second to last one is on the front page of reddit right now btw!

 

[Wyld 4 X]

The route would skip Iraq , Syria , Afghanistan and Pakistan.

You are skipping the most exciting parts.

 

[Wyld 4 X]

I am currently sitting on a day bed around a man made lagoon at a 5 star resort on the Gold Coast. I have just taken a break from snorkeling to order a jug of some sort of cocktail and I'm waiting for one of my kids to enquire about ordering room service.

I could think of nothing worse than shitting in a bucket and watching some elderly Asian woman who no doubt didn't wash her hands after using the bucket, man handle my rice for dinner.

Call me if you are planning a trip to watch the cricket in Jamaica though.

Thank you for being the voice of reason. I'll never understand the hiking and "experiencing" the shit that is these countries with no modern medicine or indoor plumbing. I'll take my 5 star hotels.

#firstworldproblems

 

[Bardeaux]

estimated costs from 5-10k USD.

Just out of curiosity, how did you come up with this number? We're talking about a very long transcontinental journey here, not counting whatever airfare you'll need to get to Beijing. And to get home, of course.

Sounds like an extremely risky but awesome trip otherwise.

 

[oldirtybizza]

A lot of negative comments up here, the intention of my post wasn't to ascertain whether people would prefer to stay at home or go to bali or malorca for vacation. Good to see that closed-mindedness is alive and well on BL. Neither is this intended to be a drug holiday, plenty of better places for that.

I do know many people here may be in a rut in their lives or stuck in cycles of boredom and abuse, people who could benefit from a possible life changing and eye opening experience. Travel in the developing world also allows you put your own problems into perspective by seeing the extreme hardships some locals face, their ability to face those challenges and be happy in spite of them.

If you don't see the value in this type of experience , great more power to ya, I don't see the value in sitting around a pool all day getting sloshed or watching reality TV. Different strokes.

the 5-10k figure may or may not include flights or Beijing or preferably Xi'an, depends where you are located. 1 way flights to beijing can be found for under 1k and the end point being istanbul, you can cheaply get to hubs like Dubai or onward travel to Europe (home for some) where 1way flights to the states or australasia can be found for under 1k.
visa fees are around $500 (depending on nationality).
based on 60 day duration at 5k ex flights which would be $75 a day budget which would cover accoms/food/transport/visa - this budget would allow for staying in mostly twin share private rooms.
of course it would be significantly cheaper if staying in only dorms taking 2nd-3rd class trains, utilising mostly public transport, eating at markets etc, getting rides on the backs of trucks etc.

 

[L2R]

Anyone wants to post the pics from my fb here, please feel free. I have another 3+ weeks here. While it may not be long for you, it's several lifetimes for me.

 

[jam uh weezy]

Nice photos wyld.



Nice, wherabouts?

Pacific Northwest!

Nice pictures btw.

 

[euphoria]

This adventure sounds epic. This is something that's right up my alley, although I'm sure I'd prefer to go on it with someone I know and trust since its in some pretty volatile territory.

Just curious, (cuz this sounds really effin cool) do you have any ideas/plans on how to tie in the history of the silk trading route into your journey? Like a guidebook or something, so you know of significant events that occured along the route? Or any specific places you'd like to stop at along the way? Plan on trading at all? Anything you are looking for in particular? Or is this journey more focused on the scenery/people you meet along the way?

It's definitely a really intriguing idea... especially after the recent silk road bust... it's really sparked my curiosity about the subject in general and ive been researching it. Cheers, hope you find the right crew to accompany you!



Also, the lounge is a horrible place to post this, as you've probably gathered. Most people won't take it seriously. Maybe it could be moved to NASADD or EDD? Although the route is physically in Asia/Middle East, you'd probably have a better chance of finding people who would take it seriously in that forum I think...

 

[euphoria]

Holy shit Care! NIIIICE photos man! I really need to make it out to sequoia. i've wanted to since i moved out here two years ago. i would like to take a week and spend it there. it looks absolutely incredible. do you go there often? any trails or sights you'd recommend?

 

[Care]

Holy shit Care! NIIIICE photos man! I really need to make it out to sequoia. i've wanted to since i moved out here two years ago. i would like to take a week and spend it there. it looks absolutely incredible. do you go there often? any trails or sights you'd recommend?

If youre a hearty hiker, hiking out of roads end will take you to some amazing places very quickly, but be prepared for 5k+ feet of elevation gain right at the start. If you are a glutton for punishment like me I would suggest the hike I just did. Start at roads end, go up Bubbs Creek to Forester Pass, then to Bighorn Plateau and through to Kern Canyon. Then Up to Colby Pass and Down Cloud Canyon to Roaring River and up over avalanche pass back to roads end. The whole trip takes about 5-8 days but it is absolutely gorgeous.

If you want to do something a little more mild, I would recommend Yosemite. The terrain around the coolest ares is much more mild, and there are some really fantastic day hikes as well. My favorite day hike is from tenaya lake to clouds rest and back. if youre going to go backpacking in yosemite I recommend going to either Glen Aulin or 1000 island lake.

 

[oldirtybizza]

all this scenery porn makes me want to get my hike on. I put a thread up in the lounge (big mistake) about possibly doing the silk road journey, Getting cold there now so hiking options not looking good for my dream destinations of Kyrgyzstan and the Pamirs in Tajikistan. Iran, Xinjiang and Turkey at lower elevations still lookin pretty possible tho.
Anyone got any dream hiking destination recommendations where the conditions will be good for the next few months.

Nice shots of the sierras btw, gets me all misty for Cali.

 

[euphoria]

If youre a hearty hiker, hiking out of roads end will take you to some amazing places very quickly, but be prepared for 5k+ feet of elevation gain right at the start. If you are a glutton for punishment like me I would suggest the hike I just did. Start at roads end, go up Bubbs Creek to Forester Pass, then to Bighorn Plateau and through to Kern Canyon. Then Up to Colby Pass and Down Cloud Canyon to Roaring River and up over avalanche pass back to roads end. The whole trip takes about 5-8 days but it is absolutely gorgeous.

If you want to do something a little more mild, I would recommend Yosemite. The terrain around the coolest ares is much more mild, and there are some really fantastic day hikes as well. My favorite day hike is from tenaya lake to clouds rest and back. if youre going to go backpacking in yosemite I recommend going to either Glen Aulin or 1000 island lake.

thanks for the suggestions Care. Ive been to tenaya lake, and it is absolutely breathtaking. I would like to do that clouds rest hike. I'm a hearty hiker but the high elevations get to me. I don't have a ton of experience hiking above 8,000ft. But I guess the only way to get that experience is to do it!

 

[Care]

thanks for the suggestions Care. Ive been to tenaya lake, and it is absolutely breathtaking. I would like to do that clouds rest hike. I'm a hearty hiker but the high elevations get to me. I don't have a ton of experience hiking above 8,000ft. But I guess the only way to get that experience is to do it!

The best way to get used to high elevations is to spend a day acclimating before your hike. I wouldnt try any roads end hikes if you dont do well with elevation, as the route I suggested tops out at 13,200 feet.

 

[amanda_eats_pandas]

Your proximity to Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite NP totally make up for living that far into the central valley, Care. I'm jealous.
Gorgeous pictures.

 

[euphoria]

yeah seriously. i bet you go on epic hiking trips all the time Care. if i lived that close i know i would. its just hard to drive all the way out there and back on a weekend and feel like you really got to spend enough time there. its kind of a tease. thats why I want to take a week off and just spend it out there wandering around and soaking it all in.

btw, thanks for the elevation advice. clouds rest has been on my to-do list for a long time. so when i do ill be sure to camp maybe somewhere in the mid elevation the first night, and then in the high country for a night before I do the hike.

just curious, if you or anyone knows. how DOES one get to the point where they just generally do well with high elevations? is it just something you become accustomed to over a long period of time of being exposed to it? is it something you're born with? physical fitness level? I mean I guess it's probably a combo of all of the above. I would love to do some of the bigger trails like PCT but I'm always overwhelmed by the dizziness/headache.

I also haven't been hiking nearly as religiously as I was about a year ago. I mean I do a ton of local hikes, but haven't made the pilgrimage out to the mountains or done a proper backpacking trip in quite some time. It's really a shame when work takes over your life, it's not worth it! I've always been very passionate about hiking and exploring trail maps, sometimes I spend hours on sierra post just dreaming about the places I'd like to go if I only had the time and making lists of hikes I want to do and collecting maps. It's dumb that I just dream about it. Why work so much if you can't even enjoy LIVING? anyways, that's probably tl;dr but I need to make trips like this more of a priority for myself. I'm always much happier and feel more fulfilled when I do. As soon as you get back you just start planning the next one. It would be cool to have a partner or crew to experience it with. My bf isn't really into hiking and exploring as much as I am, unfortunately. That probably has a lot to do with why I've put it off recently. Solo hikes are definitely amazing, but it's nice to go on big longer trips with someone else.

 

[oldirtybizza]

just curious, if you or anyone knows. how DOES one get to the point where they just generally do well with high elevations? is it just something you become accustomed to over a long period of time of being exposed to it? is it something you're born with? physical fitness level? I mean I guess it's probably a combo of all of the above. I would love to do some of the bigger trails like PCT but I'm always overwhelmed by the dizziness/headache.

What you're describing is AMS - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness

Take time to acclimatize before starting any high altitude trek if you're coming from lower elevations, also limit your maximum elevation gained at the end of a day to around 1000ft eg; you can gain 1500m of vertical as long you drop back 1000m for sleeping. this acclimatization process only works up to around 18000ft this is why you won't see base camps above this altitude
People flying into high elevation destinations 4000m+ are often recommended to rest for up to 2 weeks before beginning a trek.

Physical conditioning can help but it is not a major determining factor if you will experience AMS, if you have heart or lung problems you are more likely to it experience it however.
If you get mild symptoms under 12000ft resting may be adequate as long as you haven't gained too much elevation over the day. At higher elevations if you experience serious symptoms such as difficulty of movement or shortness of breath at rest, always descend immediately don't be a hero and push on.

 

[L2R]

Fitness can have an adverse altitude consequence because you are able to rush more. We took a couple of side treks before doing the high pass. Ice lake and back brought us to the mid 4000's. That prepared us for tilicho lake base camp. We then hit tilicho lake at 5000m and came back down in order to prepare for thorong la, where at 5416m none of us had any problems. Except for the cold and exhaustion from getting to those places.

Later on the way to gokyo/kaka patthar/Everest base camp there are two places which are ordinarily acclimitisation double days, but we're hoping to ride the toleterance we built in Annapurna to skip them. Will be weary of any symptoms anyway.

Namaste from pokhara. Machhapuchhre peak is right in front of me as I type this. :D

 

[euphoria]

^



thanks for the advice dudes. god i would love so much to be a badass hiker again, going on a big hike every weekend. im working on some changes in my work life right now so it's going to free me up for more of this stuff. its a tough decision professionally, but when you zoom out and look at the big picture like mental and physical health its a no brainer.