We leave tomorrow for Beijing and then on to Xinjiang Province (NW China) and the Hunza Valley, Pakistan, for a glimpse of a place we've never been and a piece of the northern Silk Road.

We'll be flying puddle jumpers within China and have to keep our bags light, but we need to pack for hot and for cold and I'll need a head scarf in Hunza and for the mosques we visit in Xinjiang Province. We need reading material for the long flights. Camera & batteries. Rain gear. Pens. Paper. Hat. Sunblock. Shades.

Ready!

Adventures include road travel to and fro over Khunjerab Pass into and out of the Hunza Valley. Here's hoping the roads are much improved from the roads shown in the book we own that has photographs taken in the early 60s. Those photos are like Yikes!

(In similar circumstances I've just closed my eyes and trusted to the competence of the driver. I figured if it was my time, it was my time ...)

We went flying around with Google Earth a bit ago to check out the route. Now his nibs is checking the weather over the Web. He tells me the weather is clear in Urumqi and the temps are 48dF at 9:30 a.m. (CST).

The Web's a wonder.

And I'm packed the day before. That really =is= a wonder!

Hasta luego.

   posted by Sal Towse at  6:39 PM|| |