The varied climates and situations we experience require you to have all items on the first day of your trip. Forgotten items will be purchased with your pocket money. Do not pack more than what is on the list. Remember to leave space for items you buy in China!
____Duffel: Wheels are preferable! We suggest a tough bag approximately 34” x 16” x 16” or smaller. You must be able to pick up this bag and carry it by yourself!
____Daypack: Bring one large “school type” daypack. To be used during the day to carry personal items. camera, water, rain jacket, etc.Please make sure your day pack has a chest and waist strap for hiking.
____Sleep Sheet: This is different from a sleeping bag. It is your own sleep sheet to use as a liner for your hotel or hostel bed. It is for your comfort and is very lightweight. GREAT TO HAVE! You can purchase this at an outdoor store or online.(Please do not bring sleeping bag!) Sleep sheet example.
Weather: Be prepared for varied WARM and WET weather patterns. China temperatures will range from 70°F to 100°F.
TRAVEL GEAR
____Passport
____VISA
____2 sets of photocopies of your passport and flight tickets one to hand to your Trip Leader upon arrival and one to keep with you.
____2 backpacking type water bottles, and/ or a 1 liter minimum Camel Back type hydration system
CLOTHING
Synthetics instead of cotton is recommended for all clothing. You need a one week supply of clothing. If you bring too much it gets in the way. Bring lightweight clothes that wash and dry easily. We will wash laundry at least once on the trip. Do not bring any jewelry or expensive, showy things.
Inner layer
____One week supply of underwear
____Pajamas: boxers and a t-shirt
Middle layer
____4 pairs of lightweight shorts
____4 short sleeve shirts
____2 long sleeve shirts
____2 pairs of light weight pants (pants with zip off legs, optional)
____1 swimsuit
Outer layers
____Light weight rain proof jacket REQUIRED. Breathable material is best.
HEAD AND HANDS
____Baseball style cap
FOOTWEAR
____5 pairs of lightweight, athletic socks
____2 pairs of hiking socks; a synthetic blend is preferred
____Sandals that secure around your ankles ESSENTIAL (Tevas, Chacos, Nike)
____Sneakers/running shoes OR hiking boots; sturdy, waterproof & flexible: Hi-Tek, Merrell, Vasque, Asolo, Nike (around $75-$130). A generous, comfortable fit is critical. Please break in before your trip!
TOILETRIES
____SPF 30+ sunscreen and chapstick with sunscreen
____Personal toiletries, medicine, prescriptions, bandanna
____Mole skin or 2nd skin for blisters; buy at a pharmacy
____One medium towel
____Laundry bag
____2-3 packages of Wet Naps; personal cleaning towelettes
MISCELLANEOUS
____Headlamp or lightweight flashlight
____Travel umbrella
____Cheap watch
____Small travel alarm clock (highly recommended)
____Camera (Phone & camera must be separate devices!) batteries/charger, plug adapter for charger
____Stationary and journal
____Ear plugs and eye mask(optional)
____Waterproof bags for clothing, garbage bags will suffice
____If you wear glasses or contact lenses, please bring a spare pair of glasses, including a protective case. Yes, wearing contacts is okay! ____Sunglasses with secure strap (Chums or Croakies)
____Suggestion: small, colored nylon “stuff sacks” or plastic Ziploc bags to organize your stuff
Important Information Regarding Your Trip---PLEASE READ THIS!
Expectations: China is a physically, mentally and culturally demanding trip. We stay in simple homes and native hotels; no camping. We will expect you to be open to the Chinese culture and food. It is essential that we have a flexible attitude and behave with cultural sensitivity in order to make no impression or a good impression as guests.
Passport & Visa: A passport and visa is required. Download the China Visa application from your Bold Earth Camper Homepage. During the trip your Trip Leaders will hold your passport for safekeeping. A Travel Permission Slip is MANDATORY(available online 3 weeks before your trip).
Time: China time is about 15 hours ahead of Los Angeles, California, Pacific Standard Time Zone.
E-MAIL: Most towns we visit will have limited access to email. If you have a hotmail, AOL or most other services you can expect to check and send email about once a week while traveling.
Spending Money: ATM or Credit Card (Visa and Amex work best) and cash. We suggest bringing approximately $75 per week. This is for personal expenses and gifts. If you run out of money, you have spent too much. Unless there is an emergency, Bold Earth will not advance money.
Health Notice: Giardia, a water borne illness is common. We treat all natural water sources but it still sometimes gets through. If after the summer you have diarrhea, contact your M.D. Giardia is easy to treat. As with any illness, especially involving travel, contact your doctor if need be. CHECK WITH YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR REGARDING REQUIRED VACCINATIONS.
Laundry: Travel light!!!!! Washing out your synthetic underwear and t-shirts to dry over night is the norm for adventure travel. Once a week or so your leader will have the hotel clean your laundry. A good practice is to put your name on items which are not unique to you.
Trip Journal: Bring along a notebook to record the "Challenge, Pride and Success" of your adventure.
Reading List: The people, places and activities you will encounter on your trip are diverse and incredible. These are a few books offering background information. We suggest you consider reading these books before, during or after your adventure. Also, you might like to read Outside Magazine available everywhere. For additional adventurous reading, check out Extreme Classics: The 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time.
Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard. Jim is separated from his parents in a world at war. To survive, he must find a strength greater than all the events that surround him. Shanghai, 1941 -- a city aflame from the fateful torch of Pearl Harbor. In streets full of chaos and corpses, a young British boy searches in vain for his parents. Imprisoned in a Japanese concentration camp, he is witness to the fierce white flash of Nagasaki, as the bomb bellows the end of the war...and the dawn of a blighted world. Ballard's enduring novel of war and deprivation, internment camps and death marches, and starvation and survival is an honest coming-of-age tale set in a world thrown utterly out of joint.
Tai-Pan by James Clavell. Second book in the legendary James Clavell’s “Asian Saga,” Tai-Pan takes place in late 19th century Hong Kong during the Opium Wars between Britain and China, and follows the rivalry between two foreign traders vying for market share between China and the west. Like all of Clavell’s massive novels, the story is painstakingly researched and heavily layered with political and emotional subplots.
The Girl Who Played Go by Shan Sa. Beijing-born Yan Ni Ni (Shan Sa) penned this luminous novel about a young Chinese girl discovering her womanhood at the wake of the Second Sino-Japanese War of Resistance (1937-1945), and of her wordless friendship with a Japanese military officer. Beautiful for its simplicity and poetic prose while portraying war-ravaged North China.
LEARNING • SERVICE • LEADERSHIP
