**April 10: Pouch Cove to Toronto**
After weeks of preparation, we were set to embark on our long adventure across Asia. As I proudly posted on Facebook, “Po and I are flying away today in search of some good noodles and dumplings. Our journey will lead us all the way to Everest Base Camp in Tibet and the Gobi Desert in Mongolia."
Indeed, this time it was “we.” Po was joining me. While I was accustomed to traveling alone, I often felt homesick, particularly during evenings, meals, or when sitting by myself in hotel rooms. Reflecting on my time in Bhutan, I recalled, “I was feeling a bit sad and called Po. Sometimes it gets lonely traveling solo. I decided she needed to come along on my next trip.” Each trip's planning usually began with me asking Po if she could join, to which she would always respond, “Who is going to care for (insert name of our latest senior dog)?”
Since 2013, we had welcomed several senior rescues into our home, all beloved furry companions with their own health and emotional challenges, complicating our search for dog sitters. The most recent was Zoe, who lived to be 14 years old before we said our goodbyes last May, right after my return from Nepal and Bhutan. Each time I returned from a trip, my friends and family would ask, “Where are you going next?” And every time, my honest reply was, “I do not know.”
Planning would take weeks. Travel articles always piqued my interest, and since Meta understood my hobbies, tours frequently appeared in my feed. This time, a train tour from Singapore to Beijing caught my eye. It sounded appealing, especially with a train to Mongolia added in the mix. While I considered various destinations, by early October, I settled on the journey and began planning the long train ride from Southeast Asia. However, a good friend advised against Vietnam in April, citing the heat, suggesting instead a January visit. But that conflicted with our Mongolia schedule, as it would still be winter there. So, it became clear that Vietnam would need to wait.
The trip was now set from Hong Kong to Mongolia, and I devised a new plan. One morning, the thought struck me, “What if we went to Tibet?”
Where did this idea come from? Evidence lies in my blog from my previous Nepal and Bhutan trip, where two encounters planted the seed. On my flight from Kathmandu to Paro, I was seated next to two young women from Slovakia. I envied their plans as they told me of their journey to Tibet after Bhutan. A few days later, at Phuntsho Yangkhil Lodge in the Phobjikha Valley, I was asked to share a table with Ursula from Chile, who was also headed to Tibet.
I messaged Ursula on WhatsApp, and she wholeheartedly recommended a trip to Tibet, sharing stunning photos. Yet, I felt apprehensive. Lhasa rests at over 3,600 meters (12,000 feet), while Everest Base Camp exceeds 5,200 meters (17,000 feet). Was this adventure too ambitious for us? That doubt transformed into motivation—a challenge. I insisted I would not enter old age quietly. We had to visit Tibet.
Now, I was drafting my third detailed itinerary, but I felt it was still too lengthy, especially the China segment (which was based on our total 30-day visa-free limit). It was time to create my fourth and final plan. The route became a straightforward journey from Shanghai to Xining. Afterward, we would take a train to Lhasa for our tour in Tibet. Following that, we would board a solo domestic flight down to Xi'an, then continue by train to Beijing, and wrap up with an overnight train to Ulaanbaatar for our Mongolia expedition. Our return journey would include stops in Seoul and Calgary.
How did I organize all of this? I explored numerous tour review websites and read about each destination. I sent multiple emails and made several phone calls. I continually searched for reviews on travel agencies. Ultimately, I booked through three agencies—one for Mongolia, one for most of China, and a local agency for Tibet. A company called China Discovery handled the majority of my China travel arrangements, which included our internal flight, train tickets, hotels, guides, and drivers. Explore Tibet managed our ten-day tour, while Amicus Travel Mongolia took care of our seven days there. This marked a return to utilizing local travel agencies after using a UK company in 2025. While that approach was easier, their markup made the trip significantly more costly, leaving me questioning its value.
Choosing and finalizing these companies took considerable time. However, as a retiree, I had the luxury of free planning time. As you'll see throughout our journey, everything fell into place. I arranged our flights to Shanghai and the
April 10 Pouch Cove to Toronto
