It is the 13th of April. I am seated at my desk in the teacher's room in Masan Jeil Girls' Middle School, Changwon, South Korea. Two weeks ago I was trying to decide what to do with my life when my contract ends in June, and I decided to check the price of flights to various places. The first place that caught my eye was Kathmandu; a one-way ticket from Seoul costs $400. I bought the ticket.
Two weeks later, and my plans are further advanced. I not only have a plane ticket, but also an Amazon 3G Kindle, a Lonely Planet Guide: China, Lonely Planet Guide: Tibet, a booked 8-day overland tour (Kathmandu - Lhasa), and a friend in Kathmandu arranging the tricky Tibet Travel Pass from the miserly Tibet Tourism Bureau. Things move quickly.
