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Note: Keith Schuman is a lifelong Palo Altan whose budding career in investment banking ran head-on into the economic collapse, and who decided to take a 14-month trek around the world. His introductory article can be found here. Following is his first blog entry following his official stepping-off point in New Zealand. He posted from Dali, China, as he was preparing for a three-day trek into "Tiger Leaping Gorge."

by Keith Schuman

DALI, CHINA, March 1 -- The day came more quickly than I thought it would. Before I knew it, I was pushed back in my seat as the Korean Air Boeing 777 bound for Incheon began to roar down the runway. I mused at the fact that I had the entire row to utilize -- a good omen.

After three flights totalling 38 hours, a quick jaunt through Seoul and some harassment by the friendly New Zealand custom agents for not having a return flight, I found myself approaching the gateway to the East: Hong Kong.

I e-mailed Vish, a friend from Gunn High School who is an expat in Hong Kong working in finance, as everyone who does not speak Cantonese seems to do. Not a bad start to my adventure: free housing (which only made me use my rationale to spend more on "other" items).

While Vish worked during the day, I explored Hong Kong. I was wildly impressed with the engineering feats of constructing such a dense city in such a limited amount of space. For those of you who have been there, I am sure you agree. Victoria Peak, which imposes itself over the metropolis, looks as though it is pushing Hong Kong's modern skyline into the harbor. The roadways weave up, down and around buildings in a maze-like fashion.

There is a pedestrian escalator (genius invention) that goes from the main financial center IFC 2 all the way up through the central area of SOHO and the Mid-Levels (a very wealthy neighborhood where 10,000HKD might by you a livable apartment). The logic behind the Hong Kong metropolis is spot on, and is an example for urban development.

After my introductory evening looking into the Hong Kong nightlife in the area of Long Kwai Fong I set off to Lantao Island. I took a Ngong Ping cable car that gave me a great aerial view of the island. There is such diversity between the Hong Kong bustle and the natural landscape in a very small geographical area. I would imagine that Hong Kong natives are happy that for 10HKD (about $1.20) they can be out of the city and into the countryside.

The tram lets off at near the top of the peak and I proceeded to walk to the Tian Tan Buddha, a giant bronze statue that sits on the top of a 500-stair ascent -- it's well worth it. At the top I was standing in the mist below the mystical Buddha, a very cool experience. I took a quick stroll through the wisdom path and headed back down the cable car feeling no more wise than at the beginning, although it was a wonderful time to take in the scenery and serenity of the island.

The last full day in Hong Kong included an invite to the Hong Kong Football Club, a unique experience for me because as a rugby player myself it was fun to enjoy some sport and beer with a bunch of people from all over the world. A quick nap and an Argentinean steak later I explored the waterfront area at night to see the lights of the city. It trumps any laser light show I have ever seen.

I bid farewell to Vish and thanked him for his hospitality entertaining skills. Before noon, I was on the East Rail Line headed for the Lo Wu/Shenzhen border crossing into China. This is the point that it hit me that I was truly stepping off on my journey.

Shenzhen is a the ugly twin of Hong Kong. Marred with vice and crime and a significantly lower incomes. Most likely if you are wearing non-boutique clothing, it was manufactured in one of the factories on the 100-mile stretch of wasteland linking Shenzhen and Guangzhou. It was quoted to me in chopped English that more than 200 million people a year cross the border between the powerful city state of Hong Kong and its uglier younger brother.

Much to my chagrin, I missed the busy crossing time and breezed right on through both Hong Kong and Chinese customs. My passport was stamped and I ventured into Shenzhen proper for quick sweep before my train left for Guilin. It was interesting to see the modern skyscrapers speckled throughout the slums of the city. Everything and everyone was for sale. Whatever your game is, you can find someone in Shenzhen to play with if you like.

I didn't want to push my luck, so before long I made way back to the rail station, hopped on the T38 overnight train bound for Guilin, and for a mere $40 I had my transport, shelter and food for the next day.

I did not sleep a wink on my "hard" sleeper seat (they call it "hard" and "soft" because in China there is no class system -- quasi communism remember?) the entire night because my mid-berth sleeper mate was snoring so ferociously I though that there was someone who was choking on a chicken bone for 10 hours straight.

I made my first big mistake of the trip: I left my reading book on the train and was upset, so I punished myself by abstaining from breakfast and lunch for the day -- the price it would take to purchase "Water for Elephants" in China.

The train pulled into the Guilin Railway Station at daybreak. There is no English anywhere to be found except for "Gui Lin." My Mandarin phrase book came in handy, I just point to the Chinese character of the phrase that I need and wait for a slew of hand gestures to show me the way. After walking around for 45 minutes without finding a hotel/hostel that met my price requirements, I headed back to railway station. Tere I met Charlie; a tout in a sea of touts. I bargained with him for the bus fare and got him down about 40 percent. Before you would know it I was in the picturesque "town" (300,000 population) of Yangshou. This is the region where limestone formations rupture the Earth's surface and create peaks and valleys (carved out by the Li River) for miles on end.

It just so happened that Charlie (I still can't get over the irony of his English name) had brothers and sisters that could provide me with lodging, tourism and anything else in town I wanted to do. I negotiated what he called the "full package" down from 790RMB to 400RMB (works out to $59) for three nights lodging, a bamboo raft tour of the Li River, a bicycle ride through the countryside, a hike up Moon Hill, breakfast and lunch every day and even hot water to boot. Not bad at all for a Guai Lao (white boy foreigner, as I am referred to by everyone). Even though my bargaining was great accomplishment for me, the market value of the "total package" is about 200RMB, I am almost sure.

While my bamboo boat ride down the Li River had some astonishing scenery, it was my 40-kilometer bicycle ride with my farm girl tour guide Lili that really was something I will never be able to wash out of my memory. Lili was a "sister" of Charlie who has worked her whole life on one of the many orange farms near Yangshou. Her English was poor, but she managed to explain to me that she had quit the English school in Yangshou when she was 10 because of her parents' inability to pay for her education. Since then, she has spent long arduous hours working the fertile land of the Yangshou valley and in her spare time (to earn extra money) guide people through the countryside where she has lived her entire life.

For some reason I found myself riding on the rows of rice patties and Orange groves through a landscape that I cannot even describe accurately with my limited vocabulary. I notice that my jaw started to hurt because I was smiling for such extended periods of time. The feeling of being alone was liberating. No one around but farmers, ox and Lili to show me that there really is a world apart out there than the Palo Alto where I come from.

Next stop: Kunming, China, and the Yunnan province.

Seven continents, one world, one person just calling it how I see it, with wide eyes and an open mind.