But Alaska is *not* the same thing as China

I've never ever overstayed a visa in my entire career as a travel addict - always paying careful attention to the necessary date of renewal or departure required by the government of my host country. In India, though I have a ten year tourist visa, I was required to leave the country every six months (180 days to be exact) for at least long enough to stamp out and back in again. This meant marking the calendar twice a year and flying out to Thailand, Singapore, or most often Sri Lanka but I managed the timing to the last day with a fervent devotion for fear of a big red blemish in my passport. I've always made careful note of the when of any visa, until now.

For some reason (most likely my terrible math retardation and inability to tell at any given moment what day it is much less the month) I miscalculated the renewal date on our most recent Nepal entry visas and we went today to get the job done, a bit nervous to be three full days overdue and worried we'd be unceremoniously shipped out much earlier than we'd planned (as is threatened on all the visa-related forms we've filled out). I always expect the worst when dealing with government officials in any country, but fortunately the Immigration Department officers were not the least bit concerned with my oversight and charged us a mere four dollars each in penalties, on top of the usual $30 fee for the next 30 days worth of visa.

While we were in the office waiting for our own paperwork to be processed I passed the time doing the usual bit of eavesdropping (a social faux pas...yes, fine...I can't help it) and I was overcome with jealousy as I listened in to more than a few westerners explain that they were in transit to China. I started once again with the mental calculations for just how we could afford to deposit ourselves on Chinese soil even if just for a few days. We'd become resigned to the idea that it's just too expensive considering our upcoming move back to the States and would be too much hassle, what with my American passport and the amount of trouble that's been rumored to cause at the Chinese border these days - but then Hamid reminded me that I've got an Iranian passport - the equivelant of a 'pass Go' card for many countries that would otherwise be off limits to me entirely (I perked up even more when I realized the list includes Cuba. Far be it from me to shrink away from the possibility of controversy...) and so we're once again considering a jaunt across the border.

Never content to stay in one place for very long, and knowing full well my penchant for global travel is going to be put on hold for at least a year while we work toward Hamid's U.S. passport (being inside the country for this little matter is non negotiable), I'm feeling a bit desperate to pack in as much adventure and border jumping as possible before our October 10 departure from Kathmandu to the U.S....and really, China is *right there*...so close we could drive the distance in an afternoon.

I panic a bit when I allow myself to fully realize that there's a kind of shackle closing in on me, and fast. Three months between me and a temporary Stateside sentence (and oh how ironic it is that I've whined for it, begged for it, complained that it wasn't given fast enough...). When I start thinking out loud about whether or not we actually need to go to the States Hamid wraps himself around me and reminds me of blissfully reliable internet connections, business growth, proper sidewalks, dog parks, Nordstrom, Whole Foods, microbrews, babies, and masters degrees. I pout and verbally stomp around a while - moving from whiney 'but I want!!' babytalk to plying him with a sweetness that almost makes paying $100 U.S. a month for a very slow and unreliable net connection and falling down all the time seem worth it. But this move, this change, it's going to happen; whether I'm ready for it or not. Ask and ye shall receive...the universe fulfills my wishes left and right but in this case I'm feeling somewhat reluctant and all mixed up between gratitude and resentment. Too late to turn back now...

Whether we manage to actually get to China this year or not I'm fast realizing that I am going to have no choice but to reinvent my idea of the exotic, redefine my concept of adventure, and apply it all to the United States proper at least for a little while. I hear Alaska is quite a wonderland...