Hi All,
Either my Chinese girlfriend and I or just me (she may have to go back to her hometown) are planning a 3 month trip to the above mentioned provinces.
Idea is to see the best of the North Yunnan's scenery, and enjoy as much of Tibet's culture without entering Tibet itself (West Sichuan and most of Qinghai were once part of Tibet), while also avoiding some of the summer heat (as far as I have currently discerned, this part of the trip is mostly mountains).
Hopefull also cover Songpan and Jiuzhaigou Park in Sichuan.
Finally we'll head back to Kunming hitting some cultural spots in Gansu and Guizhou. I've mapped out shorter routes in case this is a bit too much.
Anyway, anyone is welcome to join us/me for all or part of the journey.
We're couchsurfing members - so you can find us at www.couchsurfing.com Annie and Matthew Zhang-McGinty
Matthew