Maps

Here we can see how China fits in between India and Mongolia, Russia and Southeast Asia.  Note the locations of Beijing and Himalayas with Chengdu right in the middle.  Chengdu is my starting place.

Half of Sichuan Province lies west of Chengdu.  Much of that area in on the Tibetan Plateau and mostly populated by Tibetans.  To the north are Qinghai and Gansu Provinces and the city of Xining.

In a deep valley 220 miles west of Chengdu lies the town of Kangding, seen here on the far right.  It is the capital of the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture which includes most of the Kham region of old Tibet.  The towns I visit in Sichuan can be found on this map, but not the villages.