My flights are booked, my first hotel reserved. I'm really going! All that's left is a vague itinierary, and a plan so that I don't get kidnapped in Cambodia, like my mother thinks I'm going to.
Day One sees me landing in superbusy Hong Kong at around midnight, a disgusting time to be arriving in town. Sleep is the first thing on the agenda.
Day Two means I don't have long left here, and I'm going to cram as much as possible into my time. There's stuff I didn't get to see last time I was here, and there are memories I have to kill on this visit. So, this morning, after breakfast, my destination is Victoria Peak via the Peak Tram. After I kill some memories here, I'm making my way out to the New Territories to see over 10 000 Buddhas in one temple :-) It's gonna be a killer, a 341 step killer. Think of the great buns I'll have when I'm done! After this, I want some Yum Cha, HK style. And some possible partying in Lan Kwai Fong?
Day Three is sleep in day. Not too late, but enough to rest up after last night. I think today might also be shopping day, hit Ladies Market or the Night Market in Tsim Sha Tsui, and wander around Nathan Rd. Possibly even get a ride on the Star Ferry, and wander around Schezwan, and the Western Market.
Day Four will probably be another shopping day, I have a lot of malls to hit. Also I might try my hand at buying some jade. I love the colour of it, and it's apparently very lucky. While I'm wandering around Schezwan again, I want to pick up some traditional Chinese rememdies for things such as sleeplessness, fatigue, sore joints and headaches. I know they'll come in handy.
Day Five is the day I meet the rest of the gang. They're all flying in today, at different times. Group meeting and dinner at the hotel tonight. Get an early night's sleep, tomorrow is a killer travel-wise.
Day Six, or Day One of the Big Trip. An early start, ferry to Shenzhen, mainland China. After we disembark, we have to grab a flight to Guiyang, the capital of the Guizhou Province. After this, we catch a bus to Kaili. Spend the next few days hiking around Kaili, meeting locals and taking plenty of crappy digital shots. I'm a useless photographer, we all know that. I wouldn't mind checking out the Black Dragon Cave and going for a wander through Langde, which is a traditional Miao village.
Day Nine sees us leaving Kaili late in the afternoon to take an overnight train to Kunming. We arrive in Kunming early on Day Ten.
Day Ten; Kunming. We've booked a hotel here, so we can relax for a few days, since overnight train journeys are absolute killers. Here I want to hit a couple of markets, in particular the Bird and Flower markets, and also take a day trip out to the Stone Forest. Apparently the local fruit wine is worth the try, and of course, the local Yunnan food. Another local past-time I'd like to try - blind massage.
Day Eleven, get up early and take a bus from Kunming to Hekou (approx 15hrs). This is the border town to Vietnam, so I need my VISA ready. After we cross the border, we transfer up to Sapa, which should take about an hour, and find somewhere to stay.
Day Twelve is what I have been waiting for. This is our Sapa trek. We trek for around 6-8 hrs a day, passing through villages of the H'mong, Tay and Red Dzao people, and at night we stay in a simple traditional village house. This has all been arranged, and they will provide us with food and shelter for the night, as well as some local performances. I can't wait!
Day Fourteen sees us packing up camp to head back to Sapa town, a short walk by the main road. Tonight we travel to Hanoi.
As Day Fifteen dawns we arrive in Hanoi, bleary eyed and needing coffee (Thank God for Vietnam's French influence). We have some time to spend in Hanoi, but first I'll probably want a nap. Then wander through the streets of Vietnam's capital, and up to the Old Quarter.
Day Sixteen is another day to relax and explore Hanoi, because I'm sure we won't see it all in one day. Tonight the group will have dinner together, as some of us will not be continuing through Vietnam and into Cambodia.
On Day Seventeen I want to head out to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island for a photo op. There is also a fundraising centre for disabled people and people afflicted by landmines out here, which I want to visit. They do good work training people to re-enter the workforce, which is more proactive than giving them a handout of cash. We have a charter boat booked, to take us out to Cat Ba Island, where there is a National Park.
Day Eighteen is the day I want to check out Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and house. Today I will need to do something relaxing before another killer night train trip. Also I need to stock up on snacks for the train journey. See if I write it here, I won't forget. Tonight is the overnihgt train to Hue.
Hotel transfers to our Hue residence on Day Nineteen. There are a few things I'd like to see and do here, including the Royal Tombs of the Nguyen emperors on the outskirts of the city, Imperial Citadel (modelled on the Forbidden City in China), and possibly a boat trip up the Perfume River. I have a few days to do all this in.
Day Twenty Two means we start heading south again, travelling over the breathtaking Hai Van Pass, stopping briefly at the Cham Museum, the famous China Beach and Marble Mountains on our way to Hoi An.
Days Twenty Two & Twenty Three are going to be spent getting clothes made in Hoi An, as well and just wandering around the small historical town. I've heard many good things about this place, and I'm in no hurry to leave. Apparently, and thanks again to the French influence, the coffee here is pretty good.
On the morning of Day Twenty Four we leave Hoi An for Nha Trang. The snorkelling here is supposed to be really good, about as good as Cairns, Qld.
