Prep for China Backpacking Trip

May 31: We leave tommorow for the Mainland.

The June itinerary:

Enter Shenzen by train, fly to Xi’an, fly to Chongqing, boat to Yichang, bus to Wuhan, fly to Nanjing, train to Suzhou, bus to Tongli, bus to Shanghai, train to Hangzhou, bus to Huangshan area, train to Shantou, bus to Guangzhou, train back to Hong Kong.

There might be a large influx of evacuees leaving earthquake affected areas as we begin our trip. Dams have formed enormous lakes in Sichuan Province, and the government is ordering areas evacuated . Xi’an and Chongqing are big cities with relatively easy access from the devastated areas. I’m not sure, but we might witness some of this.

Joyce recently finished an internship with CNN.com International, and we are planning to work on a travel blog during this backpacking trip. I’ll post the link in the comments below if and when it turns out.

Here are the rest of my plans leading up to September:

I’ll be in Hong Kong July 1-4, then I fly to Bangkok from Macau.

I have a Thailand “Lonely Planet,” but I haven’t started planning. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for the trip. I’ll be in Thailand until Aug. 1 when I fly to Beijing.

After a month in Beijing, on Aug 30. I return to Hong Kong, where I will depart for San Francisco on Sept. 2.

I don’t have a flight or bus booked to Omaha, but if anyone is heading that way, do you mind if I bum a ride?