On plans for holiday:

16 days in China as follows -

Singapore - GuangZhou (plane) - Chengdu (plane) - Leshan (train via Ermeishan) - Lijiang (train via Jinjiang) - Dali (bus) - Kunming (night sleeper bus) - GuangZhou (plane).

Probably throw in hongkong for a day or two before i come back to spore.
Heard transport can be a real riot especially if you are not in a tour group. Guidebooks promoted the virtues of getting lost. Not that i mind getting lost. As long as i manage to make in back to Singapore on the 26th since I "die die" also must go back to work on the 27th. I rather enjoy planning for this holiday. Lonely planet is a wonderful guide book and the pictures made me eager to start. Whatmore i will get to visit my parents in GZ finally. I know even the best laid plans can go awry. But heck, my motto is to be prepared but enjoy the unexpected.

Anyway, these are tentative plans. I think i will probably deviate from the plans whenever it strucks me or as circumstances demand it. I wish i have a whole month to travel because there seem to be so much possibilities! And i really hate adhering to a time-table so rigidly but i know i am a little pressed for time. School policy means i have to be back in school 3 days before school starts (no exceptions) to prepare for next term. I would have left on the 6th instead of the 10th but then, some things cropped up. Ah well.. 16 days is better than nothing i guess. And i do get some free time from the 6th to the 10th to do some shopping for stuff i need. Have to keep reminding myself to pack light since we will be walking fairly often (up and down stairs predominantly).

I hope to visit other parts of China (it is so vast) perhaps next year. If i had time, i would have love to travel up to Dali and onwards to the tiger leaping gorge and Deqin on the tibetan border. Or even try to try to go from Vietnam to China onland (well... SO has been clamouring to go to Vietnam so this is killing two birds with one stone *chuckles*).

In any case, a tentative itinerary is done and i have found out about the trains and planes and buses. I want to try all the different transport available (bikes too!) from minibuses to sleeper train (wow train with beds) and sleeper buses which are so notorious (accidents and what not, i heard that drivers can be quite menacing when driving at night). From big cities to little villages, comfy hotels to places when it might be difficult getting a place to sleep. This should be fun and i would have a chance to fulfil my objective of achieving a varied experience.