2012 Trip Plan

And so it begins, the biggest trip I am about to embark adventured is starting to grow.

My previous trips included:

2009# Singapore > from Saigon through south Vietnam andup into Cambodia by boat via Chau Duc > worked our way up from Phnom Penhinto Siem Reap by bus, we then flew back into Vietnam (Hanoi) and made our wayinto Sapa by train > then fly back to Saigon for a few more nights till Iflew back to Singapore and into Perth.

2010# KL to meet some Siti and the Hubbi> Taiwan (Taichung)and explore the rural lands of Taiwan > Singapore for a few more days to partyup and eat

2011# KL to meet some Siti and the Hubbi before the bigwedding > Korea (Seoul) > Busan by KTX > Japan (Fukuoka) by high speedferry > Kagoshima by Shinkansen > Osaka by Shinkansen > Kyoto by car> Hamamatsu by Shinkansen > Tokyo > Seoul by plane > KL for awedding

My goals are to fly from Bangkok into Laos and from theretravel north into China (Yunnan) and make my way into Tibet (originally it wasNepal, but I am planning to save that for when I tour India).

I have 1 month to cover some 4000km across 2.5 countries(Tibet belongs to China, kind of?)

From Tibet I will have to create away back to Perth? I wantto do as little flying as possible!

My goal is to always use local transport to the MAX and thethree day train from Tibet to Beijing might just do it :) I will be using anumber of buses through Laos and various boats along the way.

I might have to fly from Yunnan into Tibet L the car journey cantake up to 8 days!

Route Options I am thinking of:

--- Laos --- approx 8 days

01# Bangkok > Vientiane > Vang Vieng > Phonsavan> Luang Prabang > Oudomxai > Luang Namtha

02# Bangkok> Vientiane >Luang Prabang > Phonsavan> Oudomxai > Luang Namtha

03# Bangkok > Vientiane > Phonsavan > Luang Prabang> Pakbeng >Houayxai > Luang Namtha

04# Bangkok> Luang Prabang > Phonsavan > Oudomxai> Luang Namtha

05# Bangkok > Luang Prabang > Phonsavan >Pakbeng>Houayxai > Luang Namtha

--- China (Yunnan) --- approx 8-10 days

01# Laos > Mengla > Jinghong > Kunming > Dali> Lijiang > Zhongdian > Tibet

02# Laos > Mengla > Kunming > Dali > Lijiang> Zhongdian > Tibet

03# Laos > Mengla > Kunming > Lijiang > Baishuitai> Zhongdian > Tibet

04# Laos > Mengla > Kunming > Lijiang > Liming >Weixi > Deqin – Zhongdian (Shangri La) – Baishuitai > Tiger Leaping Gorge> ?

--- Tibet --- approx 8 days

*** need to find suitable trek***

--- China (Beijing/Chungdu) --- approx 2-3 days

Lhasa > Chengdu > Jiuzhaigou Valley > ?