A more sensible, revised plan

When looking back at my original plan, I realized I wasn't thinking too clearly. First off, to do a trip like that, I would have to have a very scripted itinerary with little leeway for relaxing, emergency plan changes, and other necessary precautions for world travel. It would have been expensive and doable, but I don't think I would have enjoyed the trip much. Too much structure kills the very nature of traveling, i would be essentially taking a long vacation.

So I started again and formed a revised, more sensible plan. Round trip tickets to Beijing are about the same price as a round trip ticket to London (go fig), so this is where I will start. First, I will tour the mountains of Northern China for a few days, see the great wall, the forbidden kingdom, and those other popular sights that make Beijing the top tourist destination in China.

Then I will ignore any political debates about China's occupation of Tibet and take a ride on the world's highest train to Lhasa. I will kick around the area, see some temples, then join a week long Friendship Highway tour to Kathmandu. Nepal contains some of the most established trekking infrastructure in the world, so there will be some hiking in the Himalayas.

Then on to Sikkim, one of India's smallest, yet arguably most beautiful states. This will be followed by three weeks in Northern India, which will include a stop at the Taj Mahal and golden Temple in Armistar. (Essentials).

Next, a plane will take me from Delhi to Thailand, where I will visit Nat, hike in the mountains then spends some weeks regaining my stamina on the worlds' prettiest beaches. A bus or train will take me from Thailand to Vietnam through either Cambodia or Laos (I don't plan to spend much time in either country). I will do some temple touring in Vietnam, then back to china to visit Fai in Hong Kong.

Next, I will travel up the coast of china then take a ferry to Taiwan to visit Ray. Then back to China, back to Beijing and home.

This sounds much more enjoyable.

Here is a map of my plan. Blue is boat, red is plane, green is train or bus.