Putting the finishing touches on my plans now that I have the time off approved from work. Sooooooo excited!!!

4.09 Arrive in HK
4.22 Fly to BKK
------ Backpack from BKK to Ho Chi Minh
5.15 Fly from Ho Chi Minh to Manila
5.20 Fly back to HK
------ Travel to Guilin/Yangshuo
5.28 Train from HK to Shanghai
7.02 Fly home from Shanghai

2 weeks in Hong Kong
1 week in Guilin/Yangshuo area
2 weeks in Thailand
1 week in S. Vietnam
4-5 days in Manila
1 month for Shanghai (with short side trip to Beijing)

The main purpose of my trip is to visit Shanghai, but with approx 3 months I figured I would fit some of SE Asia in as well. I hope to go to Mongolia and South Korea in that last month or so that I am based in Shanghai, but I won't feel forced too if I get a bit sidetracked in my trip. I am going to fit Beijing and the Great Wall somewhere in June.

looks fantastic....need a porter?

Lucky you! But if you want to backpack between BKK and Saigon, and you're starting from Hong Kong, why don't you add a little time and go overland south from Hong Kong? See seat61.com/Vietnam.htm#International%20links%20from%20Vietnam for Hong Kong to Hanoi. Hanoi is a much more interesting place than Saigon. Train south to Saigon, boat or bus to Phnom Penh, bus to Siem Reap, car and bus to BKK. Then you can fly to Manila from BKK.

Wow, reading through that link was intense. I don't know which I will remember more... seeing everything and the experience of it all, or being happy that I successfully ended up where I wanted to without getting lost and ending up in Laos

I'm already leaning towards doing that route, thanks for the suggestion!!

Why would go train from Hong Kong to Shanghai when you're already in Guilin?

Good catch, rkkwan, I missed that!

coolguy - Laos is a pretty nice place, actually, lol. If you're seriously thinking of overlanding through Cambodia you should take a look at talesofasia.com. Also, for the boat from Saigon to PP, see www.deltaadventuretours.com or www.sinhcafevn.com.

I am bringing one piece of luggage, and leaving it behind in HK while I go to Viet-Cambodia-Thai. I could leave from Guilin, but then I would be lugging that suitcase around with me while I am in that area.

Do you feel it would be much easier to go from Guilin to Shanghai by train, instead of going back from HK to Shanghai?

(BTW: I re-read my post and it sounded like I had something against Laos, hehe. I don't. Just meant that I don't want to end up somewhere that I didn't plan on being. I'll admit, my first knowledge of LAOS came from Khan on a TV show called "King of the Hill" haha. But I would wager maybe 1 out of 10 co-workers would be able to point out LAOS on a map, haha)

No, I figured you were just commenting on the possibility of getting lost! But I was making a gentle suggestion (perhaps too gentle), that Laos is an excellent place to visit.

WRT to the suitcase. Simple. Pack light! If I (female) can spend ten months living out of one convertible backpack, you (male?) should be able to manage three months. I don't travel with more than I can carry, and I can't carry that much, lol. (For my packing list see www.wilhelmswords.com/faq)

For trains in China, see seat61.com again, but the China section, which has a link to this useful map: www.johomaps.com/as/china/chinarail.html.

There are three direct "fast" trains from Guilin to Shanghai each day, taking about 22 hours.

Going from Hong Kong to Shanghai (which takse about the same time) is only once every two days (or else you need to transfer in Shenzhen or Guangzhou), and more expensive. Let alone the cost and time from Guilin to Shanghai.

Makes absolutely no sense to leave a luggage in HK for that reason.

You guys rock! I worked out two changes now after a bit more research...

1. I am going to go overland from Hong Kong to Bangkok (And make my stop to Guilin and Yangshuo early on my trip, basically making it on my way). Then I will just fly out of Bangkok to Manila to Shanghai.

2. I'm not taking luggage. May the dear lord snuffleupagus look over me, cause I just bought a slightly larger backpack and will only that that :::gulp:::

Cool, coolguy! Just make sure you come back and tell us all about it, OK?