sort of a plan.

things are finally starting to fall into place. i just purchased my ticket home this morning, which will take me from ho chi minh, vietnam to hong kong on november 20th, and from hong kong to minneapolis on november 24th. now, all i have to do is figure out what happens between today and november 20th. this is what i've come up with so far (subject to change):

follow along with this map (you can zoom in and out and move it around)

the fulbright officially ends on july 3rd, when the other english teaching assistants fly back to the united states. i have to forfeit my fulbright funded return ticket as my *brilliant* plan to change my return flight date was foiled by northwest and their rules. i'm currently planning on staying in hong kong for the next six weeks, so that i can take part in a month long anusara yoga teacher training course hosted by my yoga studio. i'm also hoping to pick up some teaching hours, and continue (or rather, restart) studying mandarin.

on or before august 12th, i'll head into mainland china, traveling overland through yangshuo (a place i've meant to get to for months) to kunming, the largest city in the southwest province of yunnan. kunming is an important spot, because it is here that i'll be buying the bike that will take me to ho chi minh. i'll remain in kunming until my china visa runs out (30 days) and then head south via xishuangbana into laos. this will put me in laos right around september 12th. at that point, since it will still be a thousand degrees, i'll probably hide in the foothills of northern laos until it cools down, and then make my way south to the largish city of louang phrabang.

this is hopefully where the real bike trip i'm planning will begin. over the next seven or so weeks, i'll work my way south to vientiane (the capital of laos) and then follow the mekong river along the border of thailand and laos until i hit cambodia. i'll then cross into cambodia, making my way to phnom penh. i'll then continue south to kampot, and then work my way east through the mekong river delta to ho chi minh. then, i'll sell my bike and come home.

i've stuck with this idea longer than most, so i'm feeling pretty confident that it's the real deal. when i was home visiting family and friends, i picked up most of the gear i'll need for the trip, so that all i really need to purchase in kunming is the bike itself.

if anyone will be in any of these places, or could be coerced into being in any of these places, do let me know. i'll probably need a piggy back ride around mile 800 or so.