The Planning Stage

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I thought that I'd be very organised and start this travel blog well ahead of the actual departure date, partly for my own sanity, because it's so much easier to work out what you need to do when it's in writing! Lists can abound, and I do love a good list! It's also very hard to get excited about something that is approaching at a dizzying pace whilst you've almost forgotten it's happening. Suddenly, it will be the 27th of June and I will be off, and I'd quite like to be as prepared for that as possible!

So. I am very much still in the planning stage, and actually have much less time than I'd anticipated! Not that I'm complaining - this shortness of time is largely on account of overtime at work, which equals extra pennies for the travels. Also equals, though, only two days off a week, so I really need to start doing productive things with my time in between.

I'm off to China first, and then Japan. Ridiculously excited! I visited China a couple of years ago on the Study China programme, which I would recommend to anyone as it's an incredible, affordable experience for a student. Basically, I left China thinking it was my spiritual home, and had great plans to live and work there one day (still do). Originally I'd planned to do some form of China-based Masters after finishing my undergrad, but was offered a legal traineeship instead and as such start in Aug! So this is the last long summer, and it's going to be just about four weeks in China, and two in Japan.

Plans are tentatively coming together - I have a great Chinese friend in Beijing who I will hopefully be seeing a fair bit of, and then I will possibly be travelling to Shanghai by myself - although my plans re: Shanghai are changing daily. I'd love to see the city, but wouldn't be spending a lot of time there, and am now beginning to wonder whether it's worth the additional expense re: the train, hostels, tours etc. It's now beginning to seem a little out of way, given I'm travelling on to Xi'an to meet up with a Study China friend after that and the plans for that portion of the trip are starting to really come together and look AMAZING - and so I'm beginning to wonder whether I wouldn't rather have the money to spend on that.

After Beijing, the way my plans are coming together, it looks as though my trip is resembling 'China - The Frontiers' somewhat - which is completely fine by me, because it's a different China, and will be so incredibly interesting. At the moment, it's looking something like this:

Xi'an
Lanzhou
Xining (Tibetan plateau)
Yinchuan (maybe Zhongwei)
Possible effort to get to Khara Khoto and Badain Jaran - at the moment it's proving very hard to find a tour company that actually PUBLISHES its prices online, so it may be a winging effort once we're there!
Hohhot, Inner Mongolia
Haila'er (with a definite stop in between, Jiagedaqi? because it's a looooong way up to there!)
Manzhouli (Russian border)
Part of me is tempted to go to Mohe to try for the Northern Lights...
Ha'erbin
THEN... initially I was thinking maybe straight back to Beijing, but part of me is tempted to try to get to Dandong (given it's not that pricy) and gaze upon North Korea! NK is really a place that pulls me in, but it's not feasible to go this time and I think a N. Korean frontier town would be incredible. So might try and grab a day in Ji'an or Dandong. We shall see! And then definitely back to Beijing.

After all this China fun, I'm flying over to Japan and meeting up with my boyfriend, Kriss. Japan's really somewhere that inspires both of us - he loves the ninja, manga and so on, and we're both completely in love with Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki, and the idea of climbling Mount Fuji. He's flying out from Glasgow on the 21st of July to join me on the 22nd. So far, itinerary is looking something like this:

Tokyo for a few days, inc. Studio Ghibli museum, the fish market, manga cafe etc etc.
Mount Fuji overnight
Shinkansen to Hiroshima
Camping Miyajima!
Kyoto (we were going to do Himeji but the castle is under scaffolding so going to spend our time elsewhere this time 😞 )
Day in Osaka - just for the neon really, will want more time in Kyoto
POSSIBLY Mount Koya - depending on the pennies really, the experience looks amazing so if we can possibly do it, we will!
Back to Tokyo, there's so much to see and do there I really think we'll need the time.

Currently this is looking like the 'Japan - Let's Not Sit Down For Two Weeks' trip but it'll be totally worth it.

So... LISTS.

Already done:

Chinese visa
Hep A jag
Backpack bought
Flight tickets sorted

To do:

JR pass
Accommodation as far as poss for Japan
Beijing accommodation
Work out whether two cameras are allowed into China (anyone?!)
Move out of my flat and take basically everything back to the parentals
Various forms etc. re: traineeship
Continue flat-hunting in Edinburgh
PACK
Finish up work
Buy some books to take with
Films on iPhone for long train trips
Watch lots of Wallander (an essential :P)
Travelling playlist that Kriss hates
Have a birthday?!
Buy DSLR
INSURANCE

Hmm... now I've written it all down I don't feel quite so OCD about it all! I honestly feel like a lot of the travelling stuff is now sorted - and the stuff yet to sort is no biggie. I think it's just everything else that's needing to be done now! I'm sure a lot more will spring to mind, but as the majority of China is relatively ad hoc, it doesn't seem so bad. The main stress right now is budgeting, budgeting, budgeting! At least the areas of China I'm travelling to are cheap cheap cheap! Aaaargh I just can't wait! Will be the 27th before I know it! I'd better go now, because of these lists I'm feeling inspired to do something productive so should get on with it before the urge fades! I'll try to update this a fair bit before the trip, to get into the way of it, and then of course as much as I can when abroad.

Jen

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Comments

[Holly]

Excitement!!!!!
Looking forward to reading alll about your travels!! (Got so excited there I did this - !!!!111) You will have a birthday...!! Even if it's us shopping for all the to-do list things??? xxxxxxxxx

[Megan]

China trip
Woohooooo!! Cannot wait for some more China times with you!! Even seeing it written down is making me so so excited!! See you in a matter of WEEKS!! xxx