On our last day in UlaanBaatar, around 10 pm we were happily packing up and making plans for our month long adventure in China. And then IT happened. An email popped into my mailbox: “I am sorry but we are at full capacity for the dates you requested.” Frantically, I searched for other guesthouses in Kangding area — nothing available. Then I started to read the blogs, about the hellish experience that it is to travel and sightsee during China’s annual weeklong break in October. To make matters worse we had asked a friend to purchase some train tickets for us in advance, and we had no idea whether we could return them or not. By 3 am I may or may not have been in mild panic trying out all sort of combinations for avoiding / traveling during this stretch. A short nap, and we were off to the RR station to catch our 7 am train to Beijing, off for a half-baked trip and unknown wifi situation.
In the end, it didn’t turn out so bad. We have internet connection. And we made new plans! We are going to skip out on most of China and hop over to Korea, and then Japan, before returning here via Shanghai.
Below is our new plan:
- Sep 20-24: Beijing, China
- Sep 25: Train to Qingdao, China ferry to Icheon, South Korea
- Sep 26-27: Temple stay in Icheon, S Korea
- Sep 28-Oct 1: Seoul, S Korea
- Oct 2-3: Gyeongju, S Korea
- Oct 4-5: Busan, S Korea
Of course all pending any other major national holidays, our mood, and weather patterns 🙂
