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[struelle]

I survived a brutal year dong 'PDP' which is a year-long teacher certification course, i.e. a PGCE.

Now I've put together a tentative plan for the next few months where I've saved up cash and will hit the road traveling. I had a conversation with my Dad and he suggested I go for 9 months and work English jobs in between to make money. While I'm philosophically opposed to the idea of short-term 'backpack EFL teaching', he had a point in that I should make the most of this rare opportunity to travel.

So as a compromise I decided on a 4 month holiday, where I'll eventually end up in Shangahi at the May holidays, then settle in to start looking at long-term job options.

Here's the tentative plan - I'd love feedback on it, and suggestions from those who've been these routes before. Please PM if you'll be in these areas around the same dates so we can hook up.

1) Dec 22 - Jan 5: Christmas in Laos (Luang Prabang) with family.

2) Jan 5 - 15: Hanoi with my brothers. One is a teacher, the other is a movie star and can speak fluent Vietnamese

3) Jan 15 - 25: Lawless Cambodia and the 'Land of Smiles' Thailand. Will definitely return to Ko Chang where I found out I got accepted into the PDP program last Nov

4) Jan 25 - Feb 15: Bangkok to Bali. Will hook up with a fellow PDPer who is now teaching at 'Maple Leaf' int'l school in Dalian and has winter break. Plan to route south via Malaysia and Indonesia, stop over in Borneo to climb a mountain. Mt Kota Kinabalu. Then Bali

5) Feb 15 - March 15: South India & Sri Lanka. Up to Singapore, fly to Calcutta, then loop around coast to Goa. Stay put for awhile, then loop around Sri Lanka, return to Singapore

6) March 15 - April: Myanmar: Up Malayisan coast, flight from KL to Yangon, Myanmar. Hill tribe visit, swing back through Chiang Mai to BKK, flight to Macau. Cross into Zhuhai, buy a new bike, bus down to Hainan.

7) April - May: Hainan bike trip: Loop around Hainan on a bike, then inland up-country to Yangshuo. Stop over for a few days, then gradually make my way through the mountains to Fujian. Retrace a few of my old trips in that area, and end things in Wenzhou.

Bus into Shanghai around the holidays, and start hunkering down to look for work.

The cash situation is looking pretty good - I sure as hell learned lessons from the past and won't be losing any tihis time!!

Steve