jiejie:

i agree with your thoughts -- and that was why I was looking for a 2nd opinion...

my previous trips with multiple transfers/etc were a little rough -- the day leaving one hotel/going to another hotel is a loss almost 100% of the time secondary to logistics/packing/stress etc. 2 of those on an 11 day trip including the day of arrival and the day of departure is essentially 4 lost days!!

i'm thinking of revamping this trip to be less travel intensive...

Thanks!