Hi all,

I really appreciate the information in this thread and the related Master thread, but this seems to be the place for questions! Following on from my thread about a 'fresh air' trip, I will be heading to Yunnan and TLG in a few weeks! I would appreciate any suggestions on my suggested itinerary…

10/17 SHA-LJG, arriving 8pm+
10/18 Explore Lijiang and area
10/19 Bus to Qiaotou and hiking in TLG, staying at a GH (with wifi ideally!)
10/20 Full day in TLG
10/21 Out of TLG at Walnut Grove(?), bus to Shangri-la.
10/22 Full day in Shangri-la
10/23 DIG-SHA (stopover in KMG)
10/24 - back to work!

For hiking, I am (well before I came to China!) quite fit and a couple of months ago a 30km walk or run from end to end would have been no problem, but might be now! That said, I'm looking forward to enjoying the scenery and the atmosphere and taking my time. I walk pretty quickly whatever happens!

The flights would all be on China Eastern, just looking on CTrip. The price from SHA-LJG is not too bad, though expensive from DIG-SHA, though the times are perfect to get from and to Suzhou before and after. I'm not sure from reading about the bus connections to Shangri-la at the end of the hike. It seems that it is a bit of a crapshoot if they run or not and I might have to go back to Lijiang to get there, so should I just leave Shangri-la out and fly to and from Lijiang? I really like the idea of Shangri-la, but don't like the idea of really long bus rides.

Which areas of Lijiang and Shangri-la would you recommend for hotels? I like my sleep, so while the old town may be charming, would it be better to stay elsewhere (even out of town a bit?) and walk/taxi in for the day?

Finally, and not (only) related to this trip, how long does it take to get a ticket from CTrip for a non-native with residence permit and local bank? I know that paperwork needs to be verified, but is the ticket held for that time, or do I have to wait to see what prices and availability are? This would obviously affect my itinerary given the seemingly limited space DIG-SHA.

Thanks

Dr. PITUK