No info, but that sounds like wonderful, wonderful trip!

you are so lucky! CAn't wait for pictures

WOW! No info here either...just wanted to wish YOU a WONDERFUL trip! :0) Very cool!

Oooo so jealous! I can't wait to see pics! I have a cousin who has lived in Singapore for many years, he recently married an executive travel agent, I will get you some must see stops & restaurants there! ~ liz

Sounds like a great trip! Don't chew gum in Singapore....tis against the law. LOL

By all means have Peking duck when in Beijing.

This is me, can you believe it, at The Great Wall, when I toured Mainland China with 4 other educators.

Great memories with many many pictures!

That black pack I purchased in Hong Kong and it still goes with me on my ventures. It just keeps on going and going and going :o) {{gwi:1568399}}

Sounds like a fabulous trip. Can't wait to hear all about it, as your itinerary is on my wish list!

I am a big fan of Celebrity!

Have a great trip and DH and his brother went to China twice and really liked it.

How very exciting. I have been to Hong Kong and Bangkok. You will find thousands of photo opportunities in both places. I expect we will see lots of Buddhas and temples upon your return. Remember not to drink the water on the mainland.

My best friends husband is a heart surgeon, they went for him to teach new procedures at hospitals there. Her comment was she wished she had packed more toilet paper!He was very upset at the lack of scrub facilities in the hospitals, in the bathroom where he went before he went into the surgery there was no place to wash, he said there was a bucket of dirty water on the floor, and of course there were no actual toilets.
I would never be able to balance myself over those kind of bathroom facilities.
They did have some beautiful pictures of their journey, she set up an online travel blog and posted pictures and blogged of their adventures, very good idea so we could all be updated as they traveled.

I love your itinerary because you get to spend enough time at each stop to see everything. It sounds like a wonderful time! Do meals come with the trip or do you have to wing it?

You can't chew gum but feel free to spit! LOL
At least of the Asians I used to work with in the factory spit freely.

I love the adventures you and your GDH (Gorgeous dh) take Jodi. Definitely looking forward to lots of pics.

Singapore is going to be great because an old Navy buddy of my "GDH" (LOL Jasdip) lives there. Gum is definitely out of the question. When we asked DH's buddy Ken what he would like us to bring him from the states, he said he'd love some gum as it actually is illegal there but didn't want to have to visit us in jail if we were caught. I suspect spitting isn't too high on Singapore's allowed list either.

Ken will show us parts of Singapore most tourists don't get to see.

We also have connections in Vietnam. Not sure which ports though. One is a client of my DH who lives part time there and part time in So Calif. The other is the sister of a fellow he plays tennis with. She is a tour guide. Hopefully we can connect with both while in VN.

I'm so sad, my camera is acting up and taking terribly blurry pictures. I went on an annual tour of a wildlife refuge on Monday where only 20 people a year are allowed to sign up. Out of 456 photos about five are worth saving. I really hate to buy a new camera before I leave but I might have to if I can't figure out what's going on. This is by far the priciest trip I've ever taken, it would be a shame to not have a working camera.

Since 14 days of the 21-day tour is on a ship most meals are included. We are on our own for two days in HK, three days in Singapore, one in Beijing and two in the air.

Jodi-

Jodi...sounds good!!!

I was in Taipei 4 years ago...everything was so cheap! I know you just redecorated, but the market for "Chinese" is HOT right now. If you have room for souvenirs....SHOP! Take a look @ this link....I think you'll get what I'm saying...yes, I know YOU do Kanji...:0)

Here is a link that might be useful: Kanji Pillows

Wow, Jodi--hard to imagine anything more exotic!!

What the heck is wrong with gum? I don't chew it myself, but I think think of a lot of other things with more reasons to outlaw.

This is great! We'll get to go to the Far East (vicariously) without the effort of going to the Far East. IF we ever did it, it would be this way, on a nice, comfy ship. DH is completely disinterested in traveling in some parts of the world.

alisande -- I think they outlawed it to avoid the mess of carelessly discarded gum. Cleaning gum sidewalks and streets is a big expense in some cities. I don't think dogs are permitted to be walked there either.

Nicole, yikes, $265 for two 19" pillows??? I was grousing about paying $20 for one very nice 22" round pillow for my Peacock rattan chair. I'm going to have to recant my grouse.

I checked around today about getting my camera cleaned and serviced for the trip and it's over $150. And mine is just a point and shoot camera, not an SLR. Perhaps it's time to join the big boys and buy a DSLR. Seriously considering a Canon 60D. Will make the decision some time this evening. The price of the trip is growing every minute. ugh.

jodi - longtime Canon user altho it's been a while since I upgraded. You can't go wrong with a DSLR for this trip of a lifetime. You won't want to be burdened with a variety of lens but there are some with a range of coverage that should work. Do expect it to be a bit of extra weight though and definitely a lot more than a good regular camera. Thinking as I type, have you heard anything about the Panasonic Lumix series? My Canon camera bag was very heavy!
With any new camera there is a learning curve, as I'm sure you know, so I would get one early enough to be comfortable with it by the time you leave.

No matter what you decide, enjoy the trip!

Here is a link that might be useful: camera

Jae, I just spoke to my photography teacher and he wholeheartedly endorsed my choice of the Canon 60D.

I currently have a Panasonic Lumix FZ100 and like it but image definition is not up to what I'm now looking for. A year ago when I bought it, it suited me fine but now that I'm not working and spending more and more time hiking, traveling and taking photos, I'm wanting more. I do not, however, look forward to lugging around a heavier camera. I will probably use only a 75mm-300mm zoom most of the time.

Jodi-

Great Jodi! You probably have lots of "what to expect" info already. I would go to the depreview site and see their recommendation on that lens. As I recall, there were 2 different ones with one being far superior than the other.

Yes, the Canon lenses with a red ring around them are a gazillion dollars more than the standard lenses. And I want one! For now, it will have to be on my wish list.

Below is what they look like. I like to take mine and nonchalantly toss it to some unsuspecting camera savvy person. They are exceedingly relieved when they catch it without dropping it, all the time thinking I'm nuts for tossing around such an expensive lens. ... until they discover it's a drinking cup. LOL

wonder if you can buy fabric still? a friend was hongkong for the old old movie the ugly american. he brought home 2 yards of ice blue brocade, which i STILL have the dress my mother made from it...

the cup is great! I have 2 of the big, 8" - 10" long and very heavy, long lenses that cost a small fortune. If you were to try and take something like that you would be very uncomfortable! I'm sure that there have been great new lens developed since I was in the market. One the size of that cup would be nice.