This is actually a reply to an earlier post, but as suggested by the good Ellysse, i'm placing this as a new post so other people can give their points of view

-Would suggest that you fly from Manila to Beijing. The airfare is about 13,000 pesos. From there take a domestic flight which cost about RMB950 (6,000 pesos). This would be the most direct flight and also save you on hassle from multiple transfers albeit a little more costly by 1,900 pesos via Manila to Hong Kong via Cebu Pacific Airlines. (by Billy)-

Dear Billy, your tips are very helpful. I liked the way you detailed the difference in pricing of Manila-Beijing and versus Hongkong. I plan to go to Harbin December of 2008 so my question would be: Though i will have limited time to spend in Harbin still the issue of budgetis there. Since the via Hongkong is cheaper, how much still cheaper would travelling by train (say from Shenzhen or Hongkong to Beijing and then Beijing to Harbin, still by train) be? Also, how long will this route take all in all (via train)?

And more questions for you and Elysse (i'm a VTer too and i have been rating your pages):

I'd be coming in with a kid of 9 years old. I'd like to see the ice and snow sculptures why not, but with limited time my priority for the kid would be to be able to play on/with ice in a park, with mini skis or sleds. Is there such a place in Harbin?

We might be staying with some couchsurfing.com friends. What are the residential areas nearest to some, if not most, of the places to see?

This ski lodge 2 hours away, will this be very inconvenient to travel? Do we need to stay the night in the lodge or can it be done on a day-tour? Also, will that be very expensive?

Regarding visas, to enter Hongkong we Filipinos normally don't need to apply for visa. But coming to Harbin via different entry points, do i need to get a visa for each region/city/or what you might call it?

To help you help me organize this trip or just to answer my questions, here are some priorities:

1. Coming from a tropical country, basically we just want to experience snow, actual snow fall would be a bonus.

2. Play in the snow.

3. Authentic Harbin food and culture

4. People "watching", observing

5. Some russian influenced places

6. "window shopping" but not in malls

ON another thought, considering priorities 1 & 2, would you recommend i just go to winter Korea instead? would it be cheaper? Though personally and in general, i prefer China.

Thanks to both of you.

Aimees