Yay, Travel
I have been working this weekend, honest, but I have also had some fun working out my summer travel plans, something that has been made necessary by having more leave accrued than my employers like to see. People have been asking me what I will be doing over the summer and I have mumbled things like "house to repair" under "I'd love to go to Mexico" and "Well, I've been wanting to go to Vietnam for a long time".
Yesterday I got busy on some airline sites and have now booked flights, one way only at the moment, as my credit card was starting to protest. I am so glad that the new budget sort of airline now allows one way, sector by sector flying without penalising us with big fares. So, towards the end of November I make a short hop across the Tasman, and then bounce north to Darwin. I have never been there, have no idea when I'll get back there, so will be staying for a little while. Yes, the weather will be hot and humid, it might even rain, a lot, but I am assured there will be fantastic thunderstorms every afternoon. I have no doubt I'll be able to survive that for the three days I have to wait for my cheap flight to Singapore ($40!!!, although taxes bump it up somewhat).
Singapore is another place I've never been, and there are some really cheap deals on hotels, if you don't mind staying in some less posh areas, so again I'll stay for a few days. Then the real adventure starts: I fly to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand (the coup has not stopped tourism not closed borders, yet) so I can cross into northern Laos. Then I'll have about five weeks [FIVE WEEKS!] to sweep down through Laos and Cambodia into south Vietnam, and head north to fly home from Hanoi. Very cool. Of course, my trip might be like my one to India, where I got stuck in Nepal eating buffalo steaks and lemon meringue pie, so lazy we were having it delivered to the hostel from the reggae bar across the street. I can see myself getting stuck in Chiang Mai.
In preparation, I have decided I need some sort of portable writing device, and have learnt that you can get a wireless keyboard which will input data into a PDA - far more practical for travelling than a laptop. Once again, I will take a camera but, as with every previous trip will probably not take any photos or, those that I do take will linger undeveloped until the film explodes.
Labels: Travel
posted by Barry at
12:35 AM
8 Comments:
That is very cewl. Be sure to update me when you have some pics up of your trip! Thx
How fantastic - I'm v jealous. I went to Cambodia for a month a couple of years ago. It's so beautiful. Have fun!
Pacific Rim or bust!
Oh, the meals you'll eat. I'm jealous!
Pleased to meet you.
First, how did you find my blog? I am amazed at the connectedness of things in blogger world.
Secondly, why on earth don't you own a digital camera? Then you could post photos of your trip.
Hey, Tricia - you now have a blog! Cool.
Pix: I'm not sure how I came across your place, maybe you said something at the backyard, who knows! But I think I will be taking a camera, it is just that I am absolutely crap at making sure I use it!
Hello also to Al and to Rachie.
Wow -- that trip sounds pretty amazing.
Sounds like a great trip, Barry.
I saw you left a comment on my blog w/r/t expression 'rats and mice'. Thanks for the confirmation, although I think I was holding a little bit of hope that it wasn't so & was only a practical joke. :)
Re: comment you left on Dorothy W's blog yesterday regarding interactive game. I laughed that the grad student insists it isn't a game. Although I don't play them, I am really struck by how online role-playing games are like fiction. Sort of a fiction-on-the-fly thing, I think, inventing the world as you play, although, from what I can tell, there are definite rules, boundaries, etc. Didn't want to leave this on Dorothy's blog as my comments really stray from the topic of that post, but I guess not really pertinent to this post either, heh? Reminds me of these do-it-yourself adventure books that I saw for reluctant YA readers back in the 80's that had multiple alternative endings. Don't know if they are still around as I've been out of the education business for a long time now.
Enjoy your trip. I hope you continue to blog during it. I've added your blog to my bloglines listing so I will stop back here again.
It's been over 8 years, but the smoke sauna/massage in Luang Prabang and the Merguez lamb sausages in Vientiene were v. memorable.
Old New Yorker magazines are great for Asia trips. I have a wee stack I can send over to you, and you can sometimes pick them up in some of the good used bookstores.
I have some old Film Comments/The Big Takeovers I don't know what to do with, too.
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