I've not travelled overseas for six years now. As the blog title suggests, I'm starting to get grey hairs now (at forty something), and was getting seriously itchy feet to see more of the big wide world.
So a few months ago I bit the bullet, covered my eyes while looking at my bank statement (which wasn't as healthy as it could have been), and booked return tickets for a 5 week trip to Vietnam.
The idea of going to Vietnam had been bubbling away in my mind for a few years. The mystery and romance of that former French colony -the site of the notorious Vietnam war, had begun to entice me, and when I saw an episode of Top Gear and watched the TG lads motoring their way (loudly and brashly as always) through the picture postcard countryside and beach resorts of Vietnam, I was hooked for real. The bustling cities like Hanoi and Saigon, with their mass of scooters, people and animals, and the colourful little cottage industries. The hill tribes, and the water puppet theatres. This was a country I couldn't ignore.
From what I've heard the Chinese have recently started paying their workers decent wages, and so many multinational manufacturing companies have relocated their factories to South East Asia to take advantage of the still cheap labour rates. I realised that Vietnam may not be a 'secret paradise' for very much longer -it could turn into an industrial wasteland or "pave paradise, and put up a parking lot" (as Joni Mitchell might croon). I'd better 'get on my [proverbial] bike", and organise to go there while I still had the chance.
To cut a long story short, I leave on 30th September, and return 5 weeks later on 6th November, and will travel on my own (much to the amazement of some less intrepid acquaintances of mine)! Since I've always travelled alone, I see no particular reason to break the mold now!! I've planned an exciting itinerary that takes me from Hanoi in the North (where I'll spend about 4 days sightseeing), up to Lao Can and the Sapa border highlands (on the border with China) where I'll trek into villages inhabited by hill tribes. From there I travel back to Hanoi and then to the fascinating knobbly little limestone islands in Halong Bay, where I will do a junk cruise for a couple of days. Then I'll travel by train (aptly nicknamed the 'Reunification Express') down the coast to Hue (the ancient capital), Hoi An (a cute seaside town, with a wealth of great little tailoring shops where you can order a suit for under $50), and Nha Trang, a more glitzy seaside resort. From there I'll take a detour up to the highland alpine town of Dalat (apparently a little like Switzerland) for some hiking, and then back down to the lowlands, where I travel to Saigon, then to the Mekong Delta, then a few idyllic days on Phu Quoc island (off the west coast) by plane. Then I detour into Cambodia for about a week to visit Siam Reap/Angkor Wat, before flying out of Saigon (back to NZ through Australia) on Guy Fawkes Day.
I hope to be blogging and posting photos every day (as I'll have a trusty Samsung tablet with me). I hope to gather some followers on my travels!
