Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Prague

So I am pretty much ready to go. I've been to REI about a dozen times, mostly to exchange things I changed my mind about (rollers or backpack? large or small? Do I really need that thingy ma-jiggy?) I settled on one carry-on with rollers, one over-the-shoulder bag and bought them from an entirely different store. There is the floppy hat, sun screen, bug spray, roll up pants, water purification, passport, extra passport photos, vaccinations, malaria pills, etc. and the dog sitter... seriously I've been planning this for months. With a copy of "Wild" and dozens of movies burned to my computer, from "Slumdog Millionaire" to "Brokeback Mountain," I am ready to go.

My friend Malia, of Altruvistas, planned a trip to S.E. Asia for her family and she offered me a chance to join along. She's an expert in ethical travel and the itinerary is amazing. I decided to stay and explore somewhere nearby after they leave and was blown away when I saw photos of Halong Bay, Vietnam. A friend referred a tour company who booked the week for me, and it turns out that my niece had her honeymoon there so she referred a cool junket for the bay. I saw that a group of friends were going to be in Prague the day after I was supposed to fly home. Well, I've always wanted to go there so I delayed my return from Hanoi to take a jag towards the Czech Republic. I may take a train from there to Vienna too, who knows? All I know is that this will definitely be an adventure!

This trip begins the next part of my life where I've finished my will, changed my name and now get to figure out where/what/who I want to be. How grateful am I? Very! Wish me bon voyage!