The countdown is on - only one more month until we board that plane at YYZ and embark on the 27-hour journey to Vietnam. We are flying with Cathay Pacific, which is a great airline that specializes in Asia travel. We will be flying over to Hong Kong because my mother didn't want to risk flying over Japan. (My parents have both been so paranoid about radiation - their remedy for prevention? Eat more salt!)
I'm nervous but I'm excited. My mother, on the other hand, is a bundle of nerves. She has gone on vacation before - with my sister Michelle - but she's never had to worry about any of the details or even packing for herself! Michelle works with tight timelines and to-do lists and is always ready for rain, sleet or earthquake. I, however, am all about packing light. I spent two weeks in Italy with only a backpack and no cash or credit card (not intentionally but we made it work somehow) and two weeks in India with about five outfits in total. I'm hoping that we have laundry service somewhere and since every piece of clothing from Forever21 is "Made in Vietnam," I'll be able to find new items at a discounted price. Needless to say, I don't think my non-chalant attitude isn't helping my mother with her nerves!
Today, I spent about 15 minutes looking up apartment rentals in Vietnam for the last week that we are in HCMC. I found this wonderful rental but unfortunately, it's not available for the week that we are there. The travel agent told us that we could easily find a hotel rental in Vietnam for about $30/night but I really don't want to risk it. We only need it for 7 nights, which is not much if the rate for a 5* hotel is $80/night.
I'm trying to read up on Vietnam and actually found the National Geographic's Traveler's Guide to Vietnam. It's such a wonderful series and I have been learning about the history and geographical areas of the country. I'm still in awe of all the things I never knew or even sought to find out. Really, I am seeing Vietnam for the very first time again and there's so much to see. I'm glad that we're going to see all the trendy parts of Vietnam but a part of me really wants to adventure off the beaten track because that's when you really get to know the culture and the people.
Ahh!!! One month to go...
