Not All Those That Wander Are Lost....

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“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things - air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” - Cesare Pavese

😱 Here I go again.... time to set off on another Reety journey... sitting here trying to write the initial itinerary blog finding it hard to decide what to write, I lose myself in thought thinking about why I travel... I travel to learn and grow... to challenge myself... stretch my limits... and simply to foster an appreciation of both the world at large and the home I have waiting back here in Adelaide... 'I see my path, but I don't know where it leads.... Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel it....'

It's easy to lose sight of things in everyday life... and when you travel, everything seems to balance out. It becomes part of your blood... and once bitten by the 'bug', its hard to live an ordinary life... without the vision of the next trip in the back of your mind... Travel helps me overcome the notion that I must be 'regular'...

This time, Vietnam is the destination... with a detour through Queensland to visit travel buddies I've made along the way in my previous journeys.. and a couple of overnight stay's in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia... I will be meeting my friend McKay in Hanoi to start a journey together that we have planned since meeting at the Full Moon Party (FMP) back in February 2008.

McKay and I originally met online through the Trip Advisor forum both planning Thailand holidays for the same time.. after discovering we would be in Ko Phangan for the February FMP we decided to meet up and invited other 'older' travellers to come along and hang out on the night with us... what transpired was a group of travellers from Denmark, the USA, Scotland and Australia all meeting up to tackle the notorious FMP together... we only spent a night together but hit it off, kept in contact and decided to tackle a new country together... and here we are!

Vietnam has been hard and tiring trying to organise... having become a Thailand expert I struggled to find the motivation to start all over again and find the hidden gems of a new country... but many hours of research later and with alot of help and motivation from my travel partner McKay (and over 270+ emails back and forth) we finally got it all together... little hotels in the right price range, tours that come with fantastic reviews, internal flights and train rides... we are sorted!

Along the way we will trek through mountains and meet the local tribes in Sapa; sail the UNESCO World Heritage listed Halong Bay on a luxury junk boat; cruise through the countryside near Hoi An on the back of motorbikes; celebrate Full moon in Hoi An; take a cooking class to learn how to cook traditional Vietnamese; drink cocktails and watch sunsets on a tiny slice of paradise in the Gulf of Thailand; cruise the Mekong Delta trying banana wine and coconut candy; experience a sunrise at the famous Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi; travel the overnight train Vietnamese style; drink Bia Hoi with the locals at Bia Hoi Corner, Hanoi (thats Vietnamese beer made fresh daily for those who are wondering!) and any other adventure we can find along the way....

So its time to set sail...

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

Reety xxxx

PS Dont forget to leave comments below!

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The trip is as follows:

October 15 - 19 Brisbane/Gold Coast - catching up with travel buddies
October 20 Kuala Lumpar
October 21 Hanoi
October 22/23 Halong Bay - Colombus Cruise "Pinta Gold"
October 23 Overnight train to Sapa
October 24 - 26 Sapa
October 26 Overnight train to Hanoi
October 27 - 29 Hanoi
October 29 Overnight train to Hoi An
October 30 - November 2 Hoi An
November 3/4 Ho Chin Minh City (Saigon)
November 5 - 9 Phu Quoc Island
November 10/11 Ho Chin Minh City (Saigon)
November 12 Kuala Lumpar
November 13 HOME

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Photos

Reet and McKay
Our fateful meeting in February 2008.....

Comments

[Tom Payne]

Great Times
Wow! What an adventure. I'm excited already and expect you to keep us updated and post a ton of photos.

[McKay]

So excited
Honey I'm so excited for our adventure! I can't wait for it to start! xoxo

[Sonni]

Go well my sweet friend
We are just like 2 peas in a pod.......always off exploring the world 1 at a time. Go well.....know that I love you and that I hang onto every word that you post. You are amazing!!! You inspire me xoxo

[Kristina Wilkening]

Wow!
Hey Reet, Wow. Sounds great! Like everyone else...look forward to your posts. Safe travels, and happy journey! Kristina

[Sharon and Stan]

Good Travels
Hi Reet, can't believe you are lucky enough to be going travelling again, we are so envious. Not sure if you remember us, we met briefly in Thailand 3 years ago in Kanchanaburi then bumped into you again in Bangkok, anyway, we have followed your travels since and hope to be travelling again ourselves this winter, we are a British couple living in Rhodes, Greece, for us looks like Thailand is on the cards again, but hopefully would like to go across to Cambodia, was going to write to you to get some tips actually as you went there the year we met you, wondered if you could put us in touch with who you used to go there. If possible let us know. Anyway, enjoy your travels we will be keeping up with your blogs, look forward to them in fact. Cheers. Sharon

[Rene]

Yes, can't wait
Hi Reet, looking forward to the journey ahead....take care and safe travels xxx

[Sue Martin]

you're back!
Reet, I have always enjoyed your blogs..and I'm glad you're back to share some more of them.. We are going to KL in January so I am interested to see what you think of it.

[Rod]

Hey cous!
Hi Reet, great to see you heading off on your adventure's again. I'm looking forward to reading your exciting blogs. Take care and have lots of un. xxx

[Wendy Ennis]

Can't wait for the book!
Just when are you going to sit down and write a wonderful coffee table book of your travels. You certainly do some very interesting off beat travel and see as much as you can in your trips. Well done with the planning. Can't wait to hear the adventures as they unfold. Wen xoxoxo

[barnaby davies]

Take a jumper!
'Vietnam is hot, isn't it?' This is the mistake I once made, travelling Vietnam in January 2002! I went with a partner, loftily boasting that South East Asia straddles those equatorial, steamy, erogenous zones (OK, so that was me being silly).. But in Hanoi they had no heating in the hotel rooms. And hot water was an extra cost. The temperature was perhaps 8 degrees, but it really was like sleeping in a bus stop - both of us huddled in gloves and jackets and hats in bed, celebrating New Year with a bottle of Dalat red wine. A word of warning: it is the worst wine you will ever taste. Other than that, hope you have a blast. Look forward to a blog or two..

[kjdammerman]

hi
Hi Reet. I just came across your blog today on the homesite and wanted to say good luck in your travels!! Can't wait to see pictures of Vietnam! =) ~Kari Dammerman

[louise]

NOT AGAIN! SO SOON!
IM' so jealous . I love reading your blogs, looking forward to here how Vietnam is . Lou

[karin0040]

happy travels
Hi Reet, hope you have a great time. Looking forward to your new blogs...we are looking at a side trip next year with the view of going somewhere new next time..... so can't wait for your travel adventure. Know what you mean about starting anew!! cheers Karin

[Narelle Collins]

Can't wait!
Hey Reet - can't wait to see you up in Brisbane. I promise to show you all my fav foodie haunts and we'll have 'few' drinks too I'm sure...!

[Karrie Taylor]

Enjoy!
Aw girls, have a fun time, will be eagerly awaiting the trip reports! Much Love Karrie xx

[Dan76]

Dan & Shan: Green with envy!
Hey Reet!! Not long to go now, you lucky bugger!! We promise not to get you too drunk so you miss your plane fro the Gold Coast!! We look forward to reading of your adventures! :)