Preparations

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I look out the window and see snow drifts while thinking that soon enough I will be broiling in the heat, in a place where people don't know about snow. There are still a few tenatious apples clinging to the tree. The sun is setting, orange against a bright blue sky. The snow on the underside of the drifts is an almost blue, flecked with the red clay blown in from the potato field across the road.

Though we don't leave Canada until Jan. 10th, we bid the Island adieu on Thursday for our annual Christmas in Québec . After celebrating both our mother's birthdays early in the New Year, we driveback to Middle Ohio, Nova Scotia to drop off the dog at his buddy Byron's place. Our friends will care for him while we are exploring Cambodia and Laos for a month.

These are very special friends. Not many people would welcome a 130 pound Newfie into their house. Even if their Newf weighs more. It is like having two teenagers laying about all the time.

After we drop off Tukk we hustle back to Halifax for a long flight westward with stops in Toronto, Vancouver, Tokyo and Bangkok where we can get horizontal for a while.The next day (or the one after that since we lose one along the way somewhere) we do the last leg of the journey by air to Luang Prabang, Laos.

We are looking forward to 11 days in Laos, working our way south on foot, by car, elephant and kayak to the border with Cambodia. There are a couple of days of white-water rafting in there too. My mind spins already in anticipation of all the stunning landscapes and beautiful people we will meet as we make our way along the Mekong River.

We will then fly from Pakse, Laos to Siem Reap in Cambodia to do some volunteer work. We are still working out the details on that part. Here we will certainly visit Ankor Wat. It has been on my list of "must see's" since I was 10 years old. Then a boat to Phnom Penh. After a few days checking out the museums, we will start our journey home via Bangkok, Tokyo, Vancouver, Calgary and Halifax.

Plans are to stop over a few days in Vancouver to re-adjust to Canadian culture and to visit friends we don't see often enough.

I just recently discovered this site and will give it a try. My other travel journals to France and Peru/Chile can be found at MSN/Groups. Here are the links. Do visit so they will stay alive.

http://groups.msn.com/RanndoLot2004
http://groups.msn.com/ChilBoleru03

Ideally, I will post daily with comments about where we are, what we have seen, our lodgings, cuisine and people we meet. Hopefully these ramblings will be accompanied by pics but this will depend on how often I can find an internet café.

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Photos

Snow Apples
Should be real crispy now.