Finding A Large Suitcase

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Thirteen days and counting. We've been busy doing last minute work on the house and rental properties. I think Noah is as eager for us to be off as we are to be gone. He will be the supreme commander of the house and the house cats while we are gone. Since we are spending a minimum of 4 months away we are packing a bit more than usual. Books, laptop, DVD player, snorkels and fins etc... Karen has been doing a test packing which is always an exercise in futility as things never quite fit the first time around.

We are planning to start in Malaysia for 5 days after a short stop in Singapore and then a flight to Bali where we will spend a couple of months. After that; Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam if we can secure the required Visas. The trip is open ended so if need be we can easily extend our time. After doing the math we were amazed to discover that we will actually be saving money while away. We're budgeting for $50 a day which is quite doable. Our hotel in Bali is $12 per night and a decent meal for two can be had for $5. After 4 prior vacations to the same area we are pretty satiated with regard to shopping though there is always the chance of a slip into our 'bad' habits at one time or another. We're counting on it. We're planning on doing a lot of reading and checking out first hand the stunning reefs of Indonesia. I am planning on learning to surf. It's something I've always wanted to do and my ability to survive a near drowning incident probably won't last much longer!

Pluses to the journey include missing the negative TV ads during the elections, (Don't worry, we did an absentee ballot) and the chaos of the financial markets. A big minus will be spending Christmas away from home without Noah.

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