I'll cut to the chase: I am not going to reveal my entire itinerary.
First of all, I don't really have anything too defined. Yes, I have a list of things I really want to do. Is it likely that I will do them all? Absolutely not. Five weeks sounds like a long vacation but it may not be enough to hit up seven countries at my pace (see also: incredibly slow). I am aiming to make a four week itinerary to do in five weeks. This allows for plenty of time to divert and get distracted.
Second, pretty much everyone who reads this regularly will be worrying about me. While I'm not planning on doing anything insanely stupid (like the typical backpacker's stop in Laos where you float down a river stopping at multiple bars just to end up with, at best, pink eye because the river has so much waste; I am pretty sure my utter disgust proves that I am getting old. Whatever, I am old and sanitary) I know some activities will sound adventurous to the faint of heart. Even Daddy has threatened that he's not going to sleep or eat while I'm gone (insert family laughter here). I can only imagine it would cause more worry if I posted a set itinerary that included the Tiger Rehabilitation Center I plan on visiting and then didn't post for a few days. There is a 99.9% chance that I would have met other backpackers and was off having too much fun to sit around an internet cafe. There is also a 99.9% chance that all of the worried souls out there would be picturing me with eyes gouged out and missing limbs.
Third, and most critical to continuing my sense of self-importance, I want you to keep coming back to read! I am sure that only Mom will be checking it regularly (and telling Dad when to read), but I like to pretend that there will be some intrigue. I encourage people to live vicariously through me. My life is AWESOME.
Fourth, and I believe finally, is that this is a way to keep everyone engaged with me. Please comment, write me emails, etc. I will get back to everyone in time!
(Should I have included safety? It probably isn't that safe to post a fully defined itinerary on the internet. I guess it can get an honorable mention at #5)
Moral of the story: remember when I said that I was going to make a post for each country that I plan on visiting before I left? I lied.
