So my bags have been packed for about three weeks now and it is hard to believe that Nanc and I are leaving in two days. Craziness! I think I have everything that I need for the 10 weeks that I am going to be gone. I've got the important things such as a fun sunhat and my bathing suit/sunscreen so I should be all set!
No, but really...I got my vaccinations a couple of weeks ago and have 10 weeks worth of Malaria pills (the kind that WON'T give me nightmares, or so they say). They gave me perscription antibiotics just incase I accidentally eat/drink something that doesn't agree with my stomach right before that 10 hour bus ride to Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam. I've got the basic for clothes, not that I will need much anyways because it is going to be 100* every day. (Sorry to rub it in!) AND I even have room in my 50 litre pack to acquire fun souvenirs for everyone back home!
For those of you that are reading this and are unsure of what I am doing, I will quickly fill you in...I have been planning a trip to Hong Kong/SE Asia for a few months now. My Aunt, Uncle, and two cousins are living over there for two years and right when I found out, I knew I would find a way to visit them. Welp folks, here I go. The plan is to stay with them for a few days and then head to Thailand with my partner in crime, Miss Nancy Koch. The day after I got home from California, I stopped in the the Killington Deli and told Nanc my plans, and right then and there she decdided she wanted to come and travel Thailand with me. A few days later the plane tickets were bought and it was settled, she would be my travel buddy for three weeks. After Thailand, Nanc will head back to the U.S. and I will be meeting my family in Cambodia for 5 days. From there, they will head to Vietnam and I will be on my own for about six weeks traveling through Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. I will then head back to HK for a week with the fam before I head home on June 10th.
Nanc and I are headed to New Jersey tomorrow to stay the night with her family down there. We will be headed to JFK Tuesday morning and the plane is scheduled for departure at 12:50 PM. Woohooo! We are going to make sure that we are prepared for our flight with plenty of nips, tylenol p.m., and a book for when we aren't busy drinking/sleeping :) You have to find ways to make a 15 hour flight go by quicker than it seems right?? We have a 3 hour layover in Beijing, which I have been told by multiple people is the biggest airport they have ever been to. I was also told by my Aunt that not many people speak english and to bring commonly used airport phrases in Mandarin Chinese. That should be fun!
The flight from Beijing to Hong Kong is just under four hours and if our flight is on time, we will be landing in HK around 9pm on Wednesday the 3rd. With the 13hr time difference, 13 hours will be magically disappearing from our day...My Aunt is amazing and has arranged a car to pick us up at the airport to bring us the 40 minutes to their house. We just have to look for the men in the green jackets holding a sign that says, "Ms. Dayton." Thanks Jeannette! You have probably saved us from what could been a two hour trip tyring to figure out which cab to take and then telling them your address in Cantonese!
I will post again once we have gotten settled on the other side of the globe!
