Come Aong With Me!

Come Along With Me!

Susie Ladnier, who traveled with me on our African safari, and I leave on Saturday, February 20, 2016 for a seven (7) week journey through Southeast Asia.  We are again, like with Africa, traveling with OAT, Overseas Adventure Travel.  This, however, looks like it is going to be very much a different kind of trip.

For Africa, four countries in 30 days, I expected tents to be tents and meals to be one kettle stew pots over open fires.  Our “glamping” accommodations were luxurious with air conditioning and claw footed bathtubs.  The only nod to camping were the canvas upper walls.  Meals were five star seven course chef executed dinners, a continental start to the day was followed by made to order Sunday breakfasts. Lunches were better than a Sunday dinner I might have at home and 11’s and tea time were part of the schedule and of course there was cocktail time!  Of course, I was anxious to sign on again!

I suspect that this trip will not be the same!  Our first week we will be in the Hill Country of North VietNam.  Temperatures should top off in the low 50’s.  So you know that the night in the stilted, thatched cottages of farmers and villagers will not be super comfortable.  We will be staying in homes in the countryside because there are no hotels there.  We will be helping to cook the meals because, you guessed it, there are no restaurants either.

All of the tabs seen in the books above indicate the places we are going to be visiting!  You can see that this is going to be an amazing trip that not everyone would have an opportunity to take.  From the Hill country we move to Hanoi and work our Way through all of VietNam.  Susie was stationed at China Beach during the war and we definitely look forward to revisiting this iconic site.  We will be going from seaside to inland lakes and on to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).  

I did not want to fly all that way and not take the chance to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia.  It looks to be amazing.  The recent excavation and exploration by sonic and laser investigation have brought it back to the forefront of archaeological research.

We then have a brief stopover back in HCMC.  My friend Ruth has introduced us to her brother and sister in law via email.  They will be meeting us for dinner on a Saturday evening and then we will have a tour of the city and a drive to the countryside to see their home and meet her family.  Then we set out for Japan.

When I went to Japan before it turned into a one afternoon visit due to the tsunami. This time we will have a chance for deep survey of the Land of the rising Sun.  We will start in Tokyo where we will meet Fred and Linda Chase.  They are joining to tour and then reversing to VietNam. We met the Chase’s in Africa and had such a great time together that we are all really looking forward to traveling together again.

Our trip ends with another of my ‘must sees.’  We will go to Hiroshima and visit the memorials to the event that changed the outcome of the last World War. It also changed the way wars will be fought ever after that.  

Our trip includes:

Hills of VietNam (7) Days -- Inside Vietnam (17) Days -- Angkor Wat, Cambodia (4) Days -- Cultural Treasures of Japan (11) Days -- Hiroshima (3) Days

(7) International Flights - (2) Internal Flights - (2) Bullet Trains – (2) Sleeper Trains – (1) Train (1) Tuk Tuk – (1) Junk – (1) Sampan –(3) Boats – (2) Ferries - (1) Aerial Gondola – (1) Cog Railway – (1) Rental Van – (1) Motor Scooter

Are you exhausted yet?  I am.  Just thinking about it is overwhelming.  Wish me luck!