Out of Michigan and into Southeast Asia

About this blog

Well here it is - the "rough" description of what my trip will hopefully become. As it looks now I will be departing the States around May 3rd (there are a lot of "around times" in my schedule so you might as well get use to it). If all goes well I should be through Hong Kong and wake up from my Lunesta inspired stupor at a hotel in Saigon (also known as Ho Chi Minh City or HCMC) on the morning of the 5th. I have yet to decide if I am going to stay two nights in Saigon, it really is dependent on how I'm feeling after the flight and if I feel up to taking off on the next leg of the trip the morning after the ungodly hours of "airtime".

I will be leaving Saigon via a five-hour bus ride to My Tho - it is the launching point for a two or three day boat trip up the Mekong River to the Cambodian border. I have things planned all the way up the river but don't want to spoil future posts with the details before I get there (well that and my plans could change while I'm traveling and I may end up doing something totally different - who really knows?).

A little explanation may be due here: I'm flying into Vietnam and making my way to Cambodia because I'm flying on companion passes with United airlines. It just so happens that Saigon is the city that is closest to the Cambodian border that United flies to. Even after paying the whopping $55 price tag for the river trip I end up saving over $500 on the airfare portion of the trip (which gives me that much more "orphan power " once I cross the border).

Once I cross the border into Cambodia I have to make my way to the town of Takeo. Honestly, the details are sketchy here because I haven't quite figured out exactly how I'm getting there. Maybe by a bus via Phnom Penh or possibly a short bus ride to another river and a two-hour boat trip up a canal into town (I'll be figuring that one out after a couple of beers and conversations at the Cambodian border).

Once in Takeo I will be staying at New Futures Organization (you can check out their website at www.newfuturesorganisation.com). I plan on staying there until the morning of the 12th (some dates are actually set in stone but I have left plenty of time in front of them to make sure I'm where I need to be - even if it is a day early).

I'm hoping to take a day trip to Kompot and with a little luck get to Bokor Mountain while I'm staying in Takeo. Of course those are hopes and wants, so we will see as the trip moves forward - I could end up on an island in the South China Sea or finding myself unwilling to leave the orphanage once I get there.

On the 12th I have to hightail it to Phnom Penh to meet up with Kevin. He arrives a day before the rest of the group and I have made arrangements with him to get us a place to crash while we wait for the group to arrive (note to self: I need to come up with a better name for "the group" and "adventure lacking souls" is probably not appropriate).

"The group" arrives on the evening of the 13th. Somehow, in the middle of the millions of people that make up the population of the Cambodian capitol, Kevin and I are going to find them. I guess if I find Kevin the day before then finding "the group" should be a walk in the park. The next two weeks are kind of a whirlwind tour of schools, orphanages, and the like. The itinerary and details are figured out by the school so I'm just going to sit back and enjoy someone else doing the planning for a little while (or tolerate it anyways). I know we end the trip in Siem Reap after a couple of days at Angkor Wat, that will bring me to the 25th of May.

At this point I "think" I'm leaving the group on the 25th and making my way back to Vietnam (although Bangkok is an option I have yet to rule out). Maybe I am best to say that after the 25th I will make my way back to a city in Southeast Asia that United flies out of? I have allowed two days to get to wherever I end up. Hopefully that leg of the journey will take me to some sort of intriguing location and a plane that is heading Stateside on the 28th.

So that is my trip in a nutshell. I am hoping to post along the way and keep everyone up to date on where I am and how the trip is going (with details and photos of both the good and the bad). Originally my intentions were to put posts up on Facebook as I travel; however, I feel the posts will end up being too long for a "status update", Other than the length there is the fact that Facebook is illegal in Vietnam (although I hear there are ways around the communist block against the site).

So my friends this is where you will find me, save the sight and read along as the "adventure" unfolds. I thank you for taking the time to read through this portion and hopefully I will be filling your month of May with some exciting (if not comical) adventures as I solo travel across a distant location.

Happy trails and Blue Skies.