It’s all being locked in! Flights are being booked, accommodation sorted, tours arranged. When people ask, “So, where are you off to next?” and I tell them, the range of response has surprised me – from the eager and supportive of, “How exciting!” . . . to the disappointment of, “Good grief! Why would you want to go there?!” You mean apart from the people, the culture, the history, the food, the geography and did I mention THE PEOPLE? To be honest, the only drawback I can think of is that I will be pretty much sporting a blonde ‘afro’ from the moment I step off the plane, but I can live with that (and it reminds John of when we first met!).
Already it has become an adventure – while Cambodia and Vietnam are up to date with tourism (bookings, credit cards, ATMs, internet), Myanmar or Burma, of course, is not! It will be incredibly thrilling to visit a country so recently ‘open’ to tourism, and I am sure we will be presented with many challenges, but am positive these will be far outnumbered by the joys.
[SIDEBAR: According to the BBC on the Myanmar/Burma question, “if Burmese people are writing for publication they use ‘Myanmar,’ but speaking they use ‘Burma’.”]
So, readers, keep checking for updates of the business of planning and decision making, after which you will be bombarded by the usual stunningly gorgeous photographs by John and (hopefully!) engaging text by me. The itinerary is shaping up to be quite diverse, and I look forward to giving oodles of feedback on hotels, cruises and restaurants along the way.
