A two months trip to Asia? This is how it all began, like most things in life it was totally accidental. It really started on a Saturday night in June at Carnegie Hall. I had been invited to a concert given by a friend to celebrate her 60th birthday. The invitation was for 2 people and my glamorous friend came along. During the reception she made a beeline to a table where two single men were chatting. Within a few minutes we were part of the conversation. One of the men and I started talking and he told me that he had toured Korea, I told him that I was “thinking” of going to China. The kind of thinking, “that one of these days I will actually get my act together and go, but don't know when”.

Monday I receive a newsletter from an international Swedish organization that I belong to called SWEA, is having their regional meeting in Seoul in October. It took all of 3 minutes and my “thinking” became reality. The rather high registration fee for Seoul was remitted by the bank. Since there was basically no refund in case I changed my mind, I was committed.

Now I am sitting here and planning this trip, and trying to figure out where to go and what I want to see. This is going to be one long trip. As I go through travelogues and other people’s experiences creep up, places get added on. Before I know it I am up to two months of travel.

Anxieties, are my children alright with this? Will not be here for Thanksgiving, is that OK? What on earth am I thinking of, the children think I am crazy in a sane kind of a way.

Most people look at me in disbelief “You are going by yourself? No tour?
Then you had a travel agent plan it for you” When I say “yes I am going by myself, and no travel agent has been involved” they look at me again and say “You are so brave, I could never do that” They mean plan a trip like this and travel alone, am never quite sure which one is the ruling factor in these kinds of comments.

The thing is, I’m not particularly brave, but I am not ruled by fear. My curiosity of what is around the corner and the unknown can be a wonderful experience and sometimes it is a drag and quite boring. The planning takes time but is not difficult. I had a very good teacher my friend Sue who I went to India with. She is a travel planner par excellence.

I go through many of the travel forums, ask a lot of questions, and am informed by the “expert” that the places I had thought of going to were Disneyfied, well past their prime and really not worthwhile going to. If I wanted to see the real rural and authentic China I should take a couple of buses, one of these that lasted at least 8 hours. To then arrive in a village that had no guest accommodations and most likely nobody spoke English.

I agonize; spend an entire weekend, from morning to night looking at options.
I don’t want to be classified as a “TOURIST”. Fortunately at some point, while I am having these delusions that I am still 20 and physically fit, I realize I am a tourist.It is OK to be a tourist. There is nothing wrong with going to places that others have visited. I don’t need to be one of the first to visit a village, though I would like to. What I need to recognize are my comfort levels and not try to live up to a total stranger’s perception of how I should be traveling, very liberating thoughts. I also wonder, what kind of a middle aged woman in not the best of physical shapes decides to go to SEA on her own for 2 months. Then I realize that it is me, and who cares about anyone else.

Did I mention that I had signed up for a course in Mandarin as this trip was being planned? Well the course, which was a beginner course, took place without me.
Let me explain, I was present in person but could not remember any words.
The teacher decided to ignore me after 3 weeks; I was so far behind in vocabulary and grammar. It was easier for her to pretend I didn’t exist.
However my pronunciation was excellent according to her.

I speak with varying degree of success 6 different European languages. So how difficult could it be to learn something new? Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking, of course my daughter knew better and said take a tourist course in Mandarin, and in this case it was not Mother knows best. So here I am planning this trip with a very expensive knowledge of 4 words and not having any real clue to what I am going to see and do.

After way too many hours at the computer I have a final itinerary and actually a few reservations at hotels, or as in my case more like hostels. Since I usually spend a minimal amount of time in the room, I have selected places based on other’s recommendations. They sound nice, and if they are not the price is reasonable enough that I can walk away.

Have this final itinerary and I get an e-mail from someone on one of the forums.
She has been to Korea and China, lives in NYC and lets talk. We meet at her husband's studio, he is a photgrapher and talk. I see the pictures and am awestruck.
They went to a small town called Pingyao in China, I want to go there.
My itinerary now includes an overnight train and stay in Pingyao. (Don't know how to include links in this blog.)

The planning is a lot of fun, I had my entire time in Vietnam planned and as I am at the computer it has changed. Have now decided to take an overnight boat from Saigon to Cambodia, this way I get to go through the Mekong Delta and to Phnom Penh. Instead of flying to Phu Quoc in Vietnam, which sounds like a lovely island, undergoing tourist development, am thinking of doing my beaching in Cambodia. I was also going to go to Sapa in northern Vietnam, but since I don't hike or trek decided against it. This way I have a few more days to play with.

As you can see om my itinerary I did change my plans and will have more time in Cambodia.