Heading out

Just a very quick message to kick off the journey - my flight to San Francisco-Taipei-Hanoi leaves in a few hours and I've still got a few errands to run before heading out to the airport. I've had all summer to think about this trip (in between river trips) but it managed to sneak up on me....funny how that happens. At any rate, I'm new to this whole blog-o-sphere thing and still working out a few kinks on the site. If all goes well, I'll have a couple of slide shows up and running just as soon as I start clicking my cameras. Word on the street is that Vietnam does NOT suffer from a lack of internet cafes, so I hope to be able to update this blog on a regular basis. And while the blog is primarily a way for me to journal about my experiences over the next three months, I invite and welcome all of my friends and family to follow along with me (I know for a fact that many of you have nothing better to do until the snow starts flying).



For those of you who aren't familiar with my "situation," in addition to being a full time river guide, I'm also a nearly graduated law student at the University of Utah. Only three or four classes to go before I'm finally and forever cut loose from the world of academia. However, scheduling being what it is, those classes are offered in the spring, not fall. So, with a newly opened four-month hole in my calendar, combined with equal parts wanderlust and revulsion over this years political campaigning (by the way, this site wholeheartedly SUPPORTS OBAMA), I decided it was a good time to get out and see a new part of the world.



Why Vietnam? While I've been back and forth to Southeast Asia over the years to travel and visit family (Mom and Dad are expats in Bangkok), I've never spent any slow-moving "quality" time in Vietnam, or Cambodia for that matter. Other than quick trips to Hanoi and Ankor Wat a couple of years ago, traveling parent-style (sweet digs and chauffeured rides), I haven't had a chance to wander, explore, and meet the locals. So, that's the goal of this adventure: wander, explore, and meet the locals. Of course, there's a practical side to this trip as well - I hope to visit a half-dozen NGOs (non-governmental orgs) during my travels in an effort to scope out the international employment scene. That, of course, sealed the deal when securing an (enthusiastically) excused absence from school for several months. "Cam on ba," Dean Dickey.


Alright, that's it for now. Emilie is picking me shortly for the airport and then I'll be settling in for my 17+ hour flight. If all goes well, I'll be writing from Hanoi by Friday. Until then, Peace.

Next stop, 'Nam.