Route
To hush my naysayers, I’m finally putting a flexible itinerary on paper – here it is!
Departure date is set for June 2010, possibly mid-May. See the countdown clock on the sidebar to check my status.
1. Calgary, Alberta – 1 month. Want to reconnect with my brother and mom. Oh, and the sunsets. Pretty damn amazing.
2. Stop over in Saskatchewan – possible reunion with ex-boyfriend. Good idea or bad?
3. Toronto, Ontario – 3 weeks. I’ve been pleasantly bombarded with emails from friends about the fashion district, St. Lawrence Market and Muskoka county – time to touch instead of see.
4. Montreal, Quebec – 4 weeks. Bagels and lox, the food, fashion, random interactions and cathedrals are on the checklist.
5. St. John, New Brunswick – 4 weeks with wiggle room. Why? My best friend lives here - I promised to do renos and pick blueberries with her.
6. New York – 3 to 4 days. Travel by bus to New York and fly to London, UK. I might try to meet up with my cousin Kenny. He use to live near Woody Allen.
7. London, UK – no idea. I’m going to finagle a cheap flight to… →
8. Goa, India!! – 1 or 2weeks? India is vastly important. If my ducks are lined up, I’ll be volunteering with Child Haven for 3 months. It’s a mystery where I might be sent. The likely location is Hyderabad.
9. India – barring stomach rot or heatstroke, I hope to spend 2 to 3 extra months here beyond my time with Child Haven.
10. Sri Lanka – if it’s deemed safe to go, my fascination with this place must be explored!
11. Nepal – 3 weeks. I cannot ignore the birthplace of Buddhism.
12. Bangladesh – 2 weeks. My intuition tells me Bangladesh will be similar to Cambodia, a nation that doesn’t buckle, but survives.
13. Burma - 2 or 3 weeks. My conscience is nagging me, whether or not to go, which means opposing the world’s disapproval of the Burmese government. Sometimes my curiosity is larger than my sense.
14. Thailand – 1 month. This country holds important significance. Post-Thailand – I left my boyfriend, lost 30 pounds, and emerged re-born. You know, into the gal you read about today.
15. Vietnam – 1 month. I adore this country. Everything about it. Having missed out on touring the north (due to SARS), it’s time for another twirl.
16. Philippines – 1 month. Me and the IT guy at work engage in long conversations about his native country.
17. Malaysia – 1 month or more? I already have the name of a hostel courtesy of the barista at my office building, the rest will be easy.
18. Indonesia – 1 month. That Linda Hunt stole my heart in The Year of Living Dangerously. Alright, it was a young, unblemished Mel. It just sounds politically correct to choose the former, instead of the latter.
What happens next will be a mystery. My personal vote is Latin America because my fondest wish is to become a scuba diving bum in Honduras. Doesn’t that sound more appealing than the office?
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
@Sarah – Honestly, I haven’t gotten that far into planning yet! Any suggestions are welcome on Indonesia. :)
Spent 2 weeks in Indonesia last July…holy wow. Completely eye opening for me. Never made it to the resorts of Bali. We stayed on Java in Malang and Surabaya. Where in Indonesia do you think will you explore?
@Alison – Darn it! There’s a good chance I might be there. Let’s keep in touch and see!
Unfortunately I’ll be in Poland in Sept. for a wedding. Well not unfortunate that I’ll be in Poland, rather excited about that but too bad I’ll miss you in SJ. You’ll just have to come see us in Bxl!
@Alison – I would love to meet up! I might still be in Montreal by then. Any chance you could stick around St. John in Sep. ?
Ooo, When will you be in Saint John?? That’s my hometown and I’ll be there in August. It would be great to meet up!