What a week!

I can't believe it's one week since I set off on this adventure. I've had such a busy time; settling into my hotel room, buying an electric kettle, plate, bowl and mug so that I can at least have a drink and a snack in my room. I usually eat with Mark, either at the school canteen or at a 'cafe' where we may eat noodles or rice with some veg and meat. Not exactly like Chinese food; somewhat more basic. The national dish is pho, pronounced 'far', which they have for breakfast; noodles in broth with meat and a bowl of leafy greens that are added to the hot broth. It's very nutritious. One morning we had this at a roadside establishment that serves this all morning then shuts for the rest of the day. This is our breakfast being made.

To go anywhere we go by bike and I ride pillion withMark or anyone else who's going with us shopping or to the Cinema, which are in the same building. The underground 'Car park' is full of bikes, with not a car in sight! The Co-op Mart is a three story supermarket, each floor for different departments; food, household and clothes, and stationery and books. On the very top floor is the plushest Cinema that rivals even our own Cinema world and to see a film only costs the equivalent of £1. It's more expensive for refreshments!

Most of my time has been spent at the English School where I've already started teaching, meeting the teachers and trying to remember their names, and attending Mark's classes with the more advanced students, which are always stimulating and fun. The students range from 5 years old to teenagers and even older. They are all so keen to learn and usually very intelligent. There are the odd ones who find it all a bit of a bore and are only there because their affluent parents want them to get on in life, which means mastering the English language. This is only one of many private schools here, catering to wealthy parents.

In this town of Bien Hoa (Been Hwa), oppulent houses with fancy iron railings and closed gates line the roads together with what can only be described as hovels, selling anything from fresh food to cooked food, laundry to barbers and from toiletries to clothes; the seamstress sitting at her sewing machine in the open shop and the mechanics with a backlog of bikes. They acknowledge my greeting with a smile. As I take my life in my hands, poised to cross the road against the surging tide of bike traffic, a passing rider may pat his pillion seat encouragingly as though to offer a lift but I haven't gone that far yet!

You would not believe the traffic! Like an army of ants scurrying and weaving in and out, barely acknowledging any rules of the road, and yet flowing with hardly an accident, I think, because they don't speed and there are hardly any cars. I have seen an occasional bus, lorry or expensive car picking a child up from school or depositing ladies at a restaurant. Pedestrians just wade in and let them flow around.

This is so alien to my usual life, yet so stimulating that I don't feel tired, but I do sleep well. So goodnight and sweet dreams.

Great to hear from you Celia... let me know how your plans are going!

Hello from Viet Nam!

I'm here and finally online in my hotel room. It's 10.30 at night here; 6 hours ahead of the UK and I'm ready for bed so I'll very briefly give you my first impressions of VietNam from the time Mark picked me up at Ho Chi Minh Airport on Sunday morning. Firstly, it's a very busy city full of people buzzing about on motorscooters and bicycles. This morning I took my life in my hands to cross a road on the way to the English school to meet Mark.

Around 12.00 everything stops as people go home for lunch and siesta for 3 to 4 hours. Then its HOT! Occasional rain does cool it down a bit. Today I came back to my Air Conditioning room, stripped off and sat with a wet flannel on my head to cool down.

The people are very friendly, the women very beautiful and the men mostly good looking. They appear happy and easy going, but there is a tendency for good men to go out drinking, leaving wives and family at home. So what's new?

I joined Mark's class this evening and had a great time answering their forthright questions; 'How old are you?' being one of the first things they ask, so I ask them to guess. I'll enjoy teaching here, they are so eager to learn.

I must sleep now. Catch up later.

If I should not Return

Today the news is of a terrible plane crash in Spain and my heart goes out to those involved in the tragedy. For the injured and bereaved nothing will ever be the same again.

However, I don’t identify personally with such disasters. I have no more fear of flying than of driving on a motorway to get to the airport or crossing the road to get to the shop. I do trust modern technology in spite of all the Disaster films I’ve seen! But I also don’t consider myself immune from chance and unforeseen circumstance and am therefore motivated to put my own thoughts in order at this time.

If I should not return from this trip I wish to make clear to my family and friends that my positive attitude and inner resilience have been hard won. (In my younger days I would frequently berate myself for my stupidity but that was before I understood anything about psychology or energy medicine.)

I consider that whatever has happened in my life, the tragic events as well as the good times, are simply the ingredients of who I am today. I miss those who’ve been lost but regret nothing and value nothing so much as the love and companionship of my dear family. I want my children to know that I loved their father completely, as far as I was able at such a young and innocent age, in spite of what happened. (Other readers are free to imagine...) What hardships we came through are insignificant in comparison to many others’ lives. I even feel that I’ve had a charmed life! I’ve never starved or been homeless. I may have been betrayed, deserted and defrauded, but never beaten up, raped or mugged. So far I’ve never had a serious accident or debilitating illness. My family are generally fit and healthy. We are blessed with good genes.

I believe that to a large extent we make our own lives. When I lived in fear of what might happen... it did, but usually in a way I could not even imagine! Now I imagine how great life can be... and even greater opportunities appear. I’m happy with my life and want nothing more than to spread a little of that happiness wherever I go.

Now I’m not for a moment suggesting that the people on that plane somehow, through their negative thoughts, caused their plane to crash; perish the thought. We are all subject to other influences, the complex webs of cause and effect that culminate in chance and unforeseen circumstance. So whenever and however I meet my demise, I would like to think that the experience will be illuminating. In the words of Peter Pan; ‘To die will be an awfully big adventure.’ Whatever lies in store I will do my best to make it as enjoyable as possible!

If I should not return, know that I lived life to the best of my ability. Even though I may have fallen short many times and in countless ways... I forgive myself, I was doing the best I could. Even though I could have done better, (as my school reports frequently observed)... I learned my lessons the hard way. Every hard knock gave me a tougher skin... every hurt made my resolve stronger... and after every fall, I got up more determined. Even though I didn’t always know how to show my love... I first had to learn to love myself. Even though I may have been hard on my children... it was to give you the strength and resilience to survive. I’m so proud of you all; my wonderful children and beautiful grandchildren, not to mention my delightful great-grand-daughter, and trust you will continue to grow in love and prosper in the joy of life.

If I have learned anything, it is to have the courage to change what I can change, accept what I cannot change and have the wisdom to know the difference.

If I should not return... know that you are loved... and love is the key to life.

5 days and counting

Monday 18th August 2008

I really can’t believe there are only 5 days left to blastoff. As I left my weekend care job this morning, I drove through the town with a surreal sense of disconnection; as though I were leaving for ever the mundane life of ‘ordinary people’ going about their everyday business. This dreamlike feeling continued throughout the 40 mile drive, accentuated by the ethereal music of Classic FM that floated me all the way home.

My daughter Annie brought me down to earth with the assertion that my destination will be so hot I’ll hardly need to wear anything and came over to help reassess my packing. In fact she assures me that even four changes of clothes will be too many! So I now have three outfits plus what I’ll be wearing to travel. Mark tells me that clothes are very cheap over there; after all, that’s where they are manufactured these days!

When I leave Vietnam I’ll be travelling with just one rucksack. I found this great bag in a Sale just a couple of weeks ago, which has both wheels and back-straps and is lightweight. This will accommodate my laptop plus some clothes and other items. Moreover, this will travel as cabin luggage. I’m sorted!

FREE WILL?

I've been thinking about what led up to this trip. What forces have been at work to give me this opportunity to travel? Well, it didn't really come out of the blue. I've loved travel since a child; from the joy of the miniature railway at Southport to awe-inspiring steam trains that took me with my mother across the country in wartime. Maybe it was my mother who gave me that sense of adventure. Just the two of us off on a journey to somewhere we'd never been before to see my Dad who was stationed at an RAF camp. I had a wonderful childhood.

So give me the opportunity and I'll be packed and ready to go. At 19 I travelled by train and boat to Guernsey for a most magical summer season as a Beach /nightclub Photographer, where I met the man who became my husband and father of my children. That put paid to any more travel... until I found myself once again footloose and fancy free at the ripe old age of 44. By then I was very staid, middle class and middle aged, until a meeting with a young man who told me very simply, when I said that I'd love to travel... 'If you want to do something, you can. Just do it!'
Derek was a traveller who would set off with his rucksack and return, very brown, weeks or months later. If he were to ever read this, I just want to say... Thank you Derek... that actually began to change my perception and open my mind.

Henry Ford said something about that... 'If you think you can or you think you can't... you'll be right.'

So that's the Secret! If I think I can do it then I can.


On my Birthday in January this year, my son Rich gave me money to put towards a trip to visit his twin brother in Australia. So the stage was set and I was open to any opportunity that presented itself to finalise the process.

So what about my Free Will? Only that I had the choice to decide whether to take the opportunity or not! That was the scary bit! And yet, how could I refuse?

Only 11 days to go!

to begin at the beginning

Saturday 19th July 2008

It came out of the blue. I still can’t believe what I said! I must have been feeling more frustrated with my life than I realised.My son, far away in Vietnam teaching English, was asking me as we typed out our chatter on messenger online, if I thought his sister would like to go out and teach for a few months. “Well, she can’t make her mind up” I found myself replying, ‘but if she won’t, I’ll do it!” He got back to me the next day to say that the Director of the English School would be glad for me to take the job and I replied that I’d be happy to do it.Later I had time to reflect. What had I done? How was I going to manage this? At 70 years of age I’ve settled into a comfortable rut of a life in my top floor flat. I live in a small Victorian resort populated in the most part by the elderly retired. I don’t regard myself as elderly and although I’m delighted to have a pension, I have no intension of being retired, thank you very much.Maybe it’s the prospect of another winter with rising costs for electric heating, not to mention the escalating price of petrol, food and everything else. Clients coming for therapy have been sporadic of late. One or two sessions of EFT are usually enough to free them of a lifetime’s unnamed anxiety that have turned into such physical ailments as a stiff neck, backache or migraine. ‘What do I owe you? Thank you and goodbye.’ They probably go away thinking that the Doctor’s tablets are doing the job at last. This is not satisfying enough for me. Another source of income is personal Care work, which pays well but can be very frustrating looking after the really elderly, and I’ve had enough!It’s true; I’ve been listless, lethargic and unmotivated, in fact all the things I am supposed to be helping my clients overcome! Instead of going out for an invigorating walk, I find myself turning on the TV and drinking coffee! Instead of exercise I keep eating comfort food! Not a good sign, especially at my age.


Sunday 20th July 2008

I have a wonderful family, my daughters and their families close enough for me to see them frequently, but not so close as to intrude on my privacy. They know I guard my independence and freedom as closely as any Aquarian. However, freedom is a double-edged sword and I have been missing the company of Mark, my eldest son, long divorced and fancy-free, who has been living with me on and off for the past two years before going abroad. He loves working in other countries and teaching English is his passion. He’s very good at his job, well respected for his work and I’m very proud of him. The thing is, I don’t know if I’d actually choose to visit Vietnam. Mark admits that the heat can be oppressive; where he lives is a sprawling, dirty place, but ‘the people are lovely!’ and how could I refute that? I consulted my daughters and sister. Surprisingly, they are all enthusiastic and think I’d be a fool not to take advantage of such an opportunity. Do I even detect a note of envy in their voices? I am free while they are not.Yes, there is no reason why I can’t go to Vietnam and teach English. In fact there is nothing to stop me going on to visit my youngest son Damian in Australia, where he's settled with his family. In January, his twin brother Rich, older by 10 mins, will be in New Zealand and what a wonderful opportunity I have to meet him there. An exploration of Google and I was ready to buy a round the world ticket! But I have to stop to think. Sleep on it.


Monday 21st July 2008

As I left the house to visit the Travel Agent this morning, I realised how my step changed to a purposeful stride, my stomach tucked in and back straightened. I began to feel young and adventurous again. That’s when I started to hit snags! Travel insurance will be expensive, even when I find one that will cover me for 6 months. That’s because of my age. Apparently at seventy I’m not supposed to be gallivanting off all over the world. I call it age discrimination and am ready to start a campaign against it, if I can muster the energy.I’m told that I should apply for a Visa from the Vietnamese Embassy as soon as possible as it will take some time to get it. However, I applied online and got an email right back, accepting my application. All I have to do now is pay for it, I think. So the next thing is to buy the ticket... and how scary is that? But first I need dates and correct Airports from all my sons!


Tuesday 22nd July 2008

Am I mad? What am I thinking of? Going round the world on my own at my age? Crazy! So what’s age got to do with anything anyway? It’s a mad adventure, that’s what! Although my eldest daughter has taken off in the past; one winter in a tipi in Spain, another winter on the beach in Goa, she would think twice about it now in her middle age. Maybe it’s all a joke and Mark never meant me to take him seriously!I’m sending desperate emails to him, as I’ve not seen online since Saturday. I need his support to deal with all the details. HELP! I can tap for that...Even though I’m panicking... feeling stressed... because I need some support here... I feel like I’m poised on the brink of a huge adventure... about to take a leap in the dark... how exciting is that! And even though I’m feeling scared... as if I’m about to freefall... I’m ready to go with the flow... if I can’t live dangerously at 70 when can I?Even though I’m getting the heebie-jeebies at the thought of leaving my comfortable, safe attic flat... I’m feeling bogged down here... like nothing’s happening... in the doldrums... and I’m ready for change... I’m up for adventure... even if Vietnam is hotter that a sauna... oh dear... I could even lose that stubborn half stone, if not more... get a detox... I could do with that... and there’ll be really good healthy food... and different company... I’m ready for that!


Wednesday 23rd July 2008

Thank goodness Mark came online this morning. His laptop had been in need of attention and was being fixed at the school. The thing is, he wants me to go out even earlier than I was planning. So maybe it will have to be mid-August... only 3 weeks away! He tells me the school is abuzz with the news that a new teacher is coming, and not only that but she is Mark’s first teacher! No pressure then?!Even though I’m getting anxious at the thought of teaching English in a foreign country... it will be a challenge... although Mark is there to guide my faltering steps... even though he’s told everyone there that I’m his first teacher... and I was... maybe I’m afraid of letting him down... although he’ll be there... to be my teacher... and I do enjoy a challenge! Yes! I can do it!Re: Travel Insurance. Do I really need it to fly? Must get a definitive answer. Later... According to our local travel agent one could be refused by any airline if not insured, so to be on the safe side it seems I must comply. Another thing; I’ve already asked for my visa to start on 23rd August so have sent a query to see if they will bring the date forward to 16th. Hope that doesn’t bugger it all up!


Thursday 23rd July 2008

I actually got up early enough this morning to go for a swim in our brand new swimming pool and it was lovely, temperature perfect, all clean and new.Well, I received an email from Vietnam with visa attachment, but on printing it out, found it contained a list of names. I thought that the wrong dates were by my name, but after a couple of email queries, realised that they just put everything in a different order than I’d expected, so it is in order, dated from 23rd August. That’s the first hurdle over and done with. It’s such a lovely day; I felt relaxed enough to suggest a day out to my daughter Julie, as I won’t be seeing her tomorrow on her Birthday, so we met for a picnic on peaceful Church island in the Menai Straits. That was great.


Saturday 26th August 2008

The past two days have been hot in the UK and even with cloud cover here in North Wales, it’s not very comfortable. How, I wonder, will I cope with the heat in Vietnam for four months? And in January I’ll get to Australia in the middle of their summer! What am I doing? I wonder how Mark is coping, or does he spend every afternoon at the air-conditioned Cinema? Although air-con is all very well and necessary, it can be noisy, as when I spent four nights in a ground floor Hotel room in Albuquerque, where the windows would not open and the noise of the AC unit kept me awake all night. Actually this is not the schedule I’d been imagining; January/ Feb in NZ, March in Australia and April in Japan, to take advantage of the seasons. However, as the saying goes, never look a gift horse in the mouth; and if this is what life is offering right now, I’m ready to accept the nag with thanks and ride off into the sunset, or rather, the sunrise.


Sunday 27th July 2008

Phoned Rich to wish him a Happy Birthday (45 today) and discussed the possibility, or not, of meeting him in NZ in January. It seems he’s not even been booked for this festival yet! Well, even if he’s not there I still want to see NZ after visiting Damian in Australia, although it won’t be the same on my own. I’m beginning to feel a little deflated and wonder if I’m doing the right thing. However, now that I’ve told everyone I’m going, I would feel foolish if I were to back down, especially now that Mark has recruited me and told the school I’m definitely coming. Not only that, but I’d be letting myself down and would, without doubt, regret not taking the opportunity to travel before I’m too old and decrepit or can’t get travel insurance.


Thursday 31st July 2008

Well I think I’m getting there! I’m in email correspondence now with Geoff at Global Village , a Round the World travel agent, to sort out price, dates and suggestions. I’ve worked out that if I can leave the school in Vietnam when it presumably breaks for Xmas, Mark could come with me overland through Phnom Pen in Cambodia, to Ankhor Wat, through Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore. On 6th Jan, hopefully, I will fly to Perth to visit Damian, meeting Richard there. I’ve spoken to him and he’s keen to organise himself to accompany me on the last leg to Sidney, then New Zealand, Christchurch by 22nd Jan for the Buskers festival, Adelaide, and Auckland, coming back via Los Angeles with a short say in the Pacific, maybe Samoa, and home.


Tuesday 5th August 2008

I've done it! I finally plucked up the courage to phone Geoff with my final dates for all the flights I'll be taking around the world. The price is amazingly cheap and combined with my Travel insurance totals less than £2000, which I think is incredible. Now its done I can relax... phew!