THE ITINERARY

The itinerary:

My overall goal is to take my time, and wherever I choose to stop, to immerse myself in new cultures and experience a different lifestyle for awhile then to do a little writing and photography. Later I plan to find some work – somewhere.

Because I’m trying to keep my itinerary flexible the following is just a rough guide:

1st February 2008 Depart New Zealand

First stop Sydney for a few days where I’m catching up with several dear friends.

I will see Pam and Allan who are an inspiration to me. They left NZ for one year and five years later (and visits to many, many countries later) are still “on the road” and loving it.

6th February Sydney to Bangkok for 4 nights

Southern Thailand for around 1 month. I plan to use the time here to catch my breath, recover from saying farewell to family, friends, my business, my house and celebrate being on the road – finally!
I have booked a place (that sounds divine) for 6 nights. It’s in the jungle on the island of Koh Samui with magical views down to the bays below. The owners are a Thai/French couple and it has a reputation for great food! But…I wonder what the coffee will be like?

March Cambodia
Phnom Penh, Siem Reap (to look at the old ruins of Angkor Wat, travel up the Mekong to Battambang to see more old Wat. My trusty Lonely Planet guide says that the trip from Siem Reap to Battambang is the best scenic river trip in the country. With a population of 140,000 it is Cambodia’s second largest city. It also has interesting and well preserved French architecture. I also hope to do a little volunteer work.

April/May Vietnam.
From my entry point, Ho Chi Minh City, I plan to travel slowly up the country to beautiful Halong Bay, get a few clothes made (and perhaps some shoes for my huge feet!) I have no firm plans except to stay awhile where I feel like, move on when I’m ready and partake in the delicious food and glorious sights. I’ve been told by others that Sapa (right up near the border of China and near Laos) was the highlight of their journey. Here they experienced Vietnam of a long gone era so I’ll probably try to incorporate a trip up there.

May Dubai – just for a few days.

May/June Turkey.
Being a Kiwi I want to see where we lost so many of our brave young men in earlier wars. Then, I plan to hug the coast and take a trip on a gulet (old wooden yacht). I’ll base myself in Selcuk for awhile and revisit the amazing old marble city of Ephesus along with other ancient ruins nearby.

June/July Somehow, I will make my way to the Czech Republic where I plan to spend some time in the picture book city of Prague.

From Prague I’ll most likely pop in and out of other countries in the vicinity.

If house sitting opportunities come my way or work in exchange for “board and keep” anywhere interesting or somewhere to practice my beginners Spanish arises, I’ll do that as well. If I am near the Czech Republic for winter I’d like to do some skiing where the slopes look fantastic and under utilized.

This is the proposed plan and is subject to change – on a whim or any opportunity that looks interesting….……..