Wag the Dog - If they don't eat it first

In a little under two days I'll begin the most adventuresome trip since my first foray to the Cook Islands.

Why Vietnam? Well it was either three weeks in Vietnam or a week in the Bahamas,and they both cost the same. But unlike my last few trips I'm more or less taking my traveling life in my hands with this one. It's the most "iffy" yet.

I'm traveling Standby - Since my daughter works for an airline "Dads get to travel cheap". But as one wag said "Dead dogs have more status than you when traveling on other folks airlines." When it comes to priority of seating the dead dog travels ahead of me. So I don't know till the absolute last second whether I'll get on the airline.

Of course I don't have a choice of airlines either, and that often means taking a very circuitous route. In this case I fly from Vancouver to Seoul Korea, then on to Singapore and on again to Hanoi. No stopovers allowed - so if I get on it's a relaxing short 32 hour flight

And of course my travel arrangements. I've prepaid for my 22 day itinerary and haven't received any vouchers so I'm taking it on faith someone's going to actually be there to meet me with them when I arrive. So this could be a very short trip ( I go to the airport - I turn around and come home!)

Add to that traveling alone, my ability to get totally lost on the smallest of islands, and inability to speak Vietnamese (although I'm trying to learn a few phrases and we all know what trouble my attempt to learn Swahili got me into in Kenya) and we've got the beginnings of another wonderful adventure.