I am the only member of the new cast who has travelled to Southeast Asia which gives me an interesting perspective on what we can expect.  Back in 1998, I was a bright-eyed, naive young woman.  I had spent a couple months in Europe the year before and therefore considered myself an accomplished world traveller (ha!).  The idea of traveling somewhere a bit rougher than Europe was something I had tossed around, but my mind was made up when the guy I was crazy in love with, Darren, told me he was going to Indonesia that winter.  I lied and said that I had also planned on going to Southeast Asia and maybe we could travel together.  He agreed, and although he was leaving a couple months earlier, we made plans to meet in Bangkok in January.

It’s a funny thing about expectations.  I imagined that Thailand (“the Land of Smiles”) would be exotic, untouched and the most amazing place on Earth.  That was not entirely my experience.  When I landed, a miscommunication meant that there was no one to meet me at the airport so I was left to try and find a guesthouse by myself at 1am…and naturally headed to Koh San Road.  I had never felt that kind of humidity before, and was terrified to see what it would be like in the mid-day heat.  We spent a few days in Bangkok, and I discovered that I despised that city.  To this day, after visiting tons of metropolises, there is no rival for the hatred I feel for Bangkok.  On the second night there, Darren took me to Patpong, which is the sex district of the city.  I was already suffering from some pretty serious culture shock, and I saw things there that I did not even know were humanly possible. Someone hawking T-shirts outside one of the ping pong places wouldn’t leave me alone and I had a major meltdown right there on the street.  I think a combination of the heat, aggressiveness and poverty (which I had never seen before) all attributed to the tears.  I begged Darren to get me the hell outta there.

The plan had been to spend the 2+ months just in Thailand.  That plan quickly changed.  We went north through Chang Mai and Chang Rai and entered Laos.  This was now closer to the trip I had envisioned – in 1998, Laos was very rough travel and not too many tourists were going there.    We started at Muang Sing, and went south through Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, and down to Pakse.  I ABSOLUTELY LOVED LAOS.  I knew virtually nothing about the country before we went, but we had the best time.  I loved that sometimes the only transportation was in the back of a pickup truck.  I loved that people who didn’t even speak English would invite us into their simple homes for a home-cooked meal.  And I loved that I was finally getting the kind of trip that I had envisioned.   After Laos, we headed into Cambodia and visited Ankor Wat…still to this day one of the most amazing things I have seen.   There is now an international airport in Siem Riep and the site is apparently crawling with people so I consider myself very fortunate to have gone when I did.  The last two weeks of our trip were spent in Southern Thailand, partying on the beaches of Krabi and Koh Samui.

In Northern Laos, the only transportation choice was often a very dusty, bumpy ride in the back of a pickup (which I thought was SO COOL). Here, I'm also getting a lesson in the treatment of animals in the third world.

The beauty of Ankor Wat.

Upon my return to Canada, I felt like my eyes had been opened.   I had never experienced that kind of poverty before and I considered how lucky I was to live where I do.  I also realized just how big the world is and how much there is out there to see and that was truly the beginning of my love of travel.

And now, 11 years later, I’m headed back to the place where it all started for me. If we had more time in 1998, we would have gone to Vietnam.  But as it happens, time ran out.  This time I’m older and wiser.

What do I think Saigon will be like?  I’m praying that it’s better than Bangkok, otherwise it’s going to be a very long three months.  I think it’s going to be chaotic, dirty and buzzing with life and energy.  I am super stoked on renting a motorcycle and exploring Vietnam by bike.  I’m excited to eat pho every day.  I can’t wait to get a $2 pedicure.  I don’t see any culture shock in my future but I think it will be interesting to see how Jen and Serene react.  My friends have all spoken highly of Vietnam…but they didn’t spend their entire time in Saigon.  And as I’ve learned, expectations can often be way off-base. All you can do is take the plunge and hope for the best.