Our trip to Southeast Asia including Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand took a long time to come to fruition — we were delayed a year because of my broken arm. Thanks to this delay we were able to try out a brand new plane and experience really top notch service. I really enjoy our now habit of taking 1-2 week vacations in March – it helps me survive the long Chicago winters and this trip fit that bill perfectly.
This trip allowed me to fly in premium cabins on airlines I had never flown before, put me way outside of my comfort zone with language and food and afforded me the ability to see a part of the world (with good friends) that only one other member of my family had seen before – and he (my dad) wasn’t in the area for pleasure (he served in the US Army from 1970-1971 in Vietnam). That being said, my 5 favorite parts of this trip would have to be:
- Flying Thai’s A380 in First Class
- Enjoying copious amounts of Mango Juice, Sugar Cane Juice and Foot Massages
- Exploring the amazing temples of Angkor Wat and the surrounding area
- Riding on the back of a motor bike in Saigon for hours as we hit various restaurants
- Morning Tai Chi as we cruise Halong Bay
I had a great time. It was sad to see this trip come to an end. Was it perfect? No. We were hot, we were sweaty, we got a bit on each others nerves from time to time. We each had stomach issues briefly. While I can’t speak for the rest of the small group, I can tell you’d I’d get back on a plane tomorrow and revisit this area – I would definitely make some changes to the itinerary, but Vietnam, Cambodia nor Thailand have moved to my “Been-There-Done-That” list of travel locations.
What was your favorite part as you read about my trip? Anything you’d like to know more about? If you’ve been to this area of the world, what was your favorite / least favorite thing you did?