10 weeks to go...
January 23, 2008
Since stumbling upon this website I've spent a quite a bit of time looking through other peoples blogs and have enjoyed the 'pre departure' entries. I think if i can make the occasional entry between now and when i fly it will help me to keep track of what i need to do, and also be great to look back on.
It's 10 weeks till i leave (not that I'm counting) and i everything has really started to take shape in the last few days.
* I have confirmed my Voluntary placement, paid the initial fee & even received the free T-shirt (unsurprisingly, way too big!)
* I have booked my flight. To fly directly into Vietnam was working out really expensive (£700+) so I've settled on an open-jaw into Singapore & out of Bangkok 4 months later for £505 with Emirates.
* In addition I've booked a flight from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City for £33, a real bargain!
* I have also arranged my travel insurance with Direct Line for a surprisingly good price from a reputable company.
* I have made an appointment to have any necessary vaccinations next week. Thankfully I had many of the required jabs for my South America trip last summer so hopefully ill only have to suffer them for Rabies & maybe a booster or two.
* I have applied for my approval document that is required to obtain a business visa for Vietnam.
That just leaves a trip to the dentist to finally have a troublesome tooth removed and put any form of social life on hold so i can actually afford to pay for the trip!
As far as my post Ho Chi Minh City plan is concerned it's all a bit undecided at the moment. There is so much that i want to see but i have learned from previous experience that a series of quick stops in several places does not compare to quality time in a few select locations. I'm going to spend the next few weeks scouring other people's blogs and reading numerous guide books to come up with some possible routes.
I think ill leave it at that for now and as long as I survive the combination of the dentist drill & the doctors needle, ill make my next entry in a week or two.
It's 10 weeks till i leave (not that I'm counting) and i everything has really started to take shape in the last few days.
* I have confirmed my Voluntary placement, paid the initial fee & even received the free T-shirt (unsurprisingly, way too big!)
* I have booked my flight. To fly directly into Vietnam was working out really expensive (£700+) so I've settled on an open-jaw into Singapore & out of Bangkok 4 months later for £505 with Emirates.
* In addition I've booked a flight from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City for £33, a real bargain!
* I have also arranged my travel insurance with Direct Line for a surprisingly good price from a reputable company.
* I have made an appointment to have any necessary vaccinations next week. Thankfully I had many of the required jabs for my South America trip last summer so hopefully ill only have to suffer them for Rabies & maybe a booster or two.
* I have applied for my approval document that is required to obtain a business visa for Vietnam.
That just leaves a trip to the dentist to finally have a troublesome tooth removed and put any form of social life on hold so i can actually afford to pay for the trip!
As far as my post Ho Chi Minh City plan is concerned it's all a bit undecided at the moment. There is so much that i want to see but i have learned from previous experience that a series of quick stops in several places does not compare to quality time in a few select locations. I'm going to spend the next few weeks scouring other people's blogs and reading numerous guide books to come up with some possible routes.
I think ill leave it at that for now and as long as I survive the combination of the dentist drill & the doctors needle, ill make my next entry in a week or two.
