There’s a bit of a lull before my next trip. It’s not even the end of June and I’ll be “stationary” in San Francisco until mid-August. On August 16th, I’ll fly to Albuquerque, New Mexico, then take a shuttle to Santa Fe to be there the weekend of Indian Market. A couple of people had expressed interest in going, but when it comes down to the wire, usually no one does. In general, I prefer to travel alone and not be in any type of tour group, anyway. My freedom to go anywhere and do anything I want at any time of day or night is essential. Thus, being a travel “loner” is second nature to me. I’ve rented a one-bedroom casita in Santa Fe that’s supposedly a 10 or 15 minute walk to the Plaza. I found the casita listed on VRBO and the owner didn’t even jack up the prices for Indian Market, as nearly everywhere else in Santa Fe does. If my memory serves me correctly, the casita has a nice garden area, plus possibly a sun deck. My plans for Indian Market weekend are to take pictures, buy Native American Indian jewelry (but only a little bit) and eat green chile everything! My only concern is that it may be difficult to get into some of the restaurants as Santa Fe is relatively small, but they say that the population swells by 50,000+ during Indian Market. A friend of mine from Los Angeles resides in Santa Fe, too, so maybe I’ll have a chance to catch up with him for a bit. The trip is only for 3 nights – relatively short – but maybe…
My big adventure for the year will be the trip to Vietnam the second half of October. I’m also departing on the 16th of that month to arrive in Hanoi on the 17th and stay in the country for 13 days. Because of my penchant for doing things in advance, I already booked and paid for my hotels in both Hanoi and Hoi An. My intentions were to spend 3 nights in Hanoi, a straight week in Hoi An (doing several day trips from there), with my final 3 nights in Hanoi as well. Of course, then everyone said that I simply MUST do Halong Bay, which does look truly beautiful. It’s realistically possible to do a day trip from Hanoi to Halong Bay, though they say it’s better to spend at least one night on the boat, then see Cat Ba island the next morning before heading back to Hanoi. I also realized that there are hill tribes (Black Thai, White Thai, White Flower Hmong and Red Dzao) in the very north of Vietnam, which would be amazing to photograph. Although I might be able to visit the tribes/villages in Mai Chau over the course of one day from Hanoi, Sapa will inevitably be too far to cover in one day. I’ve not bought any flights within Vietnam, nor have I booked any day tours. I’ll just wing it. If Halong Bay and/or the hill tribes prove too irresistible and I truly MUST spend the night at one or the other (or both), I’ll simply eat that money (i.e. write off the hotel nights that were paid in advance). It’s not as if the hotels in Hanoi are costing a fortune. The more expensive of the two costs me about $24/night with tax, including breakfast, PLUS there’s a laptop in my room. The weather is a different story altogether. Hanoi should be fine. Hoi An will be the tricky one. Some guidebooks say that the end of October is when the rain and flooding starts; others say it won’t happen until deeper into November. Then again, it might not rain or flood at all; quite unpredictable. If it does NOT rain and flood, I’ll have a hey day with the tailors, having them whip up an entire new wardrobe for me. I’ll take some day trips (as a passenger on the back of a motorbike) to Hue and wherever, and might venture to the beach at Nha Trang. If it DOES rain and flood, maybe someone will be ferrying me around town in a boat with a lantern! Otherwise, I’ll be eating and drinking a lot and/or taking day trips to drier towns.
On December 5th, it’s back to the Island for 5 nights/6 days – the island of Oahu, that is. I never get tired of Hawaii, or even Waikiki. I wanted my last vacation days of this year to be spent somewhere warm. Honestly, I gave New Orleans, Miami and Key West a shot using my air miles for various dates throughout December. Nothing seemed to work out well, air mile-wise or schedule-wise for any of those 3 destinations. Yet everything was perfect for Hawaii once again. My normal place to stay in Honolulu, a condotel room, was also found on VRBO. This will be my 3rd or 4th time being in Honolulu the first weekend of December. That’s when the Pearl Harbor events and the Honolulu Marathon take place, which means that there’s always lots of people in town. No set plans as of the moment, other than to spend time with special friends and relatives. In fact, maybe this time I can get my cousin and her husband to have dinner with me the same night as the couple that I met two trips ago; think the four of them would get along fabulously! If my trip in December goes as well as the one in May, I’ll be a happy camper!
The bad thing about planning EVERY SINGLE VACATION DAY through the end of the year is that I can’t afford to be sick, even a single day. Both my vacation days and my sick days come out of my Personal Time Off, which currently stands at 30 days per year due to my long tenure with my company. If I were to get sick this year, then it will have to be without pay! Whatever, it’s all worth it in the end. What’s a day or two without pay in comparison to trips to warm and exotic places with unique cultures, or time spent with special friends and relatives?
P.S. My heart of hearts is still longing for Bali, but don’t tell anyone!
