Travels with Shelley and Muzzy: Anticipation

Muz 'n' Shell

Muzzy and I started traveling in 1990. Our first trip was to Thailand. Muzzy was in the Merchant Marines in another incarnation and had traveled all over the world. I had done a lot of internal traveling, but waited a lifetime to be able to really travel. After that first trip I was definitely hooked. We went to Bali in '93 with our daughter Sarah and her partner Don. In '96 we returned to Thailand to visit Sarah at her Peace Corps site in Petchabun province and to celebrate her marriage to Don on the island of Koh Phangan in the Gulf of Thailand. In '99 we went to Nepal and Thailand, in '03 to Laos and Thailand, and in '05/'06 back to Thailand, Laos and Burma. It was a trip the whole family took after the death of our eldest daughter Lise from breast cancer in February of '05. In '07 we returned to Nepal, Laos and Thailand with our dear traveling companion Kyp. Ever since that first trip to Laos, we have been in love with the country. There is something timeless and magical there and if there is any balm for my soul, it is in the warm breezes that blow across the peninsula in Luang Prabang. Muzzy and I have been incredibly fortunate in making the trip up the Nam Tha river twice to Luang Namtha. Laos is so special to us that I hesitate to tell anyone about it, but life does go on and no place is immune anymore from tourism. I just hope we get to keep traveling. The photos posted on this site are all by Mr. Muz unless otherwise stated, and he is a grand and wonderful photographer! I could go on forever (we both could and often do!) but really, thats why we started the blog!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Anticipation

I'm pretty excited. I've been rummaging through our old travel clothes, checking out shoes, thinking about Laos and dreaming of THE TRIP. I want to go everywhere in Laos. Its hard to make a decision...Namtha? Muang Sing? Sam Neua? Nong Khiaw? Do we fly? Can we fly? Or do we have to take a car or a bus? Do we want to be traveling all the time or do we want to stay in one place and try to be a very falang part of that village for a few days? Do we go someplace we've been before or do we strike out for someplace new? And just how much energy do these old bones have left in them? Its been 8 years since we first went to Laos and I have never lost my love of this wonderful country nor my desire to go back, go back. This will be my 5th trip, Muzzy's 4th. Its never enough. Can we just bypass Thailand and go straight to Laos? Hmmmm....