I'm starting  a blog of my travels this year, to Hanoi, Vietnam, Phuket, (Patong City) Thailand, Bangkok Thailand and Hong Kong. I leave a dreary rainy cold day (for Sept/Oct).  to warmer, more tropical climate, which I much prefer.

I find it's always mixed emotions when I travel at this magnitude. It's hard to leave my son, get out of the work mode. There are always so many things to think of before the trip, all details about paying bills, this year, an absentee ballot, stopping the newspaper,  etc. It can be a little sad sometimes. Having said that, once all is in place, I can relax, get excited about travel, and look forward to the new experiences.

Part of this trip is to finish some dental work I started last year in beautiful Thailand. As my friend said," Once you feel better, you get to be in Thailand.

As I realize I'm not getting younger, I'm trying to do more of what I want. Travel is a biggie, and I know sometime I will have to stop, so I am trying to do and see more as I can before I have to stop.

The purpose of this is to keep a record, with pictures of my travels for possible future generations, and those who might like to get to know me better, and for friends and family to keep up with what I am doing, and that they can see I'm safe.

Didn't sleep well last night, looking forward to a 15 1/2 flight around the Arctic Circle to cut the travel time, and an 8 hour layover until my 2 hour flight to Vietnam.

I'll keep you posted.