This world never ceases to amaze me. This is precisely why I need to explore it. Today is the day that I begin to gather new memories, seek exciting and exotic adventures, forge foreign friendships, admire the vast beauty of this world, strengthen mentally and spiritually, do my part to promote conservation and animal welfare, enrich the life experiences of others, learn about the diversity and complexity of this profound world, eat amazing food, hike amazing sights, and to partake in a plethora of moments that will truly take my breath away.

Did I spend months preparing for my trip? Nope. I was too busy studying for my pharmacy Board exams to do my typical pre-trip research pouring over books concerning the history, societies, people, cultures, languages, landscapes, sights, cities, and politics of the various countries I was going to visit. So the best I could do was to buy these: plane ticket, prophylactic medications, Vietnam visa, and backpack. For the plane ticket, I just walked into some random chinese travel agency on my block in San Francisco and said, "cheapest ticket to Ho Chi Minh please, back to SF from Bangkok, 3 months...$795? Japan Airlines? k, book it. Thanks!" For the meds, it was great review for my Boards! I declined on Japanese encephalitis. Way too expensive and I was going during low risk season. Doxy and OFF were very important to me, bc those flying vampires known as mosquitos see me as a dessert. The Vietnam visa was obtained simply so that I can get into Vietnam with ease from the US. All other visas can be obtained while in Asia so don't stress. And for the backpack, if you don't have one already, wait to buy one in Asia and start honing your negotiation skills. More on negotiation later.

Costs for my preparation:

Round trip (SF-Vietnam, Bangkok-SF) - $795

Vietnam Visa - $30 (from VN consulate in SF)

Hep A vaccine - $45

Oral Typhoid vaccine - $37 (Costco, cheapest, with prescription! Do not pay $65 for it at the vaccination clinic)

Cipro - $7 (copay)

Doxycycline - $14 (copay)

OFF repellant - $5

Permanone - $5 (only place I found was at Walmart)

Camper's backpack - $60 (wait to buy in Asia for $15-20!)

I only packed enough to fit into the backpack and lightened the load as much as possible. So after having done 10 hour study sessions in the reading room of the UCSF library, in the last week before my Boards, I left San Francisco two days after the exams, from the city where I studied pharmacy for four years, in shorts, a t-shirt, sandals, a backwards cap, and my backpack to finally explore this world of ours.

And now we begin......

Myself, my Lonely Planet book, and the forefathers of Communism. (For those offended by this picture, please refer to "Vietnam Summary" in the "Saigon: The Sequel" chapter.)

The "Itinerary"

Disclaimer
Imprint