same same but different.

ive been dying to write about something other than downtown living mishaps and suburb settelings. it's about that time where i start to long for the challenging adventure of being somewhere new and far. for the last how ever many years i try to go somewhere for at least three to four weeks. i think of it as sort of a yearly cleanse from the comforts, and sometimes closed mindedness, of my own culture. i really just long to learn and experience something new. adventure can be the best way to learn...even if you just learn a little something new about yourself. while planning - there is always anxiety in the uncertainty of the trip being less fulfilling than expected. as i try to be open minded and laid back i am grimly aware of how much weight and importance a travel buddy holds. i have known and experienced traveling with different people and types of personalities - and from this i have realized how picky i am in my traveling realationships and otherwise. i try to be more of a "yellow" personality - motivated by fun. which i sometimes confuse with being laid backed. but inevitably i am motivated by selfish reasons and what i want and need. and sometimes i just need peace and quiet. i just need my travel buddy to leave me alone :) ha. dang it. i will continue to strongly believe in experiencing life with people you love. and ive always believed that traveling holds a strong testament to the complements of a couple or of a friendship. as i prepared for my three week trip to southeast asia i was in need of a companion for the first week. a fellow flight attendant and friend was more than willing to see the world and i welcomed her company. with more of a carpe diem outlook on life this year, i tend to say yes more than i perhaps should. how long will i have this job and will the opportunity come up again to go to vietnam? life is a constant question and saying yes is less of a fear and more of a challenge. i was secretly challenging the capabilities of myself and the lessons the world has to teach me. i am up for anything. who wants to go vietnam!? i have heard people who love vietnam and people who have hated it and i was ready to make my own opinion. we landed in hanoi in hopes of spending the night in the beautiful ha long bay. we were on a tight schedule and so when the weather wasnt ideal we were merely teased by the beauty the bay holds from a packed mini van of tourist just like ourselves. if you have never backpacked before then you might not know that you are 7 times more likely to become friends with a backpacker when traveling then you would with someone you meet in your own home town. so, vietnam immediately became a short lived week of me and my travel partner chelsea making our way down the coast meeting friends in every city we stayed. some were fellow travelers, some were vietnamese. all were very freindly. the trip was more of a sample...a mere taste of what vietnam has to offer and only left me wanting more. cant wait to go back!