Geez, I haven't logged on to this site so long that I even forgot my login.

Have a little time free at work today so decided to read Wanwanha's stories of her trip to Switzerland. Of course now I want to go too. I always have a big travel bug in me and reading about other people's travels stirs it up big time.

My next destination is to travel to Vietnam, the country where I was born. Ever since immigrating to the US with my family at the age of 4, I have never gone back to Vietnam. Since I left at such a young age, I do not remember anything about the place. Furthermore, I don't even speak the language or know the relatives who still live there. My parents are planning a trip back "home" this October to take care of some business. This would be a good opportunity for me to tag along and take advantage of their company. For starters, they can help me commmunicate with the locals. Secondly, they can reintroduce me to the relatives I no longer remember. Their help in those two areas would definitely make the trip more enriching.

Although I am looking forward to this trip, at the same time I am also a little apprehensive about it. Vietnam's climate is very hot and humid. Having grown up in the Bay Area, I am used to dry and pleasant weather and thus do not handle humidity well. Fortunately I've always preferred warmer weather over colder weather, therefore the warmness may not be an issue. It's the stickiness of humidity I fear. Second, I do not like dirty areas/situations. With Vietnam still being a developing country, I predict I may have some sanitation problems to deal with, either with the environment, the practices of the people, and/or the food.

Having said this however, I pro of this trip (refamiliarizing myself with the place where I was born) still outways the cons (temporary humidity and insanitation). With a little preparation (mainly mental) I should be able to tackle those two "obstacles". I really look forward to this trip.