Anticipation

In little more than a week I will be flying to Viet Nam.

It is almost unimaginable. I alternate between excitement and forgetfulness. My first trip overseas from Australia will be to my 'motherland'. Those racists sure will be glad that I'm finally going home.

We are flying into Ha Noi and out of Ho Chi Minh city (Sai Gon). Our itinerary includes a tour of Ha Long By, Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An. From Ha Noi to Hoi An, we will be staying in four star hotels - cushioning ourselves from the culture shock that will be going to a developing country.

After Hoi An, we join my mother and father in Sai Gon where we will visit the remnants of my family in Viet Nam - one sister of my mother's and many brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins of my father's. The family live in the south Mekong delta area and we will spend a decent week exploring, reminiscing and teeming with emotion. I expect my sister to deplore the hygiene and lack of amenities. I expect to be confused, lost in the language and unable to suppress my reactions - whether of horror or joy - to anything. I am most afraid of the last.

Currently, I am trying to set up a photo gallery on a free web based photo hosting site. At present, it is not working to my high Blogger expectations. I can't see what I am getting straight away. I have to have my postings filtered. I have to wait.

In any event, the searching has spurred me to using a Creative Commons Copyright License on my work.