A fortnight from today, Matt and I will be roughly 30,000 feet high in the sky, leaving the grey skies and warm comforts of home behind us. When did this journey begin? Was it the summer day we met on
Grantchester Meadows? Or when Matt got the news about his redundancy and suggested a drastic new path? The moment I started to believe he was serious, and dared to dream? Well, regardless of the romantics and semantics, here's the actual plan:
1st December, 9am - London Gatwick to San Francisco, via Atlanta.
Spend 2 months in
Sebastopol, California.
We're staying with my grandparents - it's been three and a half years since I last saw them and I cannot wait. Despite growing up on the other side of the world, I have always felt very close to them and all my American family. I'm also looking forward to reconnecting with The Monday-Nighters - a motley mob of weekly regulars, with little in common but great senses of humour, generous hearts and the pleasure of sharing in each other's excellent company over a bottle of Napa Valley wine (note tactful misuse of the singular). Two months of soaking this up, and I may become a permanent weed on the patio, roots grafted to the planks, and Matt will have to dislodge me with a giant trowel when spring comes. I'm excited to introduce Matt and America. I think they'll get along rather well.
Away from the home, we'd like to hire a motor and do a little stateside touring. Please see our poll (to the right) to help us decide what to do. HAVE YOUR SAY! YOU DECIDE! etc etc. Just er, don't vote one of us off - we've already quit the day job.
1st February - SF to HCMC, via Taiwan.
Arrive 3rd Feb, and check in here:
http://www.newpacific.vn/
Enjoy the lilting, nostalgic melodies kindly provided by the website.
The hotel is a gauche monstrosity. A clangorous clash of faux art deco, overwrought ornamentalism and neon bar stools. I can't wait. We got it on special offer from
http://www.agoda.co.uk/ 7 nights in a gaudy deluxe room with breakfast* is setting us back just over £100 each. Lucky us!
I'll upload a map to illustrate our journey soon.
*Sidenote: the word "breakfast" incites as much thrill in me as "beach" and "hot" at the moment. I've had dreams about mangos and croissants, star fruit and little pastries.
1st March
My deadline to get a job.
Hopefully we'll find something before then, departing HCMC after our first week and heading North on the
Reunification Express, stopping at landmarks and language schools en route. I've seen a school I'd like to try -
ILA offer a great salary package and, though a private school, also focus their efforts back into the community via a range of supportive projects aimed towards helping disadvanted children in the areas where they operate -
ILA Community Projects I'm hoping to teach kids on programmes like these, so much so that I've been having dreams about these classes.
PS - I don't know whether you've tried any of the links out as you've been reading, but the tripadvisor reviews about the Reunification Express are amusing,
“Avoid this unless you are short of money or into train journeys” being my favourite! Yes, and yes, I AM partial to a long gaze out of a window, incredible views of the landscape and a sense of time and distance that's a little easier on the human imagination than that of rattling through the clouds in a snub-winged steel chicken. Though I do benefit from a special talent in sleeping, and am fairly small, so have less cause for complaint than others when jammed into airline seats or long journeys on bumpy roads and rails!
Over and out, Elle
