If you sensed I was embarrassed when I wrote my last post, I am now mortified knowing it’s been so bloody long since I’ve been posting on a regular basis. My excuse? Tracking down stories … two weeks in New Brunswick, three weeks in Labrador and five weeks in Vietnam/Cambodia and Thailand respectively–all since my last post.
For someone whose business is only partially related to travel writing, I seem to be on the road a lot! Truth is, I also find lots of business stories, human interest stories, interesting people to profile etc. So it’s not all about travel. It’s just that I usually spread things out a bit more and don’t live out of a suitcase for six months like I have this year.
For part of my time in Vietnam, my laptop and I were separated. How, oh how could one leave their laptop (with their entire business) behind you may ask? It’s easy. The weird thing is that I conscientiously removed my camera from by backpack in order to slip in the laptop in the back compartment; dutifully removed the cord/converter from the wall/laptop and stowed it away in the front section; replaced my camera in its rightful place; turned on my heel and left the business centre at the last hotel we we staying at in Hanoi. Only, my laptop remained on the desk. Not hard at all. Mercifully, with the intervention of a new Vietnamese friend, Hoang Tu Nam, a.k.a. “Larry, ” he was able to track it down in Hanoi and made arrangements to have it forwarded to Ho Chi Minh City where I retrieved it 12 days later.
But oooh the memories of all those trips. And the stories! Now I am in a query/writing frenzy while trying to keep a handle on assignments that are due this month and next. I’m not complaining. I just need to find a way to eek out a few more hours a day. I reckon that a 36-hour day would do nicely, especially if I only had to sleep for four or five hours.
Sigh.
As this blog is my playpen, and as work does come first, you can see how my posts have taken a back seat for many moons.
Sure hope I catch up before the snow flies as I yearn to have time to get Author! Author! back up and running, my photo gallery updated, and time to post some random thoughts about the writing life in general, traveling, paddling … or nothing in particular.
Meanwhile, here are three shots from Vietnam. First is from the bizarre and busy streets in the old quarter of Hanoi, the second is from Ha Long Bay, a magical place about three hours from Hanoi city, and the third is on the Mekong River in the southern part of Vietnam.
I also picked up a remedy for a cold from Larry, the same person who rescued my laptop: boil an egg, remove the yolk, put a silver coin in the cooked egg white, wrap egg and coin in cheesecloth then rub on forehead, temples and back of neck. As I developed a devilish head cold after spending 19 hours coming back home, I’ve used that remedy once a day and it seems to help (along with massive amounts of Vitamin C and some Echinacea.) He also provided a great remedy for upset stomach which he made for my sister, Carmen, while on the journey: simmer unrefined rice for 30 minutes, strain, and serve the hot rice water. Settled her tummy in a jiffy.
Onward! As far as I know, I plan to stay rooted here in Canaan for the winter. With any luck I can catch up in the next month or so.
No more excuses.
