an epic journey from Geneva to Hue, Part I

I made it! I finally arrived in Hue today after stops in Doha (Qatar), Bangkok and Hanoi. And what a trek it has been! I don't even know where to start, but I guess chronologically is the way forward.

I left Geneva on Monday afternoon, and 6 hours, one novel (Lionel Shriver - the Post-Birthday World), two films (The King's Speech and the Sound of Music - fastforwarded to the songs, obviously, as the plot is somewhat cheesy) and one airplane meal later I arrived at Doha International Airport.

It was dark when we landed, so the whole town was lit up by sparkling dazzling lights. I could make out a huge workers camp consisting of hundreds of block huts, basketball courts and parked buses. I guess the camp is for the ongoing work on the airport, the bridge from Qatar to UAE (Qatar is a peninsula and the bridge will connect Doha to the mainland) and the preparations for the World Cup which will be held here in 2022, so they're building 9 stadiums before then.



I spent 8 hours at Doha airport, watching all the to and fro and people watching as well as checking out their free internet. In the morning I flew to Bangkok and in the daylight could see the oil refineries, financial district and the Persian Gulf.

Packing

Hello everyone,

welcome to my Blog. I have never written one before, so be patient and bear with me, who knows, I might actually use it regularly!

At the bottom of the page you'll (hopefully, if technology doesn't fail me) eventually be able to view pictures of my trip. All the things you can do with a blog and the internet, it's amazing! Might try get hold of an interactive map to upload at some point, too.

But first things first, I haven't even left yet, or packed for that matter. I am still in sunny Geneva after a lovely weekend with friends in London and Brighton. I have been writing packing lists for weeks, normally as a form of procrastinating and avoiding actually doing any packing or tidying or researching...

I have probably forgotten loads or have only thought of ridiciulous things, so to all you travellers out there, what are the most important things I should take and what should I definitely leave at home? When you were travelling, what did you miss the most and what did you bin after dragging it around with you for weeks and never using it?

These are some of the more practical items I thought of taking, any other suggestions?

• torch
• whistle
• compact mirror
• inflatable pillow
• rubber bands
• screwdriver
• duct tape
• rubber gloves
• sealable freezer bags
• swiss army knife
• tights (this was recommend in one of travel books as has multiple uses apart from actually wearing on your legs!)

I'm also taking along my new DSLR camera and my iPod. I'm still looking for some new music to take with me, so if you have any recommendations please please please let me know!

These are the books I plan on taking:

1. John Hughes, Lessons in your Rucksack (as I'm travelling light - a first for me - I won't be able to take my usual teaching aides, so this will have to do)
2. Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind This book was recommended to me years ago by my best friend Annika and I love it! After visiting Barcelona with her last winter, I vowed I'd read it again but have yet to find the time. No excuse now!
3. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit Prince This is my all-time favourite book and comes with me everywhere I go for that bit of comfort reading. I sadly only have it in French, so I won't be able to use it in my lessons, but still....
4. William Thackerey, Vanity Fair As I have read an appallingly small number of classical literature, I once requested my friends to write me a personalised canon of must-read books. This one was on it, and I found it at a second hand market in London last week, so I took it as a sign.

With the next two I'm not sure which one to take, as I know there'll be loads of other travellers willing to swap books and I don't want to take too many. However, it will take me 3 days to actually get to my final destination, Hue, so I'll be kicking myself if I get through all my books on the flights there.

1. Christos Tsiolkas, The Slap This one I've been picking up in WH Smith at airports since June, not sure what to expect but sounds good.
2. David Nicholls, One Day I gave this one to a friend for her birthday last year and my dear friend Nicole recommended it to me last week, too, so I bought it at the airport yesterday.

Right, I should get back to my packing procrastination which has so far led me to sort through my wardrobe, read and exercise (yep, I hate packing that much!).

Will write again once my travels actually begin and I have packed. Please, if you have any suggestions you can comment on this post or email me.

xxxx