The hardest thing about being a nomad without a real end date is figuring out where you’re going next, if anywhere at all. I’ve spent a fair amount of time at this point sitting around the morning I need to check out of a place looking at flight and bus itineraries as well as other hotel and AirBNB options close by.

So…no, life isn’t hard at all. But there is certainly some stability to having structure. On days when I haven’t slept and I’m on the go, I can spend a good 5 hours or more just contemplating the question of what to do next.

As my time in Cambodia was winding down, I decided to go across the border to Vietnam. I remember being in high school and looking at the brochure for a summer exchange program, and that’s when Vietnam first captured my imagination. The Mekong Delta, the treks. Later on in college when one of my great known joys was to order the mountainous appetizer platter from Saigon Grill and go to town on some Bun Xao noodles and a mild stir-fried chicken curry, the food component entered the equation. After college, I met a social scientist and researcher who spent a lot of time working in Vietnam, and all he could do was rave about the culture, the scenery, and the food. It was cemented. Earlier this summer, I found myself booking, canceling, and rebooking flight itineraries to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Continue reading Crossing the border →