Ever since I first set eyes on Paul Theroux's book "The Great Railway Bizarre: By Train Through Asia " the idea of spending extended time hop scotching across South Asia with a backpack filled with the requisite light clothes and ample supply of blank notebooks has greatly appealed to me. That dream will come true this summer as I pack my bags and head for the Malaysian peninsula. The plan is to land in Singapore, get acclimated for a few days and then cross the border into Malaysia. Mersing, a small village on the east coast and some four hours or so by bus (God willing...) will be our gateway to a week or so of island hopping in the South China Sea. Kuala Lumpur will then beckon and a flight will be caught to the northeast part of Malaysia where we will settle on the island gem known as Perhentian Besar. More snorkeling, trekking, and reading will follow. The final portion of the journey will take me on a roughly two-hour long flight to Ho Chi Mihn City (Saigon), Vietnam where I will take a boat ride along the Mekong Delta and soak up the dizzying energy of South Vietnam's largest city. I'll try to post an entry with pics whenever I have computer access.We will be arriving in Singapore on July 8...so stay tuned for the first dispatch from that steamy, malaria-free (so I'm told...) south Asian country shortly thereafter.

Cheers,

Keith