The end is near. All good things must come to an end.

I'll be home in 9 days and am "same same, but different" with a few new scars and scrapes, some unwanted extra pounds but a lifetime of memories. Yes, I do like to keep promises and promised my family I'd be home for Thanksgiving. My pregnant sister has lots for me to do and decided I'll be her doula. Uncle Sam owes me some money and despite having missed the deadline to file a long time ago, I am optimistic to get something back! I even tried to call the IRS collect from Vietnam for an extra extra special extension. No luck getting through, but well worth the try. Since I've left three strangers have been living in my apartment. I hope they left me at least some of my belongings. I briefly considered rejoining the "matrix", but after reading John Perkin's Confession of an Economic Hitman I want nothing to do with corporate America! YEs, I probably didn't choose the best time to read it.

My time in Lao was amazing. We traveled in lots of boats, used kayaks as transport and floated down a lot of rivers. I didn't know it held the title of most heavily bombed country in the world (thank you America). Nor did I know anything about the Secret War the US carried out against them. Yikes!

My friend Anne from Norway just flew out to meet me on the beach in Thailand. We are staying on the cutest beach bungalow in Kho Phagnan and trying to get as dark as possible before returning to cold wintery NYC on the 23rd :( What am I going to do when I get back? Good question...probably start planning my next trip!!