The redlined map

A rough trip itinerary, as follows:

Note: Along the way, we'll be trying to hook up with any volunteer outfits we may find, in which case this plan may get temporarily derailed for days/weeks at a time (for a good cause).

• Land in Hong Kong Jan 3; introduce new wife to potentially wary relatives.
• Head north into China proper; buy cheap Chinese puffy jackets for chilly continental winter; take in the nice brochure-worthy river scenary. Attempt in vain to explain why this Chinese boy doesn't speak Mandarin. (We decided to add this leg because even with the Chinese visas it's still cheaper than flying to Hanoi, for whatever reason).
• Head south to Vietnamese border; head by hydrofoil to north-Vietnamese coastal area and bask in surprisingly chilly temperatures.
• Hanoi, NW Vietnam, and south to Ho Chi Minh City at a leisurely pace. Ditch winter clothes along the way (10'C in Hanoi, >30'C in HCMC). Mekong River delta, then up through to Cambodia and Phnom Penh.
• Slow boat (?) to Siem Riep and Angkor. Westward over (a) notorious axle-busting road and/or (b) mud-skipping river ferry to Thai border.
• Onward to Ko Chang and south-Thai coast and islands in general; bask in (by now) sizzling beach-appropriate temperatures.
• Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and we're not really sure yet, but I'm sure something will come up (dashed line).
• South to Phuket, potential island-hopping (dashed line), and southward still to Malaysia and Georgetown.
• Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, and Singapore. Blow remainder of money on electronic gadgets.
• Fly to Hong Kong; prepare for trip back to staid reality; return to same April 18.
  
  

That's why they call me Mr. Fahrenheit

The credit card's been imprinted; the dates are confirmed. Finally, after months of uncertainty, our tickets for Asia have been booked. While this won't be the life-altering, pan-Asian circuit we had originally envisioned, it'll be over 3 months of education, recreation, and galavanting in interesting southeast-Asian locales, and these days we're definitely thankful for what we can manage. We've yet to lock down exactly which countries will be on the itinerary, but at least our boundary conditions are set: takeoff Jan 3rd to Hong Kong, return Apr 18th from same.

Years ago the world represented an endless continuum of opportunities to learn, connect and contribute. Lately, having settled into this comfortable, mundane suburban Western existence riddled with traffic congestion, politics and "responsibilities", I feel like we've completely lost touch with reality: the reality we thought we'd had such a good handle on in our early 20s; the one we'd sworn never to lose sight of.

This trip, like any move away from familiar surrounds, represents a chance to find that thing we'd forgotten we've been looking for: perspective. But hey, how can anyone but a fool look for epiphanies and expect to find any? We'll just go, and see what happens. And if our way to finding Purpose takes us through some nice sandy beaches, who are we to argue?