Back in Asia

I know not where to begin as this past month has been a complete blur. To start I my crew and I had a series of unfortunate events ranging from theft, being punched in the face, being run over by a motorbike going at least 40km/h as well as enjoying the greatness of stand-by flights. We did however get to pet tigers in Kanchanburi.

Since then I've been to three places: Sangklhaburi, Chiang Mai and Pai. Sangklhaburi was great in that I sobered up, finished reading The God Delusion (Dawkins) and Naked (Sedaris) and got to a bit of volunteering. By volunteering I simply mean that I was invited to be a part of taking the local Burmese children to go swim. Although no substitute for the Bal Ashram boys, these kids were equally cute with smiles big enough to match my own.

Chiang Mai was simply ridiculous. It was Songkran, their new year, which they celebrate by having an all out water war on the streets. Although I don't know what the top 5 experiences of my life will be, I can say with certainty that this will be a contender. My voice was strained, my liver was dying, had bags under my eyes and often not the slightest bit of me was dry ... jeez it was amazing.

Pai was great too. I wound up paying 50 baht (less than two dollars) for a bungalow on the river and even got to play two open mics to which I had quite the crowd. Well to say I had a crowd is misleading ... I happened to be playing while there were people present is more accurate. Whether or not they listened or just applauded because they should is another story.

Now I'm preparing for the next part of my journey: ziplining through the Bokeo reserve and then making my way through Laos. All the best.

I Think I Might Be Crazy ...

I am willing to bet a fair amount of cash that anyone who has been 'down under' has loved it and might - out of need - partake in some scandalous activities in order to return. The beaches in Queensland are comparable with those exotic postcard images of the beaches in Thailand and the rest of South East Asia, the iconic Sydney Opera House is even more intriguing in person, Melbourne - the home of the Australian Open - is the 'sister' city of San Francisco, and well, Kangaroos, outdoor activities, women and surfing galore. Despite all this, I'm leaving ...

I had what I dubbed a 'Western Freak Out' two days ago. Something just hit me and I knew I had to get out of here. I felt trapped; imprisoned. I had been struggling to cope with the changes of lifestyle and culture that come with being back in the west since I arrived. Hannes - a cool cat from my second time around in Kuala Lumpur - had told me that I would and that it truly takes a strong conscious effort to knock yourself out of it. That thought was reiterated by a girl I met upon arrival at my favorite German's place in Sydney.

I wish that I could accurately articulate the thoughts that have/are running through my head in an effort to sort them out and reassure myself that I am doing the right thing (noting of course that there are no guarantees in life and the effects of any one decision have the potential to ripple out through the tide of time).

Financially speaking, I am an idiot as going through this ordeal entails forfeiting a ridiculously cheap flight back into Asia at a later date, buying a new ticket last minute, missing the flight due to extremely incompetent service people (jetstar is a waste of life) resulting in a rescheduling fee and lastly a pre-arranged ticket out of KL. Mentally speaking, I think I am doing the right thing. I realized that 1)at this point in my life, the 'real world' isn't so real, 2)that this trip is finite and regardless of the risk I need to follow my heart wherever it leads me and 3)when traveling (for me at least) the 'first' and 'third' world should not be mixed and match. The amount of time it takes to readjust your mind and wallet accordingly is better spent zip lining through a jungle, hitch hiking through Indonesia, chasing after a girl and well, owning life.

It's funny ... I've been in Australia for 3 weeks and all I have seen is Sydney. I have had some good times and met great a few great people who have helped me get through this surprisingly difficult time (God I must sound like a whiny brat).


To my gracious host, I am forever in your debt. I am lucky to be a benefactor of your generosity, friendship and more importantly, your love. As much as it pains me to leave you, our paths will soon cross and should they not, believe me when I tell you that I carry a piece of you with me wherever I go.

Thailand ...

29th January - 7th February
My stories from Thailand are those that I dare not post on the web ... suffice to say, I had an amazing time. Bangkok was, well, Bangkok. It's funny despite all the talk of how crazy that place is, it's really not. Maybe it is just the case that, in a sense, I've been numbed to chaos as a result of my experiences in India. To me, Bangkok is first world. I mean, their roads have lanes and sometimes they even use them.

I had been longing for an overdue trip to the beach and Koh Samui was where the long standing memories of salt on my lips returned to me. My experience there was no match for Koh Phan-gnan though. The home of the legendary Full Moon Party and my time there can best be described as a blur. Chill people + chill beaches + increasingly large amounts of chang = an experience that I will never forget. A warm thank you to all of you who added to that chapter of my life.