Prepare for Launch!

Oh boy, this is going to rule...

After a few months of pondering an escape from DC, I finally up and quit my job, got a roommate replacement, and purchased a one-way ticket to South East Asia. Take that, USA! This blog will chronicle my adventures in the region and share any revelations or inspirations that I may encounter along the way.

Without a return ticket, I have no set schedule or itinerary. High level plans, however, place Thailand first on the list with possible travel around Cambodia, Vietnam next, tentatively followed by Malaysia. Basic action plans involve sight-seeing, climbing, observing culture, and seeking out unadvisable experiences. Travel time relies almost completely on how long the money holds up (horray unemployment!), but the ballpark is around 6 to 8 months.

After missing Christmas last year while traveling around Japan, my family wants me home for the holiday this year. Apparently they want me home bad enough that they’re willing to fund the airfare for a round trip ticket. Without any appointments penciled in during the week of Christmas, I agreed to the stateside excursion. While this results in approximately 60 hours of airport/airplane time (not kidding), it also provides a West to East coast road trip with my sister on the way in, and additional time in Portland on the way back out. Not too shabby.

Portland is where I am right now – visiting Daria, checking out the job market, and marveling at the sweetness that is this town. Unlike most US cities, the streets here are filled with original non-franchise stores, microbreweries, and restaurants. I must have walked at least 10 miles yesterday and I saw one Subway (sandwiches, not underground rail). No McDonalds, no Burger King, no other crappy fast food joints. Just one Subway tucked off the road on Hawthorne Blvd. I stopped to look at it, realizing it was the only franchise on the entire street, as a passerby says “hi” to me. Portland teems with individuality, originality, and innate friendliness. Call me crazy, but it seems to me that these are the very qualities that most of America critically lacks.

Alright, starting to ramble, so I’ll wrap it up. Launch to Bangkok is this Wednesday (Nov 7^th), so I’ll post again later once I have something exciting, or at least interesting, to write about. Until then, Woot-face!