Jun
18
2010

A Birthday Journey

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After a sleepless night in the international terminal of LAX, security queues that literally stretched out the doors and down the airport sidewalk, and a delayed flight causing me to run aboard my departing flight in Hawaii, my only request from the universe was to take a nap.

I boarded my 8-hour flight from Hawaii to Tokyo with high hopes.  Soon enough, it became obvious that Delta, fate, and Satan had conspired to dash those hopes.  Inexplicably, and to my horror, I found myself aboard a giant, Delta 747 that had been filled to capacity with Japanese high school students.

Literally, an entire class – over 200 students – heading back to Japan.  I was the only person on the plane not giggling, wearing a plaid skirt, or sporting Hello Kitty paraphernalia.

Don’t get me wrong, I love hanging out with Japanese travelers.  Despite speaking no English, the Japanese backpackers are usually the most genuine and enjoyable company that you could ask for.  With that thought in mind, I tried to stay positive.

For my 35th birthday (today) all that I ask for is to be deposited in Thailand with bags and sanity intact.

(Read more…)


Posted in travel |
Jun
15
2010

Vagabonding 2010 Begins

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A little late this year, but better late than never.

After 8 days of semi-relaxing family time in Orlando with my nieces and nephew, a visit to Disney World to make Mr. Eisner and the new CEO a little richer, and 16 hours of hellish driving…I am now back in Lexington, Kentucky.

Not for long.

Somewhere, as I type this, a Delta plane with an empty seat bearing my name (I hope) is being fueled (I hope) and prepped (I hope) for my trip to LA and then on to Asia.  Today is June 15, I will be stepping off the plane on June 17 – my birthday – with the thick Bangkok humidity sucking my breath away.

What a two-day, sleepless journey.  What a birthday to remember – I can’t wait!

I fly from Lexington to LA, spend one night on the floor in LAX, then catch a red-eye flight to Hawaii.  Next, from Hawaii to Tokyo (where I’ll eat at my favorite sushi stop) and then on to Bangkok – arriving at midnight.

Once on the ground in Bangkok, I’ll catch a bus to Banglumpoo and wander around like a sleep-deprived zombie avoiding scandalous tuk-tuk drivers until I find accommodation on Rambuttri street – a quieter option in the vicinity of Khao San Road.

I’ve done this routine before, but that doesn’t make it any easier.  Saying goodbyes to people I care about and the maddening trip preparation has already sucked away some of my gusto.  I’m banking on a week in Bangkok to get my energy aligned and my chi focused on my new timezone (and home).

My missions in Bangkok:

  1. Eat some REAL pad thai
  2. Get some pictures of bullet holes
  3. Figure out what made my favorite people want to start shooting each other in the first place
  4. Try to stay dry during the monsoon rains

That’s about all that I will have time for before flying down to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AirAsia, $50) next week to set up camp.

Expenses

Just for fun, here are my total trip costs before even getting out the door:

  1. $120 ticket to LAX
  2. $150 backpacker travel insurance
  3. $110 trip supplies and new gear
  4. $800 flight to Bangkok  (one-way)
  5. $23 to check one bag on Delta (pirate bastards)

Packing

My rucksack and daybag weighed in at almost exactly 30 pounds (14 kilos).  Not the best that I have ever done, but considering the extent of my work-kit which includes SLR and laptop plus accessories, not bad.  My bloated Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring book is probably half the weight!

Work

I am contributing to the NY Times’ About.com to help fund this trip, which means that I will be moving slower than usual.  That won’t stop me from seeking out adventures like those on last year’s trip (ie..whale hunting and finding Komodo Dragons).

My articles are mixed in with others on About.com’s Southeast Asia Guide if you want to check it out or become a fan of the Facebook page.

Time to Get Going

The theme at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando is “Its a small world”.  It sure won’t feel that small as my plane circumnavigates through 23 hours of world to deposit me in Asia, but I think they may be on to something.

It is a small world…..and it’s our playground.  Life is good.


Posted in travel |
May
30
2010

Buying Supplies

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The last week has been a maddening blur!

Goodbyes, packing, writing, photo shoots, more goodbyes….

Amidst all the madness and seemingly non-stop errand running, I did manage to finally do one of my favorite pre-travel activities:

Buying supplies.

I made my once-yearly appearance at a Wal-Mart here (a frightening prospect when you see the people that roam the aisles at 4 a.m!) and managed to spend over a hundred dollars on supplies for this upcoming trip.

Although an $800 ticket is sitting nestled in my inbox, the fact that I am leaving the country for six months doesn’t really hit home until I do my supply run. Just filling the basket with things that I am going to need for the coming months seems to drive home the fact that YES – I am getting on a plane soon.

As much as I enjoy pre-trip shopping, I am an advocate of buying whatever you can locally at your first destination.  Not only are you helping an economy/family that needs it (more so than the Wal-mart CEO anyway) chances are that the stuff you buy will be cheaper.

Things I DO buy at home rather than abroad:


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