Asia in Summary
6:30 pm - 2.5 hour flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong
The things I set out to do before I left for this trip have largely been accomplished. I'm not one to make lists of goals but looking back, its the little things I'll forever look back on during my first trip to Asia:
- seeing the various big cities and quiet towns in Asia
- having great conversations in other languages and broken English with locals
- meeting other travelers from various countries who are also seeking soulful experiences
- lying on the beach and doing nothing but listening to the ocean
- hiking up a mountain
- ordering by pointing
- giving away money
- leaving people I meet with memories of me so hopefully the stories they tell back home will include me
- seeing old friends
- meeting new ones
- getting drunk
- relishing moments of clarity
- swimming (despite my fear of it)
- And most of all experiencing another world
I have no regrets. Although I would have liked to see more countryside in China or stay in Hanoi longer, or visit Phi Phi after the tsunami, I think my trip worked out just right. I was lucky. I was never in danger, nobody tried to steal from me and I only got ripped off twice by taxis with liberal meters.
I left LA 6 weeks ago with optimistic hopes for life-changing epiphanies about my career and furthermore about my place on this vast planet. And although those never came to me, I trust that my experiences gained from this trip have already influenced the answers to the questions I seek. If anything, traveling opens ones eyes and makes you want to see more. I learned from my trip that I can rely on myself, that I must improve my Chinese and return (with my father) to that country one day, that I need more sweat in my life whether that be more hiking or yoga, that my job isn't that bad, that I am fortunate to have such a caring and unique girlfriend back home, and that I'm only getting started seeing the world.
I have a head full of memories and a journal full of entries I'd love to share. Its tough to summarize my trip in one long entry so instead I thought I'd jot down some curious facts:
- 38: Amount of days traveled
- 13: Amount of cities visited: Hong Kong, Saigon, CanTho, MuiNe, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Sapa, Hanoi, Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Kata
- 15: Modes of transport: plane, bus, cyclo, taxi, motorcycle, jeep, ferry, ship/boat, bamboo basket, river raft, train, subway, bullet train, tuk tuk, sawngthaew
- 7: languages spoken: English, French, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Shanghainese, Thai
- 90: % of people who thought I was Japanese
- 2: # of Canadians I met during my travels
- 23.6: % of total living/expense budget spent on alcohol - more than my entire accommodation budget
- 14: % over budget I went largely as a result of the fact above
- 6.5: # of years it would take the avg blue-collar Thai worker to earn enough to have the same trip I did
- 2: # of watches that either stopped or broke. I had no concept of time for most of my trip
- 43: # of journal entries
- 4: # of free rides received from kind locals
- 1: # of times I seriously thought I was going to die
- 99: % of Vietnamese people I was taller than
- 1: # of famous VJ's I hung out with
- 11: # of backpackers who I actually had a conversation with. Most thought I was local
- 5: # of massages received. 5 more than I've had in my life
- 6: # of times I ate fast food consisting of McDonalds, KFC, Popeyes or BK
- 100: % of times I wore my favorite pink bunny shirt on a Friday night
- 63: $ in USD paid for a tailored suit and jacket in Vietnam
- 40-45: % of price I was able to negotiate souvenirs/gifts for. I'm a master
- 3: # of times my friends convinced a local girl I was a karaoke model
- $69,196: amount I made per hour in Dong (net) on my paid vacation. The average Vietnamese person makes about half that amount per day
- 16: hotels/guesthouses I stayed in
- 8: # of mosquito bites
- 4: # of people from Vancouver I bumped into in 2 nights in Hong Kong
- 2: # of squat toilets I used. #1, never #2
- 1: # of times touched by an androgynous person
The things I set out to do before I left for this trip have largely been accomplished. I'm not one to make lists of goals but looking back, its the little things I'll forever look back on during my first trip to Asia:
- seeing the various big cities and quiet towns in Asia
- having great conversations in other languages and broken English with locals
- meeting other travelers from various countries who are also seeking soulful experiences
- lying on the beach and doing nothing but listening to the ocean
- hiking up a mountain
- ordering by pointing
- giving away money
- leaving people I meet with memories of me so hopefully the stories they tell back home will include me
- seeing old friends
- meeting new ones
- getting drunk
- relishing moments of clarity
- swimming (despite my fear of it)
- And most of all experiencing another world
I have no regrets. Although I would have liked to see more countryside in China or stay in Hanoi longer, or visit Phi Phi after the tsunami, I think my trip worked out just right. I was lucky. I was never in danger, nobody tried to steal from me and I only got ripped off twice by taxis with liberal meters.
I left LA 6 weeks ago with optimistic hopes for life-changing epiphanies about my career and furthermore about my place on this vast planet. And although those never came to me, I trust that my experiences gained from this trip have already influenced the answers to the questions I seek. If anything, traveling opens ones eyes and makes you want to see more. I learned from my trip that I can rely on myself, that I must improve my Chinese and return (with my father) to that country one day, that I need more sweat in my life whether that be more hiking or yoga, that my job isn't that bad, that I am fortunate to have such a caring and unique girlfriend back home, and that I'm only getting started seeing the world.
I have a head full of memories and a journal full of entries I'd love to share. Its tough to summarize my trip in one long entry so instead I thought I'd jot down some curious facts:
- 38: Amount of days traveled
- 13: Amount of cities visited: Hong Kong, Saigon, CanTho, MuiNe, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Sapa, Hanoi, Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Kata
- 15: Modes of transport: plane, bus, cyclo, taxi, motorcycle, jeep, ferry, ship/boat, bamboo basket, river raft, train, subway, bullet train, tuk tuk, sawngthaew
- 7: languages spoken: English, French, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Shanghainese, Thai
- 90: % of people who thought I was Japanese
- 2: # of Canadians I met during my travels
- 23.6: % of total living/expense budget spent on alcohol - more than my entire accommodation budget
- 14: % over budget I went largely as a result of the fact above
- 6.5: # of years it would take the avg blue-collar Thai worker to earn enough to have the same trip I did
- 2: # of watches that either stopped or broke. I had no concept of time for most of my trip
- 43: # of journal entries
- 4: # of free rides received from kind locals
- 1: # of times I seriously thought I was going to die
- 99: % of Vietnamese people I was taller than
- 1: # of famous VJ's I hung out with
- 11: # of backpackers who I actually had a conversation with. Most thought I was local
- 5: # of massages received. 5 more than I've had in my life
- 6: # of times I ate fast food consisting of McDonalds, KFC, Popeyes or BK
- 100: % of times I wore my favorite pink bunny shirt on a Friday night
- 63: $ in USD paid for a tailored suit and jacket in Vietnam
- 40-45: % of price I was able to negotiate souvenirs/gifts for. I'm a master
- 3: # of times my friends convinced a local girl I was a karaoke model
- $69,196: amount I made per hour in Dong (net) on my paid vacation. The average Vietnamese person makes about half that amount per day
- 16: hotels/guesthouses I stayed in
- 8: # of mosquito bites
- 4: # of people from Vancouver I bumped into in 2 nights in Hong Kong
- 2: # of squat toilets I used. #1, never #2
- 1: # of times touched by an androgynous person