A New Chapter

After five months of being on the road, I head home on Sunday.  The journey has allowed me to reflect about my life and how I want to proceed in the future.  During the travels, I went through some tough times.  Thousands of miles away from home and nothing familiar to hold onto, the feeling of lost and loneliness was part of the trip.  There were also amazing highs.  The highs were from the connections I made with people and being able to share something special with them.  During the trip, nothing was constant and every choice you made took you down a different path.

First and foremost, I want to thank all my hosts and friends from home who met with me.  Especially, Natalie who flew all the way to Egypt.  I also want to thank Jason Demant who is partly responsible for this trip.  He inspired me when he quit his job to travel the world with his girlfriend Sharon.  Finally, thanks to my family, who has fully supported my journey.  They were also faithful blog readers.

Now that the trip is nearly over, it is hard not to be a little sentimental.  The experience is priceless.  The people I have met and things I have learned were amazing.  This trip wasn’t about temples, pyramids, or churches, it was about life and how I want to live the remainder of it.

In the end, I am not going home depressed that the trip is over.  My journey continues with a new job, a new city, and more adventures with family and friends.  The bay area has a lot to offer and I plan to make the most of it.  So this is not the end, but just a new chapter in my life.

Signing off

Chris

Tokyo Madness

The last 8 days I have been exploring Tokyo.  Most of my time was spent in Ueno, Roppongi, and Shibuya districts.  I also took one day trip to Kamakura, which was a nice change from the bustling city.

My second night in Tokyo, I went to the Sumida River Fireworks Festival.  The best way to describe this is madness.  Nine hundred thousand people congested in one area to see the fireworks.  I was in the subway car with my face planted against the window and two kids crying at my side.  Luckily, I only had three stops.  The fireworks were nice, but the shear number of people made it chaotic.  Police were everywhere, moving us around like sheep dogs.  It was an experience!

On Thursday, I went to Harajuku station where fashion rules.  This strip is supposedly where Gwen Stefani gets inspired.  Walking down the main drag, you see people in a variety of crazy outfits.  For second, I though it was Halloween.  I took some pictures and especially loved the designer umbrellas!  In any case, its a good place to sit and people watch.

Tokyo is a little mad, but you can learn to love it.  The people are so friendly and willing to help you with no hidden agenda.  Everyone was interested to talk with me and could not of been kinder.

Tomorrow to the airport.

Chris

Koh Phangan: Full Moon Party

Every month there is one designated day as the Full Moon Party on the island of Koh Phangan.  It has been a tradition for a long time and now has become very popular with the foreigners.  So I decided to take part in this unique experience during the end of July.

The island of Koh Phangan is off the southern coast of Thailand.  To get there, I took an overnight bus to a pier near Surat Thani and then transferred to a boat.  I arrived there on the July 25th, to catch all the pre-parties before the big day on the 28th.

During the day, people generally relax on the beach or sleep.  The more adventurous will rent a motorbike or WaveRunner.  During the night, everything changes.  People usually go to one of two places;  Haad Rin Beach or the Coral Bungalow Pool Party.  The pre-parties that take place last all night.  The three nights I went out, I came home at 6AM, 7AM, and 8AM.  When I started to see the light of day, it was time to head home.  I went to one pool party, but always ended up on the beach by the end of the night.  They played various types of music and had fire theatrics.

The majority of people who came to the island were British, Dutch, and Australian, but you could meet people from anywhere.

During the Full Moon Party, it rained most of the night.  Although wet, people continued to dance with no care.  Thousands of people were crowded on the beach and the energy was amazing.

For visitors, be weary, because there is a number of drugs on the island.  The police have been bribed by the store owners so there is a number of ’safe shops’ to do your poison.   I don't recommend it and make sure no one drops anything in your bucket drink.

This was of course the least cultural experience because of the touristy nature, but I was able to meet tons of nice people and learn the secrets of the island.  Koh Phangan is somewhat unique in nature, which is why it draws such big crowds.  I highly recommend it, if you want to let loose for a couple of days and are sick of temples and shrines.

7 Days left  :(

Chris

Welcome to South-East Asia

Bangkok, Thailand:

I arrived in Bangkok about a week ago and have surprised by all the things I have seen.  In Thailand (like the rest of South-East Asia) everything is on discount.  My money has never gone farther than here.  A nice pad taxi for $1 or t-shirt for $4.  With my money going so far, I have added new items to my already maxed out luggage.  One of the other nice things about Thailand is the nightlife.  There is tons of bars and clubs where you live like a king without spending more than $30.

In Bangkok, what you see is not always reality.  One, when you see a ‘Thai girl’ the first thing you should ask yourself is if that’s really a girl.  Height, hand size, and facial hair are all indicators, but even with this you might be wrong.  Lady boys is the name for these men who pretend to be woman.  Second, your in a club dancing with your new friends from the hostel and a Thai girl approaches you.  She just wants to dance and offers you a sip of her drink.  What does she want? Either she is looking to make some money or she just wants to have a good time, but there is no way to know.  For example on Thursday night, I was out with two English guys and we went to club Boosy (or least that what was stamped on my hand in the morning).  A girl approached us and said, "Come over to our table. It my friends birthday."  We all hesitated and weren't willing to go anywhere.  Then she said, “I am not a hooker!”  Then after that, things were clearer we headed over to talk with them.  And to keep minds from wandering, I returned alone back to the hostel.

Siam Reap, Cambodia:

From Bangkok I traveled overland to Cambodia for two days.  I wanted to see Angkor Wat and the many other beautiful temples left from the Khmer dynasty.

My journey from Bangkok started with a 5.5 hour train ride with only 3 hours of sleep.  After the train, I took a tuk tuk to the border and met three other travelers.  As we went through customs, we had to pay an additional tip to get are Cambodia visa.  They call it a processing fee, but its just a scam to bring in supplemental income.  After crossing the border we shared a taxi the rest of the way.  It was quite an adventure.

I only spent one day at the temples and the other day I spent lounging around Siam Reap.  The temples were amazing and I highly recommend seeing them for yourself (check out pics).  The city had a nice market and great food.  On the lodging side, my hostel did not have any AC, which meant I was sticky for 3 days.

My journey back to Bangkok was a bus ride for $10.  Transportation is cheap! The bus ride was crammed with people and the bags were all over the aisle.  I was in the back middle seat with two guys on each side.  As the bus stopped a bag above me flew and hit my head.  It didn’t hurt, so we all just laughed.  After  crossing the border we changed to mini-vans luckily, which made the rest of the trip pleasant.

With two long days of traveling and two days in Siam Reap, I was able to get a good look at the city and the temples.  I wish I could of gave Cambodia more time, but the Full Moon Party was calling.

Now:

I have to play some ping pong as my new friends need one more person.

Chris

Rwanda

For the last week I have been in Rwanda staying with my friend Fidelis.  He and I attended Santa Clara University’s MBA program where we met.  In January, I told him about my round the world trip and he was nice enough to offer to host me in his home country of Rwanda as he planned to be there this summer.

So months later, here I am in Rwanda staying with his family.  During the week, I have met his parents and all, but one sibling.  We visited Akagera National Park, Genocide Memorial Center, King’s Palace, and an orphanage where his brother Emmy works.  I have learned a great deal about the history of Rwanda and its people.

Traveling with someone from the country was a nice change from staying in hostels.  I was absorbed into their life, which was like taking a compacted one week school course about Rwanda.  While I was here, the people were friendly and I felt very safe in the country.  All the food was natural and the meat was delicious.  Brochette was my favorite food.  Brochette can either be beef, chicken, goat, or fish, which is barbecued and put on skewer.  They flavor the meat perfectly and if you want a little heat you can add Akabanga sauce (hot chili sauce).  My favorite was the beef brochette.

During my stay, the hospitability of Fidelis’ family has been amazing.  They have fed me and each taken the time to drive Fidelis and I around Rwanda seeing different sites.  It has been a great learning experience and I have enjoyed his family.

For now, I head to Bangkok, Thailand.  I will stay in Bangkok for a few days and then head over to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat.  After Cambodia, I will find my way back to Thailand to Koh Phangan island to experience the Full Moon Party.  Then on the 30th, I take an overnight flight on Air China to Tokyo, Japan.  I stay in Japan for one week then head home roughly August 6th.  Three more very exciting countries!

Chris

Constant Change

I have been on the road 103 days and there has been some amazing and tough days.  Depending on how much of homebody you are, traveling by yourself can be more or less difficult.  For the last two days, I have been getting over a flu bug.   Laying in my cramped four bed dorm room unable to get up, I wanted to call it quits.  Being sick in a foreign country by yourself is the worst.  I wanted nothing more then to be home in my bed with one of my Boston Terriers cuddled next to me.  Although stricken with missing home, I knew once I made a full recovery I would be alright.

The other thing about traveling is that nothing is ever constant. You meet people and they typically disappear in one or two days.  Different plans and obligations keep people on a different path from me.  For this reason, its hard to have a close relationship with anyone.

The best thing about traveling is your opportunity to explore the world.  You grow as a person, as you meet new people and try new things.  I have snorkeled in the Red Sea, bathed in the Blue Lagoon, slept under the stars in Wadi Rum, attended two World Cup games, and hiked in the Drakensburg mountains.  I have met writers, photographers, entrepreneurs, journalists, surfers, and tons of students.  All these experiences help you grow.

Although my trip is open-ended and subject to change, I have a general plan for the next 1-2 months.  I plan to meet my friend Fidelis in Rwanda and travel with him to Tanzania.  After that I plan to go to Thailand, Cambodia, and Japan.  After Japan, I head home to San Francisco.  This will be sometime between August 15th and September 1st.

Tomorrow, I head to Cape Town.

Chris

South Africa: World Cup Fever

Four years ago, I was sitting on my bed watching France play Italy for the World Cup title.  At that moment, I promised myself that I would make it to the next World Cup.  When South Africa was picked as the next host country, I was even more excited.  It was the first time a African country would host this event and  I also always wanted to visit Africa.  I then spread the word to my friends, attempting to form a group to come along with me.  Initially, there was a lot of interest, but as 2010 got closer people began dropping like flies.  Girlfriends, money, and work were some of the reasons for not attending.  Lame!  I then I heard a bunch of people were going to Alaska.  Double Lame! So on June 8th I landed in Johannesburg with no friends, but two tickets to my name and a rental car.

Over the past week in South Africa, I have experienced World Cup fever.  It gets you as soon as you land.  The billboards, radio, television, jerseys, vuzuzelas, and swinging flags all participate in celebrating the largest sporting event in the world.  You can’t avoid it.  You drive down the street and see people selling flags.  You turn on the radio and Shakira’s new song, “This time for Africa” plays.  At night, you hear the vuzuzelas (blow horns) playing.  This vibrant energy is encompassing.

The World Cup has become more than just soccer.  Its a time of celebration and collectivism.  We throw away our differences for the time being and become one.  This positive energy spreads like a fever, touching us all.

My next game is in Durban on the 25th, where Portugal plays Brazil.  Should be fun.

Ayoba time!!

Chris