It feels good to get back on the road again,the past few months since finishing the Camino have been a little unsettled. I have spent time on my house in the hopes of selling it, and resigned from my position as a board director for of one company, and president of another. Sold my stock in the one company, prayed the stock in the other would take off, and promised to stay retired.
I broke a three tooth crown over Xmas which the dentist wanted $5,000usd to replace, two weeks ago I broke another one, so the bill, with two root canals is going to be in the vicinity of 14,000 to 16,000 US dollars ( this story gets better), so when I found this opportunity to go back on the road to two countries I have never travelled in, then convinced one of my greatest friends and travel buddies to join me, life was good again.
Like me, Caroline has been to Thailand before, but not Cambodia and Vietnam, so the Hawaiian hurricane was all excited to go and we booked on the spot. Very few times do I do an organized tour when I travel, but this felt right and the little boy in my needed to be pampered a little. I listen to him more and more these days.
From Los Angeles to Shanghai to Bangkok, 24 hours on a plane, normally I am good watching movies etc, and eating crap airline food, but this was a tough trip for some reason, not to discount the effect the lady next to me had on the journey. She seemed nice enough, from China , had an unbelievable propensity for regular, consistent, silent gas. 13 hours of it, REALLY, why couldn't she just settle for crappy airline food, and spare my the broccoli. One of the attraction of India and Asia for me, are the sights, sounds, and smells of the cities,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,today,,,,,,,,,,,,,,not so much.
I staggered off the plane in Shanghai, and had two beers, I never drink and fly, it dehydrates me, but this felt right.
Arrived at my hotel in Bangkok at 2.30am Thai time and died in bed, till my body clock said wakey wakey about an hour later, travel is so much fun.
I meet my best buddy who I have travelled many times with for breakfast in the morning, really looking forward to seeing Caroline, as she continues her barrage of "why Hawaii is where I should move to". The last trip she and I were on, with John and Jackie, was Nicaragua, about 4 years ago.

breakfast day one, along the river

Why this trip, well I am a bit of a seeker and there is something very serene about budism, and the people who practice it. I myself use some of the budist teachings in my daily on goings. There is also a lot of fascinating history here that still hasn't been westernized of commercialized . The food is great, and the noise and colors are enlivening, plus it's a new day in a new place.
Namaste