SE ASIA, JANUARY 2017.

There are not enough words to fully convey the transformative travel I experienced while trekking my way across SE Asia for a month. From the chaos and craziness throughout Bangkok, to the peaceful rice fields hidden by clouds in the mountains of N. Vietnam, to the Temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, every day was terrifyingly awesome.

Over the course of 30 days, I experienced just a smidge of the culture, and I can’t deny, I’m hooked. The calm kindness the people expressed was magical.

Here is an excerpt from my notes on my second to last day traveling through SE Asia:

My final morning before leaving for the long journey home may very well be my favorite morning so far. 

I get up early and take the scooter for a long ride around the southern tip of the smallish island. Up and over the hills that bisect the east and west blue-green waters. 

The temp is a sweet 78°, and as I cruise through the heavily tropical sections it feels a bit cooler with the sumptuously wet rain forest like smells amplified as I ride. This is why I love motorcycles. They exponentially enhance the tactile experience of travel – both good and bad. 

I round a corner near the summit and the view opens up nicely with a vista overlooking the beach town below. I stop and take it all in, trying to remember exactly where on the globe I’m sitting. I know it’s as far from where I usually sit as might be possible – as evidenced by my soon to be 22 hour series of flights. 

A pair of mixed mut dogs come up to me waggin their tails – working me for a treat I don’t have, but wish I did. The three of us sit together for several minutes feeling the ocean breeze and listening to the birds in the canopy overhead while generally just enjoying each others company. It’s a fine few minutes indeed – as good as any could be. 

I continue scootering down the twisty two lane highway, always remembering the roads are backwards here. Instantly I lock up the brakes, sliding sideways to a stop and easing off the side of the road. Just ahead of me an elephant is munching on his breakfast in the gully on the side of the road! At first sight you wouldn’t know that he was tethered in place. I’ve seen a lot of wildlife during my plentiful road trips but “hey I wonder if I’ll see any elephants just off the road today?” wasn’t exactly a sentence I would have said this morning as I squeezed into my helmet. I pull over at the next wide spot and walk up to the teenaged looking elephant. He immediately gropes my hands with his trunk searching for treats. Satisfied and undoubtedly disappointed that I’m without, he lowers his head a bit towards me – so I give it a good scratch. That seems to be a good consolation. He’s part of a tourist trekking camp just down the road that uses this area as base camp. I’ve read the many reasons why we shouldn’t support these outfits, but in all fairness, this guy seemed quite friendly and content. 

I start riding into the nice head wind and 20 minutes later find an uncrowded beach to spend another few minutes. The tiniest of micro-crabs scatter from under each step. The half dozen sailboats moored in the bay play a little music as the inhabitants prepare their breakfast. I’ve never wanted a sailboat so much in my life as I do in this moment. Seriously, I’m about to search Nevada Craigslist on my phone for sailboats when I anticipate googles response:  “wait… what?! You want to buy what in NV?!” – I might have had better luck looking for igloos in Death Valley.

My phone beeps and reminds me that I have flights to start checking into and a taxi that still needs arranged for the hour + ride to the airport later today. Tonight I stay a quick night in Bangkok before the 22 hours of flights home begin far too early tomorrow morning. It’s hard not to feel a little sad as this amazing trips  conclusion nears. It’s like finishing a favorite TV series, and staring at the screen in disbelief. Did a month of world travel really just happen? It seems like yesterday I was working out the trips itinerary… that largely went ignored… 

My friend Mike and I join up one final time for a lunch with some of his top employees. He introduces me and it’s fun to have a group of 6 or 7 of us all speaking English at the same time. It’s been a month since I’ve heard a group conversation in English. 

Finally it’s time to say my farewell and return the scooter, praying my passport is returned unharmed. It is once I pay the $1 fee for the gas I used. You gotta love scooters that sip fuel like a wine snob at an upscale tasting. 

I know there will be more trips abroad, that’s the trouble with world travel. The flight home will undoubtedly include researching interesting destinations that I’ll consider for my next adventure. Travel is addictive, and I’m becoming an all too willing junkie. 

So with that, the next, and likely final post about this last month spent in SE Asia, will be from my living room couch fully exhausted and with my wanderlust soul smoking it’s proverbial “after” cigarette of complete satisfaction…

Thank you to all who followed along on this grand adventure and nudged me forward with smiles, likes, and all the private messages of encouragement. Once settled in at home, I’ll begin working on designing a coffee table book with both my photography and the accompanying stories. That, and working for a living… I had almost forgot about that.