Shit. Back home again. I knew the time would come when I’de be done traveling and have to go back to the States and live in “the real world” again, but back in early January when I left, March sounded so far away. Actually, I left LA Dec. 27th for a family reunion in the Bahamas, was back in LA for 3 days, then scrambled together all my clothes and documents and was off to Vietnam. I left when it was Christmas, and now I’m back and its March Madness and St. Patty’s day. I think in total I was gone somewhere around 60-70 days? When I first planned this trip I was a little nervous…graduating a semester early to go traveling.. and going by myself for most of the time.. hmmmm, will it be worth it? The answer: FUCK YES. I’m sure everyone back home has had good experiences, but I truly had a once in a lifetime experience, and I feel like a renewed person, with a much more open mind. I think I have changed since traveling, not in any drastic way, but definitely changed and for the better. I don’t think I take things as seriously anymore, I am much more friendly and social, and I am not as self conscious or vain anymore (thank God!), I have a lot more self-confidence, I don’t have as much anxiety about the future, and I feel like I can handle any challenge that is presented. I guess that’s what happens when traveling alone for a while and getting lost in foreign countries. And to be honest, it is fun to be thrown in challenging situations and to be able to work your way out of it. Some of my favorite memories from the trip occurred during times of stress, frustration, and/or danger. Losing my credit card and having absolutely zero cash in a third world country (Vietnam) where they barely speak English turned out to be a highlight of my trip! It was 105 degrees outside and I was walking around this village with my heavy backpacks sweating my ass off, and started freaking out. No one wanted to buy my travel books or shitty clothes off me, and when I finally made a sale, the MOST I got out of the guy was $3 for a Diesel jacket.. I was thinking to myself, “Im fucked.. im absolutely fucked..$3 for a really nice jacket....Im going to sleep on the beach and get attacked by dogs in the night or die from dehydration..” Its like, my whole life I’ve been used to having money, or a credit card, or even friends who would spare me some money and I’de pay them back. But I was alone and the locals don’t even have enough money to feed there own family, let alone some ‘rich’ American bloke from orange county. But you know what, at one point I set my stuff down and put my feet in the ocean and realized something.. I didn’t need any money, I wasn’t going to die, and no one was trying to hurt me! It was a complete change in attitude, and I went from pissed off and scared to happy and laughing. I said fuck it there’s no point in frenetically running around town trying to find food and a place to stay, and went bodysurfing for hours in the South China sea. It was pure bliss to be honest.
Speaking of misconceptions and pandemonium, you shoulda seen the look on my doctors face when I showed him the map of where I was traveling in Asia when I went to get shots before leaving. He started slapping his hand on his forehead and saying “ohhhh shit… shit, shit shit..you’re screwed man. You see all this red on the map? Yea, well that means malaria, typhoid, dengue fever, and all types of diseases.. Do you realize what the hell you are getting you
rself into?” It was co
mical to be honest, he was looking stuff up on the internet and calling other doctors..He would come into the room I was sitting in, look at me, shake his head as if he was astonished by my ignorance and apathy and walk out without even saying a word. It was pretty classic. I’de say in the beginning of my trip, I was a lot like my doctor. I worried about walking barefoot and was careful about what I was eating, 
who I would talk to, who was going to try to rob me, etc. etc…but that deteriorates from the true experience of backpacking through southeast asia! As time went on, I went swimming in rivers, oceans, waterfalls, went hiking to tribal villages, saw pythons, spiders as big as your whole hand..uhh ate wild frogs that we caught in a creek…hopped on the back of motorcycles of random people, went to our tour guides hut & visited his village… drove my own motorcycle, met two german guys and slept in their car with them for a week…got bit by a tiger, bit by a leech, cut by coral, punched in the face… anyways, the list goes on, but the point im trying to 
make is that it was all about the experience and having an open mind. I could have tried to stay on the safe side and done things the “proper” way..like only buying bus tickets to get around rather than hitching rides, paying for nice hotels, and only touring with American approved travel companies, but I am so glad I took chances, trusted random people, stayed out later than expected but still woke up early everyday, and really let myself overcome my own inhibitions and insecurities. I guess that was something I really learned on this trip. We Americans have this mentality that everything and everyone is out to get us..either rip us off, steal our stuff, or kill us! While that might be true, in the end we 
are all going to be goners anyways so who cares! Take a chance, even if shit hits the fan, it makes for a good story :)
Anyways, I have also become a lot more appreciative of my own great country, USA! Coming home and hearing American accents, smelling that funny looking green money, and seeing American flags flying proudly on nearly every building really made me happy. After all, I'm an American, and I can't change that. A lot of people love to talk shit on the Americans and talk about the war in the Middle East, our dangerous cities, our loudness and arrogance, and our horrific eating habits. I heard a lot of different opinions from a lot of different people, but at the end of it all, nearly everyone I engaged with said "you know what, you're actually not that bad of a guy.. You've changed my view about the Americans", which I thought was pretty cool.
Well, as I finally finish wrapping up this blog on June 3rd of 2010, I realize that I have now been home for the same amount of time I was away..which is mind blowing as my time traveling FLEW by and my time at home has seemed like an eternity. Honestly my trip feels like it could have been years ago. And what actually motivated me to finally finish and post this blog is that I'm currently looking at the possibility of another trip in July, as my "real" job starts August 2nd and I have two months to kill (work all June, travel all July?). Anyways, I am truly grateful for all of the experiences, friends, and memories made over the course of my trip, and while I have officially adjusted back to the real world, I can't wait to do something similar again in the next couple of years. Next up on the agenda: Europe (without the family this time), Central/South America, and Africa. And for anyone thinking about traveling alone, going to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and/or Australia, feel free to contact me and I'de love to talk about it further! With this I'm out, Cheers!
I only chose a couple photos to include in this blog, but checkout all my photos by clicking these links:
Pictures from Vietnam Click Here
Pictures from Cambodia & Bangkok Thailand Click Here
Pictures from Northern Thailand & the Islands of Thailand Click Here
Pictures from the Northern Part of Australia Click Here
Pictures from the Middle Part of Australia Click Here
Pictures from the Southern Part of Australia Click Here
This is awesome you gotta keep this, Print it out and keep it, Just in case the Y2K bug comes.
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