Leaving On A Jet Plane - Again!

It always seems like the closer time comes to a big adventure, the busier I get. Waiting for my Southeast Asia trip to start was no different. Since last Thursday, I was busy catching up with people for a "last" good-bye and running various kinds of other errands. My great timing also meant that all my company visits and meetings took place this week. I also never got around to doing some things I've been meaning to (mainly due to a lack of transportation) - like buying a travel journal.

Of all the business from this past week, meeting up with friends was definitely the most enjoyable. In particular, it was great to see some old faces, many of which I haven't seen for quite some time. Especially nice was seeing Andy Brock and Diane. Friendships old or new, I left both with bitter sweet feelings, for it is uncertain when and if I will see some of them again. Adam and I talked about this not too long ago, but one of the sad realities with an expat's life (or in my case, a local plus) is the fluid nature of the friendships you make. Most of the people you meet have only finite times in the country, so you can't help but feel a sense of abandonment when they leave. As well, with the departure of each friend, the challenge of the nature of the friendship also sets in. Will you really keep in touch and will space help evolve the friendship into something more meaningful? Will warm friendships dissolve into polite pleasentries? Will a friendship you sincerely cared about become just a series of collective memories, brief synapses in the tunnel of time? Alas, I suppose that is just the price that comes with the lifestyle, an unspoken clause when you signed the contract of the life you chose.

Alright, enough ranting. Here's a look of my travel route and dates for the next 2 months, in brief:

June 16th - Beijing to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
June 20th - KL to Bangkok, Thailand
June 21st - circa July 20th - Laos > Vietnam > Cambodia > back to Thailand > back to KL, Malaysia
July 26th - Kuala Lumpur to Beijing
July 31st - Beijing to Chengdu
August 1st - circa August 4/5th - Lhasa, Tibet
August 4/5th - circa August 12/13 - Lhasa to Mount Everest Base Camp, back to Lhasa
August 14/15th - back to Beijing

My internet access for the next few months will be sporadic at best, save the few days at the end of July. However, feel free to email me at my gmail account or leave messages on my blog. I'll be very happy to read them when I come back to reality. :)

I'm excited for every minute of the trip. The plan is to open up my senses - to really open them up to the sights, sounds, touch, and smell of every place I go to. Also, am looking forward to (hopefully) taking some decent photographs. In other words, the plan for the next two months is to be the best traveler that I can be.

Lastly, Delphy wrote in his blog, and I concur to the sentiment: "Great adventures lie ahead."

And so, I'm off!