Today I am heading to Wet and Wild, tomorrow I am boarding a plane for Thailand, and yesterday was my last day of work. Things are good! I spent 2 hours yesterday emailing bars in Phuket to see if they will be playing the Super Bowl; found 3. Things are good, life is good.
Its been roughly 10 months since I left the US and this has been quite the life experience. Ups and downs have been plentiful along the way. Having my wallet stolen and not having any money, to making some "lifelong" (hope so) international friends that I can stay with when I get the itch to travel again. Many highs and lows. The biggest low was taking the same job I left for the past 6 months. And as I have said before it is almost worth it to know for certain that is not where I want to end up when I am back home job hunting.
I finally got a request for something to write about, so I will take a second and cover that. Top things that I have missed while traveling.
-Obligatory friends and family
-The NFL and college basketball, and all American sports
-My old men's hoops rec league (although have loved being the best again out here)
- American dialect
- Riding in a car (I think I have been in a car for about 20 hours this whole year, maybe
- A cool and crisp Pacific Northwest day
- Diet Pepsi and Bud Light
- A regular gym to visit, not my fake made up one from an earlier post
- Cell phone internet access. This year I have spent about $120 on cell phone bills
- Texting freely
- My own bed, for that matter my own room. Enjoy it everyone, its an amazing luxury
- Issaquah High Hoops
- Safeway
- TV!
That is about the gist of it. I am sure there is more, but off the top of my head it did not make the list.
I typed all this before I left for Thailand, its now 20 or so days later, but I figured I could get the rest of the thoughts off my head. And I can't get started on talking about Thailand yet. My GOD.
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I know everyone is waiting on how Wet and Wild was, two words.......Amazing!
I thought of some more things that I miss in the us. Our peanut butter, the radio, current music, going to the movies without taking out another mortgage, Internet access, steady paychecks, US currency, College Hoops, showering without sandals on, US holiday/three day weekends, short plane rides, and last but not least as I have to say it again, all of you. Seriously, a lot!!
After being is Asia for 3 weeks, I do already miss Australia though. Not the prices, but you get a daily routine, and friends, and a certain comfort level that I took for granted as I am never in once place for more than three days at a time.
I think another good topic would be Australia Highlights, these will be semi broad and then I'll try to go into more detail (please no offense to anyone as these are off the top of my head and not in any kind of order)
- Getting off the plane in Sydney- I am a semi seasoned traveller, and the plane journey was so long (read post 3 or 4 or something), but once I was off that plane in Sydney it was all real. I had done it and was unpredictably terrified. I think I hung around the terminal for an extra half hour just to calm my nerves. Once I got to the first hostel and checked in I felt much more comfortable, but those first few hours were jarring.
- Booking a flight to Cairns on a whim, just cause I could- The problem with being young is you don't have the $ to be free, and when you are old you have the $, but don't have the time. Quitting work and just going for it was obviously not the best financial decision I could have made, but you literally can't pay for kind of freedom I have experience the past year (Well really you can, its pricey).
- Scuba on the Great Barrier Reef- Amazing, nuff said
-Getting in a camper van with 3 Brits and travelling the Australian West Coast- It was crazy how many Australians were jealous of the trip we just did. I feel like most of them have not even seen their own country. In that van we had the ability to come and go as we pleased and stay in a city as long as we wanted. Downside being I "was living in a van down by the river," and sleeping next to a guy my size each night. When you are able to follow a tour bus from waterfall to waterfall and do all the same things they were doing, knowing that you were paying 1/4 the gas only and they were paying at least $149, helps put the crappy living conditions into perspective.
(plus there was that awesome all night drive from Brisbane to Byron Bay/ and my night bike steal that will be an all timer)
This will be part one. I am staying in Phuket for 7 more days with nothing to do and insane Internet/computer access so I swear much much more to come. It is just that come $1.40 pad thai is calling my name.
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