Nightmare on Wheels

I know I've been getting pretty personal on the blog lately and this post will be no exception. One of my worse nightmares came true this week. I somehow managed to survive a 14 hour bus journey across what is billed as the worse road in SE Asia. That's right, the trip from Angkor Wat, Cambodia to Bangkok. It really was the worst trans-national road I have ever seen, let alone experienced. However, to compound the pain and suffering...that's right, I had a full blown case of diarrhea! Unbelievable! I suffered through the majority of the trip with a mind-numbing cramp, dripping in cold sweats. Cursing the coconut-curry chicken I ate the evening before. I wish to the heavens that it had not been on that day. Praying for the next toilet break only 20 minutes after the last. Cursed to suffer it out because everywhere they tell you: DO NOT LEAVE THE ROAD! There is no ducking in a bush in Cambodia. There are paraplegics everywhere in that country. An all too "in your face reminder" to mind where you step. So, I took my imodium, starved myself, gritted my teeth and bared the brunt of the journey. Then I spent the rest of the next evening close to my hotel room and the wonders of modern plumbing. As is everything in life, it's all about timing. Sometimes you win (as in all the lovely people I have met on this journey purely by chance and coincidence) and sometimes you lose (as with rancid chicken!). May peace and solidity be with you all.

Talent

Please check out the picture blog of a wonderful photog that I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days with in Hue, Vietnam. She is truly a character and her lovely madness reflects in her work. Enjoy!

http://goodganesh.blogspot.com

Budget Master

I crossed the Cambodian boarder with $179 US dollars in my pockets and backpack, and I left the country with exactly $2. Apart from borrowing money from friends, I don't think I could have cut it any closer.

Cambodia is truly third-world with huge disparities between the ultra-rich and uber-poor, with Phneom Penh being the ultimate display. Rolling all around town were Hummers, Toyota trucks, BMW's, and Mercs. My three UK boys and I spend the evening in a hip-hop bar, shooting pool and drinking drinks with American and UK educated Cambodians. All are flossing the most expensive gear and seem to be pretending they are on MTV. Hoever as we leave the club, the bubble bursts: you see the streets littered with amputees; scores of grubby people sleeping on the streets; packs of young men hanging out on corners on their motorbikes; women of the night ready to eat your lunch if you're half inclined. The slightest slip or turn down the wrong street could spell certain disaster for the lone Joe. I am more than pleased to be safely ensconced in my own group of young fellows as we walk merrily home, surveying the wasteland; ever so grateful of the Western lands into which we were born.

Rice Rice Baby

Living the land of Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider. Angkor Wat Cambodia. It's crazy walking around the temples here. I've been rockin' the Deep Forest and Enigma in my headphones and just taking myself into the movies. It's like I'm living the year 1177 and these giant temples are being constructed. Photos will never do them justice. I leave for Bangkok in a few days and then make plans to countries afar. I will keep you updated as I make life altering decisions.

Fungus update: The itch is gone but I'm still spotty on my back.

There's a Fungus Amongus

Well I've been pretty fortunate not to catch Asian bird flu, malaria or dengue fever yet. I have however contracted a couple of rather annoying funguses. One is on my back, chest and upper arms that is robbing my skin of its pigmentation. I look like I have light-white spots all over me. The other is the ever-persistent jock itch. Yeah, I won't go into details about the thoroughness of that exam. Luckily, I found a fantastic English speaking French doctor here in Saigon and he had the diagnosed soaps and creams right there in his office.

Both fungal types are apparently quite common in SE Asia due to the extreme heat combined with humidity in the air. I was quite thankful at how quickly he diagnosed both cases as I've always been scared of getting some rare 3rd world disease that only four white people on the planet have ever caught before. For reference: It's usually not a good sign when the doctor has to go to his bookshelf or calls in a bunch of more doctors for a group consultation.

Introspection

I realize that I haven't blogged or written a single reply email in the last two weeks. Part of it is because I'm content with my current life situation and travel companions. Part of it is because I'm out in the country enjoying a slow paced lifestyle. I noticed that I blog about every day that I'm in a major city...but then drop-off totally when I get to a beach. The last two weeks I have been on the Vietnam coast...good seafood, sightseeing, motorbikes, and lots of sand time.

The other part is that I'm at a crossroads in my life. Asia is coming to a close. I have one country left (Cambodia) of my journey. Then what? Everyday I go back and forth...torn in which direction to travel. So many opportunities and only one way to go. Do I head back to the states and bum around there for a while, living on the east coast visiting friends and family for a few months? Do I go straight back to Denver and fall right back into my old life, friends and the same IT contract again? The advantage of that is that I can walk away again at any time. Or start a new financial planner career that will keep me in Denver for the next 15 years. Do I continue the journey and head for lands west into the middle east and eastern europe? Or do I try to build a new life in the UK with new friends...live my dream of overseas employment, and try to scrape-up from the bottom once more like I did so successfully in Denver 6 years ago? Oh my Buddha!!! I have no idea... any comments and help from dedicated readers would be greatly appreciated. And again...I love you all and apologize greatly if I don't get back to you right away, I'm going through a lot right now.

Censorship: Fun for the whole family

Welcome to the world of communism. Where the government gets rich, people stay poor, and corruption runs rampant. It's also a damn fine place to censor the internet. I cannot access certain web pages here in Vietnam including MSNBC, or any kind of page that contains a BLOG. By some miracle I am able to log onto the main blogspot page and post information, but I can't view my finished product or the comments. Hopefully, you are all able to view these writings better than I. If you have any questions please pose them to my email account until I'm free from the "red zone."

Today I spent my helping a girl learn English in the park. At her request, we practiced conversation and read out of her book. I was of course leary at first, but she was genuine and just wanted help from a native English speaker. Pretty rewarding actually.

I have also decided that it would be totally feasable to walk accross the street here blindfolded. Even through all the chaos. All you'd have to do is walk straight, keep a steady pace and every single car and scooter will veer around you unscathed. It made me actually wonder if it's safer here crossing the street than at home.