When I last left you all, I was back in Bangkok, luckily only for a night. Maybe it was the third time being there, or the fact that I had spent nearly 3 months in Asia and was well adjusted to the joys and hassles of South-East Asian cities, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered it. I was spending the night hanging out with a friend who was in Koh Tao with me and I was introduced to a side of Bangkok that I had not experienced previously. The first stop of the night was to Patpong, which if you've been to Bangkok, you are pretty familiar with the type of entertainment that goes on there! If you haven't been, they perform what is referred to as a 'ping-pong' show. Without getting into too much detail, it was a humorous and entertaining show of a very sexual nature. If I tried to take a picture, I would have been kicked out like some other people I saw.
The next stop was Soi Cowboy, which like Patpong, is very well known for a particular form of entertainment. In short, this is a single street (side road/alley, actually) that has about 20 or so Go-Go bars lining it. That's it, no restaurants or shops, just bars with girls dancing on tables and trying desperately to have you spend money buying them shots for a highly inflated amount of baht. My friend and I bounced around for a bit, checking out different spots (Kiss was by far the best!). Now before your mind starts wandering in the gutter, I'll say that I did not purchase any of the merchandise! I am always one for a good deal, but frankly, there is not enough latex in all of Thailand to make me feel safe. However, I will say that there are deals to be had and, as always, negotiations are welcomed and expected. Ask me privately about prices, if you're interested!
The next day I caught a flight to Seoul, with some complications at the airport, but I won't bore you with those. As a city, Seoul is just that. I really wasn't too impressed with it, but I did enjoy exploring . It is modern, but nowhere near 'Western.' I checked out a few of the temple-like structures, went to the War Museum, and saw some of the other sights. I even took a trip up to the DMZ, which is probably about as close to those psychotic North Koreans as I'll ever get. The highlight of my Korean stop was definitely the food. I met a friend of mine from U of M, Phil, who has been working in Korea and was able to show me around the town a bit. He took me to a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant downtown, one that even if I was told where it was I would never have been able to find, as we weaved our way through packed streets and back alleys, finally arriving. We sat down, barefoot and on the floor, and I let Phil take care of the ordering. What was presented to us was a feast fit for a king! True Korean BBQ and it was delish! It was here that I was also introduced to Soju, which I am a huge fan of and can't wait to enjoy here in the States when I decide to get Korean food. Anyone who goes with me better get ready because there will be multiple bottles ordered. To explain, Soju is a spirit with roughly 19% alcohol and is consumed, via shot glass, many times throughout the meal. I was expecting something awful and it was clearly not the case.
Finally, it came time for me to depart from Asia (having been there since February) and return to the U.S. Again, airline issues surrounded me, but again, I will not bore you with it and I want to keep my blood pressure down for the time being. I arrived in Honolulu and as expected, I was questioned more by both U.S. Customs and Immigration that I had been throughout my entire journey. For some reason, they found it strange and concerning that someone who did not have a job could be traveling for so long, and they desperately wanted to know how I was funding my trip. Looking as shaggy and disheveled as I did (and still do) I resisted the temptation to say that I was a drug trafficker. The thought and urge certainly crossed my mind. Either way, they let me back into my country on the morning of June 8th (on a side note, I found it interesting that I departed Korea on the evening of June 8th and arrived 7 hours later that same morning...you do the math!)
While the airport was rather dumpy, the island was nice. I spent the first 4 days with a good family friend, who showed me around Oahu, including the North Shore, East Coast, and everything in between. He also put me to work moving beds and couches into his new place, but I couldn't complain! I then relaxed for the remainder of the time on Waikiki Beach, which I can say is far more expensive than anything I had experienced since, possibly, Australia. For the price of my lunch, I could have lived an entire day in Thailand, accommodation included! However, the hamburger was well worth the price! For any of you who know the Jimmy Buffett song Duke's On Sunday, I spent my Sunday at Duke's, which was a blast, as that was the only thing I had wanted to do while there. Really, there isn't much to report from here. I lounged on the beach, browsed the shops (though didn't buy anything) and enjoyed being on a small island in the middle of the Pacific, knowing that a 5 hour flight was necessary to take me to the closest land mass, San Francisco, which is exactly where I traveled to on June 16th.
I landed in San Francisco that night and after a quick stop at Alana's place to drop off my bags, ventured out to Fisherman's Wharf to indulge my hamburger craving at In-N-Out. As soon as I stepped in and smelled the burgers (aka grease) I announced to the whole place that I love America! There were only about 8 people in the whole place and I'm pretty sure a few looked at me like I was a total nut, but I didn't care. Over the next few days Alana and wandered around the city and relaxed. While nice weather for the Bay area, I could feel my tan fading. We met a couple of friends who were in town on vacation, had a nice dinner over looking the bay, with the sun setting and the Golden Gate Bridge looming in the background. On Saturday, as if I needed to treat myself any more, we took a day trip to Napa Valley to sample some of their local product! I really enjoyed the 5 days in S.F., despite the fact that I was complimented twice by homeless people, one expressing how much he liked my beard and the other saying something along the lines of how I would clean windows well. The morning that I was to leave, I was walking through a park and a kid of around 10 years old pointed to me and said, and I quote, "he's unusual." The fact that I'm being called this in a city such as San Francisco is a bit concerning.
So, here I am, back in Las Vegas, where my journey began 202 days ago. I will say that it has been an absolutely unbelievable experience and one that I will never forget. In the past 6 1/2 months I have seen some truly unbelievable places, had some extremely unique experiences, and met some great people. I know that my writings here on the blog don't do it justice, but it is a start. So now that I'm back, it think it is safe to say that I'm in a sort of 'decompression' period. It will take me a while to adjust, and even longer to catch up with everyone who I haven't spoken with or seen in nearly 7 months, but like my employment situation, it will all fall into place! I hope to continue with my postings in the future, as it is kind of fun and a way for me to remember what I've done, but with no real way to close this chapter, I will leave you will a few stats from my travel:
Days on the Road: 202 (Dec. 3, 2008-June 22, 2009)
Flight Legs: 21
Airports Visited: 20
Countries Visited: 9 (excluding U.S.)
Mileage Flown: 33,667 miles
Mileage Traveled: 50,000 miles (est.)
Airlines Used: 9
Books Read: 4
Visas Received: 4
Currencies Currently in my Wallet: 6
Money Spent: Don't want to know
Thanks for reading, posting comment, and sending emails! And as always, Cheers!
