In Bangkok

Hi all,

Just wanted to leave you all a quick note to let you know that I've made it as far as Bangkok and am now enjoying everything their super awesome airport has to offer. I landed here last night after a couple uneventful, though really long flights. Luckily, they were showing Kung Fu Panda on the flight from Detroit to Tokyo, which turned out to be an incredibly awesome movie. The flight to Bangkok was even better because it was only 6 hours and I was sound asleep before take off. I only woke up a couple of times and even slept straight through dinner.

When I landed here in Bangkok, I went straight to the day rooms and got another 4 hours of sleep. So I'm feeling really well rested and ready for the last stretch.

The airport here is also really nice, and though internet is a little expensive, I don't think it's any worse than anywhere else I've used it and it's a million times faster. Hooray for high speed. But it looks like it's about time for me to go check in. I'll write again from Nepal just as soon as I can.


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Tibetan Earthquake

Well, according to the Indian News papers, a rather large earthquake hit Tibet this morning. The area is reportedly pretty sparsely populated and there were no reports of victims. But the quake was strong enough (6.4) to shake homes throughout Nepal and even as far south as New Delhi. However, it seems as though damage was minimal, and I'm unconcerned for my friends and family in Nepal. In fact, I'm more concerned that American and British papers won't report this until next week and my family in the states will worry for me. So hopefully this little blurb will help to minimize that. But I'll let you know what I hear about the quake as soon as I can. So until, I know more...
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2 weeks to take off!

It's been awhile since I last posted, so I just wanted to put something fresh up here so that my blog doesn't start to get dusty. As of this moment, I'm officially 2 weeks away from flight day (in fact I'd would be about half way to Tokyo right now) and I'm so excited. Unfortunately, I'm also busier than any human being ought to be. Between trying to finish packing, studying for the GRE (barely), a long list of lasts (from dancing to cigars), and dentist appointments, every minute is just over flowing. The good news is that, at least from my perspective, the most vital things have been taken care of already and everything else will either fall in to place or it will wait. So my stress level is still pretty manageable.

That said, the goodbyes are getting tougher and tougher.
It feels like there's at least one goodbye every day and while there is so much to look forward to in my home away from home, I'd be silly not to be aware of everything that I'm leaving behind. Ironically, I'm really grateful for the opportunity to really appreciate everything (and more importantly, everyone) that I have in my life without having to lose them in a more permanent sense. It's become kind of surreal looking at everything around me and wondering when I would really be back here. I know that I've promised everyone that I would be back in the states next summer and I have every intention of fulfilling that promise, but part of me also knows this is only the beginning of what may be a very long period of wandering and exploring. And I find that thought to be both wonderful and terrifying. Sometimes I can't help but wondering if I'm biting off more than I chew by fussing over future trips before I've begun this one, but I've learned from experience that big plans take a long time to develop, so I need to start cultivating those seeds now. Still it does make every goodbye even more daunting. Hopefully, some of you will be kind enough to write and I'm sure that will make a world of difference.

If you didn't catch that: WRITE ME! I'd love to hear from all of you, no matter what you have to say or how often or seldom you write. Even if you don't write me until next June, drop me a note and let me know what you're up to! And with that in mind, I better go check my email!
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