Many people live their lives just waiting to live...just waiting for everything to line up just perfectly so that they can take that vacation, go on that cruise, have that child, buy that house, live that dream.  So many people hurry from cradle to grave in a motionless quest for what they know not.  We, in the US, have lost that pioneer spirit, that drive to crash headlong into the unknown, to step out into what Whitman called the “Brink of Danger,” which I find apropos in this regard.

So, here I am...8101 miles from home as the crow flies, sitting in a little hotel called the “Valentine Resort.”  Now, as one would expect from a name like this, it was inexpensive, but it is clean and well kept.  The only real downside is that I had to run the hooker “heysexy-you-want-good-time?” gauntlet on my way in the front door.  It is interesting being in a place where prostitution is widely accepted by pretty much all members of a society.  Last night, recovered for the most part from my day of being totally dead to the world due to jetlag and what Anthony Bourdain calls “Asia Helmet” (where for the first couple days, everything you do feels like you are doing it from within a giant plastic bubble, nothing really makes sense, and everything is wrong...thats the first day and a half for me) I headed down the street to the ubiquitous 7/11 store to get some simple nourishment that I don't have to really focus on...bought some yogurt (thank you Dave for that advice), some green tea, and some “biscuit sticks”.  As I walked, I passed another hotel patron, drunk, stumbling hand in hand with a woman who he was taking back to his hotel for the night.  She seemed just fine with the arrangement, as the man seemed to have more money than sense, but its just...I don't know...odd.

The trip over was good, as far as international trans-oceanic flights are concerned...I got here in any case.  Those long flights are always a bit odd though, with the majority of the flight being spent stuck in an odd non-linear timeline.  You sleep...and then you wake up...and nothing has changed...you don't know if you fell asleep watching the movie in front of you and woke up 30 seconds later, or you slept through the entire movie and it restarted and you just happened to wake up at the same point.  You skip along at 40k feet above a featureless ocean, the only time I saw anything is when I got close enough to see the lights of Sapporo and Tokyo through the clouds, the people around you caught in the same dismal reality of seat belt signs and the ever-present roar of the wind racing over the wings.  

I do have a couple things to say about the flight over, and the service provided by China Airlines.  They get a five star rating from me for their trans-oceanic flights...incredible service, support, and comfort on the flight.  I was flying economy, but I didn't have a hard time getting a decent seat, the seats were comfortable and while most airline seats are generally just too small for my frame no matter what I do, this one was just fine.  I was kinda terrified of the concept of riding on a plane built for a country who has a average height of 5'5”...leaving me outstripping them by almost a foot, but it was no problem at all.

My hero for the day was Grace Chang, who was a manager at the LAX counter for China Airlines.  Despite her misgivings, she helped me get my bike onto the plane, as well as orchestrate things so that I got a bulkhead seat on both flights...which was awesome.  Kudos to her, Ms. Grace Chang China Airlines Super Woman.  You helped a ton.

I am still somewhat lost as to how long I was on the plane...I know its Thursday morning, and I left Monday afternoon...I think I lost a day in there somewhere...I suppose I will have to pick it up later.  :P

The weather is warm and humid...I would say its about 85 outside right now in the pre-dawn light, should ramp up to around 100 in the heat of the day.  After Haiti though, I find I almost like it.  You sweat like there is no tomorrow, but the heat is purifying to me.  I remember in Haiti, I noticed that almost all of the people there had INCREDIBLE skin...there was no problems with acne anywhere, and by the end of the trip those who had arrived with acne were pretty clear-skinned.  It doesn't feel bad either once you get used to it.

I spent most of yesterday trying to account for the lost time, lost sleep, and general yuckiness of long distance travel.  This morning though, I woke up when I wanted to at 0500, did some stretching, and have sat down to write...I feel exactly like I should for it being early morning...and I like that.  I think I will have mostly adjusted to this by tonight, when I crash into whatever bed or cot I will be staying in in Ban Phe.  

So...that kinda brings you up to date with what is going on here.  I am off to explore today...should be fun!  Once I get down to Ban Phe, it should only take me $4 or so to take the bus back to Bangkok each time...so I will be able to come back unencumbered by luggage, which will be nice.  Forth I go!