First Post

Well, new to the whole blog thing, but here goes. My first post. What to say?
For starters, this blog is just a way for me to keep my loved ones in the loop as I wander across Southeast Asiam, India, and the Himalayas over the next year or so. I figured that this would be better than cluttering up people's inboxes with mass emails that never get read. I also have a ton of pictures of my travels over on Facebook, so check those out too. I am not sure how many photos I can put up on this thing, so I'll just have to see how that goes.

This trip has been in the works for a few years now, so it's hard to believe that it is finally happening. Just to give a rough outline of the trip and its purposes.
-starting off in Thailand to get a tan on the beach, get scuba certified and do a bunch of diving (something I have wanted to do since I lived in Hawaii, but couldn't afford until now.) I also plan to do a temple stay. I have been practicing meditation and studying buddhism with some regularity over the last few years. This trip will be chance to delve a little deeper. hoping to meet up with some old friends scattered across the region. Did I say get a tan? I have had too many brief, cool summers in Montana and Alaska the last few years. I need some vitamin D stat!
- make my way through Laos potentially with some jungle trekking.
- see Angkor Wat in Cambodia
- tour Vietnam with maybe another temple visit and also a stay on a farm
- hop to the Phillipines and do some more diving

Long term, the exact order breaks down a bit, but I plan to head over to the Himalayan mountain regions (Nepal, Bhutab, northwestern India) when the monsoons arrive in SE Asia.  I plan to travel for about a year, so we'll see. You'll just have to stay tuned to see what actually happens.

In case you haven't been paying attention, here's a brief rundown on what I have been up to since last June.
After roadtripping the American South West in the spring, I couchsurfed around California for a bit and played catch up with many good friends. I then snuck back to the East Coast for a couple weeks to do the family thing and see the Phillies whoop the Red Sox. That was fun.  I then flew up to Alaska for the 4th of July in Girdwood with my friend Ashley from Hawaii. I explored the Kenai peninsula for a week or so before I then did a month training session in Anchorage to be a National Marine Fisheries Observer.  After that I deployed to Dutch Harbor for my assignment on the BeringSea. I lived and worked on a 170-foot-long fishing vessel. The work was tough, but I also got to see a lot of whales, sea lions, fish, rare albatrosses, and sunrises and sunsets.  I also did a couple weeks down on Kodiak Island on smaller boats which was really fun. Kodiak is super rad as well.  I then kicked around the Pacific Northwest between work in Seattle, friends in Portland, and a meditation retreat near Olympia. I also made it back to the east coast for Thanksgiving.  I did Christmas in southern California with my dad and various friends that I have in the area. Now I am packing and frantically scrambling to get my life all in order before I leave for Bangkok on New Year's Eve.  Whew! I am tired just reading that.

I guess that is enough for my first post. If you know anyone that might be interested in reading this travelogue that I haven't included, please pass it along!
Much love and peace in 2010,
Michael
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