Reflections...

The following are simply in the order that I thought of them and should be taken with varying degrees of seriousness.

On this trip I have learned that:

• Vietnamese people can sleep anywhere.
• there is a reason Thailand was never a European colony: they have their shit together.
• deep fried spiders do not taste good.
• spending 13 hours a day looking at temples will break even the most work-seeking motorbike driver, even if you buy him breakfast, lunch, water, and sodas.
• the listing of a hotel or restaurant in a Lonely Planet does not guarantee that the place will lose the charm it had before being included in the guidebook.
• the best beach is not always the most deserted.
• I still don't like going out to dinner by myself.
• buses in SE Asia WILL take longer than the time quoted by a travel agent.
• it is IMPOSSIBLE to rent a car without a driver in Vietnam.
• sometimes it is worth the money to fly instead of taking the bus, even if it is 14 times more expensive.
• very few Americans are traveling right now. (In two months I met less than 20, no bull shit.)
• I am now increasing the average age of backpackers.
• while I have shared portions of my journey with many different people, I really wish that I could have shared the entire journey with just one person.
• western governments are excessively cautious with their travel warnings.
• I will travel with Mark Nilski of Portsmouth, England any time, any where, for any reason. All he has to do is say: "Let's go".
• if any event or phenomenon occurs with the exact same end result three times, it is a fact.
• as a tourist scuba diver the best your air consumption needs to be is to stay at 26 m for 45 minutes.
• 20 year-old windging British birds get very old very fast.
• the coldest place in SE Asia is a Thai airconditioned train car.
• I really do have good luck.
• if the archaeology thing doesn't work out I am going to return to SE Asia and become a scuba diving professional.
• when making travel arrangements, ALWAYS leave time for something to go wrong.
• the best restaurants in SE Asia are the ones with only locals in them.
• if you discover a good thing, tell everybody.
• if you discover a great thing, tell nobody.
• I am rediculously tall, evidenced by:

1. the tiny chairs and tables at Vietnamese street food stalls.
2. the countless doorways that I hit my head on.
3. the stunned woman in the barber shop on Koh Pha Ngan when I stood up after getting my hair cut.
4. the height of tarps stung up as rain protection in street markets.
5. the fact that silk sleep sacks are not even made long enough for me.
6. the length of sleeping bunks on Thai and Vietnamese trains.
7. me being able to see over the heads of ALL of the locals.
8. the fact that I could not find slacks that fit me at the Bankok Weeked Market.
   

• growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.
• if you come to SE Asia in the summer and are not doing any serious trekking, do not bring real shoes. You won't wear them and they will just take up space in your bag. Bring sport sandals like Tevas or Chacos.
• in the gulf of Thailand, sunrises are prettier than sunsets.
• I love a soft west-coast Aussie accent. ; )
• whoever invented Pepto-Bismol deserves a Nobel prize.
• malarone is infinitely better than larium.
• a headphone splitter is a great way to meet people.
• every time I go diving, I love it more and more.
• I have spent so much time on boats this trip that I think that I might actually be starting to get over the whole sea-sickness thing.
• there is still nothing like spending two months away from home to get my head screwed on straight.
• the hardest thing about travel is meeting incredible people that you get on extremely well with, but knowing that they live on the other side of the planet from you.
• the #1 budget killer is alcohol.
• always learn hello and thank you in the local language.
• if there is a guy in your train compartment with a .44 revolver and belt full of bullets, share your food with him.
• I wish that when people are at home they were as open to meeting other people and making new friends as they are when they are traveling.
• more about making good decisions.
• Asia would be a lot more interesting and fun if you could pick a lock.
• I need to learn how to ride a motorcycle.
• the weekend market in Bangkok is THE best place for shopping that I have ever been to.
• I need to go live abroad for at least 9 months.
• I am ready to be in a relationship.
• in SE Asia you spend a lot of money on water in two months.
• I can still get by on only 4 to 5 hours of sleep. I just can't go as many days in a row at that rate as I used to be able to.
• Colgate has a lock on the SE Asian toothpaste market.
• Jack Johnson has replaced Bob Marley as the most heard artist in SE Asia.
• if a find a woman attractive, all interest is lost when I see that she smokes.
• no matter how much travel experience I have, my mother will always worry about me.
• I would much rather run through an airport to catch my next flight than sit out a six hour layover.
• the United States is a very self centered country when it comes to the news in the world.
• you need to carry about a dozen passport photos for a trip to SE Asia.
• I am a bit too cynical.
• dawn from 35,000 feet is still a wondrous sight.