The short summary since my last post about Manila is after about 5 or 6 days in Thailand Rob decided he needed to cut his journey short and head home.  It is not my business or place to fully explain much beyond the fact that he is heading home soon here, October 12th, and that I wish we both could have stayed longer and done all the things we had set out for.  I too am cutting my experience here short, mostly for financial reasons, but also for personal ones.  Firstly,  I greatly underestimated how much money I would blow through in Hong Kong, China and Manila, and arrived in Thailand very short on what I would need cash wise to do all I set out for in the beginning.  Should I stay until the first week in December as hoped, I would either need to take out cash advances on my credit cards, or run my bank account completely dry, neither of which I am willing to do with my new found mental clarity.

On a personal and positive level, my the new found mental clarity that I speak of was a primary goal in coming over to Asia and involves a few things.  One was realizing that I could never work in Asia and become the person I want to be.  Although I would love to spend a couple years in Thailand, Manila, or possibly even China, one of my main goals of this trip and top priorities in life is to limit my partying and get in the best physical and mental shape possible.  Although I’ve met some great people over here, I realized that no matter what kind of job I would actually take in Asia, it would involve lots of drinking and partying.  I had thought I maybe could be a resort manager of some sorts at one point, and at other times before and during the journey thought about a corporate job in Manila, or maybe China.  The problem I’ve realized is in the culture here, all of those jobs require you to drink and party.  I guess I never thought about it until I went out and mingled with the types of people who could get me jobs over here, but the ones who could all party very hard, and when they hand you a drink, you thank them and drink it.

So many people over here have so little, that when someone has enough money to give you someone something as simple as a drink, it is literally insulting to turn it down or not finish it.  Whether in the corporate world or simple island life, any kind of job over here I could imagine taking would involve lots of partying, and I just don’t want that a part of my life anymore.  I’ve met some great people here, especially in Thailand and the Thailand Divers shop staff who I’ve gone out with a few nights, and they all party like rock stars.  You have the younger guys here short term who are just getting certifications or taking long vacations, and then you have the older guys I’ve met who own the dive shop, and own bars and clubs that we have hung out at, and they all party it up.  For both it’s understandable… the younger ones are here to not only work but have a great time, and the older ones have made their money and put their time in, and they choose to spend many nights enjoying the fruits of their labor in such ways.  For me though, in my heart of hearts, I know I want a more simple life, a long and healthy life at that.  Although I could see myself spending a few years here 3 or 4 years ago now, my time to live that lifestyle has come and gone, and I certainly have not put in my time yet or made my money.

Through my soul-searching I’ve realized that the reason I failed at my motorcycle business was not only because of the economy, but because I thrive on being busy and having set tasks, goals and deadlines.  When I was busy and buying 2 bikes this day, and another bike the next, then maybe a day goes by of phone calls and emails then pick up another one, I was happy and full of energy.  When the market would come to a grinding halt, I’d be miserable, bored, depressed even and lack the energy or will to do much besides check craigslist 40 times a day, wishing I was on the road to go look at a bike.  I thought back to certain times at home, or Cincinnati when I would be busy with my business and those were the times I utilized my free time the most:   I’d be reading, writing my book, writing down rhymes and researching other business ideas.  When I would go one or two weeks, sometimes well over a month without buying a motorcycle, I’d nearly loose my mind and  not get much of anything productive done.  It’s no excuse, it’s just the way I am and the way I think a lot of people are.

When I worked in restaurants I LOVED being busy, and when I was cooking on that line and “in the weeds” (busy as shit for you non-restaurant people lol), I was in my element and loved it.  I actually looked forward to 6:00-6:30 on Friday and Saturday nights when the servers started putting in orders and I got to do 15 things at once cranking it out.  At the end of the night once things settled down, us chef’s would sit out back taking a break, laughing and joking.  I would literally have a natural high off the fact that I just kicked ass for 4 hours straight putting out 100′s of dishes.  Thinking about all of that over here it finally hit me:  I thrive on being busy, and I thrive on having a task set out before me that HAS to be done.  Even in college when I would have a whole semester to write a 10-page paper, I’d ALWAYS wait until the day or night before to do it.  I’d stay up all night and walk into that class cracked out of my mind but with a big smile on my face because I knew that what everyone else probably did over over the course of days or weeks, I did in less then 12 hours and was confident I’d get at least a “B”.  It felt good to have a set task at hand that needed to be done, and so fulfilling to finish it on time.

For those of you who know me, I did not get good grades in school, especially anything that involved pointless facts and mindless memorization (geology was the worst, I once jogged to class so I’d be all sweaty and could leave saying I was sick).  Anything that involved an actual project or task though, something that challenged me with a deadline, I almost always got a solid grade on and it’s the main reason I was able to get a degree from Penn State.  That and I was a good test taker.  The classes I didn’t like, or felt were completely pointless, I actually enjoyed figuring out what to study the night before or how to “finagle” a way to pass the tests.  I may not have the best GPA in the world, but as my cousin told me after I graduated: ‘ “D” stands for diploma!’

So in all this soul searching I’ve done since I left, I’ve put the pieces of the puzzle together and realized even more that I need to come home and get a challenging corporate job, hopefully one that even involves some travel.  I hated on the corporate lifestyle for so long, but never even took a chance to step back and realize all the benefits it has, and how could it could be for me.  Steady paycheck means I can budget my funds, routine job means I can manage my time better, and weekends off and paid vacation means I can enjoy my free time much more then when I would “throw in the towel” on a day of motorcycle hunting.  It would be good for me in many ways, especially the discipline and routine part, something I’ve never had.  I went from working in restaurants to running my own business where, for the most part, I worked alone and was alone all day.  Yet another thing I think hurt me in the bike business, and that’s I like being around people!  I like interacting with people, making new friends and helping out others whenever I can.  I honestly think I’d crush it in the right corporate environment, just like I was always a top employee in the restaurants I worked in.

The problem now is what corporation?  That and my resume has two things:  Hospitality and motorcycles.  I know I don’t want to get back into restaurants, hotels, or anything like that, so at least I know that much.  Beyond that though I have no f-ing clue what kind of company I’d like to start at… guess I gotta just start grinding and see what’s out there.  Will be looking in Philadelphia area, Orlando, and possibly even the West Coast, although for the right job I guess I’d work anywhere.  I do realize too though that I’d like to stay in the states unless something REALLY good presented itself overseas.  I miss my home, my family and my friends, and although I don’t like the USA as a whole, I’ve learned that much like people, nobody country is perfect.  The USA in a tough spot right now, but it is still probably the best place I can start over because at least I’ll be close to my loved ones and if I can get in with the right company and be dedicated and focused, I should have no problem working my way up fast and setting myself up for success in the future.

I know this was kind of a boring post and many want to hear stories about Thailand and what the heck I’ve been doing here since September 12th, I promise those are coming soon.  My resume is almost finished though, so any thoughts or connections to companies that are hiring are most welcome and appreciated!

So the people themselves were very welcoming, but the area itself did not completely come without some discomfort.  From the airport a driver for the Peninsula took us to the hotel through some serious traffic.  Upon arrival at a sealed gate, three armed security guards checked our vehicle as if we had pulled up to the White House.  This included one guy with a mirror looking under our car for bombs, another with a bomb-sniffing dog, and yet another looking in the trunk, all with loaded weapons at their sides.  Once they opened the gate you pull up to the hotel and another round of armed security guards look you over while another dog sniffs all your bags.  Very shady, but very comforting knowing the security levels were that high.  I did not get the whole story, but apparently a few years ago some anti-government rebels drove a tank into the lobby of the Peninsula and held the whole hotel hostage.  Following the incident this increased security at all hotels, malls, and even restaurants in the area.  Just to go TGI Fridays Rob and I had to walk a few blocks where on each corner were two or three guards with M16′s and shotguns.  Then, just to enter the mall, we had to go through a metal detector protected with yet another two guards with guns at their sides.  Definitely not something I was used to, but based on the things I had heard about kidnappings and other dangerous activity in Manila, it was reassuring and comforting that we were in a well protected area.

So once at the Peninsula Rob and I spent one night there, then got our own hotel room for two nights, then another 2 nights back at the Peninsula.  In this time we honestly did not do too much exploring… For one, Manila can be a very dangerous place if you leave the upper class business district we were in, but also after a week in Hong Kong and a long weekend in China, I think both Rob and I just wanted to relax and get some serious R/R.  We did have some fun though:  We ventured down the party district road Burgos street just for the experience, but after 2 stops in different bars we realized what a seedy money pit it was and never went back.  You walk into a bar there and within about 30 seconds you have one girl giving you a back rub, and then 2 others dressed in practically nothing sit next to you and ask about yourself as if they really cared.  Trust me, all they wanted was money, but Rob, Johann and I made the most of it and totally messed with the girls having a lot of laughs doing so.  They try to get you to buy them drinks, and at the one bar I had a girl on each side asking me to take them back to my room and all I had to say was we all had girlfriends and not to bother.  Once they knew they were not going to get money out of us the pressure was off, but it was still a fun experience.  As a guy from America where most of the girls make you chase them like a lost puppy dog, it was kind of cool to walk into a place where the girls just get all over you, even when you know their intentions are far from genuine.

Other then that we did visit a casino briefly and played a few hands of poker, and on the last two nights we all had drinks with a millionaire, and then dinner with a billionaire.  I’ll spare the details because they are fairly unimportant, and will just say that Manila is a vastly growing economy with tons of business’s, investors and entrepreneurs making their way there to generate some serious income.  While having drinks at the Peninsula, the three of us got invited by the billionaire guy to eat dinner on his tab at a really nice Italian restaurant I believe he owned.  It was a cool experience to mingle with someone that level of financial success, and on a personal level, it really boosted my confidence because I felt very comfortable in the situation and had some great conversation with the guy.  It also made me realize even more that money really means nothing, and that filling your life with love, day to day happiness, and personal fulfillment are what’s most important.

Although this ridiculously wealthy guy had spent his life essentially building an empire, I still got a sense that there was something missing from him, like a lost part of his soul that was never fulfilled.  It’s so easy to think that if you acquire vast wealth everything else will fall into place, but when you interact with a guy like this you can realize really quick that money means nothing if you don’t have genuine people in your life to share it with.  Before this dinner, Johann had a meeting with him to discuss some possible business ventures, and he told him that his biggest regret in life was never having children.  I gotta admit, as he sat at dinner with us three young guys talking for hours about anything and everything, you could sense this bit of emptiness inside him.  You could feel that he did not look down on us for not being successful or on his “level” as you might think, but looked upon us as guys he wished he could call his own sons.  It’s really hard to explain beyond that, but I took away from the experience a reiteration that I could be truly happy making $35,000 a year, or 10 million dollars a day, as long as I had great people to share that life and enjoy that life with.  I have also thought about it in the following days that dedicating your life to creating such wealth is a very difficult and time-consuming task, something that does not leave much time for a great women with whom to build a family with… Many of the happiest friends and family members I know make their primary focus in life the relationship they have with the person they are in love with, and there is something to be said for that when you meet people who had not made that a priority.

Maybe it is just that simple:  Find a job you can stand, surround yourself with people you could not stand to loose, and live your life with someone by your side that you couldn’t imagine living without.  Beyond that be healthy, be happy, be grateful, and each day of your life, no matter what you are doing or how much money you make, will be one you always enjoy, and appreciate.

The whole weekend we stayed at a “4-star” hotel a block or two down one of the largest Sheraton’s I have ever seen, and for the most part just relaxed and ate a variety of mostly-good foods.  During the day we paid about $28 US to use the Sheraton’s facilities which included an enormous pool right on the beach, nice locker room with sauna, steam room, and hot tub, and a gym that was more then adequate.  My only disappointment about the Sheraton was the two awesome looking water slides that did not work.  As I came to learn quickly though, just about everything in China is slightly ghetto, or completely broken.  Even our 4-star hotel room (they had plaques and everything) came with only two frayed towels, no toilet paper,  a stocked mini-bar that did not work, internet that did not work, and the second morning we found one giant dead and one small cockroach.  The picture posted here was a sign above the toilet in our room:

Chinariffic!

Stuff like this was EVERYWHERE.  I don’t think there was one place I read English where something wasn’t carelessly misspelled, had horrible grammar, or typically both as with this picture.   Even the pamphlet to our hotel was riddled with things like this, even having parts where a paragraph would be in one font, then change for a sentence or two, then back again.  For a 400+ room luxury hotel, you would think whoever built it could have afforded to pay someone with good English to look things like this over but it’s like they don’t even care.  According to Ryan the only reason they have English writing anywhere is because of unwanted Western influence, and he believes as I do now that they purposely misspell things to make westerners feel even more unwelcome.  And let me tell you, if there is one thing the Chinese showed they were at all good at this weekend, it’s just how unwelcoming they can be.  From the time we got there and the hotel refused to honor Ryan’s pre-paid rate for his room (which was done through a reputable company similar to Expedia), to the guy who sat on my lounge chair while we were at the beach and did not move until I sat down behind him (and even then it took him 2 minutes), we felt anything but welcome.  THIS my friends is the REAL China that you don’t hear about:  The Chinese are a very inhospitable, rude, and disgusting people.  According to Ryan we were in what is considered “dirty” China, but it was still quite the culture shock.

In my short weekend in China I saw a guy pissing on the floor even though a urinal was inches in front of him, guys spitting and blowing snot rockets in the pool and on the pool deck of the Sheraton, people throwing trash on the ground, and it topped off with the guy sitting on my lounge chair.  Anywhere else I have visited if you are at a public pool and a chair has a towel spread out on it with stuff all around, you don’t just go sitting down (“Don’t mind if I do!”).  When Rob and I got back from the beach there was a guy on the end of his chair and mine, both smoking cigarettes.  We took our towels off the chairs to dry off, standing there laughing at the situation.  The guys continued to sit there, even as Ryan stood a few feet from their heads and blatantly farted.  We all laughed and carried on, they continued to sit and smoke.  After a few minutes the guy on Robs chair got up and Rob sat down, at which point I gave up and just sat down on my obviously-claimed chair, and the guy didn’t budge.  He finished his smoke, sat for another minute, and then finally got up without even looking at us.  AWESOME, and as we have grown to say, very “Chinariffic”.

The other culture shock came from just how BIG china is, and how many high-rise apartments it takes to house all these people.  To get to Shenzhen we had to take a train from Hong Kong to the border, and along the entire 45 minute trip it was nothing but high-rises.  Not small ones either, we are talking 40-80+ story buildings that were stacked next to each other, and it did not stop all the way to our secluded beach area.  It was crazy, and I couldn’t help ask myself: What do all these people do???  Once we crossed the border and were at the train station though, I immediately realized what they all do, and what they do is make a LOT of junk.  China not only makes most of the nicer products you see in the states, but every fake version of them as well.  The entire train terminal was littered with store after store selling the same fake watches, purses, and Dre Beats headphones.  As you walk along you get bombarded by people trying to take you to one store over another, even though they had all the same crap.  We eventually wound up at a story that Ryan had been to many times, and he bought a set of Dre Beats studio and ear buds for about $42 US.  That would normally cost about $400 in the states, and I hate to admit this, but they look and sound pretty darn good for the price.   What’s funny is even these Dre Beats headphones, something that whoever created them would obviously have gotten a real version of first to copy, even THEY had Chinglish all throughout the packaging.  Chinariffic baby!!!

Please don’t think I am discouraging anyone from traveling to China either, Ryan made me well aware that North China is a totally different world, but I will say stay FAR away from southern China… it is a gross and disgusting place.  Ryan also pointed out that the rudeness and lack of personal hygiene is just part of life for such a densely populated culture.  There is no personal space, many families share one small bathroom and washing area, and cleanliness is a luxury most people can’t afford.  You notice it too with lots of people who looked like they never once brushed their teeth, and smell like they never take a bath.  I’d say in the entire weekend, from the time we got on the train in Hung Hom to getting back, I maybe saw 15-20 other white people.  Keep in mind we traveled almost 2 hours through and around some of the most densely populated ares on the planet… It would be like spending 5 days traveling all over New York City and only seeing one black person.  It was an interesting experience interacting with this culture in an area that was not touristy or full of westerners, and I’m really glad I went regardless of some of the bad things I’ve said here.

On a good note though, 2 of the white people I did meat were these Australian girls who lived and worked in Shenzhen.  Ryan had hung out with them a bunch of times and hit the girls up to meet us for drinks in CoCo Park, a big area with lots of bars and some of the cheapest drinking I’ve experienced.  We turned this small outside bar area into a full-on dance party until about 3:30 in the morning, it was a really good time.  Other then that there is not too much to tell, just an all around good time and interesting cultural experience.  I will say this though, as far as myself personally and along the self-exploration part of this journey, visiting such a poor and dirty area really made me appreciate what I have back in the states.  I think part of this journey for both Rob and myself was to find our appreciation again for all that we have, and I think our time in China really jump-started that for both of us.  When you see these endless high-rises, and meet people that are just filthy and rude, you really look back at what you had and realize just how lucky you are.  It also made us motivated for the simple life back in the states, and the lifestyle a corporate job could give us that we kinda hated on for so long.  Thinking about it myself and my own general unhappiness the last year or two, I realized a lot of that came from financial reasons and not having stability in life.  A corporate job gives you that, and even though the thought of not really liking my job all that much makes me cringe, I think the general unhappiness a job gives you could be well worth the stability, steady paycheck, and routine to plan and fully enjoy your free time.

I also thought about it and realized that much of the reason people end up being unhappy or disliking their job is because they take on too many financial burdens before they can really afford it, and not many people can be truly happy living month to month.  I think if I get back and decide to bite the corporate bullet, I will keep it very simple with an affordable car and studio apartment having only what I need to get by.  I’d then dedicate my weeks to working and being healthy, and plan my weekends for fun and inexpensive things like hiking or surfing.  For the first time in my life I can actually see myself not only living, but enjoying this lifestyle, and I think it could be good for me.  Get some discipline and routine in my life, both important things when in your heart you know you just want to be happy and healthy.  I’ve still got a ways to go, but I am finally seeing the dim speck of light at the end of the tunnel for the first time in years and I gotta admit, it feels pretty darn good.

]]> http://motorcyclemadman.com/2011/09/08/this-is-china/feed/ 9 http://motorcyclemadman.com/2011/08/28/hong-kong-jet-lag/ http://motorcyclemadman.com/2011/08/28/hong-kong-jet-lag/#comments Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:29:45 +0000 Samuels http://motorcyclemadman.com/?p=31 read more]]> Well here we sit, Rob and I, at 4-something AM when our bodies are telling us it’s 4pm and we are both wide awake.  The trip to get here was not terrible by traveling standards, my cool dad even got us a limo to get us to the airport, but it was physically and emotionally draining on levels I have never experienced before.  It is one thing to say goodbye to your loved ones when you go to college, take a vacation, or move cross country, but this has been a whole new level that I must admit I was not all that ready for.  Having been raised by my mother and grandmother, I consider myself a very emotionally sensitive guy, and having spent the last 6 years spending so much time with my father, I have also become very strong and in control of those emotions.  The days leading up to our big move became a battle inside me between the two sides, and juggling them was no easy task.  I’d find myself in tears listening to the “Moving to Thailand” mix my sister made me, and then a few tracks later pulling it together and telling myself to stop being such a wuss.  It’s been nice to have these emotions the last few days and weeks though, for many months before I spent much of my time not feeling anything at all besides maybe sadness and disappointment…

I’m happy to have both of these sides to me though, many people I have known always seem to have more of one then the other.  Not that there is anything wrong with that… As far as I am concerned if you are happy with the person you are and the life you are living, whatever emotional balance you have is working for you and that is wonderful.  For me though I have yet to find this balance, and I think that is part of the goal of this journey for me as well: finding the balance of not only my physical actions and health, but emotions.  I tend to be quick in reacting negatively emotional when someone or something hurts me, only to catch myself moments later after already saying or doing something harmful to myself or a loved one.  It is then that I look back rationally at the instance, realizing I overreacted, and this is something I have never liked about myself.  This part of me has hurt a lot of people I truly care about over the years, and though I believe it is a natural part of the “human condition”, for me it has been extreme in recent years and something I hope to gain control of while over here.

Anyway, enough of the self-exploration for now, and a little bit about the traveling aspect of our trip.  Rob and I are now in Hong Kong, and it honestly feels like we never left.  Not much can change in a city this big within a few short months, but it is awesome to be back here with a new found purpose.   Getting here was a breeze, with our flight leaving at 3:15 and my dad getting us a Lincoln Town Car to drive us to Newark at 10:00am, we had plenty of time.  With the hurricane and all though it seemed like a good idea to leave plenty early, but we didn’t hit a bit a traffic the whole way.  Newark airport is huge and kind of a mess organizationally (kind of like Philly, but cleaner), but we got through check-in and security fairly quickly.  We booked a United flight, but they had just merged with Continental so although our flight did not have free drinks as the United website said it would, we did get a personal entertainment screen with a variety of movies not even on DVD yet.  Not that it mattered much, Rob and I started and didn’t finish just about every movie we tried to watch because we kept falling asleep.  For those interested:  ”Win Win” is a slightly boring plot with amazing acting and sparks of LOL comedy, “Fast Five” is the worst in the series with almost zero car-racing action in an overly sad attempt to create a deep story-line, and “Thor” was all around a solid comic book movie.  I did start some other movies, but none are worthy of note because I fell asleep not long after them starting.

As for Hong Kong the airport customs was a snap, and after a short wait for Johann and Ryan we were on the train to Kowloon.  After dropping our stuff off at the Harbourfront Horizon in Hung Hom, we hit Lan Kwai Fong to celebrate not only our arrival, but Johann’s birthday from the day before.  Lan Kwai is a combination between South Tampa Florida and West Chester PA: Overly priced clubs mixed with unique chill bars.  The only difference is it’s filled with people from all over the world, and much like both is a total shit-show on the weekends.  Had a great time with everyone though, and met some good people along the way… even had a random local girl (who I think was Chinese) totally call me out for being from the USA.  She had a friend with her from Brazil, and the three of us had about as nice a conversation as possible given the eardrum-damaging volume of music playing.  I even got her business card and gave her my information, nothing at all on the level you may think, just a cool example of why I love this place:  It is filled with so many international, well-traveled and cultured people who are just more friendly and open-minded then most of your average Joe’s in the USA.  I can’t tell you the last time I was in a bar or club in Tampa or PA and a girl just randomly grabbed me to say hello and see who I was.  Here it happened in the first club we went to, and it was very refreshing.

We all had a great time and made it back safe, crashing around 5:30am Hong Kong time (5:30am home/body time).  The day after was nothing more then sleeping in, showering, and catching a good bite to eat and a few happy hour drinks with myself, Ryan and Rob.  Once back it was not long before taking a nap WAY too early and now here I am at almost 6am finally finishing my 2nd blog entry of the trip.  If my head was a little more clear I’d try and come up with something philosophical or clever to say, but I should just keep it simple and try to get some more rest.  Tomorrow (or really, today) is the beginning of operation “Get Healthy”, and we have big plans of running, hitting the gym, hiking the mountains, and turning the 22 stories of steps in this complex into our own personal torture-chamber of fitness. I honestly can’t wait for it, but for now I better try and catch some more sleep.  Thanks to all those who are following, and much love to all who braved the hurricane this weekend… I couldn’t be more happy to hear you are all safe and sound.  Much Love, g’night!

After our previous trip we returned with high hopes of taking on life with a new found attitude:  To work hard, be healthy, and become/stay self-employed so that we could travel the world as we had always talked about doing while growing up.  It didn’t happen though… Rob took on a new restaurant opportunity that was poised for failure from the start, and the business I had worked to build for 6 years came crumbling down.  We were broke, increasingly unhappy day to day, and after over 40 days of not making a penny in my business I finally snapped.  I couldn’t pay Rob rent, I had started paying bills on credit cards, and I woke up one morning and had what I can only describe as the first panic attack of my life… something had to give.  I either needed to get a job in Florida, move home and get a job, or do what I really wanted which was make an attempt at a traveling lifestyle.

I broke it down to Rob, and he was on board.  He had told me for months after our trip that he was ready to go do something like this as soon as he had one of his boys to join him, and he is a man of his word.  We both talked to our parents about the SEMTT plan, and somewhat surprisingly they were all very supportive and understanding.  Rob had his house on the market within days of me throwing in the towel on the motorcycle business, and after that things just started falling into place.  It was as though this was meant to happen, because the first person that viewed the house made a bid the following morning.  After only 2 counteroffers the house was sold.  Once the contract was signed it was go time to literally sell everything, and move to Thailand.

So why Thailand?  Well it’s kind of hard to explain unless you have been there, but the picture below is a good start if you haven’t been.  It’s just magical, and I think Rob would agree with me when I say that the most alive we have felt in years, was the time we spent in Bangkok and Phuket back in February.  Not only is it the most beautiful place I have ever set my eyes upon, but the people are friendly, the food is amazing and healthy, and to top it off the US dollar goes further there then nearly any other place on Earth.  I plan to live, eat, travel and explore not only Thailand, but surrounding countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia and Cambodia for 3 1/2 months on around $6000 US.  Just maintaining my business, paying the bills and eating was running me near $3000 a month in the states, and that’s before doing anything fun!  Our 4 night cruise we took a few weeks ago would have ran well over $1000 had I not banged the casino for $600 the last night.  We are not roughing it either:  We have a 2 bed, 2 bath, fully furnished modern condo with partial sea view balcony for 3 months in Patong.  It is a short walk to the beach, the center of town, and includes satellite TV, WiFi, utilities and even a nice Thai lady to clean the place once a week.  For all this Rob and I are each spending about $1500, total.  TOTAL!!!  We have the place for 86 days, so $1500 divided by 86 comes to around $17.50 per night.  Think about the last time you rented a hotel room near the beach anywhere in the US and what that cost, and then think about what we are getting for less then $20/night.  CRAZY!!!

I don’t say all that to brag either… Trust me, neither Rob or myself won a big money scratch-off or anything.  The reason I am putting it out there is because I want people to know that this place exists!  I want people to know that there is a whole world outside the US where your dollar goes so much further, and the cost of vacations that last a week here can be 3 or 4 week adventures out there.  I want people to share the experience with us via this blog, Facebook and twitter so that they maybe will look at their own lives and way to live and vacation a little bit differently.  Our hope is to have everyone who follows our adventure enjoy and play an interactive roll in what we are trying to accomplish because this journey is about SO much more then an extended vacation.

So what are we trying to accomplish?  Why are we making such a drastic change to our lives?  Well I think for both of us it is about getting away from the hustle and bustle that is American society.  Things are so complex and fast paced here, and when you fall behind you can spend the rest of your life trying to catch up, never truly enjoying each day.  I think both of us got so caught up in fighting for the American dream that we lost ourselves along the way.  I personally don’t even know who I am anymore, or what I really want to do with my life.  The only thing I can tell you is that for the better part of the last few years, I have been generally unhappy.  I can also say that for years now I have wanted to be something I am not, and whenever I would tried to make changes, I’d one way or another fall back into the same old routine.  That’s not to say I don’t realize I have the best friends and family in the world!  Trust me, without all of you I think I’d be in a much darker place then I have been the past few months and years.  Without all of you, my life would have no meaning… All of the big things I’ve wanted for myself and my life I have yet to accomplish besides having great relationships with the people I love and care about, and I couldn’t be more thankful for all of you.  I truly feel blessed by the loved ones I have in my life, and if you are reading this you know who you are, and I thank YOU from the bottom of my heart.

Okay, so I got some mushy stuff out of my system and I meant every word, but back to the ‘why?’.  This trip is really about clearing our heads, getting truly mentally and physically healthy, and finding ourselves again.  This trip is about forgiving ourselves for a failed attempt at life, letting go of the past and having a fresh start.  Our plan is to get to Phuket after some time in Hong Kong and Manila, and just detox and free ourselves from the daily grind for a while.  We are going to read, write, run on the beach and train Muay Thai kickboxing.  We are going to eat healthy, fresh and natural foods every day.  We are going to buy bikes and explore the island, meeting and interacting with people from all over the world along the way.  I’m going to teach Rob how to surf, and he is going to help me get in the best shape of my life as he studies to become a personal trainer.  We are going to try and find work and make connections around the island.  Most importantly, we are going to help and support each other in what is essentially a self-rehabilitation from a failed and unhealthy lifestyle neither of us truly wants for ourselves.

I have also been kicking around ideas and ways to go about this book idea I’ve had for nearly 10 years now, and a big goal for myself while in Thailand is to try and finally finish it.  If I do accomplish what I am hoping, I can’t honestly say it would ever become something big, but I am hopeful it could.  If I do get this book published though, the back of it would read something like this:

“I used to think being happy was not getting what you want, it’s wanting what you have.  Well what if what you have is dreams?  What if what you have is a desire to do something that makes no sense financially, but makes all the sense in the world to YOU personally?  What if there were so many things you have always wanted to do, but never accomplished for one reason or another?  What if you have this gut feeling that there is something more to yourself, and your life, then what it is now?  What if you figured out that everything you’ve tried to have, is everything that’s held you back from what could be?  What if you finally realized that there really is nothing holding you back, but yourself?  What would you do?  Where would you go? Who would YOU strive to become???”

Much thanks to all of our friends and family that have loved and supported us through this transition.  We hope you follow and enjoy our journey as much as we will, and all are welcome to join us out there if you can make it.  Nothing But Love…