Remembering the Oregon Coast

My lower back is a knotted mess. Anyone fond of extensive travel can attest to the discomfort of sitting for days at a time. From one car ride to another, to another. A brief visit to the Seattle airport allowed me to stretch my pretzle like muscles. USAirways was nice enough to let me experience, first hand, the new "rules" for their customers: a $25 fee for each checked bag. Thunderstruck. "Thank you for choosing us for all your travel needs. Now, if you wouldn't mind, bending over and touching your toes while we rape as hard as we can". I bee-lined it to the nearest bar, forced down an overpriced beer while insistently watching a clock with every sip. Hurry up and wait.
From one plane to another, to another. I got in a plane headed for Phoenix and am now on one to Denver. My legs are cramped. I'm hot. I stink. I am, obviously whiny. I'm in my full airplane travel mode. It's not all bad though. Just this morning I was watching the sunrise on the Oregon coast. The pastel pinks, blues, reds and oranges undecidedly took turns painting the morning fog surrounding Chimney Rock. Later, I watched as two River Otters curiously stared at me while I snapped a few shots.

Next stop: Denver/Colorado Springs, Colorado. My frugality will be in full display as I try to get out of the United States without losing every penny I have saved for Asia.

In Transition

With bags under eyes, a hippie hair-do and ragged clothes, my tiring summer of 2009 recently came to its end. The countdown was tedious, every day seeming to last longer than the last. With no internet, my winter plans seemed surreal- a far-off dream with no attachment to reality. Unwittingly, without internet, I detached myself from what it meant to be in eight Asian countries, each more extreme than the next. Researching, making to-do-lists, buying airline tickets, creating rough itineraries and realizing potential dangers has me a bit overwhelmed. In exactly two weeks, I will find myself fighting off scamming cabbies to find a reasonable price to my first night's hotel in Bangkok.

A rough travel itinerary is beginning to take shape. The dates in bold are solidified and will not change. Beyond that, it becomes a bit more murky but should get better as October 6th approaches.

Seattle: Sept 17 - 25
Denver: Sept 25 - Oct 2
Phoenix: Oct 2 - 6
Thailand: Oct 6 - 8
Floating Market
Grand Palace
Weekend Market
Cambodia: Oct 8 - 20
Phnom Penn
Angkor Wat
Killing Fields
Ream National Park
Thailand Oct 20 - Nov 10
Koh Phi Phi (White Sand Beach Time)
Phuket- Jae Festival
Myanmar: Nov 10 - Dec 2
Yangoon
Bagan (2000 Temples)
Kakku
Thailand: Dec 2 - Dec 10
Bangladesh: Dec 10 - 20
Sri Lanka: Dec 20 - 30
India: Dec 30 - Feb 30
Bhutan: Feb 30 - Jan 3
India: Jan 3 - 10
Nepal: Jan 10 - Mar 30

Check back often as these will change.