Introduction

There is something magical about waking up on that first morning in a foreign country: the day is full of promise, abound with possibilities, alive with limitless potential. The sun peaks over the horizon, golden tendrils of sunlight swirling through the palm trees, splashing over the Chao Praya River, and seeping through my window pane, basking my room in soft hues of rose, indigo, and violet.

In the early light of dawn, I curl up in bed, listening to the twitter of birds and imagining the adventures of the day to come. Where would I go? What would I see? Who would I talk to?

It still hasn't hit me that I'm on the other side of the world, thousands of miles away from my family and friends, alone in a country whose language I don't speak and whose culture I don't understand.

If someone had told me three weeks ago that I would quit my job, move out of my apartment, sell all my possessions, and purchase a plane ticket bound straight for Thailand, I would have laughed at the absurdity of that notion. Yet here I am, 3 weeks later, with nothing to my name but 4 suitcases, 20,000 Baht, a Thai phrase book, and my own stubborn determination to succeed on this crazy, whirlwind of an adventure.

I've left behind everyone I know and love in Hawaii and New York, I've said goodbye to the modern comforts of an urban lifestyle, and I've traveled 12,000 miles from home, yes, all the way to the other side of the world!

What is the plan?

The plan is to explore. The plan is to follow my dreams. The plan is to wake up every morning and see where the day takes me.

Really, there is no plan, there is only one true Goal: at the end of this adventure, I want to be able to look back at this time in my life and not regret passing up on any missed opportunities. I want to say I lived life to the fullest, said 'yes' to new experiences, and opened my eyes, my mind, and my heart to a different way of life.

Can I do this? Time will tell, but I sure won't give up even when the going gets tough, when I'm doubled over in pain from eating contaminated food, or when I'm completely lost and have no idea how to ask for help.

145 days.

Asia at my fingertips.

Let the journey begin!