Pan-Asian Gallivanting - Home

India

2010-06-26T03:55:00Z

I’m in India! I’ll report back soon with photos and the like….

I take that back…I’m no longer in India.

The Unexpected

2010-06-26T03:37:00Z

The hardest part of traveling is not being alone, entering into the unknown, or worrying about my safety. Rather the most difficult aspect is when you find something so desirable yet you know that the likely hood of maintaining it is next to impossible.

As a foreigner you enter a country with the eminent knowledge that you must leave, and separate yourself from what you’ve grown fond of. Every time I’ve entered the Philippines I’ve possessed this knowledge. However, it has not struck me so hard until now.

I’ve always found it easy to make friends and enjoy life in the Philippines! So much so that I’ve never sought out anything more than friendships. But when something special falls in your lap, like it did this previous time around, it makes leaving even harder.

Yes, I could stay and see where things go. But would we be better off? I eventually have to leave, and leaving later rather than now would likely be more difficult for her and I. But I hate this belief because I’ve learned that it’s much better to live in the moment than worry about the “what ifs” in life.

So what is the right thing to do then? I’m utterly confused and have resorted to my old habit of running from that which scares me most, the possibility of failure. The possibility that things won’t work out and I’ll be left to wimper on the side of the road like a dog struck by a car just before its plunge into the next life.

Not all is sad. I feel very fortunate to have met her and to share the time that we had, however brief it was. I will never forget your smile or your distaste for a certain extremity….HAHAHAHAH! So, thank you! Thank you for reminding me that the simplest things in life are easily the most beautiful!

Hmmm...

2010-04-21T14:09:00Z

Sorry for the lack of updates to this blog but I’ve been quite tired of the normal “traveling” that I’ve been doing the past 6 months. Besides updating this blog, which is actually a pleasure, I always have to worry about where I will sleep, where will I eat and whether the food is cooked hygienically, my safety, how to maneuver from one destination to the next, and whether my passport and money/credit cards are secure. Not to mention, taking 6-15 hour bus rides continually during my time is starting to get to me. To be honest I’m a little tired.

So, instead of continuing on to India, where I would be constantly on the move, I’ve decided to head back to one of my most favorite places in the world. The Philippines! Not only are the people there utterly friendly and kind, but I’ve got some friends there as well who I’ll be able to visit with. Seeing how my birthday is coming up I think this is a good idea since a birthday alone is no fun.

Also, I’ve come to realize that I am blessed to be relatively young and live in a country where saving money is feasible. Therefore I will always be able to see India and other places that I intended on visiting had I continued to venture west. Who knows, maybe I’ll still have the option to hop over to India before coming back to the states? All I know is that I want to be in the Philippines right now!

So….take me to the Philippines!

Of course I’ll try to continue to update this blog, but I won’t make any promises.

Thailand...thus far

2010-04-07T12:28:00Z

Yangon

2010-04-07T09:52:00Z

Shwedagon Pagoda…easily the most beautiful place I’ve been thus far!

Bago

2010-04-07T09:47:00Z

Mamyo

2010-04-07T09:44:00Z

Burma is quite multicultural for an Asian nation. Besides native Southeast Asians there are also Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis…as the next couple pictures show.

Mandalay

2010-04-07T09:15:00Z

Above, this statue of Buddha is approximately 20 feet tall, 7 feet wide, and sculpted from ONE massive pice of marble.

Amarapura

2010-04-07T06:02:00Z

U Bein Bridge

2010-04-07T04:28:00Z

Sagaing

2010-04-05T03:48:00Z

Monywa

2010-04-04T09:32:00Z

Bagan

2010-04-04T08:12:00Z

VERY SLOW BOAT Pyay to Bagan

2010-04-04T05:02:00Z

For some reason I opted to take a slow boat up the Irrawaddy river from Pyay to Bagan. To say the least, it was extremely slow, taking 4 days and 3 nights to arrive in Bagan. However, I would not have had it any other way. During the experience I was able to see life on the Irrawaddy’s riverbanks and experience true Burmese hospitality from my fellow boatmates.

This was where I slept.

BTW…if you have not heard of Bibio, check out their song, Lover’s Carvings

Burma

2010-04-02T08:01:00Z

After thinking it over some I’ve decided that I will not post any descriptions of my encounters in Burma. I’m not doing this because I found the country unappealing. On the contrary, Burma is by far one of the best places I’ve visited thus far. But, at the same time it is also one of the most difficult places that I’ve found myself in, for so many reasons. Rather, I will not include descriptions of my encounters because A, they will frighten my mother, more than she already is about my time there, B, I don’t want to jeopardize any people who I photographed, even though they were not the ones who graced me with their views of the ruling junta, and C, I don’t want to jeopardize the possibility of returning due to my negative views of their government. Call me paranoid, but it is what it is.

So, over the next couple days I’ll add some more photos to bring you up to speed on where I’m at now. If you want to hear more about my personal views and touching encounters with Burmese people then shoot me an email or I’ll fill you in over the phone.

Check back soon…