God Bless the USA

Okay, so anyone wonder how you travel in Southeast Asia? Here's the last 39 hours:
Caught a night ferry from Ko Samui (mattresses laid next to each other in the engine room, actually slept great), got on minibus heading to Hat Yai at 0500, stopped in two minutes at drivers friends store, drove 3 min. and told we'd be picked up at 0530 (I was with a cool guy from Manchester), at 0645 van comes and we crammed in like sardines (12 people), drove 4 hours to Hat Yai and dropped off, driven 3 min. to friend's restaurant, picked up at 1100, drove 3 cramped hours to Sugai kolok, walked across Malaysian border, stopped to change money and talked for a half hour with owner who brought out all his photo albums (don't think they were CM products mom), haggled with taxi driver, drove 40km to train station, taxi driver throws big scene, eat at little restaurant as only foreigner and HUGE language barrier (had something good that I have no clue what it was (very spicy, but like heck I wasn't going to eat it)), rode train for six hours, found cheap hotel in Jerantut at 0130, caught shuttle to k. Tembling jetty at 0800, rode up jungle river in little boat for 3 or more hours (kept breaking down), arrived in Kuala Tahan (a little outpost before heading into jungle), laughing with little boys playing soccer on Playstation and writing this at 1300. Boats, trains, cars, motorbikes, elephants, you name it!
You know i realized on the boat up in between watching water buffalo and shifting my weight so we didn't capsize that i haven't even talked to another American in over a week. Very weird. I'm sure there are some around just maybe not the places that I've been, more like the plush resorts that i have been careful to avoid. I guess the places I've been staying aren't exactly what is considered classy, but it's good enough for those who live here so it's good enough for me. Maybe a house is pretty small, maybe the mattresses (if there) aren't very soft, maybe there's a hose instead of toilet paper, maybe there's no A/C, maybe some cleaning products wouldn't exactly hurt, but this is the way they live and there is nothing inborn in me that makes me need more. There is much that we Americans can learn from others, and things they can learn from us; both are reasons I'm here. But when it comes to where my loyalties lie; as I told a Dane that questioned whether I would really fight and die for my country, I say Godwilling, with honor and without reservation.

Searching for God knows what

Well, it is quite clear now that this trip is not about places, but people. The main reason I am supposed to be going these places is to interact with the people God brings in front of me. It's not as important where I am as who I am with. I suppose that's how our entire lives should be, huh? It really has been amazing the people I have come in contact with.
I thought that 5 weeks of traveling was a pretty long time; but among the backpacker culture it turns out to be quite short with the average being 6 months at least. As you might imagine they are not the "normal" sort of people. By now I believe that they travel mainly because they are searching for something. One reason I like them so much is they have all realized that the answer is not in money and "success." In some form they are searching for the God of the Universe (though most don't realize it); it seems most conversations are quickly turned in that direction and they want to know what I think.
Here's a day in my life: Woke up at 0545, hitched to ferry port, ferry to Koh Samui, taxi to airport, flights sold out, rode on back of dirtbike to Chaweng Beach, walked back and forth between travel agencies (worthless!), sat in an actual Starbucks (only one in Thailand and the best barristas anywhere, except for one Mrs. Hood) waiting for stores to open, chilled on beach, Pad Thai for lunch, elephant trek through jungle to rice paddies, kayaked to private island (it's great being a foreigner, "i couldn't read the sign!"), unbelievably slow shuttle to Na Ton (met nice locals(, pulled up in time to watch the last ferry leave, ate radioactive looking things at wonderful open air market, watched local soccer game on concrete (just like Mexico), came to Internet Cafe, still sweating...
It really is a beautiful place (I think the Aegean Islands have the edge though) and maybe I'll get to the jungle, maybe I won't. I feel very relaxed about it. One thing God is showing me is just, to be; not overstressing about the future . To be present in the present.

I love the comments, keep 'em coming! They make me laugh, especially you Sarah :D

Don't let the bed bugs bite!

Well, who said it's easy to get to paradise? After an afternoon of travel that culminated in a freaky late night taxi (being the back of a pickup truck) ride over island mountains that I expect if one looked over the cliffs there would be a quite a large pile of rusted out cars and bleached bones, and a night in a small room scratching the bugs off - I found it. Haad Yao, Koh Pha-ngan. There is a perfect little bungalow "resort" with amazing people. It turns out they were full (there's some stupid debacherous full-moon party that has the island crammed with people) but I got a cozy little place in the attic with a fan for about $2. There's a wonderful middle-aged hippie from England up there as well. We spent the evening swapping tales with a Dutchman, a Swede, a German, and an ex-pat from the U.S.
It's interesting how other people view the United States. Frankly, they are pretty negative towards most things, particurally George Bush. I think it shows how biased the international media is in how they report things. I may have changed a few minds about the average American though. One could say that we get a bad rap only because being on top makes everyone want to pull you down, but that's exactly the attitude that makes everyone not like us.
I think I'm on to the jungles of Malaysia in a day or two...

Settling in... to constant motion

I haven't been on the ground for 48 hours yet already I am fully in backpacker mode. It is a unique lifestyle. It is the idea of not having anywhere that is permanent, nothing slowing you down, nothing holding you back. It is the satisfying feeling of walking away from a hostel (or hovel) after a night with everything you need in a small pack, not sure where you're going but sure you're going there.
Through this the true value of every moment is revealed. The people that you meet you will never see again, yet each person is respected and valued for what they can offer, nothing more nothing less, for there is no expectation or sense of being used.
Okay, what most of you probably want to know is: "like, where are you and what have you done."
So I hung out in Bangkok yesterday, went to Wat Pho (huge temples with some huge budda's (it reminded me of the statue of Nebacanezar)), wandered the markets (not the tourists ones, I was the only blonde guy), walked (probably 6 hours worth), and went to a Muay Thai fight (insane). The food here is excellent! Fresh fruit at roadside stands, spicy stuff everywhere. I learned to be careful when eating at a restaurant (and I use the term liberally to describe a dirty alley with some chairs and a rolling wok) where yours is the only occidental face and you just point to someone elses food and say something you hope is interpreted as, "I'll have what he's having." You can end up with some pretty potent stuff! I'm not sure whether the soup steams because they heat it or because of what's in it. Now that I've burned off my taste buds - I really like it!
Met a cool Dutch guy named Han at the fight. That's a great part of traveling alone, you are free to meet people. We had a good time crammed in among lots of sweaty excited Thai men that rival the enthusiasm of UT fans (though not fans at a UNC/Duke game). There's certainly a reason God brought me out alone as already it was worth it to be used in Han's life. Well, now I'm on Ko Samui and there's some Norweigian girls and an old Aussie named Brian waiting on me to take a ferry...

Welcome to Planet Bangkok

Wow!
So after 26 hours in the air with the seatbelt and tray table nazis I thought I would land halfway around the earth. But somehow we ended up on another Planet!? Truly amazing how different things can be.
The first thing that hit me after leaving the ubiquitous airport terminal was the heat, a choking kind of humidity that seems like I'm swimming compared to the winter I came from. The second thing I noticed was the din of car engines and horns. It seems that the subtlety of Thai culture can't fit into the confines of an automobile as they simply trade off mashing the accelerator or the brake. Moreover most of the cars seem to be automatics so that the driver can devote one hand solely to the horn. The third thing I noticed was that I stood out tremendously. It seems that all of the farang (foreigners) on my plane disappeared into their limos and I was absorbed into the organic mass of Thais. I love it! The adventure is barely two hours old and I could spend that same amount of time describing it. However, I managed to haggle myself into a decent "guesthouse" and plan to go slay the demon of jet lag.
God Bless

The path leads ever on...

It has been an amazing last year and a half here in Knoxville. I have had the blessing of being with my family, the honor and challenge of leading such a strong youth group at Second Pres., and the growth that has resulted from being surrounded by people seeking to be in God’s presence. Things have not always been the way I planned, but they have always had the distinctive touch of the God of the Universe.
The path now continues on to the United States Air Force. I will enter Officer Training School at Maxwell AFB on 5 April and graduate on 24 June, after which I will enter Pilot Training.
First though, I will be spend a month circling the Pacific. I will begin literally halfway around the world in Thailand on 21 Feb and travel through Southeast Asia, then on to Australia where I will scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef. From there over to New Zealand to hike the Kepler Track through the Southern Alps, then finish in Hawaii for 10 days of surfing, hiking volcanoes, and basking in God’s beauty. At least that’s what I plan…