Secretly Famous

Last night I met up with Crystal at Changing Hands (better known as My Favorite Local Bookstore) to see Frank Warren (better known as The PostSecret Guy) at a stop on his book tour. He started his talk with an explanation of the PostSecret project, how it started, etc., and he used three or four postcards as samples explaining PostSecret. One he held up as an example of how the postcards are really works of art themselves. It looked faintly familiar, but I couldn't see it well from the back of the crowd (it was standing room-only). And then he read the secret. And I recognized it. And I nearly freaked out. It was the secret that belonged to one of my best friends. I desperately wanted to go up to Mr. Warren afterwards and ask to see the card in person, because by holding it, it would almost be like my friend were present there in that room. Unfortunately, I couldn't get through the crowds of people without making a complete idiot of myself. It may be strange, but I am proud to know that my friend's postcard is being shared with audiences around the country as a significant example of art and that the ironic secret s/he shared anonymously with a stranger is bringing chuckles to the people who hear it.

Tips on How to Ask Me About My Travels (Slightly Updated)

As tends to happen, I'm starting to get a bit tired of answering the same five questions:

"So, did you have fun?" Nah, seeing amazing sites, meeting fantastic people and having grand adventures isn't really my thing. The $5 massages in Thailand were pretty decent, though.

"I want to hear all about your trip!" Great! Do you have an extra 3 months and the funds to pay me the living wage I won't be making while I retell every detail of my 90 days abroad?

"Are you glad to be back home?" Yes. And no. And it's way more complicated than either you want to hear or I want to share.

"What was your favorite place?" Vietnam. And Munich. And Krakow. And Singapore. And Sydney. And Amsterdam. And Cesky Krumlov. And Khao Sok. And the Cameron Highlands. And...well, it'd be easier if I just gave you my itinerary and you looked at that list there.

"So now what are you going to do?" Unpack. (Seriously. I've lent my backpack to a friend who's traveling Europe for the next two weeks and all I've done is lift the stack of clothing out of my pack and place it on my bedroom floor.) And maybe once I have things sorted here, I'll consider looking for work somewhere, anywhere. That is, unless I can convince each of you to pledge a dollar a day to support my next round of travels.

So, to help you get better responses from me (and to aid in my enjoyment and creativity in answering your questions) I give you a few suggestions that can get the conversation going:

"What was the best meal you had?" The cooking class in Hoi An was outstanding food in fabulous company.

"What local delicacies will you miss the most? REAL Belgian waffles and mango shakes from SE Asia. Yummmm...

"What was the biggest scare you had?" Looking up at the carabiners fastening my harness to the paragliding chute only to notice that they really weren't secure at all.

"How much beer did you drink?" More than I ever thought I'd try in my entire life. Believe it or not, I might actually enjoy a brewski every once in a while now.

"Why don't you look very tan if you spent an entire month in SE Asia?" Dude, the prospect of lugging a 20-pound backpack around the world on lobster shoulders really didn't appeal to me. I layered on the sunscreen.

"What was the biggest mistake you made?" Trying to break up with my boyfriend before leaving the country. That, and going a little crazy in the tailor shops in Hoi An.

"What handy travel tip did you learn along the way?" Carry an extra plastic bag. It comes in handy when shopping in European shops that charge you for bags, when you need to cover your drenched bicycle seat to keep from soaking your shorts, and when you want to keep your wet swim suit from contaminating the dry contents of your bag.

"When do you plan to go on another trip like this?" As soon as I save up the funds. And this time, I'm thinking 6 months. Wanna join me?

"How has this adventure inspired you? Ahhh...you'll just have to wait for another post for that answer...

All Sorts of Photos

I'm bombarding you with the last of my international pictures. Below are a few of my favorites. Following the pics are links to the albums. In total, I think I took more than 5,000 pictures on this trip. That makes the 850+ I've uploaded to share with you seem like barely a glimpse of the past 3 months. I keep thinking of stories and happenings that I've neglected to share here on this blog. I think I'll share bits and pieces here for the next few weeks. Then I'll get on with living in the present. For now, enjoy the pictures. Somewhere in there is a challenge for you (a prize can be won!). Photos from San Francisco will come soon.


Fruit and veg stand in the Cameron Highlands


Hungry monkey at the Batu Caves outside KL


Petronas Towers


Sushi dinner in Melaka


Vietnamese hooker and Jonathan in Singapore. I love the way their eyes draw you around the picture!


Mel with camera on Manly Beach


Steps up to the Sydney Opera House


Crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge by night

Penang

Cameron Highlands

Kuala Lumpur

Melaka

Singapore

Sydney

Playing Catch-up

It was a good decision to come back to the States via San Francisco, if for no other reason than to let my sports-savvy grandparents help me catch up on all the happenings in the MLB, NCAA and NFL. Mizzou's undefeated?!?! The D'backs are headed to the Series?!?! The (Arizona) Cards are 3-6? (Well, that one was somewhat expected, anyways.) And the best news? The Suns kick off the 2007 season the day I arrive back in PHX. Suh-weet!

Pictures!
I've temporarily run out of space in my Picasa photo account, which is probably a good thing, because if I unloaded all my pictures on you at once, none of you would get any work done. So, I'll be presenting the remaining photos from my time abroad in installments. Here's your first group. These are from Thailand.


Chillaxing in the bungalow in the Khao Sok jungle


Cute kitty who had lost her mommy


Chillaxing on the beach with a good book (The Historian)


The shell-covered beach in Krabi

Bangkok

Khao Sok

Krabi

Stateside

I arrived in San Francisco this morning after a 13-hour-plus United flight. Fortunately it was a monstly empty plane (80 seats available!) and I got an entire three seats to myself. This'll be a fun, family-filled stop-over as we get to celebrate my dad's recognition within his professional organization. Me, I'm relishing the chance to be somewhere for more than three days, the luxury of a washer and dryer, and the availability of high-speed internet.

The Last of the Vietnam Pics
The rest of SE Asia and Sydney to come soon.

Saigon

Good Times

Last night found me and some fellow Singapore hostelers ushered through the door with the Australian emcee of a local comedy club, The One Night Stand on Clarke Quay, breezing past the line-up of stockbrokers and businessmen still in their slacks and collared shirts from work. I got to use that much-desired line, "We're with him," which waved the $50 entry fee. Jonathan was hilarious (despite -- or maybe because of? -- his jabs at Americans), and the group that followed, Edinburgh Fringe Festival winners We Are Klang, was the best sketch comedy I've seen in a long time. If the comedy wasn't enough to make it a fantastic night, the dancing that followed was. Or maybe what really sealed the deal was coming back to the hostel at 2 a.m. to join Jonathan outside having a round of beers on the sidewalk with a local Indian cabbie, a Singaporean who was either a former male gigalo or a member of the local mafia (I swear), and a hooker.

Happy Days.
(This is a phrase that Australians seem to use constantly. I think it can roughly translate to "Sweet!" or "Dude" or "Score!")

A Bit of Honesty

I'm starting to get pretty sick of the clothes I've packed, but I've been put off shopping because everything here is either fake labels that don't do anything for me, or items I could find at home for about the same price (and I don't want to lug things like that around for the next two weeks!). I'm finding that Vietnam was a bit more up my alley than Thailand or Malaysia, if only because there was so much that was different. Thailand and Malaysia have become so Westernized that even when I'm the only Caucasian person around, I don't feel that sense of wonderment that I relished while in Vietnam.

There are only 10 days left until I head back to the States. I think I'm ready for a little familiarity -- I got excessively excited to eat at a Nando's (a British chicken fast food joint) this afternoon -- because it offered something other than rice or noodles.

I just don't think I'm ready to get back to the "real world" yet. Maybe I could consider home as a stopover on yet another travel route -- a chance to wear something other than the same five tank tops I've been wearing for the past two and a half months.

More Bathroom Etiquette
I learned today that rather than queueing up for the bathroom as a whole, here in Malaysia you queue for a particular stall. It took me a while to figure out why all these girls were cutting in front of me. Then I realized that I wasn't following the "rules".

Fast Times in Penang

It's Ramadan, and Malaysia being a Muslim country, that means that I get to witness in person one of the most holy months in Islam as practiced by pretty much an entire community. Last night, we went to an Indian restaurant for my first taste of Tandoori chicken. It really interested me to see the number of Muslims who arrived and waited patiently until the call to prayer sounded the setting of the sun and signaled the chance for them to eat. This evening I visited the nearby mosque, dressed in the robe and headscarf they had to loan non-Muslim visitors. A couple hours earlier, I had been wandering the grounds of S.E. Asia's largest Buddhist temple. I love the chance to connect with so many of the world's great religions. It helps me understand myown faith even better.

New Pics
I'll get around to uploading my Thailand pictures soon, don't worry. For now you can enjoy these from Vietnam. (Siagon pics TK)


Showing off the pedicure I got on the beach


My first time with a hookah (not as hard-core as you may think, really)

Nha Trang

Stickin' It

Not the most flattering picture of me, but it makes me laugh!

One sign of Vietnam's communism that I forgot to mention before: the systematic blocking of all blogspot blogs by the government Internet censors. I could post to my blog, but I couldn't view my posts. Interesting...

Speaking of blogs, if you want to read a more thorough account of our adventures in Vietnam, check out Andrea and Simon's blog. They did a daily account of our travels from Hanoi to Saigon.

Hoi An

Safe in Krabi

The plane crash in Phuket was an immense tragedy here, as you can imagine. We heard about it in the jungle (the mighty jungle) of Khao Sok, several miles from the popular beach town. I had friends from the Vietnam trip who had flown that precise airline to Phuket from Bangkok the day before. Fortunately they are safe (though rather shaken).

Rain, Rain, Go Away
They don't lie when they say it's the rainy season here in Thailand. Fortunately the clouds cleared enough for us to get out to a few islands yesterday, including the island where they filmed The Beach. I am slowing learning how to master snorkeling. The first time I tried in Vietnam, I failed an attempt to take a picture of Andrea and Simon with their underwater camera. My brain could handle concentrating on one thing at a time and I chose to concentrate on breathing rather than manipulating the strange contraption that was their underwater camera.

And I thought Eastern European toilets were bad
I have nearly mastered another art: that of using the squat toilet. Mostly I have learned to carry TP and hand sanitizer in my bag at all times. The "squat and drop" part needs some work.

Just because I'm sure you were interested to learn that.