Crazy Beautiful

It's hard to think about going away when it's so beautiful and peaceful in San Diego right now. We have had a week straight of gorgeous sunsets, topping off warm breezy days and consistent surf (75 and sunny AGAIN??) Hopefull the weather will have turned by the time I head for LAX....

Research

Above: One of the many forms of transport in Burma

So in between logging a few killer surf sessions at Swami's the last few days, I went to update my vaccinations and get some malaria meds. My doctor urged me to consult the CDC and US State Department websites regarding the countries I will be visiting. I tend to avoid doing this because it causes alarm, all the descriptions of crime, terrorist attacks in some cases, driving accidents, etc. I suppose that such warnings could be made about the US too, or European countries. Anyway, it has me a little concerned, mostly about Cambodia. Interestingly, the safest country out of the bunch is Burma (which I guess I already knew). This is so long as you don't speak out against the government, which actually is not advised in any of the countries.

Below: Me and Helena in Burma in January 2006

Freedom to Roam

Right: Me at Swami's in October

A lot of people have been asking me about my itinerary, so I thought I would post it, or what I have so far. I leave December 5 and fly to Bangkok and then hop right on a plane to Rangoon, Burma. There I will meet up with Dr. Htwe Lay, who runs one of the clinics supported by the Burma America Christian Association, and will review some of the projects we have funded around Rangoon and the delta region hit by Cyclone Nargis. After that I will fly to the north. I haven't decided exactly where - I am going to check it out when I get there. I have a flight back to Bangkok on December 22 and I will meet up with some old friends who will happen to be in Thailand at the same time. We will do day trips around Bangkok until December 31, then head down to Koh Chang island in the southeast until January 4. From there I will probably go overland or fly to Cambodia. I am thinking I will stay until around January 22 or so then head to Vietnam. Not too much planned, but enough for the first month!

Setting Forth

This year, my fifteenth year after graduating from law school, I decided to quit this career I find less than satisfying, to say the least. John Moseley came up with the name for my journal/blog: “Kicking Out” – a term to describe deliberately turning out of a wave one is riding, and I felt the term was apt for the step I am about to take in my life. In 4 weeks I leave for Southeast Asia, with a return date of March 31, 2009. Some of the time is planned, most of it is not. Looking forward to exploring Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.