it’s three days till i leave on my trip to thailand and i can hardly spend a waking minute without thinking about it. this month, as each day passed, my anticipation of going has grown day by day and now is almost unbearable. i cant believe this is finally happening. it’s funny, each time i talk to people that have already gone there, like tim or joey… i see this look in their eyes… a look that tells me that they are remembering one of the most amazing times in their life. i know that some day i too will have that look. i’ll have experienced all the greatness that thailand has to offer.
the thing about this trip, is that it’s really so many vacations rolled into one. it’s so many different experiences all bundled up into one tight little package. on one hand, i’m going to a tropical paradise w/ beautiful beaches, clear skies, and lush rainforests. on the other hand i’m going to a wild backpacker destination filled w/ exciting nightclubs, countless bars, and a party scene like no other. and on the third hand i get to experience a completely new culture unlike anything i’ve ever experienced… a land full of ancient temples and a simpler way of life. but even then, this trip will be so much more than a sum of all of its parts. besides everything that i see and do, it’ll be a chance for me to really test myself. to spend a month and a half away from family and most of my friends. half of this trip i’m gonna spend traveling on my own, and for a guy who’s extremely shy around people i dont know, this is gonna be a truly formidable challenge. Last of all, it’s also a chance for me to spend a lot of time away from anything that i’m familiar with. a time where i will not deal with the daily routine of the 9-5 job or the usual repetitiveness of every day life.
It’s just really amazing that it’s really happening. Actually, this vacation is gonna be the prefect finale for what has been a really really great year for me. it’s weird… i actually started off this year with a promise to myself that i would do something amazing like go to thailand, and that this year, 2002, will be a good year for me. and i was so right. so much has happened. I finally moved to SF which has been something i’ve really wanted to do for many years now. I actually did something artistic, and build a huge art car w/ my friends that turned out a million times better than any of us could have imagined. i got to go back to Russia where i was born and where i’ve longed to go for as long as i can remember. and now to top it all off, i’m going to thailand. fucking incredible.
-vlad
You are going to have an incredible time. Keep us updated on your journal!!!!
you are so lucky! that sounds like such an incredible experience, i am beyond jealous.. i can’t wait to hear about your trip. be safe, and have fun!
I can’t believe we’re finally going! I’ve been planning this trip since April and it’s finally here! Yay! We’re gonna have so much fun!
So where are you gonna meet me in Ko Phan-Ngan?
yeah i definitely will! be sure to come drink in the mission this saturday!
-vlad
yeah, it’s gonna be a blast!! dude, come drink it up in the mission this saturday before i go!
-v
This is sure to be the experience of a lifetime. Have fun, be safe, and take your malaria pills!
dude! tell me when and where and i will be there! 🙂 team lush represent!
Can I just say, “I hate you!”?
Okay, I feel better.
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you to have a great time. And I am positive that any of that shyness will totally disappear over the course of your trip and you’ll come back a completely changed person with a new lease on life. I don’t know anyone who has traveled like that and not come back changed for the better.
yeah, i definitely think that i’m gonna come back changed for the better. i just wonder how i’m gonna be able to come back to the daily 9-5 grind after all of this…
-v
so i’m not exactly sure where cause we’ll just bar-hop around, but it’ll be somewhere in the mission and probably start around 10:30-ish. call me on my cell (415-710-1441) and i’ll tell ya where we are at. laurel will be coming to and i think heather so you can try their cell phones as well. WERD!
-v
Yeah, no doubt. Who knows, maybe you’ll be one of those people who loves it so much, you never come back… then you won’t have to worry about coming back here to the 9-5 world… you’ll just do it there. heh
yay! will do! 🙂
ummm. beats me. i’ll have to look in my guide book. dude, meeting people in a foreign country is so fun. it’s just so weird and surreal to see someone you know in a place that is so far removed from where you’re used to seeing them. i remember when steph and i traveled around europe and then met sharon in vienna halfway thru. it was so exciting!!
-v
heh.. actually i kinda am toying w/ just that. i think it would be dope to go teach english in another country. you get to experience a new culture, a whole new way of life, and all you have to do is pretty much stand up in front of a class and talk. you dont even need to know the other language.
-v
Well, it does help to know the other language, but yeah, that would be cool. I had a friend who was in China for a few years teaching English. He was an Irish boy with a Chinese heart. He had some incredible experiences and stories.
vladee,
i just checked out your entries and it sounds awesome! sh*t, i think i’m going to quit my job soon after reading a few more of your postings! have fun 🙂 – yan