because my real life doesn't fit in a backpack

I woke up this morning on an island off the coast of Thailand. Tomorrow I will wake up in a closet-sized bedroom in the Chungking Mansions in Hong Kong (yes, it's as atrocious as it sounds, but at $11/night - in a city more expensive than NYC - it's unbeatable). And Sunday, I will be back in the United States.

The last two days left the perfect sense of closure for our Southeast Asian adventure. After several days of traveling like crazy and sleeping minimally, Andy and I caught a cab to Ko Samet, a 7-km by 5-km island off the coast of Thailand. It was an absolute paradise, and we entertained ourselves for 48 hours by swimming in the ocean and playing frisbee and soccer on the beach, which changed to dominoes inside when the sun got intense.

Today the traveling recommenced with a long and cramped minibus ride to Bangkok followed by a metro/cab ride to the airport. Andy and I split at the airport; since my Chinese residency permit expired on Jan 29 I'd have to apply for another visa (at least $100 process) to return. So Andy, who has a year-long contract, is returning to Shenzhen tonight and will bring my suitcases to Hong Kong tomorrow afternoon. As I've thought so many times in my life, it's so nice to have good friends.

Traveling solo today revitalized my sense of adventure and excitement for my next destination, but also saddened me as the reality sunk in that my time in Asia has come to an end. When I prepared to leave the US in September, I figured the optimal ending to my China life would be sadness, meaning I would have found a "home" that wasn't easy to leave. I guess that's what I got. Yet right now, even with my evident excitement to return home (I've been having trouble sleeping), the sadness still feels like sadness. I guess that is the bittersweet flavor of change.

So, to wrap up this segment of my travels, here's a numerical summary of my 26-day trip:

• Countries visited: 7 (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, China)
• Flights: 6
• Pairs of shoes: 2, Pants: 1, Shorts: 1, Skirts: 2, Dresses: 1, Shirts: 6 (yep, I got a little stinky, but it made for very light & easy travels!)
• Pictures taken: ~1500
• Metamucil capsules swallowed (TMI? Sorry, you're the one that chose to read my personal blog ;)): 220
• Mountains climbed: 1
• Sharks seen: 4
• Books read: 5 (The Logic of Life, Running with Scissors, River Town, Love in the Time of Cholera, They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky)
• Languages heard spoken: I don't know if I can count that high
• Australian/German tourists encountered: I definitely can't count that high
  
• Cameras, wallets, cell phones, passports lost: ZERO. (And now that I've sufficiently jinxed myself I'm going to go back to my closet-room and make sure the door is still locked. Just kidding... But seriously.)

See you in Africa.