See You In August

I have my eye on a new job in Mongolia. Liftoff is mid-August of this year. Mongolia. Just saying it gets me excited. I have spent the better part of 3 years in Asia and Mongolia would be a great addition. Plus, I am thinking it will be my gateways to the "stans" but let's not get ahead ourselves. I will be happy when I have my visa processed, in my passport and I am on the flight there. Until then I need to find some work for the summer.

This will be my last blog post for a while. I find my self succumbing to the global hysteria that is the Corona Virus. I think the smart decision is to head back to Canada now. The media is driving this story to a fever pitch and people are buying into it. Countries are shutting thier borders, airlines cutting back routes and some have defaulted. Sporting events are played with no fans and other large scale events are being canceled. Shit, the Governor of NY State just called in the National Guard to oversee a "possible hot zone". People can come and go as they please is the message but they are just taking precautions. The FUCKING National Guard for an area that might have the infection but "nobody panic". Not only are celebrities are wearing full hazmat suits in public (Holy WTF) they are posting it on social media. Everyone is overreacting because that is what they think they have to do. Anyways, I do not want to be trapped anywhere or worse yet quarantined and be trapped. That is the nature of our world right now. My thinking is that as much as this is NOT a pandemic of epic proportions I have to get out in front of the world's over-reaction. I decided to come to Bangkok for a few days to wind down in a comfortable hotel, sit by the pool and read, drink some beer and eat as much Pad Thai as I can find. The TV on the wall will stay off and I will not read any news sites. I am shutting down and unplugging. 

This has been a great trip. I have made some mistakes along the way because I have become a lazy traveler. It was mostly lack of planning really. I will remedy that on my next trip. The countries I visited were diverse and eye-opening. The daily lifestyles, cultures, the kindness of the people and the immense amount of history did what it always does. It has inspired me to keep going. 

Spending time in Bangladesh, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysian Borneo, Brunei, The Philippines, and Thailand again did more than color countries on a "country visited map". I embraced each place without any trepidation. My ability to enter a new country confident and ready to explore is solidly in place. I guess I will have to get out of my comfort zone in the future and find places that get me a bit nervous again like Pakistan, Lebanon, Kurdistan Iraq and maybe Russia. All in due time.

I have changed as a traveler. I also feel that I have changed as a person. I think Bangladesh opened my eyes quite a bit. I will embrace all that change and see where it takes me. See you in Mongolia 💪