fyi

Have I informed you that I have completely changed my trip??  I mean, I know I have spoken with some of you, and I update on facebook all of the time... but I realized that there are some of you who don't facebook stalk me, so you wouldn't necessarily know that my plans are ever changing... (as my dad would say... my plans are laid in sand)

First of all, we added Vietnam to the itinerary.  By the time I post this I will be in Vietnam actually (since I am writing this in the KL airport while I wait for my flight... and I always end of posting blogs a few days after I write them... cuz I'm lazy).  We left Indonesia a week early and cut a week off of Thailand to squeeze in another country.  Originally we were going to Laos, then Laos and Vietnam, but now it's just Vietnam (partly because we wanted more beach time, partly because we realized we didn't want to be rushed in our last couple of weeks, and partly because the visa for Vietnam cost us $100).  We plan on taking two weeks to take the train up the coast and then flying from Hanoi to Bangkok for the last week before Caitrin leaves.

After Caitrin leaves, I am blowing off my original plans (which if you don't remember was to head down to Phuket and take a course on teaching English, then live in Thailand for a year as a teacher).  Why did I make this decision you ask?  Well, a number of factors deterred me from pursuing a career in teaching.  First of all, I don't want to pursue a career in anything.  I was taking the whole "teaching" thing too seriously... and there was a very good reason I quit my job, dropped out of school, and sold all my stuff: I take life too seriously.  Secondly, I would have to learn English grammar (enough said).  Thirdly, I would have had to dress nicely and hide my tattoo and piercing (tattoo is on my foot, stud in my nose).  Boo to that.  I like my clothes, I like my tattoo, and I am not ready to start pretending to be an adult just yet (and wearing nice clothes and hiding tattoos and piercings is far to ``adult like`` for me).  Fourthly (I don't know if I can a ``ly`` after fourth.. doesn't sound right), i`m not done traveling.  If I work in Thailand i`ll make just enough money to survive, but I won`t be able to trollup around the world... i`ll have to sit tight and save money little by little for my next plane ticket.  Yeah yeah yeah, i`d be living in Thailand and that's pretty cool... but right now all I want to do is whatever I want to do in each moment.  I want freedom... I want to have the choice every day of where to go and what to do.  I want to be able to wake up and take off to any country that I feel like going to.

Sooooooooooooo new plan.... Australia.  I am going to meet Tina (remember Tina... the girl from Germany that got sick in Indonesia) in Darwin.  The plan is... well, there is no plan.  Rumor has it you can make a lot of money working temporary jobs (like fruit picking, or waitressing) so I am getting a one year work and travel visa that enables me to work... and travel... throughout Australia.  That's the extent of the plan.  Perhaps I will buy a bus and drive around for a year working when I need money... perhaps I will stay in Darwin and waitress for a year... Perhaps I will leave after a month and head back to finish Southeast Asia...  perhaps I will save money and take off to see Europe... perhaps I will get married and have kids... (that last one was a joke in case you were wondering)

My biggest concern (seriously... this has been what I think about at night) is if this means I`m gonna have to make a new blog when I leave this continent... or can I just continue with this one, as this is still my escape to southeast asia... it just led to a trip down under...