09/19/05: Stranger in a strange land (Final Update and Contact Info)

Hi everyone!

I'm back in Los Angeles and slowly adjusting back to "normal life"...it's quite the adjustment and while I'm dealing with the questions of who I want to be and what I want to do and what this trip meant to me, it's a little distracting to be staying with friends that happen to have the largest capacity TiVO on the market, DirectTV (with Sunday Ticket of course), every video game system I can think of, and a collection of several hundred DVDs each whispering to me "watch me...watch me..."

Before I forget, while I don't have a permanent address as of now I did manage to reactivate the cell-phone number that I had before. Please feel free to call for a chat or for offers of gainful employment (perhaps house-sitting that mansion in Hawaii). All inquiries should be directed to my agent - who incidentally happens to have the same telephone number and name. I look forward to seeingeveryone in the next few months as I get settled in.

But first to briefly update where I left you in London as I'm not willing to let go of the trip just yet. I had a wonderful experience in London seeing old friends from school and work and even friends we had met earlier in the trip. I attended a very interesting wedding of a friend from UCLA where the reception included traditional English barn dancing (think do-si-do), sing-along songs about the couple, and a skit about the past love-life of the groom (very, very funny and not anything I want incorporated when I someday get married...I don't want to make my Russian mail-order bride uncomfortable).

Seemingly, however, the fates needed to remind me why it was time to go home with my last two hostel experiences. The first was in London - where I shared a room with three random strangers for an evening. I got into the room after everyone was asleep - only to be awaken at 4 in the morning when one of the guests woke up suddenly and declared to his friend (sleeping in the bunk below), "dude! we feel asleep...we gotta get up and hit the bars".

Only to be answered "umm...we actually went out to two bars and got kicked out of both because of you. Then, I brought you back here and told you to stay in the room, only to find you later wandering thehallways in a T-shirt and nothing else on looking for people to talk to. Let's just say the hostel needed to be heavily convinced to let us stay." I just pulled my sheets tighter around my body, hugged the bag holding my camera and passport and went back to sleep.

The other hostel experience was in Amsterdam, where I only stayed a night (not for that!) to catch a plane the next morning. Only I didn't do my due diligence online and guaranteed my place at what turns out to be the Shelter Christian Hostel - designed to keep young men on the path of righteousness. What I found quite funny is that the shelter was surrounded on both sides by the ubiquitous windows housing"ladies-for-hire"...so quite literally there was a doorway that led up to the light or down to the depths of depravity. After a few hours in the bars, I returned to the hostel, chose the "good" door and went tothe common room of the hostel to read and relax only to walk into (and interrupt very publically and embarrasingly) a bible study in session. The embarrasing part was everyone asking "do you want to join us? no? are you sure because there's never a bad time to talk about jesus!".

I flew to Chicago from Amsterdam and visited my sister, brother-in-law, and their new son (and my new nephew) Emmett. It turns out he's very cute (I had serious doubts when I got the first pictures) and quite well-mannered. It also turns out my brother-in-law's sister is pregnant, my favorite dog had passed away, and my sister was living in a different house. Being in the routine with my family really gave me the sense of how much I had missed (in terms of life events) but also how much things were exactly the same as when I left...and there's certainly a bit of an expectation that if I've changed and learned so much...the world and everything else should be different as well.

So here I am...back in Los Angeles. Much thanks to everyone who read these updates, thought about me, or emailed me with encouragement or their own stories along the way. It made a HUGE impact to hear about home and the people I really care about. Most of all, much thanks to Deanna - an incredible friend, traveler, and personal psychiatrist...I can't imagine doing this with anyone else. China next?

09/15/05: Trip Locations

12 Sep 2005 Los Angeles, USA
06 Sep 2005 Chicago, USA
05 Sep 2005 Amsterdam, Netherlands
27 Aug 2005 London, England
21 Aug 2005 Istanbul, Turkey
20 Aug 2005 Selcuk (Ephesus), Turkey
17 Aug 2005 Bodrum, Turkey
16 Aug 2005 Dalaman, Turkey
15 Aug 2005 Oludeniz, Turkey
13 Aug 2005 Kaz, Turkey
12 Aug 2005 Olympos, Turkey
09 Aug 2005 Goreme (Capaddocia), Turkey
08 Aug 2005 Kahta (Mount Nemrut), Turkey
06 Aug 2005 Sanilurfa, Turkey
05 Aug 2005 Antakya, Turkey
02 Aug 2005 Aleppo, Syria
27 Jul 2005 Beirut, Lebanon
25 Jul 2005 Nahle, Lebanon
21 Jul 2005 Beirut, Lebanon
18 Jul 2005 Tripoli, Lebanon
15 Jul 2005 Tartus, Syria
14 Jul 2005 Palmyra, Syria
11 Jul 2005 Damascus, Syria
08 Jul 2005 Amman, Jordan
03 Jul 2005 Jerusalem, Israel
02 Jul 2005 Amman, Jordan
29 Jun 2005 Wadi Musa (Petra), Jordan
26 Jun 2005 Dahab, Egypt
25 Jun 2005 St. Katherine's (Mount Sinai), Egypt
23 Jun 2005 Alexandria, Egypt
20 Jun 2005 Siwa, Egypt
16 Jun 2005 Luxor, Egypt
14 Jun 2005 Aswan, Egypt
08 Jun 2005 Cairo, Egypt
05 Jun 2005 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
02 Jun 2005 Mumbai, India
28 May 2005 Goa, India
27 May 2005 Mangalore, India
24 May 2005 Kochi, India
23 May 2005 Alappuzha, India
17 May 2005 Varkala, India
16 May 2005 Trivandurum, India
14 May 2005 Kovalam, India
13 May 2005 Kanyakumari, India
12 May 2005 Madurai, India
08 May 2005 Pondicherry, India
06 May 2005 Mysore, India
01 May 2005 Mumbai, India
25 Apr 2005 Diu, India
22 Apr 2005 Udaipur, India
19 Apr 2005 Jodphur, India
16 Apr 2005 Jaisalmer, India
12 Apr 2005 Pushkar, India
09 Apr 2005 Jaipur, India
07 Apr 2005 Agra, India
06 Apr 2005 Orccha, India
04 Apr 2005 Khajuraho, India
03 Apr 2005 Satna, India
01 Apr 2005 Varanasi, India
27 Mar 2005 Delhi, India
26 Mar 2005 Bangkok, Thailand
21 Mar 2005 Ko PhaNgan, Thailand
17 Mar 2005 Ko Samui, Thailand
12 Mar 2005 Bangkok, Thailand
11 Mar 2005 Yangon, Myanmar
05 Mar 2005 Nyaungshwe (Inle Lake), Myanmar
28 Feb 2005 Kalaw (Trek), Myanmar
25 Feb 2005 Mandalay, Myanmar
23 Feb 2005 Bagan, Myanmar
21 Feb 2005 Pyay, Myanmar
19 Feb 2005 Yangon, Myanmar
18 Feb 2005 Bangkok, Thailand
15 Feb 2005 Pai (Trek), Thailand
11 Feb 2005 Chiang Mai, Thailand
08 Feb 2005 Chiang Rai, Thailand
07 Feb 2005 Huay Xai, Laos
06 Feb 2005 Pak Beng, Laos
31 Jan 2005 Luang Prabang, Laos
30 Jan 2005 Pak Mong, Laos
28 Jan 2005 Sam Neua, Laos
27 Jan 2005 Nam Neun, Laos
25 Jan 2005 Phonsavan, Laos
21 Jan 2005 Vang Vieng, Laos
16 Jan 2005 Vientiene, Laos
13 Jan 2005 Halong Bay, Vietnam
12 Jan 2005 Hanoi, Vietnam
11 Jan 2005 Lao Cai, Vietnam
09 Jan 2005 Sapa, Vietnam
08 Jan 2005 Tam Duong/Sin Ho, Vietnam
07 Jan 2005 Lai Chau, Vietnam
06 Jan 2005 Song La/Mai Chau, Vietnam
03 Jan 2005 Hanoi, Vietnam
30 Dec 2004 Hue, Vietnam
27 Dec 2004 Hoi An, Vietnam
21 Dec 2004 Dalat, Vietnam
17 Dec 2004 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
15 Dec 2004 Mekong Delta, Vietnam
10 Dec 2004 Phnom Penh, Cambodia
07 Dec 2004 Battambang, Cambodia
29 Dec 2004 Siem Riep (Angkor Temples), Cambodia
26 Nov 2004 Phuket, Thailand
20 Nov 2004 Bangkok, Thailand
16 Nov 2004 Phuket, Thailand
13 Nov 2004 Ko Phi Phi, Thailand
08 Nov 2004 Krabi, Thailand
04 Nov 2004 Langkawi, Malaysia
30 Oct 2004 Penang, Malaysia
28 Oct 2004 Singapore
22 Oct 2004 Ubud, Indonesia
19 Oct 2004 Lombok, Indonesia
16 Oct 2004 Kuta, Indonesia
13 Oct 2004 Singapore
11 Oct 2004 Los Angeles, USA

08/27/2005: Life in a treehouse and Coming Home!

Hello everyone!

I'm in London right now...last stop before heading home! For those of you who thought it would never happen and have written to me expressing this concern, I will thank you by coming and spending a week sleeping on your couch and complaining about how expensive everything is. Seriously, I am very excited to be coming home and will be back in Los Angeles on September 12th. I will definitely send out contact info when I figure it out myself and would love to see most of you.

But back to Turkey...from Cappadocia, I made my way to Olympos...on the Mediterranean Coast, which is famous for the "treehouses" you can stay in. From everything I read, it was a place to chill out and spend a day (or week) relaxing in the serenity of nature. When I arrived on my overnight bus, what I found was somewhat different than I expected.

First of all, I found out that at the time of my check-in, Kadir's (the oldest and most famous of the treehouse places) was housing over 300 people! Secondly, the "treehouses" looked more like the Saddle Ranch in Hollywood (think Old West flophouse) than Swiss Family Robinson. Lastly, as opposed to being a "chill" place, just about every person was under 30, in good shape (like I used to be), and showing it off...it was like hanging out in a nightclub. I spent the nighttalking to a girl from the Ukraine who planned power systems (what?) and a Turkish girl who had just completed her law studies (but unfortunately...not her English studies). Oh well. To top things off,I visited the Chimerae...a natural fire that burns on a hillside that reputedly ancient mariners could navigate by in ancient times. Unfortunately, after a 3 hour hike from Olympos, it looked to me like someone left a very, very small campfire burning...not impressed. Overall, Olympos was actually quite fun, but I got tired of the "scene"(thumping music at 3am and sleeping in a room with ten people) and left in the morning.

From Olympus, I made a few more stops along the coast...Kas, Oludeniz,Dalaman, and the infamous Bodrum. Interestingly enough, costs skyrocketed as I headed to tourist central and the "scene" changed from completely Italian to completely northern English...I've never spoken to so many people that speak English that I cannot understand.

The highlight of Kas was trying to get to the neighboring town of Ucagiz to visit a family that took care of a (most likely at the time) stoned friend of mine a long time ago. What this friend didn't tell me is that there isn't a bus from the highway drop-off...so you can walk the 19km or hitch a ride. After waiting for 30 minutes for the bus, I tried to hitch with all the nice looking cars and/or families...to no avail. Finally, I did catch a ride with a guy wearing a tank-top and inappropriately short pants towing a trailer behind a 15-year old car. Luckily he just drove and I didn't have to use my training to jump out of the car and roll to safety. The family in Ucagiz was really, really great and even offered me a job helping out on a charter boat if I wanted to earn some money and get a great Mediterranean coast cruise at the same time.

Bodrum was very cool as I was reunited with Deanna and we spent three days completely ignoring the budget and eating great dinners and going to nightclubs that had no business charging a 27 dollar cover...but hey...we paid so I guess the joke was on us. Here's a rule for the future: Never get lured by the "free wine and vodka until 1am" offer. It's a good bet you can't stomach what they give you.

From the coast, we made a quick stop in Ephesus...the old Roman capital of Asia Minor...and then on to Istanbul. Istanbul is absolutely wonderful for sites and has a very "alive" feeling. We were very lucky to be hosted by Deanna's b-school friend - who was very concerned that I see everything and that we meet many of his wonderful friends and family members. It happens that his uncle owns a hotel that happens to be located directly between Topkapi Palace (where the Ottoman Empire ruled the world) and Aya Sofia (the world's largest church for 1000 years) and a 30-second walk from the Blue Mosque, with its 6 minarets and incredible tiled interior. Istanbul is a wonderful city to see the mix of East and West, Old and New, Christianity and Islam...and as I wandered the streets on my last day in Istanbul I thought an appropriate "last stop" for my trip and re-entry to the West. My last "sight-see" was a cruise along the Bosphorus that literally finished with a crossing of the river from Asia to Europe. Wonderful symbolism but as I sat and tried to think profound thoughts, all that ran through my mind was "that's two hours of my life I'll never have back." In the end, perhaps I haven't changed at all.