A Hop, a skip, and a jump

To sum up my 3 connecting flights from Vancouver to Bangkok, they were excellent. After being dropped off and bid Bon voyage by dad, I said goodbye to my shiny new MEC backpack and shuffled my way through customs.

I thoroughly enjoyed one final TimHortons before a quick 50 minute flight to Seattle. This flight was delayed 15 minutes bit with 1.5hr+ connection windows, I wasn't the least bit concerned. Little did I know, my bag wasn't ready to go yet...

Boarding the 11hour flight to Narita, Japan, I thought to myself 'Where are all the Japanese people at?" Honestly, this plane looked like a commuter flight from Regina to Pheonix. It's a tiny world we live in when a few days' pay can bring you halfway around the globe overnight.

Delayed baggage Karma must have been paying off early for me, (more on this in the next post) because I scored 4 seats to myself for the entire flight. 11 hours is pretty casual when you can lounge across an entire bench. A couple movies and a nap later, I touched down in Japan.

More than halfway there.

Even with a neighbour, a 6hr flight was going to fly by, even if it was now 5pm local, but 2am in my head. Luckily my seat mate was pretty small, and fittingly, her name was Minnie. "Like the mouse you know?" her words, not mine.

A local Thai girl, she was heading home to family and was more than helpful and patient in answering all my questions. Minnie, if you're reading this, go explore your part of the world!

At 11:15 local time, we touched down at Suvatneram (spelling) international. A place where I would call home for a little longer than I would have hoped...

2 Days 'til launch, turn your speakers to 11

With 2 full days left in Canada, I'm down to the short strokes and doing my best to figure out what I've forgotten... In reality, I won't remember what that 'important' thing was until I'm on the plane.  At which point, the trip will really have begun, and adaptation will be the norm.

OMG WE FORGOT KEVIN!

By the sounds of reports from Thailand, there is some issues with flooding around Bangkok, and in Northern provinces en route to Chiang Mai.  I've been in touch with some very helpful people on the ground there, and am ready to land in a giant puddle, I'll update everyone at home on how bad the situation really is once I arrive.

Until then, I'm spending more time updating my music collection than anything actually relevant to the trip..

Turn your speakers up loud, this one is a gem:

The Essentials

6 days to go, ready to launch, getting together the essentials.

I'm doing my best to minimize what I bring on this trip as per many peoples recommendations, as well as my own experiences.  Plus, I can buy anything I really need once I arrive.  A few clothes, a small towel, some toiletries, and these 3 essentials I wouldn't travel without:

My swiss army knife
Point and shoot camera
and my Petzel headlamp.


What are your essentials?

My Essentials

The thin red line, with arrows!

SO, I'm thinking I will do the well-worn backpacker trail heading clockwise.  Weather in the  different regions being the biggest factor in when I'm visiting different spots - trying to see places in their prime.  Even if thousands of other backpackers have the same idea...

I've gotten a TON of great tips from friends who have been here before me, and all of these ideas are tucked away somewhere in my memory.  More relevant, a lot of them have been taken down in an online travel (google)doc that I'll be referring to as I go.

Check out the map, the artistically drawn red line route (with arrows!), and a few things I plan on doing.

If you've been, I would love to hear from you with your advice in the comment box below, or get ahold of me any other way. Facebook, email, or if you'd like to re-live your adventure I'm in Van until the 17th!

(I'm landing in Bangkok)

My very tentative route