On the road again

Written March 7, 3:30 Tokyo time

It is hard to believe but after nearly 7 months I am back in Narita Airport... only then I was wrapping up my first real Asian vacation experience and now I am starting my latest. Amazing still is what has gone on in the intervening 7 months. No recap here, but the most unlikely event remains running into my friend Issac in the Narita Airport as we both looked to go back home to San Francisco. Even being this close to Tokyo (Narita is 1.5 hour train ride away) has me itching to go see it again! I may have to grab some Japanese curry to tide me over.

So what brings me to this part of the world this time? Business? Business and then pleasure? No, this is a pure adventure of curiousity. Since returning from China and Singapore, I have wanted to come back to Asia. I think several key things led to my interest in visiting SE Asia:

• The food... love both Thai and Vietnamese and look forward to trying Laotian and Cambodian cuisine.
• Boldly go where few have gone before... many friends have visited Thailand but far fewer have been to Cambodia, Vietnam, and (especially) Laos.
• See the people... while I have loved my recent adventures they have been focused on cities. While each city is unique and has a flavor, globalization has given them a similar feel (McDonalds is everywhere). I wanted a chance to see native culture.
• The future... people I respect have spoken about the region (particularly Vietnam) being where China was 10-15 years ago in terms of economic
  development. Being the young capitalist I am, I thought I should see any opportunities first hand.
• Next stop India... in terms of population and rising economies, India and China are the two countries everyone is watching. To be fair, however, Indo-Asia and Sino-Asia have been cultural superpowers for years. In many ways, SE Asia has been the culutural battlegrounds for these two great civilizations. As I learn more about the global world we are creating, I find it important to know both India and China and SE Asia is a great bridge
  from my China adventures to my future India adventures.

I am going to try and post my pics as I go this time... so here is a link...

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd180/cl8onj1s/Mekong%202008/Getting%20There/

Next stop Bangkok, Thailand!

Sayanora for now!