While in Hawaii, we had “breakfast” one morning at Basik Acai in Kona, which is a “health bar” that makes these delicious fruit bowls made of pureed fruit mixed with granola, nuts, flax seeds and other crazy healthy ingredients. They are amazing and I highly recommend them if you ever end up in Kona. This health bar also had a big sign on top of it that says: ‘Wake up and live.” On one of the tables there was a book and as I started flipping through its pages while waiting for my acai bowl, I came across a page with a quote. It resonated with me so much that I took a photo of it:
That was my first encounter with this famous quote. It was March 4, 2011 and ironically, since then, I’ve come across this quote many times while perusing various articles online.
Fast forward about a month to a lovely San Francisco morning, when my friend Anne and I went for brunch together. She told me how she always wanted to go travel around the world. I said I’d go with her if she was serious about it. And so, that morning, we decided we’d go on a trip together. We met a few more times, brainstormed locations, length of trip, budget, a start date and so on. Here we are now, six weeks to go until our departure date: November 21, 2011.
I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am. There are moments when I just want to jump up and down with joy or pinch myself to make sure it’s not just a dream. There are also days when I get overwhelmed with anxiety at all the things I have to take care of before our departure and at the uncertainty of the coming months. We won’t know where we’ll sleep and if the money will suffice. I won’t know how I will earn my living and afford my rent when I come back. I try not to think about it too much and tell myself that I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.
Anne and I are leaving San Francisco on November 21st. We will be travelling to Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Bali, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Hong Kong, India, Nepal, Tibet (hopefully), London and from there back to good ol’ USA.
I know there are millions of other travel blogs out there, and millions of other people who’ve backpacked, at younger ages and for longer periods of time. So this blog will be more for myself, my close friends, parents, and anyone else who might be interested to read about our adventures. We hope to bring a smile on your faces and help you discover something new.
Stay tuned for our next blog post, where I will be talking about how to pack for a trip like this, including a list of must-have items and recommended electronics.
