It's Bohemian

I'm currently on a bus from Kratie (pronounced Kray-chi) to Laos… Listening to all the foreign accents on the bus makes me giggle…People are so different in the way they express things. I love to think no matter where your location may be around the world, you can always laugh together. I think that's the most universal form of a bond. I enjoy watching the environment around me and interpreting what I think is going on. People have so many ways of doing things and I always try to understand why different cultures makes people tick differently. I love watching people interact. It's a great form of entertainment, especially in foreign lands.

As I look out the window, I see tiny thatch roofs made of bamboo, and straw. Most of them atop stilts to keep what little things they possess, safe from the wet season floods. Most people simply dress in long pants and long sleeve shirts. They toss their trash outside their front windows, and hang out on wooden platforms while watching the activity pass by. Little naked children run around splattered in mud, but happy as clams. So much green floods the countryside it makes you feel alive and healthy. You'll see elders hunched over with big hat brims and wrinkly, ancient hands plucking away at the rice fields. Just a seconds glance would tell you they have worked hard their whole lives, and are ready to conquer the rest of it. Their children, who have their own children, are riding on a rickety old wagon that barely functions while being pulled by a tired old pony in hopes of making it to town to get some money for the productions of their hard labor. I have much respect for these families. They have endured many hardships here in Cambodia but they still continue to work out in the scorching hot sun everyday, enabling them to have enough to eat the rest of the week.

Today I saw a solar panel laying around on a sidewalk in the 'city' and it made me so happy to see that dingy restaurant not having to pay the recent 200% increase on electricity. Cambodia is quickly gaining recognition among foreigners on the traveling circuit and it's easy to see why!…just look at the Cambodia Picture Album on my Facebook page

Traveling all over the world often makes me daydream about finally having a place to call home, with the luxuries that will once again become part of my daily life. Pressing a button to have a hot steaming cup of coffee, or being able to wrap myself in a fluffy blanket on my couch admiring the artistic options of decor that surround me. Being close to family instead of being on the opposite side of the globe. One day I will have that again and completely appreciate every aspect of how I molded my life around me….But for now- I can't shake this travel bug.

I have got a through taste of South East Asia (with the exception of Indonesia & the Philippines, which I plan to visit in due time) and absolutely loved every moment of it. Sure I haven't cooked a meal for myself in half a year, and sure I often have to battle bugs in guesthouse rooms, and sure I have to scrub my feet free of dirt every night, and yes, I have to constantly  monitor how much American dollars I am spending, but right now- I don't think I would change the way I am living one bit?!… I contemplate future options, and the problem is I have every option. I pretty much can do whatever I want to do. I like that. That's how it always should be for me. I know I don't want to be tied down to a job I have to go to, but I'd really like to have a base to set up camp for awhile…maybe get a pet and have a regular yoga class to go to. I'd like to have friends that I get to hang out with longer then the frequent swapping of traveling stories with fellow backpackers. Anyways, one option i've seriously been contemplating is possibly opening a guesthouse on the beaches of Thailand. I'll call it 'Happy Buddha Guesthouse'. It will have a nice Zen Garden, hammocks all around, and a nice beach bum vibe…I just know that I don't want to go back to America yet, and I really fell hard in love with Thailand- That's where my heart got left behind. I'd like to produce work that isn't online, so naturally I'll make this place a paradise for relaxation- Jess Style. Ha. I think it'd fun a fun challenge. Lots of kinks to work out like Visas situations and Land ownership and what-not, but if there's a will there's a way right? This place will be a lovely haven that I can eventually get all my family and friends to come live at!…just another one of my crazy ideas I suppose, but it will probably happen one day?!...

(*Sidenote*)…I've really come to enjoy meeting fellow Farangs - You get to know about life wherever it is they call home, you get to learn about life wherever it is they are coming from, and if your lucky enough, you get to enjoy their company for a couple of days before continuing along to the next destination. And the same goes for the locals your lucky enough to get close to - They are the real inside source of information. They help to understand where you are, why it is like that, and how it came to be that way. I always try to make a point to express my gratitude for allowing me to be around, from the tuk-tuk driver to the old, chirpy ladies making my meals.

While I write this the bus driver is casually honking massive cows off the gravel road we are hauling down. The DVD, that is blaring on the flip screen at the front of the bus, consists of modern music videos, Karaoke Style, from Korean Pop sensations that are the craze in Asia these days. It's kinda hard to keep focus, you can probably tell from my writing…so I think this is a good place to stop for today. We're about to arrive at the border crossing.

I know you probably find this random stream of consciousness, that I call a blog, somewhat compelling….You should really plan a holiday of your own sometime soon. Just go somewhere you've wanted to, get out of your comfort zone, and absorb every moment of it. The hardest part is leaving…but you will be so glad you did! You will without a doubt grow from it, and will always have and cherish the memories you've created!…Your always welcome to join me wherever I may be if you need a starting point!?...

Anyways, Acun Tran, Thank you, Cambodia for allowing me to smile so much, for allowing me to inquire, and allowing me to feel free.