farewell, dear s.f.

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is there a better way to be sent off on an adventure
than in a vw van with three wonderful friends, rocking
out to classic journey hits in a mullet wig and
shades, hellbound for sfo? i think not. after three
great years in san francisco and a heartwarming,
slightly tearful goodbye shinding, i set off on my
journey thusly, bound for tokyo, bangkok, and points
beyond.

landed in tokyo and was picked up by my old friend
keitaro, who somehow recognized me instantly despite
the serious mulletude i was sporting. tokyo - what a
freaked out, crazy, wonderful place. here i was,
fully expecting to take tokyo by storm in my kickass
mullet wig, and all it took was one quick look around
to realize that in this wondrous land of the
tweaked-out, i was nothing at all - not even worth a
curious glace. i had been nothing more than a big
mullet in a small pond, tossed into the unforgiving
seas of tokyo hair-fashion, i came to realize that i
was little more than chum in these here waters. i was
crushed. i felt like biff in death of a salesman. i
was jack's utterly deflated sense of self-worth.

my sorrows were soon forgotten by the incredible
generosity and hospitality of keitaro and kumi -
thanks to their kindness and despite my limited
budget, i ate like a king, partied like a rockstar,
and managed to see surprisingly little of tokyo during
daylight hours. but the food - ah! the food! i only
touched the tip of the culinary iceberg, but goddamn,
what a tip. blowfish sashimi, delicate shabu shabu,
uni like i've never tasted before, hakata ramen in
broth that had been simmering for weeks, and, um, cod
sperm sacks. ahem. delicious, all of it. some more
than others.

after six wonderful, delicious, sleepless nights in
tokyo, the three of us headed for bangkok - as it
happens, just in time for chinese new years; as if
bangkok needed yet another excuse to have throngs of
people take up every imaginable square inch of space
in the streets and alleyways eating, drinking,
selling, buying, living. bangkok is a city best taken
in small doses i think, not unlike cod sperm sacks.
the food - feiry and delicious. the temples -
staggering and baroque. the heat - intense and
suffocating. the pollution - black booger-inducing.
although i've thoroughly enjoyed my time here, i've
never been more ready for a beach, my hammock, and a
cold, quiet beer. mercifully, that is what i'm headed
for tomorrow; off to koh samui for seamus and su-en's
wedding. gonna go get my bronze on, y'all. holla.

will write more soon enough. love and miss you all.

csp

p.s. - feel free to check out the photos i've managed
to upload thus far at: photos.yahoo.com/chansoobak

the relevant albums are 'sendoff/tokyo' and 'bangkok,'
obviously.

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