A final farewell to Asia and this side of the planet....no bitter..just sweet!

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I have to start this blog giving thanks to a few of my favorite bloggers who I constantly read...and read again when I'm stuck in a location for a while teaching and can't get away...



First My favorite bloggers RENanDREW for always writing exciting blogs of places I haven't been with their own brand of tag-team blogging, humor and great pics as well as REALLY thought out opinions! Your blogs are just amazing and thank you for keeping me entertained while I sit here in my little room counting down the days lol! Second and probably one of the most traveled bloggers His Dudeness I always find myself looking back at even his old blogs and thinking to myself "this guy must have a really nice gig back in the Netherlands to be traveling for so long", but also his great writing along with Ren and Drew always give me delight when, as I said, I am stuck in a place teaching and particularly one I have a dislike for...there are others I read as well, but I haven't been reading theirs as long as I have the a fore mentioned.



Now getting on to the blog! Since my last update I have honestly been busting my ass seriously to make as much money as I can in these short few months in fact piling up over 55 hours of overtime a month since May which has netted me some nice pocket change to use on the way to Colombia! I purchased my flight back to the states at the beginning of June, Los Angeles in particular because well it's the cheapest flight from Asia to the states and I also have friends there that I haven't seen in almost 3 years since I left. So, I will visit with them for a few days to get my clock right in my head and FINALLY eat some good food before flying to Oaxaca, Mexico, a place in Mexico that I actually never got to go when I was traveling Mexico for 5 months in 2009 Needless to say I am over the moon about it and can't wait to get there. There are 2 primary reasons I wanted to go to Oaxaca one being it's a place I have long adored as I consider myself a pretty good judge of local cuisine and street food aficionado and the second is I will most likely settle in South America for quite a while, in Colombia and I want to get to the markets in Oaxaca to gather (smuggle, whatever you want to call it lol) an array of Oaxacan chile seeds to bring south with me because in the next few years wherever the location I settle I have always dreamed of having my own little farm in the countryside and Chiles are to me as flavorless food is to the Vietnamese 😊.

Looking back on Asia in general won't be seen as great by any means, but nonetheless it was an adventure which is ultimately why I travel so much. With all the talk of so many things I dislike about Asia and Vietnam in general there will be a few things I miss about this place...

1. The cost of things.

2. The ear cleanings at the barber! Not for the weary, but simply awesome!

3. The countryside as you ride out to the beach on your motorbike is just stunning.

4. The people, although a bit sheltered and strange are always welcoming no matter where you are.

5. The pay for teaching jobs!

Of course the list of things I won't miss is probably 20x longer. I really think it's a place you either love or you hate as I have met a lot of travelers and teachers here that absolutely swear by it, but in my defense in most cases these are people who haven't traveled very much and this is usually their first continent and/or job so it's expected I suppose. Either way it's been as I said quite an experience and ultimately I'm happy I satisfied my curiosity about this side of the world.



I have about 40 days left so I won't update until I land in Los Angeles and likely won't have time as I am working so much right now. I only hope that my fave's will continue to post blogs until then 😊 Thanks all and Buen Viaje!!

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Comments

[RENanDREW]

40 days will go by in a blink of the eye!
Thanks for the compliment! :) I'm surprised to hear that you don't like Vietnamese food - we loved the freshness of the salads and the variety in the noodle dishes. It's my second fave SE Asian cuisine after Thai food. Your upcoming trip sounds really exciting... I'm really looking forward to hearing about your thoughts on Oaxaca and Columbia. Safe travels! :)

[El Eterno Caminante]

Thanks guys!
Yea hopefully it will go SUPER fast! I'll be busy with classes and trying to make as much money as possible ( to enjoy as much amazing Oaxacan food as I can! lol) as I said I'm averaging about 50-60 OT hours per month which doubles my monthly base salary so it helps tremendously and I for sure won't get paid like that in Latin America, but the trade off is well worth it in my mind! Don't thank me, it's well deserved guys I love reading your blogs! The food is just not even slightly good here compared to places I've been, but as I mention all the time I think it's a country you either love or hate. I haven't eaten Vietnamese food since March actually (I choose to cook on my own) it's just not good to me. Thanks again for the comment hope you guys are doing great back home and planning the next adventure!!!! :-)

[D MJ Binkley]

A new adventure
Love following you around the world. Keep those blogs coming.

[El Eterno Caminante]

Hey guys!
Thanks Dave and Merry!! I really appreciate it and there will be a ton of food and site pics from Oaxaca for sure!! I am EXTREMELY excited! 35 days and counting....