How We Did It...

As I was lying in bed a few minutes ago, still attempting to adjust to local times, it occurred to me that some of you might be curious as to how Adam and I made this trip possible. This past year (2008) has been a whirlwind for both of us. Let's recap:

• Starting a Business: In January, we started our partnership and launched our first online product. The entire process was extremely educational and proved to be quite fun so we moved forward with several other online products and strategies.
• Transitioning Jobs: In February, Darcie left her job to work on the business while Adam continued in his 40 hour a week position. About six months later, Darcie found the perfect part time job at a local community college. Just before the trip, both Darcie and Adam left their jobs permanently.
• Teaching a Class: In October, we found ourselves developing and teaching a short course at De Anza on Internet marketing and how to create an online business. It was an awesome experience and we definitely plan to do it again.
• Getting Married: After five years of dating, we were married on November 15th at Palmdale Estates in Fremont, California. Friends and family were there to celebrate.
• Planning for a Long-term Trip: It wasn't until after the wedding that we really started to plan for our trip.

When leaving for a long period of time you want to be sure to take care of any unfinished business before you leave. For us this consisted of giving notice to our employers, selling and giving away all our stuff, moving out, renting our car (to a friend for the duration of our trip), paying all debts, cancelling miscellaneous bank and merchant accounts, cancelling car and medical insurance, giving power of attorney to our tax preparer, and having a close family member check our mail. It might sound like a lot, but having all of these items taken care of before your trip will save you significant time in the long run.

Some of you might also be curious how we are funding this grand adventure and surprisingly it's not as impossible as you think. We chose South East Asia for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it's absolutely beautiful and second, it's dirt cheap. Saving money monthly through out our careers has helped give us the opportunity to do this, but you really don't need all that much. A one-way plane ticket will cost you around $1,000. If you can travel with a buddy, then you will be cutting your costs significantly. For example, we're currently staying in a decent room with two beds, bath, and shower for $8 a day for the two of us. That's $4 per person. Not bad! Food will typically go for about the same as your accommodations, give or take a little depending on the location and your drinking habits. We're spending about $15 a day on food and beer. If you stay in one location for a long period of time, your money will go even further as you get to know the local deals and won't be paying transportation costs. Getting around and border crossings are other costs to consider. We've been traveling mainly by bus and taxi thus far and it's very accommodating and reasonable (e.g. we bought a bus ticket from Ko Chang Thailand to PoiPet for $5 each). Visas on the other hand can get costly. They can range anywhere from $20 to $50 per person. Also, keep in mind there will be additional costs associated with sight seeing or shopping. All in all, you major expense will be getting there so the longer you go, the more sense it makes.

Having a budget will help keep things on track and possibly stretch the duration of the trip. Our primary funding is coming from our businesses, saved monies, and a few other areas (i.e. selling our furniture/stuff and renting the car).

If you have a passion for travel, it might not be as difficult as you thought. Take a look at your situation and see if it's possible. Happy travels!

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Arrival: 01/27/09 noon

Departure: 02/01/09 10:00am

Sight Seeing: Market, Angkor Wat, Pub Street

People: Awesome and friendly

Food: 50/50 depending on where you go

Accommodations: Green Town - comfortable, cheap, but noisy ($8 per night for the both of us)

Pictures: Pictures of Cambodia

Summary: Siem Reap and Angkor Wat should be on everyone’s life list of things to do. It is an amazing city, with beautiful sites, friendly people, and reasonable accommodations. It's basically a backpacker’s dream.

Details: After waiting at the taxi station for about 15 minutes, a young couple, Crystal (Aussie) and Quain (South African), showed up and we headed to Siem Reap. After a two hour taxi ride we arrived in Siem Reap where we promptly exchanged money, got accommodations, and checked out the town. Our first destination was a short walk down the river to the local market where they had everything from produce to shoes. I looked around for sandals and a skirt but didn’t get anything (it’s nearly impossible to find a woman’s size 10 in any Asian country). Adam tried some fried cricket which he said it was good and tasted like a chip. Tip: don't eat the tail.

I was in need of some food so we stayed in the market area and checked out a restaurant. It wasn’t all that great but the Anchor Beer was fabulous. We continued to another restaurant to relax with a pint and met a guy named Alex who came from Chicago. After chatting with him for a bit we headed back to the hotel where we met Dave (U.K.) and Yohanna (Denmark) a promptly had another beer followed by dinner which was exceptional.

The next morning we got up early and got a tuk tuk to give us a tour of Angkor Wat. Having no expectations, I was completely blown away.

Located a few miles north of Siem Reap, Angkor Wat is a stunning collection of ancient cities. The ruins are every bit as important and incredible as Machu Pichu. The Angkor civilization ruled much of SE Asia throughout the 9th and 13th centuries. The ancient structures and temples built between 800 and 1200 AD. It literally looks like the set of an Indiana Jones movie. Words can't describe how breathtaking this site is. The first day we looked at most of the further temples to take advantage of the tuk tuk. After an exhausting day of sight seeing we went back to our guest house.

On day two, we opted to rent bicycles to check out more of Angkor Wat. There and back we probably biked about 15 miles. It was definitely a highlight of the trip. Afterward, we cleaned up and treated ourselves with pizza and beer. Another highlight of the trip. The following days in Siem Reap, we basically bumed around and caught up on some writing. All in all, the town was wonderful.

Poipet, Thailand

Arrival: 01/26/09 midnight

Departure: 01/27/09 8:00am

Sight Seeing: N/A

People: N/A

Food: N/A

Accommodations: Comfortable and cheap

Pictures: Pictures of Thailand

Summary: Poipet is a border town. That’s all.

Details: We arrived late and slept deeply. The following morning, we got our Cambodia visas, a taxi, and headed to the border. Crossing through the Thailand and Cambodia border was expensive but necessary. After getting our visa’s stamped we took a bus to a taxi station where we were to wait for two more people heading to Siem Reap to share a taxi.

Ko Chang - Lonely Beach, Thailand

Arrival: 01/19/09 10:00pm

Departure: 01/26/09 noon

Sight Seeing: The beach, tourist shops, and a large number of 40+ year old white men with beautiful young Thai women on motorbikes (gross)

People: Snotty tourist, indifferent locals

Food: Awesome and cheap (Pai Thai and Fried Rice for $1.25!!!)

Accommodations: Paradise Cottage - uncomfortable accommodations, but a million dollar beach front view ($15 per night for the both of us)

Pictures: Pictures of Thailand

Summary: Ko Chang is a beautiful tourist island with a little something for everyone. Be careful about where you stay as the party scene can be a little overwhelming even if you aren't involved. The beaches and tourists are beautiful.

Details: After a sleepless first night, we upgraded our room to a beach front bungalow with a million dollar view. The view was great, but the rest of the bungalow didn't change much. The first day we walked around the small town which was divided by one road that goes around the entire island. The town consists of small restaurants/bars and beach shops. The town looks as though it was build with the local jungle resources so it's quaint but not Rodeo Drive. The restaurants have wooden plank flooring, straw hut roofs with large ceiling fans, hammocks for lounging, and Christmas lights to attract the tourists. The primary method of transportation is by motorbike which anyone who looks to be over five can rent. It was tempting, but considering the road was narrow and windy and most the other drivers were huge fans of Beer Chang, we opted to pass and continue with our trusty feet.

About 1/2 a mile through town is a short stretch of white sandy beach where most of the tourists spent the day. The water is a beautiful turquoise and is great for swimming/snorkeling. We found ourselves walking along the beach enjoying the strong sun and watching large and small boats off the shore. After returning to town we had dinner and called it an early night to avoid the mosquitoes which come out at dusk and dawn. The first day became our routine for the remainder of our stay as there was not much else to do but relax. We did do quite a bit of work in the afternoons at a few different local restaurants that offered free WiFi so long as you order a meal. After about a week we decided it was time to move on and head to Cambodia.

Bangkok, Thailand

Arrival: 01/17/09 midnight

Departure: 01/19/09 noon

Sight Seeing: Grand Palace, Tuk Tuk Ride

People: Sketchy

Food: Sketchy, but inexpensive

Accommodations: Marriott Courtyard - good, but expensive

Pictures: Pictures of Thailand

Summary: Bangkok is an excellent international hub. However, the thick smog, traffic, and sketchy people were a major turn off.

Details: After an 18 hour flight from San Francisco to Bangkok, with a three hour layover in Korea, Adam and I were in dire need of sleep. Luckily we booked accommodations in advance at the Marriot Courtyard where we immediately went after claiming our backpacks. The hotel was very nice, even though I thought the mattress was a little hard (compared to now, it was like sleeping on a cloud). We rose early the next morning to try and shake the jet lag. After a wonderful buffet breakfast, we proceeded to get some sun, smog, and exercise walking through the city. Six miles of attempting to navigate the maps, where the street signs seemed to magically change from map to sign, we opted to take a tuk tuk (think of a motorbike pulling a wheel barrow in which we were seated) to the Grand Palace where we saw the giant laying Buddha. After more failed attempts to navigate back to the hotel, we took a taxi. For dinner we ate some questionable meat, rice, and pineapple from a street vendor.

The next morning , we enjoyed the free buffet again and immediately headed for the bus station to get a ticket to Ko Chang which was decided about 15 minutes prior to leaving. The five hour bus ride, with no stops, was surprisingly quite enjoyable. It had aircon and hilarious Thai TV.

We were dropped off in the middle of some small town a where a tour company guided us into a taxi, which then took us to a ferry, which then took us to Ko Chang, which then took us to another taxi, which then took us to our bungalow. Arriving after dark gave me a skewed view of our accommodations. The bungalow was a small wooden shack, with 1/2 inch cracks between the floor boards, a mosquito net over a rock hard mat, and a personal squattie pottie and cold shower outside. Our first night didn't make for good sleep.