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At long last, with much debate and after enduring a considerable number of sleepless nights and stomach- churning anxiety, I've decided to (drum roll please) quit my job in May and travel around the world. Well, Asia and Europe, specifically.
I originally purchased tickets for a two-week China trip in May, but after getting my tourist visa approved for 60 days rather than 30 days (a nice surprise!), my mind started running wild with fantasies of being able to stay longer in China and to even make it to Tibet and Everest Base Camp! Coupled with a bad week at work and the feeling (for a couple of years now) that I'm in a go-nowhere job, I decided to put in my resignation. Now, I have less than two months to finish saving money, to buy a new backpack, cross-trainers, and a new digital camera, and to change my airline tickets to match an as-yet unfinished itinerary. Fuck!
Those of you who know me know that I like to travel, and that I somehow find ways to milk my designated vacation days for all they're worth (by scheduling trips around holidays such as Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, I can get away with as much as an extra week off each year). I've been living in SoCal for over 6 years now, and the simple life that I lead (no girlfriend, very few material possessions, just a penchant for movies, hiking, writing, roller coasters, and travel) just isn't enough anymore. There are too many places to visit and not enough vacation days at *ANY* corporate job to visit all the places I have yet to see (not to mention places that I'd like to re- visit, such as Turkey and Brazil). I decided that's simply no longer acceptable.
This is a good thing, I'm confident of that. I'm sure this trip (somewhere between 2 months and 3 months, most likely) will top every other trip I've ever taken. It will also be the hardest--not only because I will no longer be collecting a paycheck, and must therefore be disciplined to watch every penny--but also because I'm visiting some places that are a real logistical challenge, even for a seasoned independent traveler such as myself. I plan on visiting...
...China, where I can't write, read, or speak the language. Tibet, where I will pass almost 18,000 feet elevation and never drop below 12,000 feet. Nepal, where the Maoist insurgency is as unpredictable as the weather. India, an assault on the senses at any time of year, never moreso than summertime, when the weather is hot, humid, rainy, and altogether miserable. Just to name a few.
Holy Christ, I am scared shitless, especially about coming home penniless and unemployed after such broad travels.
HS
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