Day 21: Chilling in a Cambodian Cafe

We are just over the half way point.  Which seems absolutely CRAZY!  I was looking at pictures from earlier in the trip, trying my best to cull like crazy and edit early, and found it hard to believe we were in Japan a few weeks ago.

Needless to say, this trip has made me incredibly thankful (please note that I wrote that before realizing it was November and the onslaught of “I’m thankful for…” blog posts and FB updates). Thankful for the opportunity and for all the support (family, friends, work etc).

It’s also made me more aware of the world.  To be honest, I didn’t know much about the Vietnam War or the Civil War in Cambodia (to be fair, they taught us about the Vietnam War towards the end of the school year….and no one really pays that much attention towards the end of the year).  I’ve also received a healthy does of “America is not as awesome as we think we are” (insert visits to the Hiroshima Memorial and Vietnam War Museum).  It’s a humbling experience.  We kinda came across as dicks.  Just saying.  Not saying they are entirely right, but they probably aren’t entirely wrong either.  And I think I would have paid a little more attention during history, had we been given more than just the American view of it all.

The disproportionate amount of Americans exploring the world is not a surprise, but something we should work on.  I’d say 90% of the foreigners we encounter are not American.  And most of the Americans we do happen to meet are retired.  So why do we wait until we’re old before we go on an adventure?  Why not do it now, while you’re young.  Or, wait until you’re in your 30s so you don’t have to totally slum it up in hostels 🙂  Or do it to see how other people live.  How other cultures take their kids on motorbikes when they are infants or let 2 year olds run around in the street.

We met a cute couple from England that said – to many people, at multiple times on the trip – that you only get one life and you never know when it’s gonna end.  Kinda morbid but kinda true.  They’ve been “ski-ing” in their later years – “Spending Kid’s Inheritance” – love it!

This is my motivational, do-good, feel-good, rah-rah post of our epic adventure – go plan a trip.  If you’re scared, that’s good.  Plan a trip with a tour group – way less scary! But go see the world.  And London doesn’t count peeps – but it’s a good jumping off point for a European Adventure.

I promise I’ll go back to butterflies and unicorns after.  I’ll even prove it with a funny picture.  Meeting, eating soft serve on a random street in Hanoi (not as good as Fro Yo).