I know I'm supposed to be finishing my tales of travel in Thailand, then moving on to Vietnam, and then talking about the month I spent traveling around Cambodia... but I don't feel like doing that, so I'm going to write about now instead. And, I guess I'm supposed to be traveling through Laos at this point, seeing as how that was next on the list after spending some time in Cambodia... but neither Dave nor I felt like doing that just yet either, so instead we rented an apartment in Phnom Penh. Expectations: fail. Whoops! :)
So, yes, right now I am writing this blog from within the walls of my two bedroom apartment in the capital city of Cambodia. (Which means there's an extra bedroom for all visitors!) If you had told me, even just three months ago, that I would be a rent paying citizen in this city, I wouldn't have believed it. That, my friends, is why I know I am incapable of making or following a long term (5 year?!?) plan... because I can't even stick to the plans that I'd laid out for the next few months. This transient lifestyle of mine fits hand in hand with a spontaneous lifestyle, working best when all feasible options are essentially possible at any given moment. Which is one of the reasons why, contrary to some notions, it can actually become wearisome at times. Every day a mountain of possibilities has to be narrowed down into what I actually decide to do. Sounds great in theory, especially when the options include sunset boat trips on the Mekong surrounded by dozens of endangered river dolphins. Yet, when every day is filled with a fresh and unending pile of choices that have to be made, and absolutely nothing is a given (not even where you will sleep or get your next meal), the constant tasks of entertaining myself, feeding myself, transporting myself... always within the surroundings of a place I've never been in before, can be quite daunting. Then there's Dave, who'd been at it for ten months straight, so it's no wonder he was getting a bit worn out.
Of course, even once 'taking a break' had been decided upon, the relentless narrowing down of all feasible options was not remotely complete. Eventually though, after a week of thoroughly considering several different countries, we decided on the obvious path of least resistance that lay in front of us. From day one, we loved Cambodia. Phnom Penh is a vibrant city. We were getting to know some great people here. Also, quite importantly, we knew that this place offered us the ability to really sink our teeth into the current goals and inspirations that were swirling around in our heads.
A funny thing happens when I'm traveling about and all my time is to some degree 'free'. Interests, new hobbies, creative ideas, topics to research, goals to accomplish... all begin to pile up at an alarming rate. More than a journey through geographic places, traveling becomes a journey through all the possibilities of things I want to do with myself. Last year in India I devoted several weeks to a Yoga Ashram, as that was something that I'd always to delve more deeply into. Then I volunteered within a community where I began to learn a long desired skill of growing food, not to mention gaining useful instruction on medicinal herbs. While there, I finally began to work towards other long intended goals of learning to play the guitar, and practicing poi. For some reason, in the day to day grind of working a full-time job, so many of my best laid intentions never manifest, leaving the dozen different ideas that are always bouncing around in my head unexplored. But when I leave the world of employment temporarily behind, and instead head out on a constantly evolving path, my life begins to revolve around these explorations. As constant motion while traveling becomes too tiring, so too the goals and inspirations growing inside me become too enticing, leading me to want to settle down for a minute or two and get busy!
Hence, I've finally gotten around to writing this blog entry that's been a long time coming. Expect them to come a bit more frequently in the weeks to come. Or..... don't. Cause it's still me we're talking about here!
So, yes, right now I am writing this blog from within the walls of my two bedroom apartment in the capital city of Cambodia. (Which means there's an extra bedroom for all visitors!) If you had told me, even just three months ago, that I would be a rent paying citizen in this city, I wouldn't have believed it. That, my friends, is why I know I am incapable of making or following a long term (5 year?!?) plan... because I can't even stick to the plans that I'd laid out for the next few months. This transient lifestyle of mine fits hand in hand with a spontaneous lifestyle, working best when all feasible options are essentially possible at any given moment. Which is one of the reasons why, contrary to some notions, it can actually become wearisome at times. Every day a mountain of possibilities has to be narrowed down into what I actually decide to do. Sounds great in theory, especially when the options include sunset boat trips on the Mekong surrounded by dozens of endangered river dolphins. Yet, when every day is filled with a fresh and unending pile of choices that have to be made, and absolutely nothing is a given (not even where you will sleep or get your next meal), the constant tasks of entertaining myself, feeding myself, transporting myself... always within the surroundings of a place I've never been in before, can be quite daunting. Then there's Dave, who'd been at it for ten months straight, so it's no wonder he was getting a bit worn out.
Of course, even once 'taking a break' had been decided upon, the relentless narrowing down of all feasible options was not remotely complete. Eventually though, after a week of thoroughly considering several different countries, we decided on the obvious path of least resistance that lay in front of us. From day one, we loved Cambodia. Phnom Penh is a vibrant city. We were getting to know some great people here. Also, quite importantly, we knew that this place offered us the ability to really sink our teeth into the current goals and inspirations that were swirling around in our heads.
A funny thing happens when I'm traveling about and all my time is to some degree 'free'. Interests, new hobbies, creative ideas, topics to research, goals to accomplish... all begin to pile up at an alarming rate. More than a journey through geographic places, traveling becomes a journey through all the possibilities of things I want to do with myself. Last year in India I devoted several weeks to a Yoga Ashram, as that was something that I'd always to delve more deeply into. Then I volunteered within a community where I began to learn a long desired skill of growing food, not to mention gaining useful instruction on medicinal herbs. While there, I finally began to work towards other long intended goals of learning to play the guitar, and practicing poi. For some reason, in the day to day grind of working a full-time job, so many of my best laid intentions never manifest, leaving the dozen different ideas that are always bouncing around in my head unexplored. But when I leave the world of employment temporarily behind, and instead head out on a constantly evolving path, my life begins to revolve around these explorations. As constant motion while traveling becomes too tiring, so too the goals and inspirations growing inside me become too enticing, leading me to want to settle down for a minute or two and get busy!
Hence, I've finally gotten around to writing this blog entry that's been a long time coming. Expect them to come a bit more frequently in the weeks to come. Or..... don't. Cause it's still me we're talking about here!
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