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To new readers and old alike: welcome to my blog! I hope that the people I care about will feel better about me being deployed to Afghanistan and stationed in Germany because they can follow me online. Feel free to contact me here if you have any questions or have a specific topic you would like me to talk about instead of my usual ramblings.


Sam Damon in Once an Eagle:

"Ah God. God, help me. Help me to be wise and full of courage and sound judgment. Harden my heart to the sights that I must see so soon again, grant me only the power to think clearly, boldly, resolutely, no matter how unnerving the peril. Let me not fail them."

Sunday, June 19, 2011

South-East Asia

Busy streets, bamboo huts, food vendors, exotic smells, long bus rides and gorgeous landscapes dominate my thoughts as I sit in a small internet cafe in the Laotian city of Vang Vieng.  So much of what we take for granted is not present here, but happiness is certainly commonplace.  As I have mentioned before, I am on leave for thirty days, and chose to visit here instead of home in Virginia.  Even though I do miss my family, I am quick to jump on the opportunities that arise in my life.  I am currently on day seven of my adventure, and I have already seen two countries (Thailand and Laos) and four cities (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang, and Vang Vieng).

My days have been varied and interesting as I have seen numerous temples, decorated  from golden opulence to understated elegance.  I am having fun and meeting new and interesting people, mostly tourists like myself, but also some locals.  I have jumped off of a waterfall, gone running through the early morning streets, and browsed at numerous local markets.  The things I will see and do here I will take with me as I go forward in life and continue to appreciate both what I do have and remember to try and be happy with whatever I am doing. 

I still have a lot left to do in the 23 days remaining of my vacation: more of Laos, then Cambodia, Vietnam, and Singapore to finish up the trip.  Each culture of the various countries and cities are unique but similar to western eyes.  I will try to post again soon, maybe with an interesting story, but either I haven't had anything that interesting happen or I just need to practice telling it in person before I want to put in down on paper.  So we will see. 

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