So I'm off in about 12 hours. Stephen flies out tomorrow at 6pm and will meet up with me in Hong Kong (Kowloon, specifically) at around 8am on Wednesday.
kind of freaking out at this point...leaving in 12 hours from now for 5.5 weeks. I figured it was time to reopen the blog. Im pretty well prepared, but at the same time feeling like I'll never be prepared. I take it that has a lot to do with the fact I'm traveling to the other side of the world.
Hong Kong, here I come.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
How two completely different guys will end up in Asia
So we've got some 150+/- days left until we'll be tearing through Asia. It still hasn't sunk in. I was up late being unproductive, so I decided to start a post and see where it goes.
I have a feeling that families and friends for both of us will be curious how we know each other and why specifically we chose to travel together, even though we only hang out a few times a month.
Stephen and I met last fall through mutual friends. Like most college students, we have a lot of friends but typically hang out with a core group. It just so happens that some people from our respective groups knew each other and we met that way. Unexciting, overall; no cool story about meeting each other by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.
In January, Stephen and I were at a party at Jenny Mazer's house and I was casually talking about my frustrations in finding a travel companion. I've wanted to go abroad for years, but those pesky things called internships have always held me back. When I asked Stephen, he was enthusiastic, but wasn't quite sure how it would all work out. I understood, but had to file his interest into the other 200 million "That sounds awesome but I can't"'s I had received up until this point. I continued asking friends at the party for travel partners.
Then out of nowhere, Stephen was on fire for the trip. The more we talked about it, the more excited we got. We talked about countries, flights, costs, etc. However, I continued to seek others on the side, in case something came up (and with trips this big, the likelihood of something coming up was much higher than going to something like a restaurant)
Then, last week, it unexpectedly became serious. Two days ago, we had lunch to make sure we were on the same page. We both wanted to experience local culture. We both wanted to meet other backpackers on the road. We both wanted to eat and drink whatever we could get our grubby hands on. It really felt like this was going to happen.
Then came Superbowl Sunday. A satisfying game, but it was hard to concentrate on anything but D-Day for this trip. I was about ready to go where no Simpson has gone before. At about 10:30 pm last night, we called each other up and did some last minute prep. "Ok you leave what time? I return this time?"
After 30 minutes or so -- it was time.
I hit Purchase...
...only to get a screen asking me to re-enter my credit card info. No problem, I entered it again and...
..."Purchase" button again...
...and a "Verified by Chase" screen pops up. I felt like Delta intentionally was trying to say "Seriously dude. This is a big step. Are you sure you are going to do this? There is no backing out now."
So I enter my last 4 SSN numbers, DOB, etc and then...
..."Purchase" again!...
...FTA Safe Flier Authentication pops up! What??? I couldn't help but laugh. I thought when you click "Purchase", everything was complete. I was now 3 screens AFTER "Purchase" and still have nothing booked. What moron designed this site (Delta.com)?
Ok. Last try...
PURCHASE!!!!!
3rd time is a charm!!!! I finally got a reservation to fly to Hong Kong on July 12th.
So it is really happening now. I'm sure I'll be a different person after this trip and I can only imagine Stephen will as well.
If anyone has visited China, Thailand or Cambodia and has recommendations on where to go, we are all ears. As of right now, most of the trip is "wing it" but of course we want to see the landmarks that these countries are famous for.
Take care, and happy Monday.
Curtis
I have a feeling that families and friends for both of us will be curious how we know each other and why specifically we chose to travel together, even though we only hang out a few times a month.
Stephen and I met last fall through mutual friends. Like most college students, we have a lot of friends but typically hang out with a core group. It just so happens that some people from our respective groups knew each other and we met that way. Unexciting, overall; no cool story about meeting each other by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.
In January, Stephen and I were at a party at Jenny Mazer's house and I was casually talking about my frustrations in finding a travel companion. I've wanted to go abroad for years, but those pesky things called internships have always held me back. When I asked Stephen, he was enthusiastic, but wasn't quite sure how it would all work out. I understood, but had to file his interest into the other 200 million "That sounds awesome but I can't"'s I had received up until this point. I continued asking friends at the party for travel partners.
Then out of nowhere, Stephen was on fire for the trip. The more we talked about it, the more excited we got. We talked about countries, flights, costs, etc. However, I continued to seek others on the side, in case something came up (and with trips this big, the likelihood of something coming up was much higher than going to something like a restaurant)
Then, last week, it unexpectedly became serious. Two days ago, we had lunch to make sure we were on the same page. We both wanted to experience local culture. We both wanted to meet other backpackers on the road. We both wanted to eat and drink whatever we could get our grubby hands on. It really felt like this was going to happen.
Then came Superbowl Sunday. A satisfying game, but it was hard to concentrate on anything but D-Day for this trip. I was about ready to go where no Simpson has gone before. At about 10:30 pm last night, we called each other up and did some last minute prep. "Ok you leave what time? I return this time?"
After 30 minutes or so -- it was time.
I hit Purchase...
...only to get a screen asking me to re-enter my credit card info. No problem, I entered it again and...
..."Purchase" button again...
...and a "Verified by Chase" screen pops up. I felt like Delta intentionally was trying to say "Seriously dude. This is a big step. Are you sure you are going to do this? There is no backing out now."
So I enter my last 4 SSN numbers, DOB, etc and then...
..."Purchase" again!...
...FTA Safe Flier Authentication pops up! What??? I couldn't help but laugh. I thought when you click "Purchase", everything was complete. I was now 3 screens AFTER "Purchase" and still have nothing booked. What moron designed this site (Delta.com)?
Ok. Last try...
PURCHASE!!!!!
3rd time is a charm!!!! I finally got a reservation to fly to Hong Kong on July 12th.
So it is really happening now. I'm sure I'll be a different person after this trip and I can only imagine Stephen will as well.
If anyone has visited China, Thailand or Cambodia and has recommendations on where to go, we are all ears. As of right now, most of the trip is "wing it" but of course we want to see the landmarks that these countries are famous for.
Take care, and happy Monday.
Curtis
Got my ticket!
1. This is a for sure deal now. I will be leaving at 6:30pm on July 12th from Minneapolis and then I will arrive at 6:10am on July 14th at Hong Kong. 2. Go Saints! 3. Now its time to take my brother out for his 21st birthday. PEACE
Stephen
Stephen
75% of pre-trip prep done.
Tickets have been bought. I leave for Hong Kong at 11:33am July 12th and travel 8833 miles in 20hrs, arriving at 7:15pm on the 13th. Few days chilling in Hong Kong then off to Thailand. Stephen leaves on the 12th arriving on the 14th. I'll be in Hong Kong the first night by myself. Wish me luck. :)
I'll be posting a more reflective post in a bit. I just could not contain my excitement to wait.
Curtis
I'll be posting a more reflective post in a bit. I just could not contain my excitement to wait.
Curtis
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Ticket Purchasings
Curtis and I met today at Mr. Robotos to discuss our plans for our month in SE Asia. I think its pretty awesome that there is finally somebody else who wants to backpack and do crazy things that the typical person would frown upon. We are both hoping for for some great cultural immersion but also hoping to meet some other cool backpackers on the way. After searching for hours upon hours for ticket prices to and from Hong Kong I know that Hong Kong will definitely be our best point of entry. Arriving at 6am sounds pretty crazy though. I wonder how much English is actually spoken there, and how confused I will be arriving in the biggest city I'll have ever been in by myself. *Note to self* Don't over plan this trip, and calm down and take deep breaths and realize that when the unexpected happens you make the best of it, it's all a part of the adventures of travel. I'm glad my first backpacking experience will be with a friend, instead of being solo. I don't think I could pull this off without Curtis. A whole new chapter in my life is about to be opened. I am going to miss Aaron and the rest of my family and friends so much, but this is something that I have to do for myself. One month of travel that I've always dreamed of, and then onto the teaching job of my dreams. My head might say no to all of this, but my heart is saying yes you gotta get out and experience life. I wonder how I'll feel about this first post in a year from now? ahhhhh Buying the tickets tomorrow! Maybe I should be going to church tomorrow instead of doing homework. Isn't that right God? *wink*.
Stephen
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