I was talking to my friend John on Friday and he asked me about my trip. Two weeks on, my perspective has changed a bit. The never-ending jet lag that resulted in two weeks of insomnia had eased and I was sleeping through the night again - well mostly. The fatigue of getting up at 3:30 AM to begin our 30 hour transit home, returning to the office the next day, and being committed to outside activities for seven evenings in a row was a hazy dreamy memory of something that could have occurred in the distant past.
So, in looking back....
I really miss my brother and sister-in-law. I wish it were easier to see them and share the daily minutiae of our lives. Not to mention that I will have to recreate relationships with Ozzy and Sawyer when I next see them.
Planning a trip to meet the requirements of so many other people's schedules is difficult. Next time, I may have to depend more on my traveling companion or employ the assistance of a travel agent. It was a lot of work coordinating schedules and travel preferences with my brother and dad. Thank goodness for my brother's knowledge of the countries we visited and his eagerness to share his part of the world with us.
Never, never, never again will I update my Facebook status with happy (smug) updates about the empty seat next to mine. Karma is a bitch, and she repaid me by placing an extra large Hispanic man in the seat next to mine on the 15 hour flight home from Honk Kong (not counting the 2 hours of sitting on the ground waiting for electrical maintenance to be completed). After we spent the first hour and a half fighting for the armrest, I gave in and let him have it. Of course, I exacted my revenge by cuddling into his over-hanging largeness as I tried to stay warm and get a bit of sleep on the way home. Good times...
On my next trip to Asia I will plan more professionally conducted tours. Why not learn something new while you are on the other side of the world? I will also plan to take a side trip to Angkor Wat to see another of the wonders of the world - however, I do hear that there is a "roughing it" factor when traveling to Cambodia.
Food is a good thing. I will soon be purchasing my own rice cooker and learning how to make a tasty pho. I will also be pestering my brother for his curry recipes.
If my office opens a branch in Singapore - you can count me among those who are willing to pack up my things and head overseas. I adore that city.
Separate bedrooms may be a good idea to promote prolonged family happiness and harmony. Apparently dad has not spent the night with that many men, in that I expect my sleeping companion to snore, he does not. Middle of the night belching and farting however is still unacceptable.
And, looking back on the entire experience, now that all the bills have come in, I would not change a thing. It was a memorable trip filled with lots of laughs and a few happy tears. My only regret is that it did not last longer.
XOX
Glenn
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