Thursday, September 12, 2013

Asian Adventure... Final Thoughts

It's funny, in telling the story through pictures, I realize there are several moments that slip through the cracks.  Like 85.

85 was a man we met in Vietnam.  We call him 85 because he was 85 years old and we never did catch his name, though we had a lovely time chatting with him over breakfast.  We had been trying to decide whether to splurge on a fancy hotel in Singapore and 85 appeared in our lives at that moment, chatting about his travels in Vietnam, his life as a trouble-maker in Australia and England, and dispensing wisdom such as "You can always put more money in the back, but you can never put more life in the bank."  We found ourselves quoting him frequently, and living more richly for it.  Just a little moment that was missed between the pictures, but somehow came to define the trip.

Or our chance meeting with another American girl on the train to Poipet.  We became fast friends, spent the next two days together before parting to go our separate ways, and are now considering a trip to Machu Pichu together for next year.  You meet the best people on adventures... Australian fire-twirling rockstars and Chinese/LA movie producers and second grade teachers from Chicago and 85 year old Australian retirees. 

In other news...

There are Times Squares everywhere.  Tokyo, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur - you name it.  7-11s and KFCs are ubiquitous.  Diet Coke is a myth - it's all Coke Zero.  Don't eat Mexican food in Vietnam - no matter how you are craving it... 

And live life richly.

I rode an elephant.  Petted a tiger.  Ate a grasshopper.  Climbed ruins.  Kayaked a Marine Park.  Leapt off a boat.  Ate and ate and ate and ate... took trains, planes, automobiles, ferries and tuk-tuks... experiences that I hope will never fade in my memory bank... because in the immortal words of 85: "You can always put more money in the bank, but you can't put more life in the bank."  So live it up.

Asian Adventure Complete.

2 comments:

Vivant said...

Here's to 85 and living life to the fullest! And thanks for sharing all the wonderful travel tales. Living your adventure vicariously has given me endless ideas to translate into my own fullness of living!

Vivi Andrews said...

So glad you enjoyed them, Vivant! 85 sure had some good advice. :)