On September 2, my stepson Sean and I will be leaving the comforts of home in Gresham, Oregon to embark on a journey together through SEA for 3 weeks. Taking only a backpack and ourselves, we plan on covering much of Thailand and part of Cambodia. We hope to come home with many great memories of the people we meet and beauty we see.

PS- I hope you enjoy your graduation present Sean! Let's go!

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost (1874 - 1963)

We live in Gresham, Oregon which is right outside of Portland, Oregon. Sean just graduated from Gresham High School and is going to start classes at Oregon State University upon our return. I work in the semiconductor field. Luckily, with my schedule of working 12 hour days, I am afforded a lot of vacation time, at least compared to most Americans.

Only in the last couple of years have I made travel high on my priority list. We started by getting addicted to cruises, and now have 3 under our belt. Cruises are great, but there is something too safe and artificial about them, and of course your schedule is not at your own whim but very planned out in advance. Don't get me wrong, I love cruises and would go to the Caribbean at the drop of a hat, but I wanted to try something different on this trip. We are looking forward to being somewhere completely out of the ordinary and off the beaten path, at least as far as my friends and family go. I am not sure how we will be received, and like it that way.

Traveling the world has always been one of those, "I want to see ____ one day" kind of things, but I began to realize that I never would unless I made it happen. Doing some of it while I am still young and in good health is important to me.

Rather see the wonders of the world abroad than, living dully sluggardized at home, wear out thy youth with shapeless idleness.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)