We leave early tomorrow morning. Our plane departs Austin at 8am. We will change planes in Dallas and fly just over 13 hours to Tokyo. In Tokyo we change planes again and spend another 7 hours flying to Bangkok. We arrive around midnight, Bangkok time, which apparently is the norm for most visitors.

We realized last week that we will be in Chiang Mai for the legendary Flower Festival, February 4th - 6th. The festival features parades, flower shows, performing arts and special events. We plan on dedicating a full day to walking through the old city (inner moat) area and exploring the festival.

As it stands now, we don't have a place to stay in Chiang Mai. We arrive there on the 2nd, two days before the parades begin. If our online bookings don't work out before tomorrow morning, we might find ourselves wandering the city looking for any available guesthouse. That's not such a bad thing if we can find a good deal.

With regard to packing, I am reminded of how tied down to my belongings I've become. It is probably like this for most people in America, but I have spent the last six weeks tending to my home, my bills, my vehicle and more. I feel enslaved by my possessions. When I look at my backpack, I get nervous. Am I bringing enough? Am I bringing too much? Am I going to hate carrying this thing through the busy streets, on buses, on a boat?

Nomadic tribes must pity us. They believe you should bring only what you can carry on your back. There is something to be said about this. Although I love my computer, my turntables, our TV and DVD player, I am looking forward to the freedom of living "light". I am certain that there will be a time when I curse myself for leaving behind some important doo-hicky. But that just gives me a reason to go into the markets and practice my haggling abilities.

Once again, my intentions are to keep this blog updated as often as possible. I hear that internet cafes can be pretty cheap (as low as 1 baht per minute), but our first destination (Chiang Dao Nest) is in a rural area outside of Chiang Mai. Internet services are available to guests only at night, and I suspect there is only one computer. My updates will probably increase once we hit the city and beach areas.