Our final days in Bangkok consisted of doing last second shopping and escaping from the heat, pollution and noise of the city. We had to capitalize on the great deals we found in the markets, so it was inevitable to venture forth into the madness. But by the time our departure date arrived, we'd had enough of Bangkok.

That's not to say that the city isn't beautiful or fun or an awesome place to visit. It is. There are futuristic clubs, gleeming high rise buildings, massive shopping areas, and all the other luxuries of your typical big city. But it is such a contrast to the rest of Thailand, it's hard to associate Bangkok with Thailand. Even the other big cities in the country (like Chiang Mai) seem to reek of Thai culture, whereas Bangkok proudly shows its Western influences, for better or worse.

Two days before leaving, Shaunna and I experienced sleepless nights and unusual bouts of laziness. Perhaps it was the thought of ending our vacation and returning back to our (not so) normal lives? Maybe it was the thought of 19 hours of flight time and the various layovers ahead? I suspect that my insomnia was due to being faced with the dilemma of "what next?"

As I lay awake at night I envisioned a variety of scenarios that involved us travelling to Cuba, North Africa, South America, and beyond. I pictured us escaping Texas and heading for an extended backpacking trip across Mexico. Mexico is huge, you know, and there are so many cultures to explore. I tossed and turned in bed thinking about anything but coming home, getting another job and having to decide whether I should continue pushing music or venture down a new path in life.... maybe one that involves more money? More opportunities to travel?

On our last evening in Thailand we did another sweep through Patpong. In between vendors shouting at us and sweaty men trying to lure us in to see a "pussy light candle fire show" or "midget sex", we wandered through the streets of Bangkok sighing and enjoying some nostalgia. Remember the islands around Ao Nang? Remember the mountains in Chiang Dao? We played back the memories and laughed at the same jokes from days gone past.

The morning we left Bangkok it was hot and cloudy. Our cab driver took the highway to Don Muang Airport, and we could see the city waking up with traffic forming in the streets below. Despite the ugly underbelly of Bangkok, it's a romantic city right in the heart of Thailand.

Our flight from Bankok to Tokyo was cramped and long. The Japan Airline flight was packed to the gills with little room to stretch out. Despite the small seats, Japan Airlines offers top-notch service and little luxuries that you'll never see from an American airline unless you pay extra for "first class". Warm towels every couple of hours. Hot green tea served from a tea pot. Various snacks. FREE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES! I nearly fell over when I discovered that the drinks were free. I think the American companies are gouging us Yanks, because we pay ridiculous prices, get less service, and have to pay for our drinks. God bless Japan Airlines for remembering how to treat a customer.

Once we got to Tokyo we rushed over from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 and collapsed in front of the American Airlines gate. Maybe we'll be able to get some sleep on this flight, we wondered to each other. The lady at the gate said the flight was only 60% full, so maybe we'd get a row to ourselves. No such luck.

Our seat was located in the middle of a group of young Japanese tourists heading to Cali to avoid the winter. Our aisle was empty except for the last seat, which was occupied by a Japanese businessman. He wasn't moving from his seat, which meant we would have to curl up across the three seats that separated us.

When dinner was served we reluctanlty paid for alcoholic drinks, but the flight attendant was nice enough to give us "2 for 1". Shaunna finally got to have some red wine, and I slugged down four bloody marys. It was a long plane ride, and the drinks made it go by smoothly.

The first thing I noticed in San Jose when we arrived was the absence of bidets in the bathroom. Something as silly as a bidet instantly gave me culture shock. Since our inflight vegetarian meals were heavy on the garbanzo beans, I suddenly remembered how much toilet paper was required to finish an average job. That many wipes can chap your hide in a heartbeat, and I immediately understood the term "hardass Americans". We really are.

Nevertheless, it was great to be surrounded by Yanks and breathe fresh air and drink the water right out of the fountain. When we hopped on our flight to Austin, I marvelled at the Americans reading the celebrity-obsessed tabloids and gossiping about sports and scowling at me because I was wearing a tank top and Thai farmer's pants in the middle of winter. Maybe they were jealous of my natural tan?

We landed in Austin and I immediately fell in love with the city all over again. For starters, the Austin-Bergstrom International airport is a really pretty airport. It's very well-designed and has terrific views of the fields that surround it. Also, instead of having the usual terrible corporate chains (like McDonalds and Burger King), the Austin airport has home-grown companies and restaurants serving up the goods. Since Austin is the "Live Music Capital of the World", they allow live bands to play in the terminals. How cool is that?

I walked off the plane and was instantly hit with the smell of mesquite BBQ from the nearby Salt Lick vendor. A live country and western band was playing in the terminal, and although I'm not a real fan it sounded awesome. It was all fiddles and banjos and yeehaws and stomping beats... and I knew I was home.

We strode down the walkway and escalators to find our good friend Misty waiting with huge smile. It was surreal to see her and our familiar city. As we drove to El Mercado to have Tex-Mex, it felt like I was having a wierd acid flashback. By the time dinner was done and two margaritas were sitting in my belly, I felt jetlag setting in. Shaunna and I made it home in one piece and stared in awe at our home.

We got home Wednesday night. After taking some Ambien and hitting the hay, I woke up early on Thursday thinking, "wow, I feel great, no jetlag at all".

I let Shaunna sleep, and I went to the store to pick up coffee creamer and bananas. A few hours after Shaunna awoke, I was shivering in bed with a pain in my stomach so foul I thought I might have appendicitus. It was that bad.

It took about 6 hours to shake the illness, and I'm still not back to 100%. Although I had a tough night from a fish dinner in Koh Lanta, I managed to avoid diarrhea in Thailand altogether. Back in the US, I'm blowing and going like a geyser, and I get waves of nausea and weakness. Shaunna is also having a hard time. Between moments of fatigue and outright crabiness, she feels nauseous and dazed. But we both agree that it's good to be home, regardless of the symptoms.

So we're back. Thailand is behind us, for now. We know we're gonna go back; we're not sure when. The mountains and beaches and beautiful people are so amazing, there's no way we'll let it go completely. Even though I've eaten shrimp and rice for the last five weeks, I woke up today with a terrible itch to go eat Thai food. Green curry with squid sounds delicious, particularly if it comes with a big Beer Chang and a glowing smile from our server.