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Kirk


24 Blog Entries
1 Trip
121 Photos

Trips:

Kirk's South East Asia Adventure

Shorthand link:

http://blogabond.com/Kirk


Hi everyone. My name is Kirk. I'm starting this blog to have somewhat of a living journal as I do a 3 1/2 month trip around southeast Asia.

I decided to do this trip as a reward for myself changing my life around. I'm a recovered alcohol and drug addict. In the course of my addiction it took me to dark places, and I was completely oblivious how lost I was until I was arrested traveling in a car filled with drugs. I hadn't been conscious when the car was pulled over in Yuma Arizona and was the only passenger who still had drugs on them. I was charged with everything they found in the car. It was by far one of the scariest moments in my life.

As I laid in jail I thought I had screwed up my life. That the years I struggled to get my bachelor's degree working full time and going to school were all for nothing. I decided I needed to kill myself, but God had other plans. Now I'm not trying to shove any religious ideas down anyone's throats. This is just my story and how I believe things happened for me.

While in my cell I found a christian book called Gaining Through Losing. It talked about how some of the greatest rewards in our life come from what seems like some of the hardest times. As I read that book I started feeling what I can only account to as God. I started feeling like there was still a purpose for my life and so I started praying.

There are many amazing things that happened in the course to get me to where I am, but this site only allows me to type so much in my bio. Ultimately I received an amazing deal, completed my probation early and got my charge reduced to a misdemeanor, which I'm currently working on getting the equivalent of expunged. I've remained sober the entire time and am amazed at how truly beautiful life can be.

This is meant to serve as a living journal. I appreciate you reading and being a part of my journey with me.



Easing in

Bangkok, Thailand


So yesterday I meant to just take a nap and then go out to experience the nightlife around midnight, but I ended up falling asleep from 7pm to 3am. I checked e-mail when I woke up and then forced myself to sleep more so I could try to get on the right timetable. I woke up again at 7:30. Good enough. I got up and ready for the day
For breakfast I had a brownie and a thai tea which cost 50 baht, about $1.80.

For those of you that know me you know I'm involved in a 12 step program which has kept me sober for almost 2 years now. I decided to try to get to a meeting today, even though I was scared of getting lost.
The meeting was supposed to be in the this hotel, that was an 8 minute walk from the Asok / Sukumvit station. I left with plenty of time, because I was sure that it would take me longer than 8 minutes, and I was right. I went the wrong way after exiting the station and probably walked around for about an hour before finding the location, and went to the 8th floor of the hotel it was supposed to be on, but that floor was all under construction, and I couldn't get information where it was located. Oh well. I felt good about finding the place, and also found a place that had thai massages for 200 baht, about $7 bucks right near by. How could I resist. I went in and got one. It was good massage, but a little awkward at points. The lady doing the massage told me how attractive I was and offered a happy ending, completely barking up the wrong tree, but I took the compliment not the happy ending lol.

After the massage I took the subway to Chatuchak Park, where a tuk tuk driver told me that there was a weekend market that was more for locals and I could find better deals for shopping than I would in Chinatown.

The market was cool, but I wasn't really looking to buy a lot, but did get a tank top for 150 baht, about $5, because it was so hot that I had sweat all over my t-shirt.

it was a cool experience, and even more exciting to have found my way around, only getting lost for a little. After taking the subway back to the Silom district where I'm staying I found a coffee shop with internet and uploaded the photos I had and wrote this blog.

All the subways and sky train payments totaled to about 108 baht, about 3 dollars and some change. You'll notice I keep putting what I spent on here. I just want to give anyone reading an idea of how much everything cost, and if I find cost effective tips for people to be able to have a fun trip I want to give them that. So so far today I've spent 653 baht, about $21 (I bought a coffee for 100 baht and lunch for 95 baht I didn't mention before). So I'm still living pretty cheaply.

It's not too difficult to live modestly since everything is so cheap. I've found food and everything is cheaper when you get away from the tourist areas, and much nicer and not as claustrophobic. I feel the stresses from the first day are not as dramatic, and I'm getting a little bit of a better feel for getting around. I'm very grateful to be able to be here and experience all that I'm experiencing.

Tonight I plan to actually make it to the night life so stay tuned for pictures and a blog post. Also as promised here is the link to my photo album of the photos of Bangkok so far: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4179219235409.173854.1132242665&type=1&l=bd7fdd1f47

Thanks for following me. I love you all.



permalink written by  Kirk on August 26, 2012 from Bangkok, Thailand
from the travel blog: Kirk's South East Asia Adventure
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Learning Curve

Bangkok, Thailand


Ok so the first day was interesting. There have been a lot of moments so far that if I focused on what could seem negative, and there have been a lot of good ones too, I would feel miserable, but I'm choosing to have a different view point. So here it goes.
When I flew in last night after 20 hours of traveling I got to the hostel, and realized that I had somehow lost my bank card on during travel. I honestly have no idea how it happened. It was one of the biggest things I was afraid of happening on this trip and so I was trying to constantly safe guard it, but it still happened.
So being tired I freaked out and wanted cry. I figured out how to call US Bank from Thailand, that was a challenge too. You can't call the normal 800 number you have to find the international number, and then figuring out the pay phone whose instructions were completely in Thai was interesting, but I did it. So yay success!
Unfortunately the bank won't send me a new card while I'm here so I was freaking out on how I would get my money, but they said I can Western Union it to myself, and there is one near my hostel. So just takes a little more planning. Although I was upset and did not have a nice attitude on the phone with the bank teller I spoke to, something I'm still feeling bad about today. I'm having them mail a new card to my sister so she can mail it to me and then I have a credit card and some cash, and I also found out that I got paid close to $700 from some freelancing work I had done a month ago, which got deposited in my bank account.
So after taking a shower and mentally beating myself up all night I got a little sleep and woke up early. I showered and walked down to Lumphini Park in the Silom district of Thailand.
It was very pretty and relaxing. I then came back and had breakfast at the restaurant in my hostel which costed with tip about $5. Which is actually a little more then some of the cheaper places you can find here. After breakfast I decided I was going to try to go see Wat Pho, which is a buddhist temple. This was not as easy as I thought it would be. I tried taking the public buses which was a scary experience. They jerk all over, and I can't really read the signs so I was just hoping to see where I needed to get off.
I got off where I thought was right,but it wasn't, and then there was a guy on a moped who was trying to get me to hire him to drive me. He didn't speak English and I don't speak Thai, but we negotiated to do it for 50
baht, almost $2. This ride put the fear of god in me. He raced in-between cars where I thought my knees were going to be knocked off, ran up on sidewalks through crowds, and then dropped me off and told me that where I wanted to go was up around the corner, then he tried to get me to pay him more than we settle on so we had to bargain again.
When I went up around the corner I wasn't in the right place at all. He had taken me to china town, which is great for shopping, but also extremely claustrophobic. So I walked around for a while, and then hired a tuk tuk to take me home.
The tuk tuk driver convinced me to go to the temple so we agreed on a price he'd take me for, but then part way through said there was too much traffic and gave me a map and took me to a water taxi area. He told me there were two types of water taxis. One was a private charter that is 1200 baht, about about $40 or there's a public one that ranges between 20-40 baht, $1-$1.40. I obviously wanted the cheaper one, but he dropped me off at a pier that had the more expensive one, and the lady selling tickets wouldn't tell me where the pier was that had the cheaper taxi. I almost had a Mob Wives moment on her. At that point both taxi's I had taken hadn't taken me where I wanted to go, and I was pretty thoroughly lost.
Finally someone else told me how to get to the other taxi pier. When
I finally got to Wat Pho it was like the sun opening up and God smiling on me. The temple was beautiful, and they have an amazing reclining buddha.
I'm going to post all the pictures from today eventually on facebook and make it a public photo album so you all can see how cool it was, and totally worth the struggle.
After getting back to the area of my hotel I decided to get a thai massage, which was about 360 baht including tip, about $12 dollars. It's a little more in my area then in some places, but I didn't feel like exploring to find cheaper.
So what I learned is this:
If I look at all the things that didn't go according to plan I could be taken up with all the negatives and life would be miserable, but I can also look at it this way. I learned to use water taxis and walk to get around the city, take things as they come, and live in acceptance, and I also realized to value the friendships I have at home. Going through some struggles when you're traveling alone makes you really wish you had a friend to talk to about it, so these experiences make me remember the love I have for my friends and family. I can either wallow in the negative, or thrive and adapt in what life throws at me. I choose the latter.


permalink written by  Kirk on August 25, 2012 from Bangkok, Thailand
from the travel blog: Kirk's South East Asia Adventure
tagged Bangkok and FirstDay

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Leaving On a Jet Plane

Los Angeles, United States



Ok so today is the big travel day. I flew up to Los Angeles previously and had a layover for a night. My wonderful friend Chelsea picked me up and I was able to have a night in LA with her. So today is the big day where I head to Asia for almost four months.
Some of the reality of this trip still seems to take time to slowly sink in. It's been something I've been working on doing for almost two years, and now it's finally here.
When I flew out of San Diego yesterday, as the plane took off, it hit like a ton of bricks that I'm really gone. I no longer belong to San Diego. I no longer belong to anywhere. It's a strange and exciting, liberating place to be.
While sitting here in LAX it's all of a sudden vividly real that I'm leaving for an extended period of time. It's exciting and scary all at once. I'm so grateful that I've developed the gift of really liking myself finally and and enjoying my own company. The last couple years were life changing and I did a lot of work to really get to know who I am and become someone I love, and am so happy for that. I know that this trip will hold amazing adventures, and having the ability to like being on my own will make it not scary as it otherwise would be.
I'm filled with gratitude for everything in my life and all the people I've encountered so far. So, so long California. You've been great. I'll be writing and letting you all know what's happening once I land.


permalink written by  Kirk on August 23, 2012 from Los Angeles, United States
from the travel blog: Kirk's South East Asia Adventure
tagged LAX

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Pre-Trip nerves

San Diego, United States


I have 6 days until I leave San Diego and take off to Asia for four months of backpacking. I'm not sure if it is because today is my last day of work or because we just had my going away party the other night, but the reality of my trip then move to Hawaii is starting to sink in finally.
Up until this point I've been making the moves I needed to make to get ready for this, but the actual finality of it didn't seem real. Now I'm started to realize how much I'm going to miss the wonderful friends I have here, get exited to travel and move closer to my sister, and get a little scared of the unknown, and am really having to quiet my fears with faith that I will end up where I should.
I know that this for month backpacking experience will be life changing, and I'm ready for that. Just definitely feeling the anxiety of it finally. Which is probably good. For a while I thought it wouldn't feel real until I got off the plane.
The reality of it is that I've worked extremely hard to get to this point to do this and there is a little of amazement in achieving such a big goal.
So 6 more days of seeing my wonderful friends and then Asia here I come!!



permalink written by  Kirk on August 15, 2012 from San Diego, United States
from the travel blog: Kirk's South East Asia Adventure
tagged Friends and SanDiego

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