"Life is an unpredictable journey" 34N118W's Profile

My name is Jason. I'm originally from Los Angeles, California (34n118w). I lived there until my best friend James (Borderhopper) and I caught the travel bug in 1999. We did a whirlwind tour of Southeast Asia, which was an experience that would change the rest of our lives.
Inspired by the possiblity of more travel adventure, we spent the next 2 years planning and saving for a 1 year round-the-world trip. We poured through guidebooks, travel magazines, and websites like this one, planning our stops on our journey.
Of course, nothing ever goes as planned, especially when it comes to travelling.
We purchased a one-way ticket to Hong Kong, and so began our adventure. Our trip got off to a rough start as I came down with a terrible flu within a couple days of arriving, forcing us to stay in expensive Hong Kong a week longer than planned.
After I recovered, we set off for southern China. We stayed in a quaint little town called Yangshuo. It was a very touristy place, but still, the small town feel had us staying for a full month longer than we planned. Our trip had barely started, and already we were behind "schedule."
I remember the night James and I sat down at one of the cafes to plan our next move. We got into a heated argument about where to go next. James wanted to head north to Beijing and Mongolia. I, on the other hand, wanted to visit Southeast Asia again. I felt out first trip there was too short, and I wanted to see more of it. In the end, we decided to go south, a decision that would later change the rest of my life.

Hike on Cat Ba Island in Ha Long Bay

A week later we were in Vietnam. Our first stop was Hanoi. I really enjoyed it there. I'd previously been to Ho Chi Minh City in the south, but I liked the feel of Hanoi a whole lot more. I loved the colonial architecture and all the lakes and trees in the city. James and I quickly booked a weekend trip to Ha Long Bay. However, I ended up going alone because James was unable to wake up after staying out late the night before.
I ended up staying on Cat Ba, one of the many small islands in the bay. I joined a tour group for a jungle trek, during which I had the good fortune of meeting a lovely Vietnamese woman called My. She was from Saigon, taking a break from work. We got along fabulously. It was one of those meetings where you mesh so well that you're never at a loss for words. Little did I know that I would marry this woman a year later!

My wife My

I stayed in Saigon, again, longer than I planned. I wanted to get to know this woman I'd met in Ha Long Bay. The relationship quicky developed, and before long, it was difficult to leave. But James and I had a world trip ahead of us; one of those once in a lifetime opportunities! So my plan was to return a year later. I laugh at the idea as I write it here.
So James and I made our way through Cambodia, Thailand, and Bangladesh of all places! We went to Bangladesh on a whim. We said, "What the heck, let's do it!" I remember hesitantly walking out of the airport. We didn't have the first clue about anything in Bangladesh. We didn't even know what the currency was! We ended up standing on the street corner for an hour not sure of what to do next. We ended up staying in some mosquito infested hotel which was insanely overpriced.
The next day I came down with another terrible flu. This one was worse than the first. I had no idea what the medical situation was in Bangladesh, so I flew back to Bangkok by myself. James went on to India.

James and I on the Ganges in Varanasi

I met up with James in Calcutta after recovering in Bangkok. We had gone our own ways several times during the trip, but the best times were travelling together. It felt good walking through the streets of Calcutta together again.
We continued our journey across northern India, making stops at Varanasi, Khajuraho, Agra, and finally Delhi.

We'd reached Delhi. It was once again time to make a travel decision. The plan was to continue on to Pakistan. From there, James had this fantasy about going to Afganistan. He has this itch to go places, isolated places, where "normal" people wouldn't think about visiting.
Honestly, I wasn't crazy about going to Afganistan. I was burnt out from India. This only added fuel to my thoughts of returning to Vietnam to spend more time with My, the woman I'd met in Ha Long Bay. So one day, while we were walking thourgh the streets of Delhi, discussing our next move, I blurted out, "I'm going back to Vietnam." James was so shocked that at first he thought I was pulling his leg. But I was serious. James was upset at first, but he eventually accepted it. And so we parted ways for a final time on our journey. I returned to Vietnam. James did want to go to Pakistan or Afganistan on his own, so he booked a flight to Egypt instead.
A month later, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, and Afganistan became Enemy #1. How's that for fate?

Mom, Dad and 'Defeating America'

I returned to Vietnam and the relationship with My grew to a point that it was finally time to meet the parents. In many cultures around the globe, meeting mom and dad for the first time is an uncomfortable experience. It often works like an interview. You get the 20 questions, you smile till your cheeks hurt, remember not to talk with your mouth full at dinner and with any luck, you get the thumbs up.
However, upon discovering the meaning of My's full name, meeting the parents just got a lot scarier! It turned out that her name, Thang My, can be translated in English to mean "Defeat America". Anyone that would name their first born daughter "Defeat America" was bound not to be impressed by the likes of this American. With that thought, I walked into what seemed like certain doom with My's assurance that everything would turn out okay. I arrived with the biggest, politest smile I could conjure up under the circumstances, but I don't think my eyes could hide the horror when the 20 questions started. Her dad didn't waste any time pulling out the big guns (not literally, thank God!). He asked me his first question in broken English, but I could only make out the repeated use of 'American'. He repeated his question which I could then only make out, "American socialist? American Communist? American Democracy?" I had no idea what he was asking but it didn't sound good! In a panic, I turned to My for help, who then translated the question. "He wants to know what kind of American you are." she said. I sheepishly replied, "American Democracy." To my relief, he just nodded his head and said, "As long as you love my daughter with all your heart."

Wedding day

With the horrifying experience of meeting My's parents behind me, we found ourselves getting married in February of the next year. The feeling was surreal. I couldn't stop thinking about where my life was leading me. I kept thinking about the argument James and I had back in China: north or south? I wonder how many times in your life you can look back and actually see the crossroads put before you, and the decisions that would change your life forever.

Family photo from Xmas '08

I'm happy to say that My and I have been married for 7 years now, and we have two beautiful daughters together.

Thank you for taking the time to share in my adventures. I hope you'll enjoy perusing my travel pages. Thanks for visiting.