Departure

9:10 PM |

After four years of college and countless years of public education before that, I finally find myself thrust out into the world with little more than a really nice looking piece of paper and a little bit more scruff on my chin than when I started. So I figure I'll get the hell outta Dodge while the gettin's still good. Who knows? Maybe I'll have a bit of fun along the way.

Point is, I'm headed to Vietnam. Hanoi to be precise. From there I'll trek around Southeast Asia and beyond, exploring whatever catches my interest. With me, I've got a 35L backpack and a small canvas messenger bag to house the netbook I type this on. Somehow, it's enough to fit all of this:

Into this:

Everything's set to go. I've had my arms loaded with vaccines, my corneas melted by lasers, my phone plan suspended, my head buzzed clean, and my bank notified of my departure. And if the going gets especially tough, I have 100ft of paracord.

For you, Samwise Gamgee...

I'll leave tomorrow (Wednesday) from JFK, flying in absolute style (read: business class, aww yeah) to Hong Kong and then on to glorious Hanoi, capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. I'll do my best to keep this blog updated, posting whenever I'm able and have something to share. Feel free to subscribe, comment, or send this along to any who may be interested. For all who may be concerned for my well-being, do not fret. No matter what, America will always be close at hand.