Oh the places you’ll go.

Last Friday was my last day of work, and after several goodbyes I walked out of the office.

Welcome to unemployment, or as I like to call it Summer Vacation. Looking back, I haven’t had a summer with out working since I graduated from Wabash College in 1999. I spent that summer back packing around Europe for a little shy of 4 months. I hope I learn as much from the summer of 2007 as I did from the summer of 1999.

I am not sure if it has completely sunk in at this point. It is 4:30AM on Wednesday May 16th, and I will leave for the airport in about an hour to fly to San Jose, Costa Rica for three weeks. As suspected, I didn’t sleep much last night. However, my unrest has allowed me to catch up on some correspondence. Honestly, I spent the last half hour looking for things I still cannot find. But now as I look out my window, I see the first rays or the morning sun pushing across the sky. I feel alive and fortunate to be where I am in this time.

Not working is a funny experience. Possibly the most interesting realization occurred to me yesterday while I was at CVS for the 8th time and I was getting ready to go to REI for the 12 time in the last 2 weeks. It was the middle off the afternoon, around 2PM, and I expected be virtually alone while running errands; however, instead the parking lot, Whole Foods and especially CVS were packed: Senior Citizens. It never occurred to me that while I was at work all day the stores, banks and streets were packed with retirees. Makes sense, just never have been there to see it up until now.

Today’s travel includes a stop over for some sweet tea in Charlotte, NC, on my way to San Jose, Costa Rica. I will take a cab across the city to the Musoc Bus Station, and a three-hour bus through the mountains to the South Pacific region and the town of San Isidro. I hope to meet up with my buddy Paul, enjoy some ceviche and Gallo Pinto, and start easing into the Pura Vida life style.

Pura Vida my friends.

There are many changes ahead for me in the coming months. My last day at work is not far off, May 11th. I received my last paycheck yesterday, and that is the last of the cash for a few years. No more money, but a lot of time to travel and have some fun (until the student loans kick in).

The true paradox of life: Money vs. Time.
The answer: credit cards.

When I talk about my plans for the next few months, people are generally surprised at how planned out things are. That being said, I really only have dates when things occur and everything in between is up in the air. Personally, I like the idea of the random walk and making it up as I go. Unfortunately, the Vietnam and Cambodia governments don’t share my view on whimsical travel when reviewing visa applications, so I will have to toss some structure (lies) around my plans.

What I have to look forward to include:
Costa Rica & Panama:
May 16th, San Joes, Costa Rica. Bus trip from San Joes to San Isidro and up to relax in the jungle near La Florida.
May 20th, Dominical for a little surfing
Tentative plans to travel to Panama, and through out northern Costa Rica between May 23 – June 5th.
June 6th, fly home to Boston

Indochina & Thailand:
June 27th, Fly from Richmond, VA to Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam
Backpack through Southern Vietnam, into Cambodia, back to Vietnam and up the cost, into Los on my way to Northern Thailand, and than south to Bangkok
August 6th, Fly from Bangkok, Thailand to Richmond

Near Cusco Peru, 08/2005

End of my four day hike to Machu Picchu, 08/2005

One of my favorte beaches in Costa Rica, Playa Ventanas, 04/2006