So... Thailand (part 1)

I went to Thailand.

(It was awesome!)

I had always wanted an opportunity to get up close with elephants. Being on safari in South Africa was an amazing experience, especially when it came to elephants; and that fueled my desire even further. That was back in 2013. Since then, I began researching places that would be someplace that I could work close with animals, animal conservation volunteer trips in Africa ( I still want to do) and one other place kept coming up Elephant Nature Park (ENP) in Thailand. The more I read on this place the more I wanted to go. The more life kept getting in the way. I had even told other people about over the years and they went and come back and tell me how awesome it was. All the while, I was stuck in a job that I could not get that kind of time away to go. It just was not in the cards for me for years.

After my Mom passed away, there was a shift. My wife and I had done some incredible trips before, but with my Mom's passing it was harder for me to sit around in the day to day rut doing the normal things. I had an itch  that needs scratching. My mortality bell had been rung and it became more about doing those things I wanted to make sure I did.

Doing this stuff doesn't just happen one day. You have to commit to doing it.  Pick a thing, research the shit out if it to make it the best it can be. Then you need to set the time to do it. once you to that you are committed. You own it. It is going to happen. You are going to make it happen.  Maybe your bucket list thing is a year from now. Within that time-frame of now till  your trip.... Plan more. Save money. Start getting excited about it. Do more research. Once you pick a thing and commit a date to it, that all you need to plan for it. I don't understand why so many people don't do this, or make excuses not to. I do understand that getting time off from work is hard for many and even for myself, despite that  I still did stuff on my bucket list. I had done trips to Scotland, South Africa and cage diving with great white sharks, all while taking time from work.  You can still accomplish things, Your workplace should not get final say, or to dictate or approve what you do with the only life you live. There's something fundamentally wrong with this reasoning.

I found my self unemployed recently and for a long stretch of time. The job hunt was frustrating to say the least it was effecting me emotionally and mentally, there was doubt,  issues with self confidence and self worth, depression., loneliness all of this swirled around me (moreso that normal I suppose).

On the other hand, when would I have this sort of time? Certainly NOT if I were starting a new job.

I would need a week specifically to do a volunteer stint at ENP. I'd need a day each just to travel to and from Thailand (Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand). I factored in a day to adjust to the time difference and give myself some breathing room. After all, I was going half way around the world- being on a plane for nearly 20 hours, I would like to spend a little time there. So I would need 10 days minimum. I had a particular time-frame in mind, as my wife would be traveling elsewhere with her mother. ( My wife probably would have done this trip with me, but she had to travel with her mother at the time, and she is very understanding of my bucket list.)

 The stars aligned, the timing worked out. I booked it. Solo trip. 

 "Phuket," I said. "I'm going to Thailand."

Actually, Thailand is not that expensive to travel to. This trip was probably cheaper than going to Disney for a week. Or a cruise on Carnival. It probably sounds silly, to hear someone who was unemployed to say that the money aspect wasn't important.  But really it wasn't. My wife and I could absorb this cost- it wasn't going to be a luxurious trip to be honest. Having the time and the experience were far more important than the money spent. After spending 6 months trying to find a job, I sort of really needed a trip like this. I can't exactly put into words why. Mentally, emotionally I just needed to do this; good for the soul I suppose- to remind me of who I really was.

What's that yellow bag?

My solo travel bag is the 90L Friendly Swede backpack duffle. It's big, and it's durable enough to be checked luggage. Also, it has interior pockets! It's pretty rugged rubbery plastic, and waterproof-ish and a great price! I can spot this bag from the other side of the baggage claim, too! (Photos from Friendly Swede website)

I  flew out of JFK on Cathay Pacific boarding around 9 am. Economy class. 16 hours to Hong Kong and about another 3 hours to Chiang Mai.

PRO TIP: for long haul flights... eyemask, noise canceling headphones and invest in a really good travel pillow... this was mine 

my home for the next 16+ hours

flight path took us from JFK, over the north pole, Russia, Mongolia, and Bejing, China

Must say... we (economy class) were pretty well fed on Cathay Pacific, dinner, breakfast, snacks, beverages, ice cream, cup of noodles.  The inflight entertainment was massive, hundreds of movie choices, tons of TV seasons, lots of music! ( I fell in love with their JPOP playlist, so much so that I copied  the list and tracked down the songs to recreate the playlist when I got home). between that, and trying to sleep, the hours flew by! (pun intentional.) I sat next to this Vietnamese Grandmother. she didn't speak English, but we tried very hard to try to talk to each other, except she was horrible at charades and drawing so we didn't get very far. She'd give me food off of her tray and I give her some stuff. ( she was very critical of the food serve. I was not as picky). I would have adopted her.

Then we were in Hong Kong airport. Our connecting flight was seemingly on the other side of the airport and with very little time. Cathay had a representative collected the few of us making the flight transfer and we followed her through a maze of airport gates ( and when your airline rep started running  you knew it was serious!) we got rushed through security, onto a rail tram that took us to another section of the terminal, then we scurried on to a tarmac bus that took us across to yet another terminal, where our flight on Cathay Dragon was boarding. In another 3 hours I'd finally be landing in Chiang Mai Thailand.

My overall impression of Cathay Pacific? The flight there was pretty good. I might consider paying extra for the Economy Plus next long haul. I had some hiccups on the way back, my seat assignment got switched... Cabin Service wasn't that great compared to the flight there and I got tagged for extra security screening as we deplaned in a stopover in Vancouver.

Coming up Next:

Hotels, night markets & a day to wander Chaing Mai

The importance of bucket lists

Just try and do one thing, even a small thing, that represents

your bucket list.

The term "bucket list refers to the list of things to do in one's life before one "kicks the bucket.
I'm a big fan of bucket lists. I think everyone should have a bucket list and everyone should try and cross stuff off their list.

A bucket list is a highly personal thing, and should be unique to each person. No one is going to be wrong either. But I would add, that it should be somewhat life affirming, life changing or significant.
Whatever makes up your bucket list make it worthy. It should be something so personal, even selfish, because that's really the whole point of a bucket list, it's YOUR list of things YOU want to do, see or experience before YOU die. Unlike in the video games, you only get one life. While there may be regrets on things you've done, there is almost certainly many more regrets on the things you wish you could have done.
It's important to feed and nurture your bucket list. I take accomplishing things on my bucket list very seriously. It's not some flippant excuse to go on a vacation.
The trick is the things on your bucket list should be obtainable and it's probably a lot easier than you think.  There will always be some people are able to do more than you, It's not about them, it's about YOU; some people are not able to even do the things you can. Opportunity, time and money are all measures of excuses. Easy for you, some people say.. you don't have kids. Or I could never take that time off. or yeah.. maybe I'l look in to it next year. People plan and make time for the things they want. Most of us will never have that extra money laying around to do a bucket list thing. Or the time. You have to commit to doing a bucket list thing. Plan for it. Work for it. But that is part of the fun. Setting a goal and actually accomplishing it. It's easy to make a list.. but it is such a feeling of accomplishment when you are achieving  that goal that you put on your bucket list. If you are putting "president of the USA" as a bucket list goal.. well, that's not going to be very obtainable. But if you ever wanted to ....cage dive with great white sharks for example. That can happen if you plan for it. I did it. Get those big goals on your list, but keep an eye on some of the smaller goals, the easy to check off ones. Those are going to be your stepping stones on the way to the next big thing. And more importantly they will be easier to accomplish and once you start accomplishing one thing you'll want to check off another one.
My mom passed away suddenly in 2015. That really drove home the "use it or lose it" aspect of life. A year later I'd embraced  the top of my bucket list... to go cage diving with great white sharks in Guadalupe island, Mexico. Could that money have been saved? Sure, but that's not the point. My realization was that you only have so much time in your life and you really don't know  how long you have. So.. best live a little, other wise what the's point. If your only view of the world around you what you see commuting to the office every day, you need to change that view. If you keep going back to Disney world  every year because the kids like Disney, try someplace else- give yourself and your kids something else Something more. Epcot doesn't count. Change your view. I was in Epcot recently, standing in the Norway area, I was thinking to myself.."y'know... I'd rather just see Norway". I've been out of work for a bit this year. Which means I have the time to do a trip I've always wanted to check off my bucket list. If I was working like I have been, i'd never have been able to take the time off to do it. I'm going to work with elephants in Thailand.  Thailand is very cheap to travel to.  And I have money saved in a travel fund to help out with expenses. Is it counter intuitive to jump on a plane to Thailand when I'm in between jobs? Perhaps. But When will I ever have this sort of  flexibility in my schedule to accommodate  this sort of trip. Plus I ain't getting in younger.

I've accomplished a bunch of bucket list type things already. I've published novels. Been on safari in Africa, fulfilled a childhood dream of going to Loch Ness. I've ridden horses across the Scottish Highlands. I've worn chainmesh protective shark suits to hand feed sharks. I've swam with whale sharks, I've been cage diving with great Whites. I'm going to Thailand to work with Elephants. I've been white water rafting in Costa Rica. All of it was a willingness to commit to doing it. Planning and research. I've saved money. I won't bore you with photos of my me doing my bucket list stuff.  I still have a lot I really want to do. I want to go to Antarctica, I'd love to visit Iceland. I've never been in a helicopter.

In most cases, you can plan a trip for a year from now, putting down a small amount of money for a deposit then for the rest of the year, budget save, and pay it off along the way. Easier to do it in small chunks across a period of time, you don't have a prohibitive larger amount  stopping you and now you have a plan. You have a timeframe, a schedule and best of all you are committed. It all comes down to what do you really want to do?

This is Bucky. My Bucket List shark.  I got him when I was planning my Great white shark trip. He represents my bucket list. #buckyshark.