As if the worldwide web needed another travelblog.

“Listen: we are here on earth to fart around. Don’t let anybody tell you any different.”


-Kurt Vonnegut, Timequake

 As if the worldwide web needed another Travelblog.

The initial vision was a monthly postcard to mom to let her know I’m still alive. A backpack, a swimsuit, a roll of toilet paper, and off I go. A one-way plane ride to Asia with less obligation than the family dog, who’s burdened with the sole task of not crapping on the carpet. No cell phone to ignore, no letter writing, and certainly no computer.

Then a laptop landed in my lap. A three-pound netbook with a request for an occasional trip update. A gift not from mom who I have no qualms upsetting and disappointing, but from a sensei who has my respect and admiration. I won’t pretend the request is repulsive or something I’m not eager to accommodate. I enjoy writing. It enables me to communicate with words I can’t pronounce. That anyone has even a mild interest in my vagabonding or is curious as to whether I’m still alive is baffling. Over the next several months I will do my best to entertain with stories of cultural gaffes and traveling blunders. My honesty has limits. Don’t expect anything akin to: ‘Hey, that Thai lady-boy would have fooled anyone.’ Some things are better left taken to the grave.

While I remain optimistic that this three-pound marvel I’m punching text into makes the return trip home, I should note that the Vegas line doesn’t look so good. Something similar to me not embarrassing myself at least once a day with Asian social etiquette. If the device is victim to theft, miscarriage or a tsunami I will try to make the occasional visit to a computer café. Expect an entry or two a week, assuming I have wi-fi connection and something worth posting about. In the 21^st century I expect the latter to be more problematic. By all means, comment if desired, but please direct personal I-miss-you messages (or I-hate-you messages for that matter) to e-mail or even, dare I say it, Facebook.

Keep drifting.

What struck me as an odd place to eat; an ad from Taipai, Taiwan