Done deal

Glenn at Airtreks received everything today and my tickets are being processed. Now for some bull shit.
I'm supposed to get two more travel vaccinations before I go. The shots cost almost $400, but if I was in San Francisco it would cost me $0 because my insurance would cover it. The shots are supposed to be done within a certain time frame to be most effective. I decided it was best if I stay on that timetable and went to a place near my sister's house today.
The doctor is a nice guy, but I rattled off to him all the shots I've had up to this point. He was kind of amazed by my knowledge of my shot history. It wasn't really impressive since I had the yellow vaccination booklet everyone gets when given travel vaccinations. Then he tells me they don't have the vaccines I need in stock. Dr. Schubert told me I should've told the receptionist I only need those vaccinations. I tell him I did. He apologizes, but still charges me $25 for the office visit, or basically us shooting the shit.
Fuck it. I'm going off schedule and doing the last shots when I get back to San Francisco.
On a side note I had to spank my five year old nephew Stefan because he wouldn't go to bed and was screaming. I almost cried afterwards because it really did hurt me more than it hurt him.

Intinerary confirmed!

The dates and tickets have been confirmed for my upcoming trip. I sent my money order and paperwork off today. Everything should arrive in San Francsico at noon tomorrow, I hope. Any who, I decided to go with Airtreks over Airbrokers simply because Airbrokers is full of shit. There was an $800 dollar difference between the itinerary the website quoted me versus the one I got from the travel agent. And $350 dollars in tax on top of that. The price I got quoted from Glenn at Airtreks is what I paid, tax included.

Travelling in a not so foreign land

So far this side trip to the midwest has been a good one. It's kind of priming me for the big trip ahead. Last night (thanks to Jon Petto) I hooked up with Peter, John O., and others in Chicago to watch the Superbowl. I took the brown line all the way from downtown and walked the wrong way for about five blocks before calling Jon and heading back in the right direction. It was very reminecent of my trip to Europe in the sense that I basically dropped in on them out of nowhere and we all had a good time watching the game and catching up. As we all left Peter's place he tipped me off on a better route back downtown - brown line to red line. It may seem insignificant, but to me it feels like a little adventure - not knowing where I am or where I'm going but with help finding the way. The payoff, hanging out with good people and watching the Superbowl. I'll probably end up chillin with them this weekend.
Today I got photos taken for visa. Sixteen photos for eight visas. Afterwards I had another "travel" moment. I went into this Vietnamese cafe for a bowl of pho. I wasn't really feeling the vibe of the place and started to walk out. A guy who I assume is the owner reeled me back in by saying "the (Vietnamese) sandwiches are really good." I told him I was more interested in the pho. We started talking and he asked me if I was Vietnamese. I said yes and he switched over to speaking in Vietnamese.
I'll be the first to admit my Vietnamese is horrible, but I was able to hold a halfway decent conversation with him. Phong (the owner) ended up giving me the larger bowl for free when I requested the small one and gave me thirty percent off. His sister or wife rang me up and we had a short conversation in Vietnamese and later on gave me a free eggroll. It's the little things like this that I experience while travelling that I tend remember that makes the experience so worthwhile.

Possible Itineraries

I talked to a travel agent at Airtreks in San Francisco about my plans for my trip. Here is what we came up with. San Francisco - Madrid - overland to Frankfurt - Bombay - overland to Dehli - Bangkok - Bali - Los Angeles.
In the time I have from Madrid to Frankfurt I plan to be in Paris for maybe a month and Eastern Europe for a while. I'll kind of do a loop from Bombay to Calcutta, then on to Kathmandu, and back to Dehli. While in Bangkok I plan to do a trip around Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and maybe into China. A trip from Bali to Australia is a possibility.
The itinerary I made with Airbrokers goes something like this: San Francsico - Amsterdam - Munich - Dubai - Nairobi or Dar es Salaam - Bombay - Delhi - Bangkok - Bali - San Francisco. This one is a little more expensive, but I add Dubai and Nairobi or Dar es Salaam. And I fly back to San Francsico. I guess it depends on how much more expensive it will be.

Test run

My belongings are in storage. I have no keys. I don't really have an address. If people asked me where I'm from, I'd have to say here.
I've been going through all sorts of emotions past two weeks. It's been a completely bipolar January. Ecstacy or depression take your pick. One moment I'm focused on the task at hand - packing, packing packing - or completely slacking- playing X-Men Legends until I finally beat it. With a lot of help from Josh and Justin I packed up my life in San Francisco. When I return in a month, for all intents and purposes, I'll be a visitor. I'm excited, anxious, and scared about what lies ahead. And I miss everyone already.