The Hardest Goodbyes

I had to post twice in a day. It's my final day in Korea and there are so many emotions running through ma veins, through ma brains. I used to be excited about turning the page and starting a new chapter in my life. But on this day, I just feel sadness that it's ending. This life I'd known and figured out through trial and error is over today. I'm saying goodbye to Korea, though surely not forever, and now I can only reminisce about how I've grown and changed and learned from her. There will be no more new memories and experiences to be made.

All this, too, applies to my ex-wife. Although we didn't work out ultimately, it wasn't due to hatred for each other. We get along splendidly, and continued to live together as roommates these last several months. But our paths must diverge if we are to continue growing and thriving in this life. And so, I am saying goodbye to her today, too, to one of the best friends I've ever had. It's like going through a double break up. The hardest thing I've willfully brought on myself.

I know that time heals all and my excitement about this trip will return. I've been planning it for years, unable to wait for this day for so long. Counting down the hours, budgeting and re-budgeting, spreadsheets full of cost breakdowns, purchases made in anticipation. How long was my nose buried in a map, determining just exactly where and which way I should go to finally complete my trip around the world that I started 8 years ago? Now, I'm all packed. Take a look at the haul:

All that's fitting into two bags hanging from my shoulders. I've sent two boxes of other belongings home, with one more being sent today. My life is now fractured. My worldly possessions are scattered around the Earth. I will be homeless in hours from now. I am already unemployed. It's a strange feeling. All of it. I guess there is solace in knowing that tomorrow I'll be on a tropical beach, the warm breeze eroding my anxious grief into a worn contentment with life. But today is still a hard experience no matter how you cut it.

Anyway, enough blubbering. Keep yer eyes peeled for new posts about jealousy-inducing, exotic locales and experiences. All zero of my readers shall rejoice as I make my way slowly around this great big Earth.

The Rejects

If you follow me on Facebook (you do, religiously), you'll know that I finished up my 30 day countdown photo series yesterday, but there were a few that almost made the cut. I was shuffling around closer to 40 shots that I was considering. Here are the ones that didn't make it.

 This first one was just a random encounter. Out on Dotobori, under the glittering Glico Man, I heard music. That's not abnormal in the sensory intensity of Osaka, but I also heard chanting and grunts from a group of men. Come to find out, there's a J-pop concert going on, and the crowd is mostly men my age or older who know all the words, all the chants. It's a little jarring culturally. I found out that they only roped off the little square of the stage, so one was free to amble almost right up to the performers and get a glimpse into their surreal experience. Osaka, Japan, August 2017.

 Ah, yes, Bagan. There were so many of these long, dark corridors that I walked down. No telling which one this is specifically. There's probably a Buddha statue just to the right of the intersection, its spine arrow straight against the other side of that wall. It was like going back in time, really. I know how people say that about certain places and it's, like, semi-true, but in Bagan it felt more like that than anywhere else I'd ever been. I love it there. Bagan, Myanmar, September 2016.

 There is so much gold at the Royal Palace in Bangkok that I sometimes wondered whether the ground sloped down any from all the weight of metal concentrated in one spot. And not just gold, there are jewels and other sparkly things everywhere. I can only think that coveting such riches and flaunting them as such speaks to a deep insecurity, but we know this is not true in the case of the King of Thailand, may he reign a thousand years. Bangkok, Thailand, August 2011.

 This picture gives a sense of the chaos of nightlife in Korea. There's lights, there's action, there's a butt-ton of people going to a butt-ton of different places who've consumed a butt-ton of drinks and are wearing a butt-ton of makeup. It's intense, and it's fun and unforgettable, especially in this specific place in Hongdae. Party Central, Seoul, Korea, March 2014.

 I like this picture because we get a glimpse into the lives that thrive around the ruins of Angkor Wat. All we normally see is the grand monument to the Angkor people's achievement, which is impressive no doubt, but we rarely get a sense into the humanity that surrounds it. Here, a few hundred meters away from the bustle of Angkor, we have two bike riders on their way to wherever. But I like the people on the left fringe, lounging on a ruin. Even after 800 years, they're still utilitarian constructions, and that makes them even more special. Angkor, Cambodia, March 2014.

 In this one, we see a full range of human emotion. Determination, upset, frustration, panic, impatience, relief, exhaustion. That is the power of the relay race. This was early on, my first Sports Day at my first school. The excitement of the kids and the enjoyment of their parents was palpable, and I really had a good time on this day. I even got a free polo shirt as one of the teachers. Also, now that I think about it, these kids are now in high school. Wowee wow. Daegu, Korea, May 2010.

Ah, yes, how can I ever forget Ella? I couldn't help from whispering, "stunning," to myself repeatedly at the views here. It was a beautiful day, although a bit hazy, and lounging around like a Lion King was so satisfying. Here, you can see how far people take it. There are those little people toward the top of the cliff who were a little more daring than I could be. Ah, to be young again. Ella, Sri Lanka, February 2017.

Hmm, I suppose that'll be all then. It's time for a new adventure. Goodbye, Korea.