So today is my actual real last day in Canada. Holy crap! I have a lot of stuff to do, I think, but worst case scenario if I got on a plane right now I think I would survive my adventure.

For science, I’m going to write down my plan. Seeing as my plan is mostly based on how long you get visas for when you enter countries, it is open to a vast amount of change.

The plan:

Step 1) Night in Tokyo

I really would love to spend more than a night in Japan but I figured this would be a fun start to the vacation. I’ve always had a thing for Japan, and I’m hoping my basic Japanese that I learned in high school comes rushing back to me. In any case I can still say please and thank you.

Step 2) 10 day introduction to Thailand

I get into Thailand on the 4th of March, a Friday, at 4pm. I expect to get there, go to my hostel (around the main tourist area, but not right in it) and I feel like I’m probably going to cry. Then I will go eat all the food! So excite. I have a job to do in Bangkok and that is to but myself some cool clothes. Not sure how long I will stay there for, but I have 10 days until my Vipassana retreat starts. The Vipassana retreat is in a place called Sukhothai, which looks super cool as well, so I might head there a day or two early to look at some of the cool ruins around there (it used to be the capital of Thailand.. In like… The 1200’s!)

Step 3) Vipassana mediation (10days!)

So excited for this. I have a keen interest in meditation, and I have wanted to do one of these for a while. I also think this is the perfect scenario for me to dive deep into myself and I’m also hoping it will help me connect better with other humans. Also I don’t think I could have chosen a more beautiful place to do it, nestled in the mountains in Thailand.

Step 3) Chiang Mai!

After the retreat I will go to Chiang Mai. I have the option of staying there for 10 days (until visa is up) and then go to Myanmar (over land probably through Mae Sot, about an hour from Chiang Mai) or I could get my visa extended and stay in Thailand another 30 days. This is key as it decides where I will be spending the water festival. Either would be fine, we will see if I feel like switching countries yet. If I stayed in Thailand I would probably just chill in the mountains for another 20 days, then buy a bike and head to Laos for my crazy bicycle adventure. In the other case, I would spend my 28 day visa explore Myanmar, then head to Laos for the bike adventure. If I don’t go to Myanmar then I will definitely be going later (probably during the welcome back to Thailand part before Malaysia)

Step 4)Bike adventure

This is my crazy idea but I think it will be fantastic. I plan to bike from Vientiane(capital of Laos) to Hanoi in Vietnam. It’s about 600km and I would have more than a month to do it in. This way on biking days I don’t have to go super far, and if I find a place I really like I can just stay there. It also hits a lot of the main things I wanted to see in Laos, as well as powers me over a pretty crazy mountain range. Excited for the Vietnamese side of things where I can wake up in the morning, have a Bahn Mi and Vietnamese coffee. Mmm. Once I get to Hanoi I will give my bicycle away.

Step 5) Vietnam!

Things I’m excited about in Vietnam include the food (drool), the landscapes, and the shopping. Definitely going to get myself a pant suit made, hang out in some jungly rain forests, waterfalls, caves and take in some war history.

Step 6) Cambodia

Cambodia will be a fun one too, I really admire the country at this point in time as most of the people in it have seen some serious shit. They are working hard to develop the country and I can’t wait to experience it! Definitely going to make sure I appreciate the history of Cambodia, from thousands of years ago (Angkor Wat) as well as from only 40 years ago (Killing fields, bamboo train). Also I think this will be my first Beach destination, and I’m looking to try out diving on their island… I think it was called Koh Rong.

Step 7) Welcome back toThailand

This will be my chance to do the other part of Thailand, possibly do some homestay or volunteer at animal sanctuary (bear cat?) Then make my way to the south/beaches for rock climbing, diving, snorkeling and just all around good times.

Step 8) Malaysia!

I wasn’t initially planning on going to Malaysia but then I read up on it and I figured it would fit in really well with my trip. Definitely going to spend some time in Penang, eating food and jungle-ing, then go see what Singapore is all about and then head to Borneo for some monkey watching and jungle fun.

Step 9) The Philippines

Really excited for this one, beautiful scenery and beautiful people is what I’m expecting. For the most part though I just want to go to a sleepy surfing town and learn how to surf. This will take time so I’m planning on spending at least a month doing that.

So.. When I do it like that, it seems like it will all go by in the blink of an eye. At times I feel like there won’t be enough time, and sometimes I feel like it’s way too much. I don’t really care how much this plan changes, the important thing is I’ve looked and there is plenty of fun stuff to do in all of these places, and I’d be happy if I even just got to a little bit of what they offer. But the beauty of my long term travel plan is that I have tons of time to relax and really soak in the area that I’m in, without having to move on too soon.