On the beach

Consulting has it's perks. Airline miles, hotel points, networking...and bench time. Granted, my first project was in Honolulu, so "on the beach" could also apply to my on-site time, but I swear I actually did work while in Hawai'i...

Fast-forward to August of 2008 and I'm riding the pine, eagerly(?) awaiting for my next assignment. Instead of working I head to Denver for a hiking trip with long-time friend and college roommate, Marcee, and meet who would become my partner in crime for these escapades: her friend Jon (aka Figgy).

I soon learn that Jon is planning a trip to Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. I of course, am intrigued. After attending a Jimmy Buffet concert, a beer festival, and visiting Napa Valley we decide we have enough in common to travel together. Or at the very least, we both like to drink, so worse case scenario we put back a few beers and then it's smooth sailing!

Come December, my ticket has been purchased (with miles) and I'm scheduled to join Jon in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam end of February for 7 weeks of his 6-month excursion. My employer grants me a leave-of-absence and I'm counting the days until I make my first trip to Asia. Backpack, camera, and a new journal...I'm ready!

Then Twitter hits. And blogs are everywhere. And everyone I know is going to Thailand or wants to go to Cambodia and is really curious about my story. For being a software consultant, I am sort of behind the times, so the rest of this blog has been added a bit late (i.e. after I returned). Off the bench, off the beach, and assigned to my next project I've decided to take my journal into the 21st century. I hope you enjoy it enough to get over there sometime yourself! It was truly an experience of a lifetime.