FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY

Originally written in March posted here mid April.

If I was tell to you that I'm not afraid on this journey that I'm about to embark on I'd be lying through my teeth.  Lately I've been thinking "What the hell are you doing? Are you serious?  Are you sure you want to do this?"  

I'm not talking about leaving my job and not being employed for the better part of this year.  No, I'm talking about hitting the road in a couple of weeks by myself and heading south on my motorcycle.  I'm talking about leaving for China at the end of June for months and vagabonding by myself.  I'm kinda petrified.  No seriously I really am.  

I think about all the possible things that could go wrong and some of the things that I haven't thought about that could go wrong.  I think about the worst case situanarios (situation/scenarios) where my life is on the line and it's only me and my will to live that decides whether I live or die.  (God this sounds really stupid as I type this, but this is what I think about.)  I think about the negative people that I might meet along the way that won't like me or will try to hurt me or just be mean to me.  I think about things that my friends have told me about China and how it my be so culturally different than what I'm used to and wonder if I will be able to adjust.  I think about me being a black man traveling by himself and people's reaction to me.  

When I done thinking about all this, after I've worked myself up I allow myself to feel all the fear, but I don't let it petrify me into inaction.  I feel the fear and know that I'm going to do it anyway.  I can't prepare for every eventuality that I might meet on the road and I can't prepare for people's reaction to me.  I know me though.  I know that I walk this life with love in my heart and I'm sure that other will see this as they get to know me.  Cultural differences, I say bring em on.  That's what this trip is all about.  It's about stepping outside my comfortable box for a while and experiencing this part of the world.  Traveling by myself, I've been doing this off and on throughout my adult life anyway only difference here is that this will be for a longer period of time.  As for danger, I grew up in the South Bronx in the sixties and seventies so bring it.  LMFAO.   

You shouldn't worry about me.  I've worried enough for the both of us and I've let it go and so should you.  

It felt good getting this out.  Thanks for listening.  - Wil  

Typhoid and Bird Flu and SARS Oh my

Leave it to the CDC to scare the shyte out of you.  I had to visit the CDC website to get a list of the shots that I'll need for my journey.  I found that in addition to making sure that my routine vaccination shots are up to date there's a shitload of other shots and medications that I will need to get/take before, during and after my trip including but not limited to Hep A and B, typhoid and malaria.  They recommend that you get a Rabies shot if you plan to hike, camp, bicycle, work or simply plan on spending a lot of time outdoors in rural areas.  

The website goes on to provide other information:  

1. Items to bring with you.

Antimalarial pills

Diarrhea medicine

Iodine tablets and potable water filters if bottled water is not available

Sunblock and sunglasses for protection from harmful UV rays (see skin cancer)

Antibacterial hand wipes or alcohol base hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

To prevent insect/mosquito bites bring:

Long pants, long sleeve shirts and a hat 

Flying insect spray to spray room

Bed nets treated with Permethrin if not sleeping in an AC room. 

2. Other Diseases found in East Asia

Too many to name here, plus you wouldn't be able to pronounce them.  All designed to scared the bejaysus out of you.  

3. Staying Healthy During Your Trip. 

Prevent Insect Bite - see pants, shirts and hat above.

Be careful about food and water - only bottled water and carbonated soda.  If not avail use those iodine pills and water filters (see above).  Don't eat uncooked food or food from street vendors.  (Bunk that (as we used to say when I was a kid) I'm so looking forward to eating from street vendors Anthony Bourdain highly recommends eating where the locals eat.)  Avoid dairy products, unless you know that they've been pasteurized.  (Thank god for my lactose intolerationism, huh?)

Avoid injuries - avoid drinking and driving, seat belts, watching when crossing the streets, don't get on overloaded buses or mini-buses (yeah right, with a couple billion people I really expect to find a seat of a bus.)

Other helpful tips - avoid animal bites and serious diseases like rabies and plague.  Avoid infection from HIV and Hepatitis by not sharing tattoo needles, getting body piercing or needles. 

4. After Your Return Home

Continue taking your malaria medicine cause you may have brought it home with you stupid.  

It seems to me that this site is designed to keep people from leaving the confines of the U.S. by scaring the shyte out of them.  It's a wonder anyone travels the world after reading this information.  

With all the Imodium AD, Purrell, anti malaria pills, insect repellent, sunscreen, condoms and disposable needles I'll need to bring with me there won't be any room in my backpack for the long pants and long sleeve shirts and hat I'm supposed to bring.  

Maybe I'll just stay in U.S. where I know with certainty that: the tattoo needles are sterilized, that the intravenous ones are too, unless that is you happened to have gone to that hospital that was recently found to have been re-using intravenous needles FOR YEARS!  

Nah, I think I'll take my chances and hit the road.  

FAQs

What does your family think of all this?

Honestly I couldn't do this without my family.  I couldn't do this without knowing that if I fell flat on my face without a dime to my name my family would there for me.  

They are scared for me but they totally supports my decision to do this.  They are used to me being left of center.   

Where are you going and when are you leaving?

I'll be headed to Biloxi, MS around April 7th, 8th or 9th and staying until May 3rd.

May 3rd I'll be riding to New Orleans, LA to catch the tail end of Jazzfest and hang out with some friends for a couple of days.  

I'll be staying in New Orleans until the beginning of June.  I then plan on heading back to NYC stopping to see some friends along the way in Cary, NC, Nashville, TN, Atlanta, GA and Virginia Beach, VA.  

Bottom-line is that I want to be back in NYC by mid week of the second week of June so that I can get everything in order to be in Beijing by June 29th.  I'll be in Beijing until August 29th.  

South East Asia comes after Beijing.  This leg of my trip is not as planned out as the other portion.  This is where I truly become a vagabond and let the wind take me where it will.  

I definitely want to visit Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, The Philippines, Bali, Indonesia, India and any other destination that captures my fancy.  This list is by no means definitive.  I swear it seems like it changes everyday. 

What will you be doing?

In Biloxi I'll be affiliated with Hands on the Gulf coast.  This organization builds houses in Biloxi for those people that were ravaged by hurricane Katrina.  Yes, there is still a tremendous amount of work that needs to be done in this area.  Almost everyone has seen the pictures from New Orleans but Mississippi was also hard it.  Unfortunately, Mississippi (I love typing that state) doesn't get nearly as much press as New Orleans.  

In Beijing I'll be studying and learning Mandarin Chinese with a language learning organization called Mandarin House during the day.  Exploration is the name of the game during the afternoons and weekends.  Hopefully I'll be able to see some events during the Olympics in August.  I'd really like to experience the opening and closing ceremonies, track and field, diving, basketball, gymnastics and so much more.  

In South East Asia I'm just going to truly experience another culture without any preset plans.  

Why China?

I've been asked this question so many times.  The short answer is that this is where I'm being lead.  

The long answer is that the last time I felt like I had to go somewhere without knowing about the area as when I went to Australia.  All I knew then is that I wanted to go to Australia and experience being there.  I told myself that I was going to go for my 35th birthday but I let others talk me out of it and didn't go at that time.  At the age of 41 I had the opportunity to go for 3 weeks and had the most amazing holiday of my life.  I'm being lead to China just like I was lead to Australia many years ago.  

Do you have an agenda?  

The only agenda that I have is listed above.  My travels to South East Asia will be a true vagabond experience.  The last structured thing that I will be doing is studying Mandarin in Beijing; after that I have no set agenda, no set destination, no reservations anywhere.  I will honestly be headed where I want to go when I want to go there.  And I'm really looking forward to it.  

Are you still going to teach English?

Unfortunately, no.  

The telephone interview that I had with the English language learning organization English First went really well.  The Director of the program was definitely looking for someone that had teaching experience and has worked with kids in the past.  Well I've worked with kids in the past but don't have the teaching experience.  He suggested that I get certified in NYC and come to Beijing with the teaching certification under my belt so that I'd have a bag of tricks to pull from when I worked with the kids this summer.  

I looked into getting certified.  It would take $2,500 and 4 -5 weeks of classes from 9am - 530pm Monday through Friday.  I started to fill out the application.  In addition to asking all of the common questions that most application ask there was also a mini quiz-like section concerning the structure, the grammar and the rule of the English language.  Honestly, I was completely lost.  I think I speak English well but I can't tell you the rules off of the top of my head.  I remembered how difficult it is to learn this language that I don't give a thought to on a daily basis.  (I wasn't an English major in college.) I realized that I really didn't want to be responsible for impressionable kids (the adults and business professionals are not part of the summer program) learning English from me.  So I which gears and decided not to teach English.  

Are you afraid to travel on your own?

Yes.  Fortunately, I live my life by the saying "feel the fear and do it anyway."

Where will you be staying?  

In Biloxi, MS I will be staying in dorm like housing at a church.  

New Orleans is up in the air I'll figure that out when I get there.  

In Beijing I'll be staying in an apartment affiliated with Mandarin House.  

In South East Asia don't know yet.  Maybe beaches, hostels, with friends of friends. Who knows.  

What are you going to do when you come back? 

I am not thinking about that yet, but my brother Rob and I have talked about me coming to work for him selling real estate if I get my real estate license.  I've always wanted to be a bartender so you never know. We'll see.  

Did you get all your shots?  

In the process of getting them now.  

Did you hit the lottery?

Yes, I hit the lottery and am filthy rich.  No!!

What should we do if you get SARS or Bird Flu and die?  

Have a Tanqueray and tonic followed by a shot of Patron chilled in my name and continue living your life.  

Welcome to The Vagabond Monologues

I've decided to call this blog the Vagabond Monologues for obvious reasons:  I've begun and will continue to be a vagabond for the better part of 2008 and these entries will be my personal monologues.  Plus it sounded too close the Vagina Monologues to pass up.  

This will be the official blog of my vagabonding travels down south to Biloxi, MS and New Orleans, LA this spring and China and South East Asia this summer.  I'll use this blog to keep family, friends, coworkers and the curious abreast of where I am in the world and what I'm thinking, doing and seeing.  I can't promise you that I'll be making entries here on a daily basis, I just hope that when I do you enjoy it.  

If you have any questions or comments along the way please feel to post them.  I'll do my best to answer any and all as access permits.  

That being said, WELCOME TO THE VAGABOND MONOLOGUES.  

Jenoy (my way of saying enjoy)  - Wil