The Asia “Tour”

I’m full into the planning stage for our upcoming “tour” of Asia this Winter.

This year’s version of the “portable empire” will be focused on CONNECTION.   Frankly, I’ve had enough of backpacking and tourism.   Seeing the sights just doesn’t hold much interest to me anymore… nor does seeking out the most remote, or most weird, or most pseudo-”authentic” tourist experience.

Since living for 2 years in Thailand, I just don’t get much of a thrill from tourism any more.  I prefer the deeper experience of actually participating with and connecting with people….  not as a gawker, but on level ground.

And I have found that my business is a great vehicle for facilitating this.   It gives me tremendous opportunities to meet people, contribute something, work/play together with others, have a great time,… and develop long term (and short term) connections.

Last year, I didnt maximize those opportunities.  This year I will.

First, I’m planning a series of Workshops in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan.   My goal is to connect with fun, cool, passionate people… and give them a great learning experience.   We’ll also be doing a big 2-Day Seminar in Bangkok… (and maybe one in Seoul too).

In addition to that, I’m planning to host parties for my members in each of the above countries.  I already know a lot of them from our online forums,.. and am happy to be able to meet them face to face.  This has been one of the great blessings of my business– connections and friends all over the world (truly great people– full of enthusiasm).

This year, I’m finally going to form an official Thai company too….   to make my partial expat life a more convenient and formal reality.

And of course, I’ll be connecting with my Hobopoet tribe too.   Kristin and Joe and Wat are all going “on tour” too.  And we’ll all be visiting Todd on Koh Phayam to see how his bungalows are going.

I may check out Phuket again too.

Tonight I talked to my friend Wat, and he is thinking of making Phuket his “home base” when in Thailand.  I told him of my extremely negative view of Phuket… but he assured me that large parts of it are fantastic… just need to escape the tourist zones.  So I MAY give Phuket a second look and let him try to convince me that it’s something other than a tourist hell-hole full of extremely rude tourists and extremely shitty food!  (Though Pattaya still claims the honor of being the place I despise most in Thailand)…!

Another part of the tour I’m looking forward to is a return to Seoul.  Seoul was the first place I ever lived abroad.  In fact, I had a terrible experience because my job was terrible and the school I worked for was sleazy… and I was super stressed the entire time I was there.

So it will be interesting to return 12 years later, under happier circumstances… and see what my experience is like.

The trip will end in Japan…  another place that I love and feel quite comfortable in.   This year, a visit to an onsen is definitely near the top of my list.  Kristin and Joe may be coming to Japan too… and I’m determined that they experience the sublime decadent comfort of a Japanese hot spring spa!   Of course we’ll also spend time in Kyoto (I want to explore there more too… I feel I’ve never had a good amount of time to spend there)… and Osaka, where we’ll be based.   My wife is from Osaka, so we’ll visit her family and friends too.

An interesting effect of doing this every year is that it’s becoming really hard for me to say where “home” is.  As cliche as it sounds, I really am starting to feel like a “citizen of the world”… or at least a “citizen of the Pacific Rim”!!   I finally feel at home in San Francisco (the toughest adjustment),…  and Thailand is absolutely my second home.   But I’m starting to feel quite at home in Singapore, KL, and Osaka too.

This epitomizes the Hobopoet ideal to me…   truly feeling at home wherever one is…. knowing that home is within your own body, mind, and emotions… and the connections you have with people everywhere.

It was one thing, in the past, to talk about this and strive for it.

Having reached it, it feels much more peaceful than I imagined.

I like it