Three Days Out

In three days I'll be boarding a plane, gearing up for a 15 hour flight to Hong Kong where I'll wait for 3 hours to board a 3 hour flight to Bangkok where I'll go to a hotel to sleep for 4 hours and then get on a plane to Yangon, Myanmar. I can't wait to be in Bangkok at midnight, trying to explain to a Thai taxi driver where I want to go, while he looks at my sleep-deprived, naive face and messes with the meter.
The last few days at work I have been on air. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm getting work done, it's just one of those things where I am easily distracted and a feeling of disinvolvement clouds my mind. It's kind of nice actually, it kind of puts my job in perspective. I tend to be obsessively meticulous and involve too many emotions in the shelves of Trader Joe. And with this attitude, I've met some pretty rad people. I found out one lady went to South Africa when I was stocking the Pepperdew Salsa. I guess that's a common one over there. I met on of my co-workers great aunts, who was in Myanmar in 1990, knows some people from Myanmar who now live in Ventura, and who's husband races cars down at the fair-grounds and has actually clipped other racers and gone tumbling and turning with his 65-year old or so body inside.
Also, an employee of Patagonia, upon noticing my footwear (Patagonia Finn) told me there is some sort of mishap at the store and she can get me another pair! Talk about perfect timing!
I just got my medical scrubs today, compliments of my good friend John, and they fit perfect, and make me look cool too. I might go into the medical field just for the outfit, seriously these things are legit. I love how basic a set of scrubs is.


India:
The second leg in India has turned out to be a 7 1/2 week solo trek, which will take me wherever the whims care. I do have a slight plan - land in Delhi, go to Agra, then Varanasi, then up to the Himachal Pradesh region where the Dalai Lama resides. I have been scouring the pages of the Lonely Planet Guide to India and I found a hotel that is literally feet outside the East gate of the Taj Mahal for 700 rupees a night. Now that's going to be legit.

I will try to keep this blog updated while away, and if you send your email address to me ( jeremiahbtaylor@gmail.com ) I'll put you on my mailing list. In fact, please do, I'd love to let you know what is happening, and hear from you - it will make me feel loved.

Post Myanmar Idea

Well, since I am going to be in the area, I have decided to go to India for about 7 weeks directly following my trip to Myanmar! I have armed myself with the Lonely Planet India guide, and with knowledge flowing from people who have been, I am expecting a good trip. I can't wait to go to Varanasi and see the Ganges!

Acceptance

On August 22nd, 2008 I was accepted to go with International Medical Relief to Myanmar in October. It is a medical team but I am going to help in any way I can, as I have no medical training - makes me want to take that Emergency Medical Technician course offered at Ventura College. But they don't boil it down into a September only class.
I have gotten my passport, the shots that are free, my anti-diarrhea and malaria meds, and my North Face backpack (34ltr Heckler!) and Nalgene water bottle - so I'm halfway there...
The trip is going to cost $3600, but at least it is tax deductible! If anyone wants to help me out on the monetary part of this trip, it would really be appreciated - and I'll relay the tax break to you if you send a check written out to International Medical Relief, maybe with a "for Jeremiah's trip" in the note section. But I'm not sure when they want the money by, so stay tuned!