And like that, I'm on a plane to Borneo

Sometimes dates can just sneak up on you and pull the carpet from beneath your feet. What months ago seemed like would never arrive finally has: I leave for Borneo tomrrow. I remember years ago sitting watching some animal show on the Discovery Channel thinking, "Wow, that place looks awesome. I want to go to Borneo someday." I don't recall if at the time I thought there was a chance of me ever actually going or not, but I'm sure I couldn't have found it on a map and sure as hell wouldn't have dreamed my life would, today, have me sitting in this Bangkok hotel room, packing my bags, getting ready to catch my flight out to Kota Kinabalu the next morning.

And so, tomorrow begins a three week journey for me through the northern province of Sabah, mountain climbing, rain forest trekking and scuba diving, literally living out a childhood dream.

Leaving the comforts of Thailand to travel alone through a country (it's actually part of Malaysia) I've never been to is exciting and scary all at once. I've tried to find a happy balance between planning ahead, making reservations and leaving room for the unexpected to happen. Serendipity is a cheesy word that perhaps should be left for fairy tales and the likes but I honestly believe it's what makes my travels great. The fear then is that planning for exactly what is impossible to plan for can often leave you wishing you had made some reservations with a guided tour, but I think I'll take my chances.

All this being said, the blog here will most likely take a short break as I doubt there will be many cyber cafes atop Mt. Kinabalu or at the bottom of the Sulu Sea. But, I'll be back here in Thailand on the 10th of May and will have a week catch up before I head over to China and walk down the great wall.