FAQ

I know that alot of you probably have some questions. So here is a FAQ that hopefully will cover most of the bases.

Q: Is Katie gonna go with you this time.
A: No, just me.

Q: Uh, are you guys doing OK?
A: Yeah, we are doing great. Many things have been pretty hard lately (OK, pretty much just work...) and Katie has been wonderful. In this time of big changes, Katie and my relationship is the one thing I can really rely on.

Q: OK, then why isn't she going?
A: Katie doesn't really like to travel as much as I do. And its pretty hard on her health to be adventuring around in 3rd world countries. So she'd rather stay and I'd rather go. And we are both OK with that.

Q: So what's Katie (and Mocha and Zipper) gonna do?
A: They are all gonna stay are Katie's mom Samia's house in Ukiah. Katie will probably start looking for a place in Ukiah for us to rent for awhile when I first get back, while we sort out our next moves.

Q: Well, I don't really get it, but let's move on. Where are you going?
A: I'm flying into Bangkok on July 12 and out of Bangkok on October 10th. Where I go in those 3 months is pretty wide open. Certainly some time in Thailand again, but probably more time elsewhere. Probably Indonesia and Malaysia. But I might also go up north (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma).

Q: So why'd you quit that awesome job of yours anyway?
A: That's a long story and until I'm certain that there won't be any lawyers involved, I'd prefer not to comment.

Q: Hmm, that doesn't sound very awesome. Did you get fired?
A: No, I quit. There were a number of reasons why it was just time to move on. Let's talk about something else, OK?

Q: Fine. Why a 3 month solo trip anyway? To "find" yourself or something (asked in sarcastic tone)?
A: Yeah, that is certainly part of it. I've never had anything close to this much time off in my life (not since summers in jr. high anyway...) and I wanted to advantage of this transition to really clear my head and thing about what should come next.

Q: So why SE Asia again?
A: Well, I really did have a great time last time, but I did have 8 or more dental appointments over that month, so that made it a little less great. The off-the-beaten-path places that I got to were extraordinary. But since I had to be in Bangkok ever few days, I didn't get far afield too much. This time I want to.

Q: Anything else?
A: Yeah, the people where super friendly and helpful. The food was AWESOME (except when it sent me to the hospital and made me sick for days...) Everything was cheap. Most places outside the cities were gorgeous.

Q: Anything else?
A: Oh yeah, the daily 2 hour massages for $5 were also pretty cool.

Q: Uh-huh. So are you going to be able to blog as much as you did last time?
A: Well, probably not as much, but hopefully enough to keep you all interested. I plan to travel much lighter this time, which means no laptop this time. And while internet cafes seemed pretty prevalent in most places that I went, I imagine it might be harder to find internet if I'm really in the boonies. But I'll do my best.

Q: Can you really afford to take this much time off?
A: Maybe?

Q: Can I help you in anyway?
A: That is very kind of you. Look for a Paypal "support Erik's travels" donation link coming to this blog soon.

Q: Why is your blog called 100 Days of SoliDude?
A: Yeah, funny thing about solidude. It actually was a typo when i registered the site. It is kinda a better title in someways, but i'm also concerned that it sounds like i'm going on a solo "mancation" seeking out beer and babes (close, but not totally true...). I tried to re-register as 100daysofsolitude but some guy with a sex addiction already has that site (maybe i can trade him?!). So then I planned to go to something altogether different and call it "Reprieve from Chaos" which is the title of a self published book about aliens that my grandfather wrote in the 70's, but is also a fitting title for what I'm in search of. But people who found my new blog even before I have publicized it's existing widely and seem to like soliDude. So now I think I might just keep it...

Q: So what are you going to do for work when you get back?
A: I'm pretty sure that I'll be setting up my own consulting firm focusing on energy efficient lighting.

Q: Is that gonna work?
A: I hope so. But if it doesn't, it seems like I will have plenty of other opportunities for "jobs." I have alot of friends in the industry, and the worker-to-skilled-laborer ratio in energy-efficiency right now greatly favors the worker.

Q: Um, you aren't going to try to move in with me while you try to make ends meet, are you?
A: Maybe. Do you have a spare bedroom? Can I bring my dogs?

Q: No more questions.