Back to where it all started

This is it. Everything good has to come to an end, also this trip. A brief stop over in Shanghai where I had breakfast with Lijun who came to the airport to meet with me. It was cold, really cold. I was dressed according to Bangkok's 30 degrees weather, with 3 degrees only in Shanghai. Of course we had to take the stairs down from the airplane to a waiting bus, people looking strangely at me in shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops.
6 months ago, I couldn't really believe I had given up everything I had around me, "security" to go travel. I really wasn't sure this was going to be a good idea at all. It took a few weeks of adjustment, and traveling with friends from the very beginning made the transition all the more smooth. I got to meet so many cool people, friends, people I had no relations to before, just a great experience. I can't even remember all I have done, this is the real reason of this blog, a way for me to remember
I am not kidding when I say that it has been more stressful than a 9-5 job traveling around the world. Every day not utilized 100% is a wasted day. Waking up every morning, you have to be the boss of your own day, where to go, what to do and not just hang around and do nothing. At times it could be very stressful to not know where to sleep the next couple of days, in what country, how to get there and what was going to happen. Very different from the previous 13 years working at Nokia, steady job, a place to live and money flowing into the bank account. But it is not a problem, in fact now more a flexibility I hate to give up.
What is the worst and best experience on the entire trip. Can't really say, there have been so many good moments. Was quite sick in both Cambodia and once in Thailand, which I would say was probably the worst I experienced. The best I can't say, I have to sum it up to all the great people I got to meet. I was able to visit friends, travel with friends, meet with friends traveling there, so cool!
My favorite place though has to be Thailand. Of course it matters to some extend, but it is not only because it is cheap, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are cheaper, but because of the great Thai people, their super delicious foods, the weather and the nature. Of course I have mostly experienced this from a costumer's point of view, and yes, people are nice to those that pay their bills. I asked myself many places I have been, if this could be a place I could live, and most of the times I wasn't really sure. Thailand though is one of the places I know I could live. Now is just the question when that will happen, haha

Economically this has not been a cheap trip, that's for sure. That wasn't really the objective either, I was in a very fortunate position that I kind of exploited to the extend possible. I have to say, Thanks Nokia!
The only reason for coming back at this point, is the limitation on staying out of the US on a Green Card. A block of 180 days is maximum, otherwise they can revoke the permanent residence status.
With a new stamp in the passport, the possibilities are endless once again. There has to be a super interesting job on the table to trigger my interest, if not I am afraid this was only part 1 of "A Small Trip", at least the planning is already ongoing :-)