"Are you a travel writer???"

You know this is gonna be insightful and deep if I reference Eastern religion in anyway. 

So I'm minding my own business, like Americans can do on occasion, when this precious little Korean girl, 12/13 years old, asks me, "are you a travel writer?"  I look at my camera, think about this little collection of nothings I write for my enjoyment and pretty much just post for my dad, and shake my head. 

"No, not yet. Someday, maybe."

It's not an up the nose shot if you remember to tilt your head!

This kid wants to be a traveler. Being as she is maybe 14 and already in Laos with phenomenal English, I'm guessing she counts already.  I also met two Swiss chicks on the bus--who I am due to meet up with again in thirty minutes--who have just been everywhere.  I just feel so... Inadequate compared to these people I keep meeting. 97 counties. 45 countries. Lived in 9 different countries but has been to every country in Africa.  And Im thinking, "Japan is cool."

Yay, I have a photo of Japan on my phone!

It's just amazing how many places some people have been. Don't get me wrong, I know I have been to a few, Laos makes 23 (even though I left the airport, Singapore doesn't count. That wasn't even a long layover. Leaving the airport was kinda ballsy.), but I still don't think I've crossed over into Cool World Traveler yet. Maybe South America will help. Maybe it's time to actually acquire some Spanish and work outside Asia. Hell, I even liked the Asian side of Turkey better.

 

It's not creepy to take a photo of other people taking s photo because...uh... I dunno. 

I've gone from one expensive hobby to another. One day I'll just do crack like a normal person. 

This is your wallet on Travel.