here we go, there we go

First snag of the trip: West Philly heads steal the international cell phones we ordered on eBay. A daring porch raid, I'd say.

booked our first hotel

Just booked our first hostel, the Roof View Inn of Bangkok. Shotty shower.

trip planning

This is the trip that was never supposed to be. Two months ago we had no itinerary, much less a destination. One month ago, we had no itinerary...much less a destination. Today, we're 20 days into a 28 day itinerary, Kyle Burr is starting to compromise and Benny has bought a raincoat.

There is no turning back. We are going to Thailand.

"Do you want a deserted island, or no?" -- Benjamin Mundel, as we sit planning the trip's last leg that we hope to land us in a bungalow on a remote, isolated beach with WiFi and our own mango tree. Benny is trekker 1 of 4, a recent Penn graduate heading to Penn Law next year and a life of domesticity.

We tested out my bag this evening, a 60L North Face that I hope to lug everything from my Sperry Topsiders to my toothbrush. Two bushes in our front yard mimicked the jungle-like conditions we anticipate in Thailand (err...). I think it passed.

"I would prefer Ko Phi Phi just for the beach, to which I think all other options pale in comparison." -- Kyle Crawford Burr, trekker 2 of 4, a red bearded Penn graduate and our most intrepid, venturesome traveler. If there is one man daring enough to climb the walls of Angkor Wat and proclaim himself God, it is he. He has cheated death twice (ATVs in Puerto Vallarta and a diseased fine arts student he met at a bar), but his most daring days are soon to come...

More to come later, but in short, this is our travel blog. Follow us as we travel halfway across the world.