These aren't all of the pictures, but it's a start. There's quite a few left to upload of people, but this should be about all of my scenery, plant, and animal pics.

http://picasaweb.google.com/eric.sowell/

More will go up later, probably tonight. If you're interested, check back.

The geek can't have quite the life he's used to when he visits a third world country. But, I did notice some interesting things.

1. A newspaper I read, I think it was in Bangkok, had a tech section (about 8 pages long) called "Database". It was geekier than what I'm used to over here. It even had an article on the different types of sql joins...quite a surprise.
2. I was slightly bummed when I heard that Vista was slipping again in the above mentioned newspaper. I get here and find out that this isn't really happening. They're still planning on RTM'ing this month. I thought that was interesting.
3. Connections in internet cafes there are slooooooooooowwwww. But I guess that is to be expected. It took gmail several minutes to actually download and display. It was nice to see the "Windows Server System" poster on the wall. It was like a little bit of the homeland.
4. I even saw a sign advertising MCP training. I tried to get a picture. I think I missed. I'll have to look through my photos from my first day to see if I can find it.

I made it back. The top 5 things I missed the most:

1. Family
2. Hot water
3. Dr Pepper
4. Steak
5. Air conditioner


I had a great trip, but I'm glad to be back. I'll have lots o' pictures to post. I'll think I'll just use them as my medium to describe the trip.

All is going well. I have taken a bunch of pictures, but due to the slower internet I won't be uploading much from here.

We are having a good time. It is, not surprisingly, very different here. We've met lots of interesting people, and we could understand even a few of them :).

Kris is bugging me to get off. So, I won't post more now.

Observation of the day: I have yet to meet a single fat or tall Cambodian.

I'm in an internet cafe in Prak Ambel, Cambodia. Don't have much time. I'm finally finished with all that flying! Weather is much better than expected (breezy, mid-80's, no rain). All is well. Will post more, including pictures, hopefully soon.

We made it to Japan. About to leave for Bangkok.

Some boring pictures at flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/esowell

Off to the airport now. Will be posting here when I get internet access.

Leaving Thursday. This will definitely be the longest I've spent in an airplane. Straight from DFW to Tokyo, then to Thailand, then on to Cambodia. Long flight.

I decided not to break up with Dr Pepper. Of course, I never would have done it permanently. How can one not drink the drink of the gods? I was told that I would have access to caffeinated drinks over there. Part of the reason is that I've been told to make sure I don't drink any of the water over there. No complaint here...

However, I have cut down. With the exception of a couple of days, I've been keeping myself to half a DP in the afternoon, and half a DP at night. That's a serious cut in my DP consumption. I feel so healthy.

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get my passport in time, but it appears I will, so...

I'm Cambodia bound! I will be going with two other members of my church to spend time in Cambodia with a native missionary that we support. Should be a good learning experience and beneficial all around.

Because of this, I am officially in rehab. Dr. Pepper rehab. For the next few days (not counting wing nights) I'm cutting down on Dr. Pepper. In a few days I'll stop drinking it altogether. I'm also cutting down my sugar intake. I am not expecting there to be lots of sugar and caffeine in rural Cambodia.

Then come the shots. Hepatitis A and B, Tetanus (I almost typed 'Tertris'), Typhoid, and malaria medication. Fun.

I'll be gone starting October 26th, and will be getting back Nov 1.

I'll let you know my progress as my Dr. Pepper withdrawals get worse...