thitherward

thitherward: to or toward that place or point; there.

In 2011, I went on a long trip across Mongolia, China, Russia, and through Europe by land, east to west. One friend called it my walkabout. I hoped it would take several months, even up to a year, so I quit my job, gave away most of my things, including my party house at 409 Hill, stored the rest of the stuff, and found foster parents for my cats. I didn’t want to have an excuse to pull me back from the trip.

It seemed unreal, even to myself, that I was going on this trip at that point in my life. I had a great job in a tech company in Los Angeles that was doing well and promising a lot of growth opportunities. I was ready to buy a house (actually, I’d love to just buy land and build my own house – but that’s a different story). I was part of an incredibly supportive group of friends that have made me call L.A. my “home” even though my family is far away in Iran and the Philippines. I knew I would come back to L.A. I am really, really comfortable here. That’s part of the reason I took the trip – to get out of my comfort zone, to learn more about the world, to meet more people.

The Numbers:
Cities/towns/villages toured – 59
Kilometers traveled – 59,061
Bottles of beverages shared with company –

• tea (cups) – 215
• cognac – 2
• wine – 38.5
• champagne – 1
• vodka – 3
• beer – 105

Upset stomach – 5
Diarrhea – 2
Times lost – 5