I was told to go ahead and buy the ticket to China by the school I’m teaching at in Xi’an. Heading to Beijing for a few days and see some old friends then take a train over to Xi’an. I leave on August 24th with a 3 hour layover in Tokyo and arriving next day to Beijing.

Teaching in Xi’an, I’ll be at the University teaching a class with 18-19yr olds. I have a one year contract. In that time, I do plan to travel a bit of China again and learn some Mandarin. Just taking it as it goes.

Excited? Hell yeah…

Figured it was time for an update. Been a month since my last post and I’ve been slacking on here.  Business wise, I haven’t been slacking at all. The entire month has been mostly all Art of Backpacking related. First thing being I bought myself a new camcorder. A Canon Xixia HFM31, a wide angel lens, extended battery pack, and a professional mic. Too much? Perhaps… It’s not for personal use to mess around with though. I’ll be recording videos of my travels around the world and posting it here and AOB. Only remaining issue is having a computer to support high quality editing. My netbook just wont do. This is a shoutout to Apple if you’d like to send me a free Macbook Pro.

Last weekend was eventful. I attended a conference called Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX). I was forced to Couchsurf that week because my (so called) friends didn’t respond to my request if they had room for me to stay and luckily I didn’t because I made a new friend in Brooklyn because of it. He let me stay at his place at no cost for 6 nights. Very friendly and so kind to let me stay for so long. Met some amazing people during the weekend as well. Most notably Steph (Twenty-SomethingTravel.com), Mike (Vagabondish.com), Matt (LandLopers.com), and Dave (GoBackpacking.com). Many parties, networking, business card trading, and just an overall good time led to a unforgettable weekend. Next year will be in Vancouver and I do plan on going.

Internet profits continue to grow and at enough to live in China, Thailand, or anywhere else in SE Asia. Teaching in China is still there though and I’m just waiting for the finalization of the paperwork to get my work visa. In case I do get screwed, the idea is live off the profits of the wonderful internet in Asia. It’s not much, but I do have some money saved and plan to introduce a few more ways to make cash.

Next weekend I’m off to DC

I’ve finally been able to get a cost summary of how much I’ve spent. It would require way too much work to get it broken down by country though. I know one things for certain, I spent way over budget (Usually happens doesn’t it?) and I’m blaming it entirely on Australia. Though my plans are hardly a plan, originally I was suppose to go to Australia to work a year and then continue traveling after. Something told me however to go visit family in Buenos Aires, Argentina before Christmas. It all worked out quite well really, though I did have to spend more then planned.

Here’s a tip before I begin… If you’re going to bring to a credit card, don’t use it no matter how much you think you think need you may what you’re going to buy. And another, be cautious with the destinations you’re going to if you’re on a strict budget. Don’t end up in an expensive country with little money then have to pay even more to get out.

I spent a grand total of $19,568.73USD from May 12th till April 7th.

How? Here’s why

• Over $800USD for a flight from Sydney to Buenos Aires. Last minute and had to visit family there.
• Canceled a flight (Stupid move) going to India and changed it to Australiabecause I wasn’t feeling well in Singapore. Hospital visits and the works. Decided to visit a friend instead in Perth. Though I used Tiger Airways budget airlines, it got me throwing away close to $100.
• Asia was cheap. I spent very little and did a whole lot. Once I got to Australia, I did very little and spent a whole lot more.
• I got scammed in Buenos Aires for $630. The landlord blamed me on a leak. Was suppose to get money the day I left but he said everything was going to go to my Uncle who lives in Buenos Aires and not to worry. That same day I was leaving for Salta up north and I actually trusted him including my Uncle. Well.. In summary, he ran with my money and is now saying the leak was my fault. How’s a pipe breaking my fault? It’s his apartment, not mine – I only rented it. Bastard.
• I lived in Buenos Aires as my home base with an apartment for 4 months. I made frequent trips though to all the places around it. Somehow living there, I actually spent more then intended.
• Camera broke and I bought a new one for $300 in Sydney. Eventually that broke as well.
• Since I used my Credit Card a few months in, I started having to pay that per month.
• Bought a cell in Malaysia and two chargers for computer because one burned out and the original one got lost. $25 each. Cell was $50 with minutes.
• Why point out the small things? Because it’s to show you that ANYTHING can happen and it all counts. Just need to keep on moving on.

What did I learn that I will continue to use on this trip?

• Better control in spending. It’s easy to overdo it in a big city. Singapore being all ‘clean’, I had to buy a new outfit to get into the club.
• Improvisation. Do what you can with what you have.
• I’ve done the backpacker trail and know how that feels like and I’ve done the out the beaten track trails. I got a better understanding of how to get off the beaten track. Not always easy but so worth it.
• Photography skills. The best way to learn is to take pictures. I have a new set of eyes for what I see now.
• Though I don’t feel like I’ve really learned since I keep doing the same mistake. Taking care of my things. Having only a backpack, you’d think I take good care of what little I have. Not true. I’m forgetful, careless, and just plain don’t care about what I have. Not good when carrying expensive equipment.
• Communication skills. I’ll carry out any conversation of interest. I listen well and learned to speak more proper. This is because for the people learning English, I had to stay speaking slow, easy, and simple. I’ll now speak to anyone without a hint of shyness.
• I’m a better writer since I started traveling. Traveling makes me have something to write about and it improves my writing.
• I could essentially make this list encyclopedia book long but I’ll save it. These are just a very select few things I have learned which I will continue to use on my epic journey.

Though I could have done it cheaper, everything couldn’t have fallen more into place then it did. It seemed as if someone was guiding me along to meet unforgettable people, eat delicious food, and see unbelievable sights. Everything was meant to be. Do I regret anything? Nope…

A Zen student came to Bankei and complained: “Master, I have an ungovernable temper. How can I cure it?”

“You have something very strange,” replied Bankei. “Let me see what you have.”

“Just now I cannot show it to you,” replied the other.

“When can you show it to me?” asked Bankei.

“It arises unexpectedly,” replied the student.

“Then,” concluded Bankei, “it must not be your own true nature. If it were, you could show it to me at any time. When you were born you did not have it, and your parents did not give it to you. Think that over.”

The last few weeks have been hectic. Figuring out my next move was my top priority. I’m fully diseased with the travel bug and everyday thoughts of going to a far away land comes to my mind. Money is well, was one of the issues. I say was because I figured out my next move.

I’ve always said I was going back to Asia and I made the decision to do whatever it takes to make it happen. When I’m fully determined to want something, I make it possible. China was one of my favorite destinations so it’s to no surprise then that is where I’ll be going. With low money, the only option was to work in China. With a ton of Google searches, I came across a position to teach English at a University in Xi’an. I’ve been to Xi’an before and I absolutely loved it. With just a simple Resume that explains my determination, I received an email the very next day. A few emails and several papers have already been filled out, signed, and sent. Next move is to simply apply for the work visa itself and book the flight. I leave end of August and return beginning of July. A full school year. Excited? VERY! More details as things come up.

ArtofBackpacking.com

I cannot explain how hard I work to keep this website going. My income surprisingly increasing every single day. Traffic has hit to about 400 visits a day. And Twitter has become my best friend. I’ve been invited to host a travel meet-up Meet, Plan, Go in Philly but unfortunately cannot make it since I’ll be in China. Then I get at least over a dozen emails per day about guest posts, link exchanges, contests, and just about anything. Hope to keep it just as alive while I’m in China. The next few weeks I have plans to expand it further with a bigger community.

Film

When it comes to film, I’m an amateur. But I’ve gotten a huge interest in it lately and thought for my next trip to bring along a professional camcorder to tape the experience and have something to put together later. Still researching possible camcorder’s but the Canon Vixia is on the list. A professional camcorder is what I’m ultimately looking for. Hopefully I can get enough cash together for it.