I am happy to say this trip blew my expectations out of the water.  There was no way I could have predicted where and when I met all these people along the way who told me key insights and advice at the right times.  It also really amazed me that when you talk to so-called strangers, they open up and share all these details about their life story with you and vice versa.  

With all these serendpitous meetings and life advice given from people who aren't strangers at all, I'm left wondering what action I will take from the conversations.  If I end up doing nothing, then I'll remain confined in China for years to come.  This is a tragedy just thinking about it.  Worse yet, I will have then squandered all these meetings like they never happened and taken these opportunities for granted.  It would be like God just keeps on sending more and more people for me to do nothing about what they say.  

Whatever you end up believing, one thing is clear:  meetings like this don't just repeat.  I was well aware of that and took detailed records of the conversations.  Thus, I am compelled to do something about it.  It's not really about the approval from these people, after all I'll never see them again.  It's for myself that I must act.  At the same time they did take the time and effort to share what they shared at no cost, so only a fool would dismiss their advice and say "China is wonderful, let's stay there"

But before any action happens, it is going to take months to process all the information.  That is why taking notes and keeping a blog is of the utmost importance. 

One immediate action to start planning for the next trip in summer which is already in full progress.  That also involves a psychotherapy retreat or other such counseling in Thailand to deal with the still unresolved lockdown PTSD.  Sadly, it is getting worse.  It has been almost two years since the lockdown and my condition has deteriorated to the point I'm also getting hallucinations as happened in Phnom Penh recently.  

There are also other parts of the upcoming trip that will be built into the planning.  We're going with the  original journal  that came about from a Starbucks conversation way back in October.