Round Two: Japan and Thailand

Another day, another international flight... I am getting ready to head to Tokyo today, and then Bangkok on Saturday afternoon. I was home long enough to do laundry, re-pack, and pick up some malaria pills, bug spray, and toilet paper. I really am going on vacation, I swear.

Really quick, before I go, I wanted to share my final night in Madrid. We were lucky enough to get VIP tickets to the Real Madrid futbol game, so we sat front and center, and were invited to the VIP lounge before the game and during half-time to eat, drink, and be merry. The game itself was incredible -- Madrid beat Malaga 4-3, and there was never more than a 1-point lead during the entire match. Back and forth, back and forth -- it made for a very "dramatic" game. The fans are incredibly wild and filed with passion about their teams, and the sport in general... we arrived an hour or more early to buy some paraphernalia and already the streets around the stadium were packed with singing fans from both Madrid and Malaga (and there were a number of police horses, too). Once the game started, the stadium shook from the noise of the fans -- gives you goosebumps to witness!

Sunday morning, about four hours afters after we stopped celebrating Madrid's victory, I was off to the airport to fly home. While I was glad to know there would be two loving parents and a state-of-the-art washing machine at the end of my journey, I was terribly sorry to leave Spain. I will cherish my time there always. I've posted the last of my photos from Spain -- there are three new galleries here.

I'm not sure what the Internet situation will be like in Thailand, but I expect I'll write from Tokyo. Until then, happy trails to me, and Happy Birthday to my dad!