Nomad Chronicals II

Meeting new people on the road has it's ups and downs, highs and lows, positives and negatives. On the positive side, While traipsing around Phom Penh I managed to find three of the coolest people I will ever meet. Sebastian, Hannah and Jae turned out to be awesome friends, and people I will remember for a long time. This is an old story, as I meet new friends in every town I travel to, and make lasting connections, which are important to me. How can this possibly have a negative side, you might ask. Well imagine meeting a person and having the time of your life with them and making an instant connection, yet knowing that in a day or two, you may never see them again. It is probably the worst part of being a professional nomad, having to leave brand new friends all the time. This time will be especially difficult, as I've had such a great time with these three. Sebastian from Germany/Canada will be flying home in 10 days or less, so even if he decides to travel with me until then, well, he is still going to be saying good-bye soon. Hannah from the Uk/Singapore, just taking a day or two break from volunteering at an orphanage in the jungles of Cambodia, is leaving early in the morning. She said she could take another break and maybe come see me, but by then I'll be in Vietnam, or Laos, or who the hell knows where else. Jae, a great girl also from the UK, is going my general direction, so we will probably travel together, at least through Vietnam, but then after that the future is uncertain.
Tonight the four of us went out to have some drinks at a bar that Jae had heard about. She or we had no idea where it was, so when we told the tuk tuk driver what the place was called, we were under his mercy to find it for us. When we got there, we were a little surprised to find that we were smack dab in the middle of a run down ghetto lined with various bars. The unseasoned traveler might have just got right back into the tuk tuk, and told the driver to head back, especially considering all the lively night scenes we past on the way that were full of westerners. But after quickly discussing it, we all concluded that we liked where we were, and wanted to check it out some. None of are keen to touristy locations anyways. I admit that I got a little drunker than I planned, but considering the large time gap since the last time I drank with friends, I had nothing to be ashamed of. After about three games of pool, a pretty good meal, countless drinks, and skipping around to different places, we headed back.
Finding people with the same mind set and with similar goals as me is a pretty difficult task, one that is nearly impossible back home in the States. Somewhere that it is not impossible however, and happens everyday, is on the road. These three new friends share very similar state of minds, and we have a lot in commen. The harsh reality is that at some point, I will be saying advertising to all. My new goal is to keep in contact with people that matter to me. I have been guilty in the past of meeting some of the coolest people on earth, then when it came to say good-by, just cutting ties with them completely.For now on I am determined not to lose these precious contacts, and keep in contact with everyone I meet. I will never meet another person like Hannah for instance, I must keep her close, even from a great distance. This is a lesson to all inspiring backpackers out there. Rule number one: Keeping contact with people you meet is compulsory.