Prologue

Here it is. Charlie and Joanna are on the move! We are making the biggest lift shift in recent years – not only will we take a leap of faith and try to develop our new careers in Hong Kong, but we will also kick that off with a Euro-Asia backpacking trip. What would the life be like with 6-month on the road and unknown number of years in Hong Kong? We don’t know, but we shall find out. Life could be rough and stressful (that’s actually true wherever we are), but we also believe that life should be rewarding at the same time! The irony is that we enjoy not knowing what lies ahead of us, until we explore it. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain Starting on May 4, 2012, we will start our backpacking journey, through eastern Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, and then finally China and Hong Kong. Let a different life begin!