For the past month, I had been fussing over an old story about SWING, a volunteer organization that offers a variety of counseling services and English lessons to sex workers of every gender in Bangkok.  And after a bit of cleanup and some calls to Thailand, I churned out a story for CNNGo, CNN’s Asia-travel website.

Yesterday I received a message from Chuck Thompson, a travel writer whose books have been part of my personal library since I decided to take the eastward jump. It just so happens that this was the same Thompson that would be contacting me on part of CNNGo. Taking some time off  to stop pacing in my 50-square-meter apartment, I gave him the go-ahead to print the piece today, which you can find on CNNGo’s website.