Time to Go

After 3 quick weeks in northern Thailand I'm already back in Bangkok packing my bags and preparing to leave for the last time. I am flying home to America the day after tomorrow after seven months in Southeast Asia. I can't even get my head around the fact that I'm going home. I've been gone for so long it just doesn't feel real. I can't imagine myself not living out of a backpack, staying in each place for less than a week. Part of me is excited, I can't wait to see my friends and my family and I have a lot of exciting things to look forward to this summer. The other part of me is sad. The experiences of the past seven months have been life changing and I'm anticipating some major culture shock when I get back. 

This morning I checked out of the guest house where I had been staying in Chiang Mai. The lovely Thai woman behind the desk gave me a big hug and told me twice that she loved me and was going to miss me. I stayed there for 4 nights. This genuine kindness is typical throughout all of SEA and is what I love most about this part of the world. Yes the scenery is stunning and the food is delicious but the real story of Southeast Asia lies within the people. Never in my 25 years on this earth have I met more generous, warm, and friendly people. I have not once felt unsafe here, something I can't say is true even at home. There is a gentleness amongst the people here that just doesn't exist in the western world. We are too focused on work, money, and status that we have completely distracted ourselves from actually enjoying our lives. We spend our entire lives working so that if and when we make it to 65, then we can enjoy ourselves. But the purpose of life is to live. I know for me, it is not meant to be lived in one place or doing one thing. I have confirmed what I already knew, the American Dream is not my dream. I will forever value new sights, smells, and sounds over a new car or money in the bank. I appreciate the luxuries that home has to offer but I recognize that they are just that: luxuries. They are not necessities. While I am looking forward to a full wardrobe and my own bedroom, I know it won't be long before my feet are itchy and I'm ready to carry my life on my back again.

Although I don't feel ready to go home at all, I have tried unsuccessfully 3 times to refund my ticket and it looks like it isn't meant to be. So in 2 days I'm flying across the globe and settling down on Cape Cod for a few months of summer while I plan my next adventure. I'm not quite willing to give up this lifestyle and I am fortunate enough to have a home on a beautiful island where I can continue to live laid back and care free all the while making and saving enough money so that the second the temperature drops I can be on an airplane. 

I often get overwhelmed thinking about all of the places I want to go. I know that I have plenty of time to go everywhere but my western mind wants instant gratification; I want to go everywhere now! Before I left home I thought that this trip would get the travel bug out of my system and I'd be ready to return home and resume "real life"- get a job, get an apartment, etc. I didn't even plan to be gone very long, I figured 3 months would be my max. But here I am, over half a year later and still trying to come up with excuses for the airline to change my flight. It seems wanderlust is in my blood and it isn't going anywhere. The question is, where am I going?! I guess I've got a few months to figure it out..

Asia has been nothing I expected and everything I needed. I am going to miss this place so much. Reading back through all of my posts I notice a very evident theme, gratitude. Traveling to 7 different third world countries opened my eyes to a different type of living. I have been constantly reminded of how fortunate I am to live a life full of opportunities and I intend to take advantage of them. I am so grateful for these past months, for all of the amazing people I have met, places I have seen, and things I have done. It has been the greatest adventure and I'm excited to see what life has in store for me next.

America, here I come!

Livin La Vida Laos (and Vietnam and Thailand)

Six weeks in Vietnam flew by. After Rose and I parted ways I reluctantly booked a tour to Sapa. I hate doing organized tours as they are never as fun as exploring a place on your own and don't allow for much spontaneity but I found an insanely cheap price and decided to take a chance. Upon arriving in Sapa at 6am after 8 hours on the bus, there were a few local guys ready to pick up passengers for their various tours. Naturally, my name was not on any of the lists they had and after sitting on the curb for an hour after the last person had departed I was starting to wonder what the hell I was going to do. I'd met a German guy on the bus the night before who was smart enough to only book the bus and instead rent a bike and explore the town on his own. So I counted my losses and joined him for 3 days of motor biking through misty muddy mountainside rice paddies. We stayed in the tiny valley village of Lao Cai and met the sweetest locals I've come across. The husband and wife at our guest house were so friendly and helpful and ended up contacting my tour company for me and getting them to fund my stay. I swear I have the best karma. We spent the 2nd night across the street at another guest house and I'm still regretting not taking a picture of the old lady who ran it. She was toothless and adorable and the only sentences she said were "tea Vietnam" when pouring our tea and "Sapa brrr" when accurately describing the weather forecast. 

After experiencing the cold in Sapa I was excited to get to Cat Ba island where it would hopefully be sunny and slightly warmer. I had no such luck, the island was chilly and foggy and more or less deserted. Once again being on my own, I found the place eerily quiet and decided to spend only one night. I made the most of my time on the island by renting a motor bike and finally after 6 months I drove one all by myself!! It was shockingly easy and I'm now contemplating buying a scooter to zip around on Cape Cod this summer. And despite the fog I still had stunning views of Halong Bay and the enormous limestone karsts.

{Ignore the selfie stick and instead focus on the crazy limestones in the water and the fact that I'm on a bike by myself}

Back in Hanoi the following night I knew that my time in Vietnam had come to an end. Saying goodbye to my favorite country wasn't easy and I was nervous that the rest of my trip wouldn't compare. With sadness and excitement I boarded a flight to Laos, deciding that the 30 hour bus journey was too much to handle, and jetted off to my 7th country of the trip. 

{Flight got cancelled 10 minutes prior to departure though and I got one final night in Nam!}

Arriving in Luang Prabang I had no idea what to expect and was very pleasantly surprised. The city was quaint and quiet with a touch of a French influence. April is dry season, hot season, and the end of tourist season so the city was quieter than usual but I enjoyed a few relaxing days after being caught up in the hustle and bustle of Hanoi. I visited the most beautiful waterfall I have ever seen, ate at a $1 vegetarian street food buffet every night and did yoga overlooking the river and mountains. I found myself a little bit bored after 4 days of relaxation though and booked a bus to Vang Vieng. 

4 hours in a mini van winding through mountains was slightly torturous and once I arrived in Vang Vieng I was so nauseous I had to go straight to sleep. I planned to spend 4 days in VV and ended up getting stuck for a full week as often happens on my travels. The landscape in Laos is beautiful and there is no shortage of activity in Vang Vieng. A pub crawl on tubes down a river, swimming lagoons, cycling, rock climbing, hiking there are lots of adventures to be had in that town. There's also lots of cheap street food and bars that play marathons of Friends and Family Guy all.day.long. It's a stoner's paradise so being lazy is quite easy as well. I found a nice balance of active days and lazy nights and was lucky enough to meet a group of friends in my hostel who quickly turned to family.

Two weeks came and went in Laos and before I could blink my eyes I was back in Bangkok, eating pad thai, drinking Chang, and spending hours at the spa. After 2 days in Bangkok, I reunited with a Dutch boy that I met during my travels in Vietnam and we headed north to Chiang Mai for Songkram (Thai new year) celebrations. The city shuts down for 4 days for this water festival and it turns into an all out war zone. You can't walk down the street without locals dumping buckets of water over your head and foreigners strapped with water guns spraying you down. It's really difficult to describe it, I don't know any country that has any sort of similar celebration but it is quite literally a 4 day water gun fight with an entire city. I spent every day roaming the streets armed with my hot pink Hello Kitty super soaker seeking revenge from every person that aimed in my direction. 

We just arrived in Pai and are planning to rent bikes and explore the surrounding area. I only have two weeks left on this amazing Southeast Asian journey and I plan to spend them all in Northern Thailand relaxing by a pool, doing yoga, eating delicious food, trying Muay Thai boxing, and of course spending the last of my budget on unnecessary clothing and accessories. It's going to be very difficult to leave this continent but knowing I have an excited welcome crew of friends and family will make it a bit easier.