Back and changed forever. I know now why I had to be there. For many reasons, all of them very important. What happens when you listen to the universe. I am forever thankful and excited for the future. Will be slowly uploading footage as I maintained my vow to stay off social media for the duration...
I have never experienced the feeling of “home sickness” I was meant to be a wanderer I believe. I always feel so hungry for difference. However on this trip there were things I did miss about home, and some I completely didn’t:
Things I eventually missed about home:
1. Central air vs the AC units in Thailand lol they use ac units everywhere, and it wreaked havoc on our respiratory systems , we both came back with colds.
2. Lack of my normal health foods. Not to say you can’t find healthy options, the fruit was amazing- but the bulk of meals are rice or noodles, some sort of meat, and specks of veggies. We’re used to heavy veggies and low carbs- it was the most carbs I’ve eaten in years. However we were walking so much it didn’t hurt.
3. My workouts. Like I said we walked and hiked so much we had little energy for scheduled workouts, and I think it actually did my body good- but man did I sure miss my regular yoga and gym practices!!
Things I missed 0%:
1. Social media. This one surprised me a bit- it took a few days of mindfully forcing myself to stay off and not mindlessly check during down time. But after that it became surprisingly easy. It’s crazy how much of our lives is habit. We fall into the same routine day in day out, with no regard to how it’s effecting our wellbeing. It was so nice to not WANT to check it. To not care what everyone else was doing. To focus on my life here and now. It was beautiful, and a wonderful lesson I brought back home with me. It’s not important. It is not the real world. It’s just a game. It’s the fucking matrix.
2. Cold weather. Seriously. Fuck this shit.
3. The culture exchange. Asian culture is so much cooler than American culture... or lack there of. The people, the practices, the mindfulness, everything is pretty much superior.
4. Speaking of superior- The temples, such as the magnificent Wat Arun, I will never tire of seeing such amazing temples on every corner vs the churches on every corner in the Bible Belt. I felt way more spiritually connected to the faith there, than I ever have to the faith here.
The whole trip I kept a diary, actually while jotting down some notes on a train from Hua Hin to Bangkok a UK man commented to me about how you never see that anymore, everyone is on their phones recording everything but never writing. I smiled knowing that I was really keeping my notes abroad so that I could blog them later in detail- but this stuck with me and I actually did enjoy writing about my adventures every evening or in my downtime on trains etc. So I do think I will be taking up journaling back home as well. I will dispel my journal to follow over the next few weeks. There is so much footage, and I still didn’t get everything I wanted to on film, but I’m learning to be ok with this- as I realize now that some things are just meant for me alone. Just because I didn’t capture it in a time capsule doesn’t mean it will be forgotten. ️...
Preface:
This is just a visual tour through my eyes while I was there. But it’s also just that. It’s MY experience. So I won’t be divulging every little detail of my whereabouts and locations, hotels I stayed at etc to everywhere. It will be more general.
I do this because I believe traveling places like this should be a very personal thing, and everyone should have to forge their own path.
My path is not your path and vice verse. If you have specific questions ask me privately. Some things were good, some things were not- but that’s part of the fun! To figure it out as you go.
So my advice is to pick places and stays based on what you want or need, there is so much to see and do there’s no real wrong way to go. So do your research, do it your style, and make your own way like I did.
And I CAN tell you from my experience no matter how much research you do,you’ll still be kind of lost- but isn’t that the point!?
Namaste