I am going to Southeast Asia!!!
On my 25th birthday, I had the idea of writing my 35-year-old self a letter. I thought it’d be fun for my older, settled self to pay a visit to my bright-eyed, experience-hungry self and look back on how far I’d come in life. A few months ago, I came across that letter in my top drawer and decided to just take a peek at what I’d written. I got a third of the way down and read in bold print “IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN TO THAILAND YET, STOP READING AND BOOK A TRIP!!” So I essentially did just that.
In that moment I realized that I didn’t want to look back on my life and be disappointment by all the things I’d wanted to do but didn’t make time for. So… I’m checking this off my list. 10 days from now (and after a 23 hour plane ride), I will be embarking on the trip of a lifetime to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.
When I first told my parents about this trip, I don’t think they really got it. My dad asked, “Why don’t you just go to France?” while my mom replied “Are you expecting to have an ‘Eat, Pray Love’ moment?” I sat back and thought about this. While I will always have a special place in my heart for Europe and plan to spend many future vacations there, I felt like I needed to go somewhere unlike any place I’d ever seen before. My hope in taking this trip is to completely remove myself from my everyday life and be surrounded by a culture so unfamiliar and so mysterious that I am forced to fully immerse myself into the unknown. What I love about travel is that it pushes your limits. You inevitably learn new things about yourself and never return as the same person. And yes, I do intend on having an “Eat, Pray, Love” moment if I’m being honest. Here’s how:
Eat
Southeast Asia is the street food capital of the world! Not to mention there are gorgeous fruits and vegetables available everywhere! From an early morning visit to a floating market to a traditional Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai, I plan on devouring as much food as possible!
Pray
Ok, so I’m not a Buddhist. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t visit these gorgeous temples! Giving early morning alms to monks, receiving a traditional blessing and an attempt at meditation are on my list of things to do in order to explore my spirituality.
Love
And of course, I do plan on falling in love… with the culture, the people, the wildlife, the way of life, the smiles, the lessons and the beautiful memories I will keep with me forever.
See you soon, Southeast Asia. <3
for the next letter/trip consider Indonesia too! 🙂 enjoy your time in Southeast Asia!
I plan on making a second trip at some point! Definitely on my list 🙂
So inspiring! Great post, hope you have the best time!
Thank you so much!! I’ll be sure to post while I’m away…stay tuned 🙂
Just got back from there, I’m slowly going to be posting my experience in a “Thailand/Cambodia Series”. Congratulations. It was absolutely incredible; everything I could have asked for and more.
Nice! Can’t wait to follow along!!
This is amazing! I have so much respect for you to just go and book a southeast asia excursion on a whim! Love it! I just came back from Phnom Penh, Cambodia- a trip that impacted me deeply. In fact I have some suggestions on where to stay, and how to stay safe that I learned from my time there. If interested let me know and I’d be more than happy to show you links/ email you what I learned along the way. Have a BLAST in your trip of a lifetime! Bon Voyage!
Awwww! Thanks for such a great post! I will be heading to the Philippines soon, so this resonated with me well!!
Nice! Enjoy the Philippines!
You go girl! This is so great!
Love this and you, even after so many years and distance. I feel like what you’re doing is amazing and I cannot wait to read about your travels, experiences and discoveries… both of the culture and yourself. Take lots of pics, write your arse off and let us travel with you! And also, please say hi to your mom and dad for me : )
Thank you, Krysta!! Say hi to your family as well!
Tanisha I am so proud of you for following your dreams and your heart! You are wise beyond your years.. live you life with no regrets. and HAVE FUN!!! I will be thinking about you as you travel. Be safe.. I know, such a mom thing be we worry about you crazy young people.
Hey Donna!!!! So good to hear from you 🙂 Thank you so much!