We’ll Be Back, Thailand
We kissed Phuket Thailand goodbye a few days ago.
My farewell came with waterworks, since I had formed deep bonds on this island over a month living here. The Thailand leg of our journey was our experiment putting roots down somewhere, rather than just passing through. In this regard, we succeeded beyond our wildest imagination.
Phuket, with its lush geography and capable population, became our home away from home. Thank you to the receptionist who casually repaired our motorbike mirror. To the family who cooked our dinner most nights. To our trainers who were always tripping us, then giving us a hand up. To new friends from around the world we crossed paths with. To the sandy shores that embraced us all.
These memories make it difficult to leave, but easy to say “we’ll be back”.
In the quiet moments between winding down our affairs and packing our bags, I tried to process what I learned from this experience. Here were my biggest eye-openers that I hope to bring back with me:
We can make home anywhere: We were dubious about being able to settle down outside California, yet we did it for a month! While the Bay Area will always be “home home”, it was surprisingly effortless to acclimatize to a different part of the world. I am already nostalgic for the smell of ocean salt, street food carts, and motorbike wind in my hair. And the discomforts (broiling climate, rock-hard mattress, language/culture barriers) weren’t so bad after I embraced them. I learned that, as a human, I’m surprisingly resilient towards superficial “culture shocks”, and capable of putting down roots anywhere that I open my heart towards.
There are people wayyy crazier than us out there: Back in the States, our decision to leave our jobs to travel seemed like a crazy lifestyle choice. Here in Thailand, our classmates are all unanimously 10x less traditional than us. We shared meals, blows, and boats with new friends who’ve ventured far off the beaten path, including: a professional mime, poker player, teenage MMA champ, illicit digital nomad, early retiree in their 30s, and Muay Thai fighter turned chakra healer. I was inspired by people of all nationalities and all walks of life who are catching their dreams. I learned from their stories that anything’s possible, and that sometimes the biggest risk is the risk you’re not taking.
Fitness as a lifestyle… I get it now!: I never used to exercise because I didn’t like getting sweaty (truth hurts). So, training 2-4 hours per day in the Thai swelter was uncomfortable at first. But I discovered something magical -- every day after I’ve drenched my shirt in sweat (only 5 minutes in), my brain decides that I’m as gross as I’ll ever be, and therefore nothing holds me back from giving it my all. The post-workout high is intoxicating and lasts all day. I’ve heard of the mythical fitness lifestyle -- people who “have to” train every day, same as eating and sleeping. I experienced that for a month, and it feels great! Allen and I have an intention to be more active more regularly, because it makes every other aspect of our days better. Let’s see how well we accomplish this in the rest of this year!
The final verdict and upshot of all our Thailand impressions is... we’ll be back. Whether that’s in one year or two, and for how long at a time, I don’t know. But we’ll definitely come back for the lifestyle we designed in Phuket (the training, beaches, and laidback productivity). Plus, now we’re way too invested in seeing how this corner of the world evolves over time!
Until next time, Phuket!!
