Travel
The Loneliness of Malaysia
The day had come for me to move on from Thailand. I wasn’t ready. I had barely scratched the surface of what there was to see and explore in this beautiful country. I thought I had nothing but time but unfortunately, the tourist visa claimed otherwise. My flight to Kuala Lumpur was early at 7 am. That wasn’t even the worst part. Earlier in the morning, I had awoken by my stomach, screaming at me.
Sweet Pai For New Years
At the end of December, I made the trek north to Pai. I decided it was the place to see in the new year. It was strange though, I felt like my year had actually begun at the beginning of the month, not the end. I guess in reality it’s not that strange, given the huge shift in lifestyle, quitting my job, and leaving home at the beginning of December. Nevertheless, I found myself in this small, mountainous, hippie town, in the far northwestern corner of Thailand, to see out the calendar year.
The Christmas Bite
We were riding in convoy up a highway north of Chiang Rai towards the golden triangle. Where the border of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos meet. Wearing jeans, a hoodie, and my raincoat over top, it was still cold. I never expected to be so cold in Thailand. The windchill factor of riding a motorbike at 80kmh made it feel all too much like home. I had met an American guy in my hostel the day before.
The National Park
The bus dropped me off on the side of the street in a small town not that far north of Bangkok. A pick-up truck pulled up and asked if I was, “Nathan.” He grabbed my bag, threw it on the flatbed, and told me to jump on. Strange, given there was nobody sitting in the passenger seat up front. We hurtled down the highway as I held onto my hat and my seat.
Goodbye, Hello.
I had made a decision. I was going to buy a one-way ticket to Thailand and travel for as long as I could. It was almost freeing to finally commit to travelling the world. It gave me something to be excited about. Of course there was some anxiety thrown in for balance. Though, having some direction and a goal to shoot for, made life a bit more interesting. My final few days at my current job were not one of reflection, relaxation, and reminiscing.
In The Beginning
It’s 7 am, the birds are beginning their morning song while your alarm goes off. You roll over, smash the snooze button and curl back into a still tired ball of a human. Eventually, you have to give in. You fall out of bed and make your way, zombie-like, to the shower. You eat breakfast, something quick that doesn’t take too much effort, make instant coffee, because who has time to make quality at this time of the morning, and you head out the door to work.
2018 Wrap Up
2018 saw me in 15 countries, taking 27 flights, and travelling over 80,000km. It was a year of new places, new food, and new experiences. It was my best yet. The year started with a bang—literally. I saw in the new year in a small town called Pai, located in the north west of Thailand, not that far from the border of Myanmar. I was sitting on a swing on the side of the river with my new friend Michelle, watching all the people light their lanterns and set off commercial grade fireworks that were available all around town.