It’s been a long time since I’ve written something like this. I haven’t sent out a newsletter since December, which is usually my opportunity to write about where I am and what I’m doing chronologically. I think there was this fear that I was just repeating myself and the same lessons I’ve been learning twelve times over. It might be true but what can ya do…

Sri Lanka was a weird time for me

Maybe you got that from my other posts about Sri Lanka…Don’t get me wrong: there were definitely things I liked about it. But overall, it wasn’t my cup of [Ceylon] tea 😉

I think the thing that’s gone unsaid is that my time there was especially shaped by the people I was traveling with. Their constant judgment of the world around them got me down. I felt like they came at everything from a place of moral superiority, deciding who and what was right and wrong in the world.

They made me feel like I wasn’t ambitious enough, I wasn’t fit enough, I didn’t eat healthy or vegan enough, I wasn’t selfless enough, I wasn’t trying hard enough to save the world. I made bad decisions about men, I was too afraid, too weak.

Whatever I was, I felt like it wasn’t the right thing at all. I know I’m not perfect and I genuinely appreciate when people call me out on my shit because I want to learn and be better. But this wasn’t that.

I don’t say this to call them out or start beef or something. It just feels disingenuous to talk about Sri Lanka and not mention this bit.

:/

Besides all that, there were definitely moments that stood out for me about Sri Lanka: I loved seeing and learning about the tea plantations and drinking all the tea; some of the beaches we went to were absolutely breathtaking; seeing wild elephants roam around is never not wonderful…

No, I didn’t meet any new people or have any big fun nights out or anything — but I DID read 12 books in two months so. That’s impressive.

Bali: Everything Instagram promised it would be

It was a massive relief to get to Bali after Sri Lanka. Holy hell I can’t describe the unique joy of eating wholesome, nutritious western food after two months of dry, crumbly rice and cold, mushy dal. I ate the FUCK out of some vegetable soup and crusty, wholegrain bread while in Canggu. Smoothie bowls and poke bowls and Greek food and really good eggs!

Your Instagram feed is not kidding about the food in Bali.

I holed up in my room and worked for a solid two weeks without meeting or even speaking to anyone else. After being made to feel inadequate in almost every way – especially professionally – while in Sri Lanka, I was grateful to have more work come in that month to feel productive and to earn some much-needed coin.

Bali felt like “coming back to myself” in a way. I had a higher standard of comfort and convenience compared to Sri Lanka, and that allowed me to apply my energies elsewhere (this is a huge theme for me when it comes to the digital nomad lifestyle by the way).

I tried a dancehall class which was a lot of me sweating and merely approximating the choreography… I also tried something called aerial yoga which made me feel like a monkey dangling upside down in the air. It was great fun.

I swam in the most incredible waterfall I’ve ever seen in my life…

After my two weeks of isolation, I met up with some friends I had made in Thailand – Hannah, Leroy, and then Sarah – and had the best time with them, respectively.

Sarah and I went up to Amed and stayed there for a week or so. We met up with some friends from Koh Tao who were in Bali for freediving. I spent time in the sea and Sarah taught me a few freediving basics that immediately and exponentially upped my mermaid game.

And then I came back to Thailand.

The Vogels do Thailand 2.0

I was so excited my parents came to visit! I met them in Thailand and we had one of the best family holidays to date.

It was different from the first time they came to visit me in Thailand in 2013 because this time they were experienced travelers, and they knew what to expect.

I loved getting to show them my life and my friends here. I loved going down to Koh Tao and experiencing it as someone would when on a real vacation. It’s easier to appreciate Koh Tao’s natural beauty when you don’t live there. Dare I say, I fell in love with the island all over again. (Nooooo not againnnnn!)

I live in Chiang Mai now

With the departure of my parents, it was time to settle into a new life in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai had charmed me and I had been planning to return ever since I left in January.

It’s funny because I’ve literally moved 27 times (to 18 different places – went to some multiple times) in the past 6 months and there have been moments of unfathomable travel fatigue when I’ve wanted nothing more than to bury myself in bed with Netflix and takeout AND NEVER GO ANYWHERE AGAIN.

Now that I’m finally stationary (Mishvo NOT in motion if you will), I’m getting that itch to leave, to get away again. I’m not gonna scratch it though. What I’ve realized is moving around all the time has become a bit of a distraction from other things I want to be doing with my energy. It has allowed me to neglect/be lazy about certain things. So I want to sit still now and face myself. I want to create a *cue Little Mermaid singing voice* what’s that word again? Routiiiiiiiiine.

Here’s to that.

{Okay to be clear I do have some travel coming up – I have a visa run next month and 2 week trip to Japan with Christie in October and I have to go to LA to see my grandma at some point. So I’m not, like, not traveling at all. Just less.}