Category: English

One Year of Nomading

Leggi in italiano qui

Not all those who wander are lost

headshot

A year ago today, hungover and cold, I left my beloved London and embarked on my first “official” nomading trip. In between going back and forth to London to resolve some bureaucratic issues (hello citizenship!), over the course of the next 12 months I travelled to Argentina, the US and Canada, Italy and Thailand, where I am right now.

Anniversaries, like New Year’s Eve and similar moments, always prompt some reflection and taking stock, so I thought I’d jot down some of the lessons learnt (or unlearnt!) over the course of this very interesting year.

– Pack less: you won’t need half of the stuff you’re throwing in your suitcase/backpack.

– Pack smarter: some things you really cannot replace while out on the road. It does take time to refine your packing skills.

– Make time to connect with people “at home” (wherever that may actually be – my loved ones are spread around the world), even if it sometimes means Skyping at dawn.

– Continue posting pics on Facebook that highlight the good life you’re living now (or just how happy/content you are) despite many, MANY people telling you that they’ve had enough of being envious. They love you, they want to see more, and you should try to inspire them to go after what they want too. 🙂

– Learn to appreciate fleeting and intense friendships. In this digital nomading game, people walk in and out of your life on a regular basis (usually this is just when you’ve realised how awesome they are and how cool it is to hang out with them), and you have got to get to grips with the fact that they will leave tomorrow. But then again, you might meet them somewhere else along the way, and then it will suddenly feel like you’re home again. Guys, you know who you are!

– Don’t sweat the small stuff. I am usually already pretty good at this, and this relaxed, healthier life is just pushing me more in that direction. Comments, littledetails, niggling annoyances… can all be banished to the recycle bin.

– Learn some words in the local language. With Spanish it was easy, with Thai not so much. Admittedly I have done a poor job in Thailand, only knowing hello, thank you and, my current favourite, how to say “5” (it is “ha”, so when you want to say LOL or hahaha in Thai, you just type 555! Great, isn’t it?). Must do better.

– Break out of the usual working patterns. Before, I could not write if people were being noisy next to me or with music playing… Now, I make do (I do think I probably need to invest in some good noise-cancelling headphones). I can concentrate in a busy cafe (if the food and coffee are good!) just as much as I did in my quiet apartment.

– Tropical weather is bad for electronic devices. Remember that.

– Think outside the box. This has been the biggest take-home so far. I am constantly plagued by self-doubt about not being able to do something or not being good at something else, and more and more, by talking to people here and just seeing the kind of opportunities people have seized, I ask myself “well why the hell not me?”, so I’ve been expanding my concept of what I can and want to do and throwing myself out there.

– It’s OK to drink water and go home early. As my friend the Happy Chanterexplained it beautifully in her own blog post, you don’t have to be part of every social event, gathering or party going on. You need to be a bit selfish sometimes, to make sure you’re healthy (in body and soul/mind) and do what is good for YOU. Some people may be travelling to party all the time, props to them. I am travelling to see the world and be healthy but most of all to concentrate on my own projects that I’ve been putting off for far too long. So 5 nights out of 7, after dinner accompanied by water, I go home to rest, watch some Netflix and sleep, ready for the next day. Those other 2 nights I’ll go out, have drinks and enjoy myself (not that I don’t the other times) and go home when I want to – which, it turns out, is still pretty early compared to my “previous” life… And you know what? I don’t feel bad about that! It’s great. If you find that boring, that’s your problem. 🙂

– Don’t go by first impressions too much: people and situations can surprise you.

– Be open to discussing your projects and ideas, and the problems you may be having with them. Chances are, as you talk through them, you’ll get a new idea or someone else could come up with something interesting. And if not, it’s still good practice for pitching and networking.

– And finally, it’s ok to be a SLOWMAD (slow nomad). Go at your own pace, because, after all, that’s the only pace that matters.

 

DCIM100GOPRO

Here’s wishing to more years of successful and healthy nomading!

 

Phi Phi misadventure

Leggi in italiano qui

FLASHFORWARD – I am soooo behind with this blog that I have decided, in an attempt to have it follow my travels, to jump forward to current events and then to go back later and fill in the gaps. So here we go!

 

I am now in Thailand. I was very lucky that my good friend D., in need of some escape from the UK, wanted to do Thailand too so we travelled together. He flew from London and I from Rome, we met in Dubai and travelled the rest of the way here. 36 hours travelling is not fun, so it took us a while to get into the swing of things.

But arriving in Lanta makes everything worthwhile. More on Lanta and Lanta life in another post. Today I want to tell you about our PHI PHI MISADVENTURE.

We decided to go to the famous island of Phi Phi for a few days and visit the amazing locations of the film “The Beach”. As PP (as I’m gonna call it from now on) is a famous party/backpacker island, we didn’t want to be right in the middle of the chaos, and so we decided to book a resort that was away from the main area. Oh, how smart we thought we were!

So on the first day we arrive, enjoy our almost private beach and chill. In the afternoon we decide to go into Ton Sai (the main town) to have dinner and explore – you can only move around the island by boat as there are no roads. Now… Ton Sai is one side of this beautiful bay, divided from the other bay by just a thin strip of sand that connects the two parts of Phi Phi Don. It would have been a magical place, were it not for the fact that after the tsunami (which hit this island in a catastrophic way) they’ve overbuilt and the once strip of sand is now alleys of buildings and shops. When you walk there you forget you’re even on island…

Anyway, we get a longtail boat into Ton Sai. We have been told that coming back to our beach (Rantee) at night will be more expensive but we are prepared to negotiate. So we walk, have dinner and then, about 9pm, we decide to get the boat taxi back to Rantee. We negotiate the price down to 1000 Baht and hop onto a longtail boat. As we leave Ton Sai bay, the sea starts getting rougher and windier. The boat starts jumping up and down, rolling sideways, at times almost going under a wave. D. and I, instinctively, cling onto each other, not saying a word. We’re getting sprayed like crazy, dancing in the boat, all around us the pitch black sea with only the far-off lights of fishing boats in the distance. I am terrified. So is D. We grab each other’s hand. Perhaps a little too dramatically, I think to myself, OK if this is how I die, at least I’m in a happy place.

Just then, the engine slows down to nothing and we just float over the big waves. We look around, ask the pilot what is happening. He says nothing. It looks like he’s waiting for something. We strain our eyes over the dark sea. Nothing. Suddenly a though hits me: what if he’s waiting for another boat to come and rob us, or worse? You sometimes hear these stories when travelling and think it’s never going to happen to you, until it does. So now we are scared for different reasons (although the sea is still very rough). After a few minutes of this tension, our pilot turns the boat around and says “big wave”. And with that, he takes us back to Ton Sai. Annoyed but hugely relieved, we get off the boat and pay him 100 baht for the petrol he used. The organiser of the taxi boats come over, trying to tell us he can find us a more experienced pilot – but on the same boat – for triple the original price. At this stage I start to think the whole thing is a scam, but neither D. nor I feel like braving the rough dark sea again, so we set off in search of a hotel for the night – getting back to Rantee is now impossible.

We find a hotel then go buy some toothbrushes and toothpaste, then basically pass out. The next morning, we decide to walk up to the Lookout point, a place high up on the island that affords beautiful views of the twin bays and strip of sand. We have been told, and the wise internet confirms this, that once you’re up there, there is a path in the jungle that takes you back down to our beach. We had briefly considered it the night before but had (wisely, as it turns out) decided against it.

So, in our flip flops we set off up the hill. It’s hot and humid but the way is paved and it has steps so we make it easily. The view at the top is breath-taking. We sit and enjoy it for a bit, then, eager to get back to our rooms and our things, we start to follow the jungle trail. It was supposed to take around 20 minutes.

It turns into one hour of hell. The way is narrow and overgrown, and the mud slippery from the previous day’s rain. Logs cobwebs and other plants block the way. Then it starts going steeply downhill. And remember, we’re only wearing bloody flip flops. But the killer ingredient here is this: mosquitoes. Hundreds of them, greedily sucking on my legs. They attack me faster than I can kill them. This is driving me nuts, I feel like breaking through and running out of the jungle, except the only way is down with the threat of broken limbs. Both D. and I make a huge effort of will to keep ourselves calm and not freak out. At some point I slip down some mud, nearly going over the side of the path. Then D. slips, his flip flops having no purchase. We are swearing like truck drivers. We miss Lanta.

Finally, I can hear the sea. This means the end is in sight. Rushing but trying not to rush, we finish the last few dozens of metres and finally we’re on almost level terrain with the beach in front of us. I fight the urge to kneel down and kiss the sand. I run to put my swimsuit on and throw myself into the water, my legs bleeding and stinging from the vampire mosquito bites.

The next day we go on a one day tour of the beauties of Phi Phi Ley (the other island), Bamboo Island and Mosquito Island (no, apparently it’s not because it has lots of mosquitoes!). It manages to make us make peace with Phi Phi after that horrible ordeal. The only downside is that there are so many people… shouting, music, bloody selfie sticks. But it’s still worth it.

12341125_10153414103424234_1007108958579748593_n12308677_10153417205254234_4580934750442499257_nThe day after that, we happily return to Lanta.

What I am missing this week: nothing really, I am so happy in Thailand. Oh, wait, actually, one thing: sex! Hahahahahah (I’m gonna regret typing this, aren’t I?)

What I am not missing: the frenzied run up to Christmas, the cold of Europe, stress.

New word learnt this week: Bumgun! What a great word. Here is a picture of it.
bumgunANYWAY, LIFE IS GOOD!