6 Month In and Going Strong

Wow. 6 months. 6 months of living a dream. I have moments where I have to (figuratively) pinch myself to check that it's true. Don't get me wrong, not every aspect is dream-like, like when you show up at your budget hotel to find that the "mattress" is a piece of fabric-covered plywood. Or the hours and hours spent on an overnight bus, really regretting sleeping through that last bathroom stop. Or how it seems that none of the global population has ever heard of headphones and insists on playing a partial song clip on repeat, at full blast, from the seat next to you (why do so many of these have to do with buses?). But overall, I think Johnny said it best a few weeks ago when we were standing at a mountain outlook. He said something along the lines of "I've lived a whole lifetime in the last few months". Quitting our jobs and using a big chunk of our savings was obviously a big decision, but it feels like the right one and I would make it again and again if given the chance. 

When I started writing this blog, I had a very different vision as to what it would be. We've been using a lot of blogs to plan our trip, reading in detail where to find the trailhead or the best coffee shop to try, so I thought naturally my blog would look similar; a sort of "how-to" for the different areas we've been to. I may have slightly attempted that in the early posts, detailing each day and the activities we planned. However, it became abundantly clear that that type of blog did not "spark joy" for me as they say. Once I shifted mentalities that I was not going to be a travel blog that others look to in order to plan their trips, it became more of a journal. Something that, when this is all done, I can print out and stick all together to read like a summary of our whole trip. It doesn't make for the most entertaining reading (hence that there are only a dozen or so people that read each post, thank you guys), but it's something that I've found that I enjoy doing. It feels like creating a time capsule of our trip that we'll be able to look back on and remember this amazing adventure. 

One of my greatest fears of this trip has been forgetting it....I know, I sound crazy, but there have just been so many moments that take my breath away, that when I'm in that moment, there is a tinge of the worry that this amazing moment will someday fade 10, 20, 30 years from now. This blog has helped alleviate that fear a bit. I also have to remind myself that, although I may not remember the name of every town we stayed, or every waterfall we swam in, I will remember how they made me feel. 

So how have these past 6 months gone? Designing the itinerary has been a daunting task, but Johnny has really handled the bulk of that work, and I love and appreciate him so much for that. I took over for a couple countries to give him a break, like Malaysia and the Philippines, but because we're planning as we go, it's lots of booking hotels for that night, buses for the next day, researching what tours to do, where is the best place to rent a motorbike, etc. etc. It can be a lot and we're never more than 3 to 4 days planned out at most. I laugh now at 2022 Bobbie that said silly things like "I'm estimating 3 to 4 months for South East Asia". Poor, naive Bobbie. Turns out you can spend 8 to 10 months in SE Asia and STILL be skipping major "must-sees", what a cool part of the world that warrants attention and appreciation at every turn. We had almost exactly 6 months to do SE Asia, with a hard deadline to be done by July for a very important reason. 

Well before this trip even started, I had plans to go to South Africa with my girls for our 40th birthday. We've literally had this trip planned since we were all together in Barcelona for our 35th. My besties and I made a promise to each other that, no matter what is happening in our lives, we will do a trip together every 5 years to celebrate our birthday milestones together. Year 30 was New Orleans, year 35 was Barcelona, and year 40 is South Africa. My dear friend Liberty put out the bid for South Africa for our 40th. When we lost Liberty suddenly a few years ago in 2019, we were left with a huge hole in our hearts. It was unanimous that we would continue with the trip in her memory, planning to be in Cape Town on July 26 for what would have been her 40th birthday. So we had a hard deadline to be in Africa, and before the birthday celebration in South Africa, we're doing a quick stop in Tanzania for Safari and Zanzibar, both big bucket items for me, made even better by the fact that I will be with my childhood friend Rachel.  

 

Not a day goes by that I don't think about how lucky we are to be able to do this, something that I know is not realistic for most people and I'm so appreciative of. I miss family and friends of course, but I don't miss home, home is with me everywhere I go with Johnny. After almost 9 years together, I knew we'd be good doing this together, but a part of me did wonder how our relationship would evolve through this experience. It is intense as a couple to do something like this. You are together WAY more than your life back home, but we try to create those independent moments and activities to create space as well. Through this, we've grown even closer and, although I thought we knew every facet before, I do feel like we've grown to know each other even more. Johnny helps me through some of my anxious airport moments, I keep us organized with the budget, sorting laundry, and keeping us stocked in water and toothpaste. Although there are times where we have to move to "travel companion mode" to navigate a tricky situation, like getting delayed at the Cambodian border, or having a Visa rejected at an airport, overall it's been amazing to be able to do this with my best friend. 

So with another year left to go, we'll see what else this journey has in store for us. I'm sure times that will challenge us, and moments of growth and learning, but more than anything else, a grand adventure.