Returning & Adjusting to Home

Hi friends,

I realize I haven't written in a while. It's extraordinary how much faster life moves now I'm back. I returned April 17th, fought jetlag and greeted old friends, then started a new job on the 23rd. I thought the days between returning and restarting "the real world" would give me time to recover, or at least reorient. I didn't remember the speed at which I used to run my life. One blink, no pauses and I'm finishing my third week at work without even thinking about it.

Is it that easy to slip back into an American professional life? To spend $20 on a burger and beers? Wear a dress and heels? Advocate for increased bicycle ridership? Sing along to Disney songs and Radiohead at karaoke?

Well, yes actually.

I resumed my old life so quickly that I didn't finish processing my trip. Asia now tickles at the rear of my thoughts like a recent ex, or a complex problem with a solution just out of reach. Flashbacks hit me whenever I find quiet space, and I suffer from intense cravings for noodle soup like you wouldn't believe.

The other day I ordered pho to go from a place around the corner from my apartment. I pulled on a hoodie and my chacos for the walk. As I strolled along the quiet, lit, wide, clean sidewalk, a car passed by me and stopped at the red light. Normal American City life, right? My attention faded from the street and returned back to Bangkok. I closed my eyes to concentrate on the loud honking, the roads crowded with careening scooters driving on the wrong side, the stream of people navigating through the street vendors hawking clothes and lottery tickets and spiced meat that wafts over the burning heat even at night.

I breathe deep. Hold. Hold inside me.

Then I walk into a bright white hipster soup & beer restaurant, pay $8 for a poor imitation of my memories, and begin the journey home again.

Katie

Ko Tao Pictures

Ko Tao, Thailand take 2

(I hit send WAY before I wanted to, sorry for the lengthy boring unedited post before this!)

Ok. Anyway I arrived in the airport too late to make the Ko Tao ferry, so I hopped aboard the Ko Phan Ngan one instead. I stayed one night in a hostel just between sunset and sunrise beaches. The little alleyways connecting the two were entirely hostels, bars, loud music, and 'western' restaurants. Neon signs and flyers shouted Full Moon Party! Half Moon Party! Buy two buckets get one free! Happy shakes! Free body paint with bucket! Yet the place was eerily empty as the party ended a few days before. It's hard to imagine what the beaches look like covered in masses of drunk westerners playing with paint and fire. I met someone who was burned on the neck from playing fire jump rope. Um?

I ate on the beach with my toes dug deep into the soft white sand. The tide slowly crept up to me as I sipped a mojito, a Singapore Sling, a Mai Tai. The moon finally broke through the clouds and I could understand how the first visitors felt inspired to celebrate. It looks huge and beckoning. I sat for hours writing in my journal and enjoying the salty air. Inhale. Exhale. Stress disappear... If I hadn't already booked my ticket to Ko Tao the next morning, I probably would have stayed another night or two.

But onward to Ko Tao, where my new dive shop picked me up, set me up in my beachfront bungalow and gave me a book to begin studying instantly. First dive tomorrow. No pressure!

The instructors did a great job rehearsing various skills with me, and I felt way more comfortable in the water than I thought. Soon I was exploring coral reefs with my small class and New Zealander instructor. It's hard to explain just how amazing diving can be. There's so many fish and sea anemones and coral and urchins and slugs... Despite all I had just seen in my travels, I felt like this was one of the most amazing things I've ever done. Just unbelievable and unreal. It's like swimming in an aquarium! (I know how dumb this sounds.) The density of fish is crazy and amazingly they don't 'run away' from you. You're just as much a part of what's going on, observing and interacting. I could push water towards a giant school of fish and watch them all shift direction seamlessly, like an emergent being moving at once. Brightly colored Christmas Tree worms would close up for a minute and slowly pop back open. Triggerfish would signal for us to back away from their nest like a dog baring its teeth. I saw giant grouper, sting rays, angelfish, banner fish, baby fish, squid eggs, sea slugs, giant hermit crabs... So cool!

After the certification, I talked over the next few days with the dive center. Everyone in my dive class agreed to taking a day off for Songkran New Year then spending two days getting the Advanced certification. This meant 30m dives, a shipwreck dive, a night dive, a navigation dive and a drift dive. It only got more amazing.

What a life, really... Spending all day on a boat off a gorgeous island in between diving. The staff would cut up fresh pineapple and set out cookies after we came up. Nothing could taste better!

I think I'm hooked. Anybody want to go diving with me?



Katie

Ko Tao, Thailand

Hello friends!

Yes I've been home a few days now, but this is an excellent opportunity for me to reminisce about Southern Thailand.

Initially I imagined lying on a sandy white beach with a lone palm tree over my head while I read a book a day. You know, relaxing without a care in the world. No more 'must see' sights. A place to fix my dismal farmers tan. A badly needed vacation.

With that in mind, I started researching islands. Yes, it's a hard life picking out which tropical island you'll relax on for a week! I wanted quiet, hiking opportunities, a cheap beachfront bungalow, decent food options nearby, and close to an airport so I could fly from Hanoi.

From Surat Thani (which had the cheapest tickets), three islands are nearby: Ko Phan Ngan, Ko Samui, and Ko Tao. Evidently Ko Samui was initially that paradise, but giant resorts followed the backpackers in. Now it's a fully developed island lacking any Thai authenticity (or budget accommodation!) The same process is underway on Ko Phan Ngan - an island famous for the Full Moon Parties. I wanted to dodge the party scene, so Ko Tao was next. Since it's most known for scuba diving sites, I figured i could find a beach all to myself.

Over time though, the idea of scuba diving started to appeal to me. I traveled with a dive instructor in Thailand and Laos, and she did so much to make scuba sound amazing. I also have some scuba gear at the top of my closet (long story) still unused. So I did a little research and learned that an open water certification was just two days and included three nights accommodation. Done!

Katie

N Vietnam Pictures: Hanoi, The Ship, Approaching Rain, Easter Mass

Hanoi & Ha Long Bay

I realize I'm very slow on my updates; I have been scuba diving in Thailand the past week and taking time to absorb the end of my travels. Right now I'm in the airport waiting to fly back to Bangkok, where I spend one night before taking off for LAX.

I do plan on updating a bit when I get back; after I round out Koh Tao I will likely share more essay-like posts about my reflections. Think more 'Humility' post vs 'this is what I did today posts!'

That being said... I owe you a report on Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. I consider these locations the spiritual end to my travels as a backpacker, and honestly by Hanoi I was wearied by the tourist attraction circuit. Usually I at least made the effort to 'see the sights' of a given location, but in Hanoi I just walked and ate and hung out with new friends.

Upon arrival (after my canceled flight, remember) I made my way to the famous Hanoi Backpackers Hostel. Friends from Ho Chi Minh recommended the place to me and I was immediately struck by the number of folks staying there. It's a vast backpacker factory, complete with restaurant, bar, lounge, BBQ, computers etc on at least seven floors. (I asked later - they house about 200 beds at minimum $6/pop.) After all the gritty family run guesthouses I've stayed in, the bright colors and Western style was very jarring. Nevertheless, I figured this was the end of my trip across Indochina and it was appropriate to try the backpacker scene full stop before I left.

So I booked a booze cruise ticket with the hostel to Ha Long Bay.

Stories from the boat party are best left to private conversation. It's clearer to me now that I am not a hard partier, but I had a great time anyway.

The boat ride was absolutely gorgeous. You know what Ha Long Bay looks like: giant limestone karst jut out of the bay while screened in mist. We took a short kayaking trip to experience the scenery up close and paddled inside a cave, where I slipped and scraped myself up a bit. Figures.

At the end of the day, I stood quietly on the top deck watching the light fade away. I wanted Ha Long Bay to seep into my bones. I wanted all of my travels to reflect and magnify inside of me until I truly accepted all that I had experienced. It's happened. I'm here, on the deck of a ship in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. I have traveled through Southeast Asia without approval from my family or some of my close friends and made it by myself just fine. Cheers, Vietnam. Thank you for your beauty.

The next morning the clouds darkened and rain fell as we sailed back to the harbor. Everyone rushed inside the dining hall. I pled for a glass of hot tea and snuck out the back door under the deck to watch the last of the mountains disappear. My heart began to turn towards home.

Back in Hanoi, I made a half-hearted effort to visit the Temple of Literature. The lines were massive and tour groups trekked through like ants. Gradually but strongly I began to feel that I should not be there at all. It's April 8th, Easter, and the first thing I'm doing is visiting a temple. After all the blessings God has granted me, I couldn't ignore His pull on this holy day. So I bought my ticket and left for the giant Catholic cathedral in town. I arrived in time for the French service. To hear Easter mass in French while in a gothic Cathedral in Vietnam - well, it really defines the 'universal' Catholic church. Afterwards I felt overcome with gratitude and love. Maybe I was even shining because four Vietnamese university students asked to take a picture with me. They enjoyed it so much that they even asked for an individual picture each with me! Of course I then needed a picture with them for myself :). Only one spoke English and the rest just giggled and smiled really big. Very cute.

Actually, I think of all the countries I was the most popular in Vietnam. I was asked several times if I was part Vietnamese because I'm small. Many folks complimented me on my smile. I even was asked by two separate & lovely young women to be their English speaking pen pal!

On the way to the Hanoi airport late at night, the taxi driver even felt the need to ask me in broken English if I liked Vietnamese boys and if I would want a Vietnamese boyfriend. I demurred and said I liked boys close to where I live. He then asked me if Vietnamese penises were smaller than American penises!! I pretended to not understand his hand gestures and we didn't talk much after that.

From Hanoi to Bangkok overnight to Surat Thani to Ko Phan Ngan overnight to Ko Tao... And to be continued :)

Katie

Central Vietnam Pictures: My Som, me, mountains, Tu Duc Tomb