What South East Asia Taught Me

Here we go! I’m 6 months late to the game but I’ve been trying to write down my thoughts on my recent visits to South East Asia (July and December). I’m trying to look at my travels as more than just “fun”. I truly believe that a well traveled person brings a lot to the “table” and i’d love to continue growing and moulding my perspectives through my travels.

So without further ado, here’s my five lessons from my visits!

(Temporarily) Living in Singapore Someday

I spent a full 6 days in the wonderful city-state of Singapore in July. Having grown up in another new-ish metropolitan, I found myself immediately relating to the immense growth and buzz that Singapore offers. It helped that I had an uber-cool cousin living in the city who gave me a glimpse into what life might be like if I ever did live there!

Comparisons Between Countries is Near Impossible

Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand. The cultural differences between the countries are just so stark that pooling them together under “South East Asia” just seems unfair. I took away something different from each country, and I don’t think I’ll ever look at that region the same again.

Finding my Favorite “Get-Away-From-the-World” City

Bali has redefined my idea of getting away. I found time to white water raft, visit temples, relax on the beach, and eat some wonderful food. Did being there for the FIFA World Cup have anything to do with it? Maybe? Nonetheless, I see myself going back sometime (soon I hope).

Striving for More Family Travel

Barring Hong Kong, I had the privilege of spending my time in these wonderful cities with my family. In some cases it was family and friends, in some cases in was family and more family. I loved every combination I had, and my experiences were my own. What I did realize was that spending all this time exploring and doing new things with my family really helped me connect with them. Especially since I spend more time away from them than with them.

So I’m going to try and do more of that. Staycations or vacations, it’s clear to me that fun times accompany family time!

Tattoos Are Painful

And finally, the most….”permanent” experience. I’d been struggling to find the right message or symbol to get tattooed on my body for a while now. Bouncing between text and images, I finally found something that I just related to on a fundamental level. I found a sense of comfort in yin and yang, and decided to take the plunge and finally get a tattoo… in a more creative way!

It took about 2 hours, and it hurt to the point of numbness. All things said and done, I wear it on my bad with pride, and it reminds me that the life is full of yin and yang.

There we go. Those were my moments of clarity. Not all of them were profound, or any of them for that matter. But I’ve learnt more from my travels than I can write down, and I look forward to my next adventure - near or far.

Thanks for tuning in!

- P