January, February and March of 2019 were such a whirlwind of destinations, climates, emotions, activities and friendships. I visited four countries, three of which were new destinations for me, made an endless number of new friends, battled with my mental health struggles again, had several new family and personal struggles emerge, and had some of the most rewarding experiences of my life. To say it was eventful is definitely an understatement.
So before I get too carried away with the rest of this year (how is it already June??), I want to take a moment to recap all of these experiences — the good, the bad, and the crazy! If you are at all interested in finding out what the first three months of this year looked like for me, then dive on in to my first recap of the year.
Where Have I Been?
My last update was a big one — my first travel anniversary. I covered off on every country I visited during my first 12 months on the road. This update will be a little less colossal in that regard, but with just as many juicy details. In this post, I want to cover off on the destinations I explored during the first three months of this calendar year.
Total Countries Visited
The Last 3 Months – 5 Countries
During the first three months of the year, I visited five countries, including a brief two week stopover in Australia.
The first three months of this year, chronologically, looked a little like this:
- January: Thailand
- February: Cambodia and Malaysia
- March: Australia and New Zealand
In My Lifetime – 17 Countries
New Countries Visited – 2
Since the clock struck midnight and rang in the New Year, I have visited two new countries. I landed in Thailand on 28 December 2018, so it technically formed part of my “new countries” of 2018 and was included in my last update…
- Cambodia
- Malaysia
Countries Revisited – 1
As seems to be the pattern for the last three years, I revisited one of my favourite countries again this year:
- New Zealand
Experiences in Each Country
So now is the time when I share my highlights, favourite moments, and most incredible people from each of the countries I visited during the first three months of 2019.
1. Thailand
I talked a lot about Thailand in my last update as it was the final destination during my first year of travels. I spent a solid four weeks in this popular travel destination and visited a variety of different regions in both the South and the North. It was a country of extremely varied experiences.
There were many nights of sand-between-my-toes dancing, days full of epic solo motorbike adventures, moments focused on health and fitness, copious amounts of time spent figuring out how to effectively work remotely, and plenty of lengthy chats and adventures with diverse and interesting people.
Thank you, Thailand for introducing me to what being a digital nomad and living a location independent life actually means to me. It was a rollercoaster, but it was wonderful.
2. Cambodia
A New Kind of Travel For Me
This was a unique destination for me. The way I travelled in Cambodia was so different to how i have ever travelled before. And let me tell you, I absolutely LOVED it!
I headed to Cambodia for two reasons —
- I was missing an amazing friend I had met in Thailand who was living in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and had an overwhelming urge to visit her.
- I needed to have a serious go at finding a base to work remotely, and Chiang Mai, Thailand just wasn’t working for me.
When I arrived in Siem Reap, I was welcomed with open arms into my friends expat life in Siem Reap — both by her, and by all of her friends. I felt an immediate connection to all of them and their lifestyle there. It was one of the first times I was able to feel “at home” without being in the mountains, which is a huge accomplishment for me!
Strong Independent Girl Bosses!
The expats I met while in Cambodia were all strong, independent women who had taken charge of their own lives. They said no to conformity, ignored the societal expectations and pressures placed on them and set off to forge their own paths and create a life they wanted and were proud of.
They were all absolutely smashing their goals and living with passion. It was intoxicating to be around them. It was also so comforting to be able to have such in depth conversations with people who got where I was coming from. They knew better than most why I am living this alternative lifestyle with such determination and tenacity — they got it.
Side note — one of these incredible women is currently staying with me back here in Brisbane while she kicks off her time in Australia. How incredible is the traveller network?!
Digital Nomad Lifestyle
Siem Reap was also an excellent environment to settle into the digital nomad lifestyle. The living costs were extremely low. The locals were blissfully friendly. There were digital nomad cafe’s on every corner. And you could get almost everywhere you needed to on a push bike. It was a dream come true.
[bctt tweet=”Siem Reap, Cambodia is the ideal location for any digital nomad. ” username=”@gseekingpurpose”]
For the two weeks I spent in Siem Reap, I was so productive with my remote work, and with my blog. I also reignited my fitness goals, drank way too many 50cent beers and $1.50 margaritas, and spent a decent chunk of time laughing, smiling and enjoying life surrounded by the aforementioned girl bosses. I could have definitely seen myself settling in there for the long haul had the timing worked out better.
I am so grateful for my time in Siem Reap — for what it taught me about myself, about what my options are, and for the people it brought into my life who I know will be there for years to come.
Angkor Wat
You can’t go to Cambodia, or Siem Reap, without visiting Angkor Wat — one the largest religious monuments in the world. Before visiting I didn’t realise that Angkor Wat is actually comprised of several separate temples, each with their own names, architecture and motivations.
While the actual Angkor Wat temple at the front of the complex is extremely popular and busy, if you opt to complete the full circuit and spend more time in the area than the average tourist, you will be rewarded with deserted, vast and stunning temples all to yourself. I had an incredible day exploring this unique place and can’t wait to share more about my experience in a later post.
3. Malaysia
Unexpected, but Amazing
Malaysia was such a surprise for me. It wasn’t included in my initial, and very loose, South East Asia travel plans. I ended up there almost entirely by chance (and by cheap flights).
Like a lot of other Australians, I had never really considered visiting Malaysia beyond as a stop over to elsewhere in the northern hemisphere. What I realised when I explored the different regions of this country is that it is one of the most culturally diverse places I have ever travelled to. It also became abundantly apparent that it deserves more than just an overnight stopover. There is much more to be explored than just the Petronas Towers.
One of the Street Art Capitals of the World
If you are a lover of street art, photography, bright colours, and creativity then you need to get yourself to Malaysia, and more specifically to both Ipoh and Penang. Both of these cities reminded me a lot of the times I got lost wandering and exploring the cities of Melbourne in Australia, and Valpraíso in Chile. The street art is unique and ample in Malaysia, with interesting architecture and narrow laneways complementing every work of art.
The Food is Incredible
For someone who had previously not been driven by food in my travels, I was surprised to find just how much I loved the street food there. I have never been to a plus so abundantly full of such varied cuisines, and flavours and for such affordable prices. It was all so delicious — excluding the one dish I couldn’t finish (lung, tongue, and some other unexplained organs were pushing it a little far for me — I did try it though).
Religious and Cultural Diversity
My experiences in Malaysia showed me that the people living in Malaysia were able to co-exist, share and appreciate each others cultural differences and influences while also maintaining their beliefs and traditions. There was such a wide range of cuisines, religions, clothing, and language. I was in awe!
The religious monuments and places of worship are so diverse in Malaysia. I remember pulling into the city of Ipoh on the local bus and being amazed that I had driven past a mosque, church, buddhist temple and hindi temple all in the space of just 15 minutes.
[bctt tweet=”Malaysia is such a culturally rich and diverse country.” username=”@gseekingpurpose”]
The variety of designs, patterns and colours that each of these places exhibited were captivating and a dream come true for photography. It was also fascinating to learn more about these varied religions and beliefs on a more intimate level than I had before.
4. New Zealand
My recent trip to the land of sheep and rolling hills was completely unplanned, but oh so perfect. It was my fifth trip to New Zealand and it was exactly what I needed.
I made the sole focus of this trip to New Zealand on hiking. I wanted to explore the wild beauty of New Zealand that lures so many adventurers every year. And I wanted to do it solo, with my boots, backpack and tent. I didn’t want to be a backpacker staying in hostels and I didn’t want to be a digital nomad working in cafes. I wanted to be a hiker and I wanted to have as much time in the mountains as I possibly could.
It’s All About the People
As with all of my other solo trips, I left anticipating that I may not meet anyone along the way. I mentally prepared myself for three weeks of solo road tripping and hiking, three weeks of self reflection, and three weeks of tackling the trails and peaks on my own. I had not anticipated to meet so many incredible people along the way, to have so many in depth and important conversations, to foster so many blossoming and deeply connected relationships and friendships, or to have so many moments of pure ecstasy, laughter and happiness alongside people I had just met.
The Mountains are My Home
It wasn’t just the people though. It was also the mountains. As I drove into the Hooker Valley and laid eyes on the Mueller Glacier, with the snow-capped peaks of Mount Cook piercing the background, I felt an overwhelming sense of purpose and contentment. I was meant to be there. The mountains had called and I had come home to them. It felt right.
Being out in nature again, carrying everything I needed to survive on my back, and conquering those mountains and the tumultuous weather rejuvenated me. It gave me that sense of empowerment and accomplishment I had been missing since Patagonia.
[bctt tweet=”The anxiety, stress and worry of everyday life melted away while I was out on those trails putting one foot in front of the other. ” username=”@gseekingpurpose”]
I was able to deeply reflect on so many aspects of my life, and in a way that was so healthy and positive. I was also able to focus solely on what I was doing, the moment I was in, and on just taking in everything around me and what I was experiencing. It was exactly what I needed to cement all of the progress I had made over the last six months in my personal growth journey, and reaffirmed why hiking and the outdoors is so important to me.
Where’s Next?
My main focus at the moment is trying to keep a strong balance between working, and saving enough to allow me to bring my future plans, dreams and goals to fruition, while also ensuring that I’m still living my best life each and every day. I also need to make sure I am able to be there for my loved ones who are going through their own unique and challenging struggles at the moment.
My immediate future plans included a lot of Australian based experiences. I had a short stint in my home state of Queensland for valuable time with friends and family, while also trying to work as much as I could — which was both incredible and difficult for a lot of reasons. I am now currently working from Melbourne while visiting friends and exploring the city and surrounding area more. I will then soon be headed to Tasmania to attend the Dark Mofo festival in Hobart alongside some of my favourite humans on this planet. Then from July/August onwards I should have even more exciting adventures on the agenda — stay tuned!
Reflections on the First Three Months of 2019
This is the point in my recap posts when I would normally reflect on what I have learnt and how much I have grown and changed. But when I started writing this section, it evolved in so many unexpected, deep and personal ways that I decided to turn it into a separate post — purely on reflection.
So if you are interested in learning more about how my experiences have changed me, what I found the most challenging and rewarding so far this year, and my self-discoveries to date then stay tuned for my next post. If you want to find out some of the more fun and whimsical aspects then continue on reading for my year in numbers.
My Year in Numbers
Now I’m going to take a look back at the first 3 months of this year in numbers. I was intrigued to know how many trails I hiked, buses I took, and how many hostel beds I stayed in. I did this in my annual recap post and was blown away by how these numbers quickly added up. So let’s see what the first three months of this year looked like.
Transit
Flights Taken
- 6 flights for a total of 17.5 hours
Buses Taken
- 9 long distances buses, 3 of which were overnight for a total of more than 46 hours!
- 4 shorter distance / local buses
- 4 mini buses
- 20+ buses while at home
Trains and Metro Systems
- 15+ trips on a city metro subway system
- 0 long distance trains (not much has changed since last year apparently)
Hitch hiking
- 3 hitch hiking lifts – one in Malaysia and two in New Zealand
Ferry’s and Boats
- 4 ferry rides of varying sizes and distances – including one while trying to outrun a cyclone
- 1 boat ride – a Thai long boat
Bikes
- 4 motorbike hires of varying lengths
- 1 bicycle hire for two weeks
Vehicles
- 1 hire car for three weeks
- 5 Grabs (SE Asia’s version of Uber)
- 1 Uber
- 3 Taxi’s
- 11 Tuk Tuk rides (that I can remember!)
On Foot
- Daily step counts of 25,000 plus per day, almost every day!
Activities
Road Trips
- 1 solo road trip in my NZ hire car – which turned into not being all that solo! 🙂
- 1 overland solo journey through Thailand and Cambodia
- 2 solo motorbike journeys for a total of 330km and 3 days
- 2 motorbike day trips with me as the rider and a friend on the back
Trails Hiked
- 195km+ of hiking including 144km on multi-day hikes and 51km on day hikes
- 9 hikes in total
- 5 single day hikes – ranging from 2 hours up to 10 hours each
- 4 multi-day hikes of a total of 10 days in the mountains in my hiking tent
Adventure Activities / Festivals
- 2 “Great Walk” multi-day hikes
- 1 “Backcountry” epic overnight hike
- New Years Eve, Full Moon Party in Thailand
Travel
Travel Days – 74 Days Total
- 74 days travel out of 90 days
- 54 days in South East Asia (58 days total, including pre-NYE)
- 18 days in New Zealand (22 days total, but only 18 days in the first three months of this year)
- 16 days in Brisbane
- 2 days Mount Warning
Home vs Abroad
- 72 days travelling abroad
- 2 days travelling in Australia
- 16 days at home working, focusing on my self-development, and spending time with friends and family
Solo Travel
- 70 days as a solo female traveller
- 2 days travel with a friend from home
Accommodation
- 41 nights in hostel dorms
- 7 nights in hotels or motels
- 17 nights sharing someone else’s bed in their apartment or hotel, or borrowing someones spare bedroom or entire apartment
- 9 nights in my hiking tent
- 2 nights in hiking huts
- 2 nights sleeping in my hire car
- 1 night sleeping in the Botanical Gardens in Queenstown (there is definitely a story that goes with this one!! :P)
- 11 nights in a real bed in Australia!
Weather and Climate
- Surprisingly mellow temperatures in the North of Thailand
- Hot, humid and sticky heat of Cambodia and Malaysia
- Sub-zero, blizzards with winds of up to 90km/hr in the South of New Zealand
- Insanely intense rainfall in the Fiordlands of New Zealand (almost 500ml of water in 3 days!)
Looking Back
It is so surreal to look back on the vast range of moments and uniquely different experiences I had in each of the four countries I travelled to in the first three months of this year. It is such a rewarding and therapeutic process to reflect on this and to realise all of the incredible friendships I have made, things I have accomplished and challenges I have overcome. And I love that I am able to share this with you all on a deeper level than what is seen through social media photos, videos and posts. I can’t wait to share some of my experiences in more detail over the next few months, and on a more personal level in my next post.
In the meantime, keep living with purpose and exploring what it means to be alive!
--Girl Seeking Purpose