One year ago today I was in southern Thailand, island hopping. I was almost one month into a ten month trip around the world. That first month was probably the toughest for me. I was anxious about having quit my job to be a nomad. I worried about spending every minute with my boyfriend, Jim. Would we drive each other crazy? And if we did, then what? Waking up each day and deciding what we should do and where we should go was new to me; I found myself wondering how to measure my worth, my productivity.
It took some getting used to, but between the worrying I still managed to have a pretty amazing time. There was snorkeling and jungle walks, both firsts for me. There were breathtakingly beautiful beaches, like this one.
While packing up and moving our belongings every few days felt strange, it also meant staying in some amazing places, like this bungalow on the beach.
We spent much of our time laying on the beach reading, eating and drinking. I had a daily dose of fried rice, fresh fruit and banana shakes.
We rented a motorbike to get around one of the islands. We drove it to a national park. We tested the motorbike's limits by riding up steep, windy, dirt hills. We bottomed out. We, as it turns out, are much heavier than your average Thai person.
The national park had monkeys. "Cute!" you say? You might change your tune when they're stealing your backpack searching for food.
There were boat trips to get to and from the islands. Here Jim shows off his freshly shaven face having spent the previous day scuba diving.
There were long tail boats. We rode on a few, but I was just as happy to look at them. They're beautiful lined up on the beach contrasting the turquoise waters.
So, the first month wasn't so bad after all. With each day that passed, I grew more confident in my travel smarts, more able to relax, enjoy each day and look forward to the months and adventures ahead.
