A few months ago, I mentally hit a roadblock. Work wasn’t yielding the results I wanted and my social safe place had become toxic. Travel has always been my safe space to hit a major reset button and for some reason, whenever I set a escape travel date, knowing I have a window of exit to look forward to gives me the boost needed to start resolving issues around me before throwing the deuce sign.
In a state of mental flurry, I booked a 6 week long trip to Bangkok (Thailand) with plans to fly out 4 days from ticket purchase date. Enough time to get work deadlines sorted, sort out social commitments and all else could simply hug a transformer elsewhere. Besides a couple of nights booked in Bangkok, my 12 kilo hastily packed backpack, and my travel necessities, nothing else was planned.
I had visited a few countries in South East Asia about 8 years prior; Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and I had a rough idea of what to expect budget wise. Traveling around South East Asia for 3 months is cheaper than spending a time in Zanzibar for 4 nights, for those with privileged passports. Not having a set plan in South East Asia is always the best way to see it when visa and time is not a major factor.
The second I got into Bangkok, a bit of trepidation hit me; I’m a 32-year-old Nigerian woman with a 12-kilo bag strapped to my back and I’m still out here backpacking around the world. When will my cheap self upgrade from bunking in hostels and start doing the 5-star hotel life? An hour into checking into my hostel, I’d formed new bonds with people, had a hang out crew from 4 different continents, extended my stay in the hostel by two more nights and shrugged off the trepidation.
I decided to shrug the small things and focus on the blessings I could afford and make every moment count. And when I got robbed of all my cash on an overnight bus to Khao Sok four days into my trip, that mindset stayed with me. I had travel insurance, I had 54 more days to experience the beauties of the world and every little kobo I had saved in my travel account was about to save the days to come.
My travel itinerary was formed by me following my gut, locals, and other travelers I met on the road. I ate poetries on plates, saw wonders of nature, touched works by men that will outlive generations to come, and met some pretty amazing people. Each and every experience was a blessing and on the last week of my trip, I found myself lethargic and dragging my feet.
I wanted to keep my feet moving and keep avoiding the bulk of my responsibilities at home. I’m back in Lagos now with a slightly adjusted view on life and hoping that my mantra throughout my trip stays with me as I navigate 2020; don’t sweat the negatives, embrace them. Learn from them and focus on the positives.
Happy new year!
I ended up traveling through bits of Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia. Please be patient with me as I edit the videos, and in my usual fashion of not following order, here’s a video from the time I rocked into 2020 in Singapore.
