The Journey With No Return Ticket: Seven Months in Thailand

Up till twelve years in the past, I used to be following the same old path. At 20, I went on the standard post-army journey to India, then began finding out Laptop Science and Data Techniques. After graduating, I moved out and started working in tech.

Three years later, I modified jobs, and through that point I met Roman, who’s now my husband. We each labored full-time, flew overseas a number of occasions a yr, and loved weekend hikes.

Life was good, however one thing felt lacking. On a visit to Georgia, the place we did a nine-day trek, we saved pondering how wonderful it will be to journey like that with no deadlines and do one thing completely different in life, one thing past tech.

We began having severe talks and realized this was really what we needed: to give up our jobs and journey the world with no return ticket.

It Wasn’t a Spontaneous Determination

It wasn’t a spontaneous resolution. We deliberate, calculated, made spreadsheets, and determined: in a single yr and two months, we might give up and purchase a one-way ticket to Thailand. Throughout that yr, we lived on a decent price range, saved each shekel, and in addition acquired married,  as a result of how might I inform my mother and father we had been leaving every thing behind with no ring on my finger?

We saved the plan to ourselves till three months earlier than leaving, then lastly informed household, work, and associates. There was some drama and tears, principally from our mothers, however in the long run, everybody understood.

We bought our automobile and all our furnishings and left with two backpacks. We arrived in Bangkok exhausted from flights and jet lag. Bangkok has many issues to do, markets, temples, and loopy themed cafes. We spent days wandering the town, trying to find avenue meals stalls primarily based on suggestions from Mark Wiens, a well-known meals blogger.

Navigating Bangkok wasn’t simple, the streets and alleys are complicated, generally it’s worthwhile to take the BTS skytrain or a ship, and Google Maps wasn’t all the time correct. Greater than as soon as, we arrived after closing or when one of the best dishes had been bought out. However once we discovered them, it was price each second.

After Bangkok, we spent three weeks on the islands and determined this might be our “honeymoon month” (although we acquired married six months earlier). Which meant: consolation. Good resorts, a pampering resort, wonderful meals, fixed fruit shakes, every day massages (principally for me), a full moon get together, and exquisite seashores. We knew that the following month we’d be extra budget-conscious.

Volunteering on a Distant Farm

After a month of beachside rest, which was additionally our honeymoon, we flew to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. We needed to expertise a extra native and genuine facet of Thailand. Whereas looking out on-line, I discovered a weblog about volunteering on a farm up north. It spoke to me, so I prompt we strive it.

We emailed the farm proprietor, acquired a optimistic reply, and went for it. The journey was robust — three hours on winding mountain roads, and I had a nasty abdomen. After we arrived, we discovered fundamental residing circumstances: bamboo huts, mattresses on the ground, squat bathrooms, bucket showers, no A/C or fan, and temperatures over 30 levels by day and simply 6 at night time. I slept with two coats and 5 blankets to remain heat.

The farm proprietor, a former Buddhist monk, shared his tribal and religious heritage with us. He gave us a rulebook together with “don’t speak an excessive amount of” and “solely speak in regards to the current” — guidelines I typically broke. Every day started at 6 AM with tea or espresso, adopted by yoga, stretching, and meditation on the temple or on a hilltop. We labored the land, ate meals ready by the proprietor’s spouse, and within the evenings, listened to Buddhist tales with the proprietor.

We met wonderful folks from world wide, together with a woman from Spain and a man from Australia. Some stayed a day or two, others months. We stayed ten days. At first, I needed to depart after one night time as a result of it was so chilly and uncomfortable. However the expertise was so deep and distinctive that I stayed.

No distractions, no web, simply nature and my ideas. I discovered how little it takes to really feel fulfilled. I’m undecided I’ll do it once more, however I attempt to carry with me the teachings about appreciating what I’ve and having fun with life’s easy issues.

The Trek to Nowhere

After ten days on the farm, we determined to proceed to Pai, Thailand. There was a bus, however Roman needed to make it extra attention-grabbing by strolling there and sleeping in villages alongside the way in which. The farm proprietor, Jim, stated it was about 60 kilometres and doable in 2–3 days. He drew us a map with distant villages that didn’t seem on any vacationer guides and informed us to ask the village chief in Ban Plaong for a spot to remain.

We set off early at 5:30 AM, strolling by quiet and exquisite surroundings. At first, every thing went easily, villages appeared as on the map, and locals helped us discover our method. However quickly, the world modified. There have been fewer properties, fewer folks, many unmarked crossroads, and we misplaced monitor of the suitable path. We began worrying about reaching Pai earlier than darkish.

After a number of hours, we noticed a village within the distance,  possibly Ban Plaong. We discovered a small noodle stand to eat at, and locals started gathering round, curious to see Western vacationers in such a distant place. No one spoke English, and there have been no guesthouses. We tried to clarify we wanted a spot to sleep utilizing hand gestures. Fortunately, a younger man who spoke some English provided to assist. He took us to his mom’s picket home on the village edge, laid out mattresses, and invited us to remain.

Roman went to bathe with a bucket exterior whereas I sat quietly on the mattress. The mom and her pal tried speaking to me, however the language barrier was robust. Later, the younger man returned with associates, and all of us sat on the kitchen flooring consuming whiskey and sharing snacks. The daddy and sister joined, and the mom served us dinner. Regardless of the dearth of widespread language, the night felt pure and peaceable, an genuine expertise.

Within the morning, a pal who spoke a little bit of English informed us Pai was 80 kilometres away, not 60 as Jim had stated. After breakfast, a easy meal made by the mom who gave us bananas for the street, we tried to pay, however they refused. These folks had so little however gave a lot. We left some cash and began strolling once more.

After an hour, we hitchhiked a journey to a different village. We walked for 2 extra hours, acquired one other journey, and reached a marked spot. However once more, locals stated Pai was nonetheless 80 kilometres away. We started realizing distances on this space weren’t what we anticipated.

Lastly, a bunch of photographers gave us a journey over an hour to a fundamental street. Roman thought we is likely to be shut, however Google Maps stated in any other case, 60 kilometres nonetheless to go. Accepting it was time to cease, we flagged down a neighborhood minibus and reached Pai by afternoon.

We had been exhausted from the warmth, strolling, and confusion, however left with one of the memorable experiences of our journey. What began as a easy thought to stroll was a lesson about journey and persistence.

From Pai, we continued our journey overland to Laos.

The Journey with No Return Ticket

Ultimately, this journey wasn’t nearly journey or a change in geography, however a few aware option to reside in another way — to let go of what’s acquainted and comfy, and make house for curiosity, simplicity, and uncertainty.

Thailand was the right place to start. Not each second was simple or deliberate, however over time, we realized that the actual worth lies within the unknown and within the willingness to maintain going even with no clear route.

Our journey lasted seven months and adjusted my life. It’s the place my journey weblog was born, which later turned our enterprise, and it’s additionally the place we really understood the type of way of life we’re searching for and what actually makes us completely satisfied.

Right this moment we reside in Cyprus with our two wonderful daughters, and I’ve little doubt that quickly we’ll head out collectively on our particular journey by Asia.