Sunday, August 30, 2009

Enough

I have seen enough and done enough.

This is going to be my mantra for my last couple of months here. I have seen enough! I have done enough! I don't need to see or do anything else. Please keep reminding me of this.

I'm feeling a strong obligation to go visit Vietnam and Laos while I'm out here. For one thing I will probably never come back this way again. I feel like I might regret it if I get back to the US having *only* visited Thailand and Cambodia. I'm not immune to the traveler's ultimate ego trip.... getting to check another country off the list and being able to say "oh yeah, I've been there." But more than that, I really do want to see how life is different in those countries. I want to learn a little more history, a little more geography, a little more culture. That is... I want those things in theory.

But the reality is - the idea of spending hours online arranging lodging and transportation, mapping out routes and then making sure I have all the phone numbers and addresses etc - just sounds exhausting. The idea of winging it and just taking it day by day is terrifying. I know I couldn't relax during the day if I didn't where I was going to spend the night. Furthermore the idea of navigating yet another foreign country on my own... well that sounds down-right tortuous.


The truth is, I could be quite content to get myself set up in a nice hotel near the beach.... with hot water, air conditioning, cable TV & western food at the doorstep. I am dead tired of 'roughing it' here in Rayong. I made some decisions... good decisions.... when I first got here about not spending a lot of money feathering my nest. My apartment is pretty bare bones and not cozy. It's functional... but I'm done with it. I'm done with the no hot water, no couch, no kitchen existence. And the idea of going even rougher with the whole bus - backpack - bed - bus - backpack - bed routine is not even remotely appealing at the moment.


I think I'm just going to give myself permission not to do any more exploring. I've seen enough. I'm going to devote some time to finding a perfect beach and a stack of books to read once I finish teaching. If and when I get bored of that... well, that's when I'll start planning my next adventure.

TAG: Code Watermelon

6 comments:

Bezzie said...

Meh, you having been to T-land and C-bodia (mooch on lap, must abbreviate) is more than most can say anyway!

Cate said...

I completely know what you mean. We scrapped our plans to see the rest of Vietnam (beyond Hanoi) and Cambodia because we were over the whole "where are we sleeping...what crowded bus are we taking?" situation.
Don't feel guilty! There's absolutely NO point in traveling if it's an obligation and not fun!

Batty said...

Once it becomes a checklist with a deadline, it stops being fun. Give yourself permission not to go. If you end up with extra energy and want to visit one of the two -- good for you. If you don't -- good for you.

Jonathan said...

You don't have to do a whole country! Pick a couple of places around a major city, and just do that. No stress. You pick one hotel, one tour company.

AirAsia flies direct to many cities from Bangkok. You can come to Hanoi, and use that as a base to explore Vietnam. Nothing more than a couple hours away. Just because you didn't backpack your way through the entire country by train doesn't mean you didn't experience it.

Travelling doesn't have to be so complicated.

gl. said...

if you're coming home soon, take the opportunity to lounge on the beach and take a vacation. you've earned it. you won't get to do it again any time soon, and you can use those memories to get you through the cold & rainy winter. :)

Rebel said...

Bezzie, that's T-dizzle and the 'Bodia to the locals*. ;)

Cate, glad I'm not the only one who's not into that whole routine.

Batty, it's true, once I get a real job again I'm going to have more than enough deadlines and checklists to deal with.

Jonathan, that's a good way to look at it, and I do have to remember that the countries here are just not as big as the US - it's not going to take three days to get from one end to the other.

gl, good point... I'm going to need a serious dose of vitamin D before heading home.













*and by 'locals' I mean- I just made that up. ;)