The end of one adventure, the start of another

Homeward bound - soaking up the beautiful views of vineyards while I still can

As I write this, I'm about to head home and it's made me reflect on all that's happened in these 5 crazy months we've been away. They've been eventful, up and down,amazing and unforgettable. So much has happened that I could yabber on for eternity,so instead a top 10 would be a better idea:

10. Dinner with the over 50's and a local mayor at a Buddhist         temple in My Tho, Vietnam

9. Bodyboarding on Kuta beach, Bali

8. Laying eyes upon Hoi An for the first time and feeling like we'd stepped back in time

7. Getting down with the monkeys at the Monkey temple in Ubud, Bali

6. Seeing the ruins of Pompeii

5. Stepping out into the San Siro - a legendary stadium I've always wanted to see

4. The first couple of weeks in Piedmont soaking up everything that life in northern Italy had to offer

3. Cruising on a junkboat, kayaking, climbing hills and caving in Ha long bay, Vietnam

2. The giant water fight that is Songkran

1. Watching the sunrise at Angkor Wat

There's so much more that could go in the list too - it's been that kind of journey.

Thanks

Claire posing with Virginia, Davide and Corrado - Adelaide was running around somewhere!

Firstly thanks go to the amazing Scarsi/Di Bilio family that have taken us in these last couple of months. They've been so accommodating, so understanding, so kind and so much fun to be around. They've really made us feel like we couldn't have got luckier this summer.

Claire with Evanne during the week long Canale festival

Thanks go to the friends we've met along the way - whether they're the many nationalities we met in south east Asia or a friend we've known for longer and were lucky enough to catch up with on the road. Thanks also go to the other au pair we've met this summer in Piedmont, Evanne - I feel we've all got quite close these last 9 weeks and it's been great getting to know you.

Final thoughts

A couple of months back, I considered the words from my first blog and whether I'd changed as a person. At that time I couldn't answer the question - which said to me that I hadn't. Now, as I stand on the precipice of going home I realise that I'm farther removed from that person who left England in March than I'd realised. I used to wait until my colleagues would leave their desks at work just so I could go up to the window unseen, lay my hand against the glass and get lost in thought about what was out there, where my life was truly headed and what I really wanted from it all.

Landing in Ho Chi Minh city was a real step into the unknown..

I know now that I've been there, to the real unknown. I've seen the things I didn't know existed and I've felt things I never knew I could. I've learnt more about the world, about life, I've learnt more about my own way of living and myself than I ever could at home and I'm eternally grateful for that.

When you see so much of the world, you start to think about what "wonderment" remains in the parts that you haven't seen. In that moment you soon begin to see that it's in the every day things that make up your life.  It's a feeling I doubt many people can fully appreciate unless they step outside that comfort zone into the brave new world, but when you do experience it for real - and I mean REALLY feel it - you know it's a feeling you A) can never forget and B) never allow to diminish again, as you know that now you have that feeling, that your life is more complete, more full of purpose than it's ever been.

So yes, I have changed, I've changed for the better. I've memories that I'll feast upon in my mind for a lifetime and that's more real, more precious than anything you can buy/be given in this life.
I know that my life from now on will be forever richer in spirit than it's ever been thanks to the things I've seen and experienced and that I've stepped right outside that comfort zone, I've travelled to the other side of the world, I've lived off the beaten track, I've done things not every person you'll meet will've done, I've memories that are unique to me, and above all else.... I'm happy with all of it, the good, the bad, even the strange, because no-one will ever take what I've been through from me.

I'm happy to go home and start over again with my amazing wife, to build a new home, a better home and to see all of the people I hold dear and to do the things I truly love to do. I can't wait to get started, just like I couldn't wait to go on this adventure, because I realise it's just another type of adventure I'm heading out on and I can't wait to figure out the rest of it out for myself along the way because I'll never stop staring at the horizon, wondering what's next.

Life is always ahead of you, in front of you, behind you. Life is good, so long as you have the right attitude and I'm never going to stop living it the way I want now that I've started.

Here's to the next adventure....

Songkran and soul searching on Koh Samui

We arrived into Koh Samui over 24 hours after checking out of our last place and a gruelling 16 hour journey via all night bus and 2 ferries (and a 3 hour wait inbetween), so by the time we arrived at our beach bungalows we were shattered.

There wasn't much time to rest though as the owner was quick to brief us about the events thar would likely unfold the very next day - for the next day was Songkran, which is Thai new year to you and me.

This is a massively busy time here as it's traditionally when the locals take their holidays - which is why we had to take the hellacious bus and ferry route rather than the comfier train option as they'd all been booked weeks in advance - and for one day in particular barely anything is open, think of it like Christmas.

The owner Shahin (pronounced Sean) told us to not step foot outside unless we wanted to get wet, so any money we had needed to be wrapped in a bag and we shouldn't bring anything electronic as people will just soak us. You see, they celebrate songkran with basically the biggest water fight you've ever seen in your life, with the objective to spend all day soaking everyone and anyone.

Two people had a week before described the event to me in strangely similar words: "it's like call of duty with water pistols". And they weren't wrong...

Songkran

As we feared for our gear we didn't take photos during songkran, but this one here is exactly what it would look like if I did have one on the back of the pickup truck!

We awoke and prepared ourselves and saw nothing. Maybe it was all hype? So we laid on the beach for half an hour until we heard the neighbours pumping really loud music, at which point we thought we should check it out - particularly as I'd bought a gun the day before in preparation!

My gun for songkran, suffice to say... She didn't survive the day.

Outside there was a main road where dozens of cars and bikes were going by and the neighbours were soaking them as they went. The bikes were waved down so they could receive a face full of talcum powder as well as a soaking (dangerous? Absolutely, but that's not the point here!).

Soon enough we were invited to join the neighbours, drinking beers with them and eating some spicy noodles (so fresh) - whilst I also went the whole hog and ate chicken feet with them as Claire passed - I seem willing to try anything at the moment!
The hoses were constantly filling up buckets for us to reload, ice was brought out to give the victims a blast and powder was flying everywhere - it was SO much fun. One neighbour told us they call this day the "free day" where people just do things for free and grant things to others for free - hence why they wouldn't let us pay for the food and beer we drank, but I had my own beers which I did at least insist on contributing to the pile.

The fun then cranked up a notch as some of them were loading up garbage bins full of water (bins were clean) onto the back of a pickup truck ready to cruise round the island and do "drive-bys", which we had seen others doing all morning - and when the pickup trucks stop, that's when the battle really intensifies with everyone firing on them from all angles, but the pickup truck themselves have plenty more ammo.

Sensing an opportunity for more fun, I asked if we could join them to which they were glad to have us and off we went! We drove most of the island through maenam and chaweng (chaweng is the main town), during which the water fights really kicked up a notch! Standstill traffic, people of all ages soaking you and covering your face in dyed powder at every angle (they do lovingly put the powder on as they wish you new year, not just slapping at on you!) - it was absolute carnage of the like I've never seen in my life. I took great delight in flinging a bucket of water into someone's face as they scooted by - sounds harsh but they all knew what they were in for! And when else can you get away with that?!

We spent roughly 3-4 hours driving around doing this, filling up at places they had hoses - even using a fire truck's water to refill at one point. Come the end of it we were shattered having ran on adrenaline all day and having been sunburned and having sore behinds from hanging off the back of the pickup truck all afternoon. Everywhere we went, the party showed no sign of stopping.

When we returned we waves goodbye to collapse back at our bungalow while they went back to drinking - ableit more quietly. Man do they celebrate songkran hard out here and man did we have the time of our lives.

The rest of our time on Koh Samui
Having spent a few weeks on the road, spending barely a day in some places before moving on, we had long been looking forward to spending a week in one place to relax and above all else - fully unpack! With Songkran following the next day, we were then more knackered than ever come our 2nd full day in Koh Samui and more than ready to do sod all!

Claire awoke feeling poorly - the likely result of involuntary ingesting water during the water fights of the day before - so it took her a good couple of days to recover before she could fully relax herself.

The majority of our time here was spent like we would a normal beach holiday; reading, sunbathing, swimming in the sea (and freaking out at anything that touched us), having a brooski or two and writing. The weather held 99% of the time too so the week was total bliss.

The beach at bang po 

We did rent a scooter one of the days, which Claire drove as she used to have one and I have a history of breaking teeth on bikes! On this day we explored some of the island and took the chance to go shopping, plus Claire occupied herself while I had a long overdue haircut with a 3 week old kitten.

Claire gets reacquainted with riding a scooter

After a couple of days of recouperation, both of our thoughts began to wander to the future: as we know this amazing time will finish in August and we will return to the UK, we both began to think about life back home and more importantly: what we want from it.

I think I will return to the same line of work - marketing - but I'm going to aim to do it somewhere I can really get behind the cause and make a difference, like at a charity perhaps. Working somewhere I can work on campaigns with real motivation is what appeals to me and is exactly what I'm going to aim for. Beyond that we've both began to think further into the future: like saving for a house, pets, kids - but all in due time of course!
Part of me felt guilty for thinking about this stuff whilst in a paradise, but as I mentioned in my first blog - I came here to try and figure out exactly these types of things and I think that's what I'm finally doing.

I left so that when I return to the UK, I'll be ready to live there for the rest of my life without the need to break out like I did before - and I can certainly feel myself preparing for that mentally with each passing week. In the meantime there's still plenty to discover and experience, but this week on Kho Samui has been massively important for the both of us to not only have some of the best fun we've ever had, but to also search into our souls and figure it out for ourselves.

Next up - another week of beach bumming on Koh Phangan. Such a tough life I know!