We’re Pomadic Once Again
The breakfast view at our hotel in Koh Phangan, Thailand.
We’re back! We have finally taken the leap to travel and work fully remotely.
Ever since the pandemic halted our travels in 2020, we’ve been plotting how to get back out there. In the months leading up to January 29th this year (2023), we packed up all of our belongings in England, made our travel arrangements, and said bye to loved ones before setting out on our newest adventure - traveling and working in Southeast Asia. If you’ve never heard of a digital nomad, check out this post I made explaining this novel term.
The Southeast Asian region is made up of a few countries, but the main ones we are planning to travel to are Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Indonesia. We chose to come to Southeast Asia because it’s a classic trip many travelers take and something Anthony and I have wanted to do since we met. Nomads and backpackers have been coming here for years due to the affordability, culture, tropical environment, excellent internet speeds, and like-minded people.
We actually made two pitstops on the way to Thailand, because 1) why not see new places 2) Lionel Messi (the best football/soccer player in the world) was playing in Paris and 3) may as well break up the flying time to get to the other side of the world! We flew from Bristol to Paris, then Paris to Istanbul, and then Istanbul to Phuket, Thailand.
We had each been to Paris before, but it was our first time together in the city of lights!
There are several ornate mosques like this one dotted throughout the city of Istanbul.
As of writing this post, we have been in Thailand for a few weeks now and the most notable things about this country for me are delicious food, iced coffees, turquoise water, friendly people, and massages!
The Thai language is incredibly confusing, so I admire any Westerners that are able to learn and speak the language. We’ve steadily recited thank you and hello in Thai, but anything more complicated than that and I think they have no idea what I’m saying. Like many non-English speaking countries, people are normally quite appreciative when you at least try to converse in the local language.
The first place we landed in Thailand was Phuket. This was mostly a stopover for us to get some rest and recuperate after travel. Phuket is probably the best international airport to put you close to the Southern Thai islands. We had just booked a hostel close to the airport since our stay was brief, and I am so glad that’s what we did. We literally walked ten minutes from the arrivals terminal to our hostel. I feel like hostels get a bad rap sometimes, but I’ve always had good experiences. We always book a private room and some of them have ensuites, so it’s quite similar to a hotel room. The Luna Hostel had everything we needed and was an excellent respite after an overnight flight.
On our first night in this new country, we were eager to get out of the hostel to walk around and get some dinner. Even though this area was right by the airport, there was a decent beach and town center all within walking distance from our hostel.
We walked along the beach at sunset and meandered around the street food stalls. Due to overstimulation and indecision, we ended up eating at a sit-down restaurant on the beach, which was actually nice and relaxing for our first night.
Dinner on the beach our first night in Thailand
I can’t say much else about this area of Phuket since we weren’t there long, but it was a pretty good introduction to this awesome country.