Still feeling out of sorts and totally jet-lagged. Walking around my neighborhood and spending time with
my boyfriend, feeling like I'm walking around in a dreamland...
Returned from my trip of a lifetime.
Solo travel=best thing ever.
My Top Ten Lessons:
1. Always trust what I've come to call the "Tamstinct". I've always been hesitant to trust myself. I often defer to other people--their thoughts, feelings, decisions, etc. I realize I often know what's best for me. When I'm by myself I'm much more willing to trust my gut instinct and need to do this more often.
2. When you travel alone, you can
always have the window seat.
3. When I'm alone and a little uncomfortable or anxious, I talk to myself or hum (I may have said a couple of swear words, lost on the street, trying to find my way
across the universe...).
4. I am a logistical mastermind (at times). And decisive. And damn good at being alone (p.s. how am I supposed to ever date again? This seems tricky...).
5. They make it look really easy to
iChat on the commercials. It's not.
6. After 21 days of Thai food, you're really REALLY gonna want a burger or steak.
7. Sometimes, it's good to not have a plan. I was delighted every day to not know where I was going to be next, where I would stay, who I would meet. So refreshing.
8. Talk to everyone you can! There are some really
faboo people in the world that you can start a conversation with and learn something about a different culture, a new recipe, the best restaurant in town, the hidden bar, the backroad path. Be unafraid. Most people will like you. And if they don't, well, screw 'em.
9. You may not be here tomorrow--take advantage of
every situation.
10. Always bring an extra memory card. I like to take a ton of pictures. Whoops. Somehow I forgot just how many pictures I seem to take...Oh, and I
still hate pictures of myself.
Number of Days: 21
Flights: 13
Countries: 6 (7 if you count my stopover in Japan)
Hours spent in air travel: 59
Number of
heels: 1 (number of times I wore heels, once)
Number of pictures: 4,866
more to come...