Seven countries in seven months (part 1)

This post got too long to fit in one email, so I’m splitting it into two. I’ll send out the second half tomorrow. Remember to subscribe if you want to receive part two in your inbox.

I’ve been traveling a lot this year.

Ideally, I would have written a post about each trip separately because there’s always so much to unpack. But because of my six-month hiatus from writing, you’re getting a mega travel log of everywhere I’ve been this year. At the end of the post, I’ll also add some general thoughts and lessons I learned from all this traveling, so stick around until then. Make sure your seatbelt is fastened because it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

📍 NYC

I started the year off in New York City where I rang in the new year surrounded by amazing people I miss dearly. I then had ten days to pack up the apartment and fly across the world to meet up with Charlotte, who was already setting up our new apartment in Manila.

Before that, I had to send off Adobo on her own long journey to the Philippines. When I dropped her off at the cargo facility, this is how they took her away. With a forklift!

Then it was my turn to get on a plane!

EWR 🇺🇸 ✈️ MNL 🇵🇭 (2 countries so far)

Adobo and I made it to Manila safe and sound and excited for what lay ahead.

After settling in for only a few days in Manila, I was off on my first trip within the country to the picturesque surfing destination of Siargao.

MNL 🇵🇭 ✈️ IAO 🇵🇭

I was hopeful I’d be able to get an early win by checking “surf a three-foot wave” off my bucket list, but alas, Mother Nature only sent three inches.

Tubular 🤙

It was a great way to learn, though, since my instructor didn’t let me paddle at all and just pushed the board the whole time. All I had to do was stand up, which I did.

IAO 🇵🇭 ✈️ MNL 🇵🇭

Back in Manila, we finally took the time to settle into our new place and the rhythm of things. After a month, it was time to head back out on another adventure!

MNL 🇵🇭 ✈️ REP 🇰🇭 (3 countries so far)

I spent my birthday (March 5, by the way, if you want to mark your calendars) in Cambodia, and I woke up early to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat.

#thisiswhat26lookslike

The food was incredible (minus the food poisoning that took me out for 24 hours), and the temples were beautiful.

REP 🇰🇭 ✈️ PNH 🇰🇭

We then flew to Phnom Penh to visit our friend William who recently moved there. We met up on the first day for brunch, where he pulled up on a rented scooter that was barely street-legal. He then paid the parking attendant and flung an “Arkoun bang!” (“Thank you bro!”) at him in a French accent. It was great to see an old friend thriving, and we all caught up about living in new countries over some good food, which Cambodia had plenty of.

But it also has a really dark history involving my two home countries (France and the US), which made for quite an educational trip. Learning about French colonization in the region, the bombing of Cambodia by the US during the Vietnam War, and the Khmer Rouge’s rise to power and ensuing genocide while in the very buildings where these events took place was quite harrowing and eye-opening. These facts weren’t hidden in my history classes in France growing up, but they definitely weren’t emphasized. This trip made the pain and suffering caused by my home countries impossible to ignore.

Despite how recent these events were, everyone we met in Cambodia was so happy and jovial. Their proximity to suffering seemed to promote gratefulness for their present situation and deep empathy for ongoing suffering around the world. Our guide in Siem Reap was quick to compare the past genocide in Cambodia to the ongoing one in Gaza, showing us parallels in the messaging used by the Khmer Rouge and the Israeli government. He also contrasted French methods of colonization to British ones, pointing out how destitute France had left all their former colonies. But regardless of the topic, he never lost his smile, and was a real beam of sunshine throughout our two days together. He would stop to chat with every other guide we passed like he knew them intimately and joked around with other tourists. There seemed to be a silliness that permeated all our interactions with locals, including when we went to buy Imodium for my aforementioned food poisoning, and the pharmacist couldn’t restrain her giggles, sending us off with a “good luck!”

Cambodia made me feel many things, but above all, I felt grateful for the life I have and that I can appreciate the beauty and culture of new countries with no fear for my safety.

PNH 🇰🇭 ✈️ MNL 🇵🇭

Shortly after our Cambodia trip, our friend Isla visited us in Manila.

MNL 🇵🇭 ✈️ MPH 🇵🇭

While she was here, we all went to Boracay, which has the nicest beaches I’ve ever set foot on. It was great to explore parts of the Philippines I hadn’t yet seen. We went parasailing, and one of the two carabiners holding me 50 meters above the water was broken and permanently stuck in the open position, which I only realized once I was up in the air. I survived only after picturing myself falling from that height for the entire 15-minute ride.

MPH 🇵🇭 ✈️ MNL 🇵🇭 ✈️ HAN 🇻🇳 (4 countries so far)

Soon after Isla’s departure, we went to Vietnam (with William and his friend Daniel, whom he met in Phnom Penh).

The food in Hanoi was so so so good. Charlotte and I had a bowl of Pho before William and Daniel landed which is still the best Pho I’ve ever had by a mile. And every restaurant we visited after that was just as much of a hit. Most places specialized in one dish, which meant it had to be perfect. It also really does hit different when sitting on a tiny plastic chair — Anthony Bourdain was right.

The best bowl of Pho I’ve ever had

During this trip, I also crossed “Banh mi in Hanoi” off my bucket list. We went to four different banh mi places, and the best one was “Banh Mi Mama” with its egg and pate banh mi. The crispiness of the bread with the softness of the scrambled eggs easily rivaled a New York BEC. I highly recommend.

We also took a day trip to Ninh Binh and climbed 600 steps to get to the top of this mountain. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack, but the view was worth it. (I also counted this as one of my one hundred endurance workouts for the year.)

I don’t know who that other lady is

After Daniel left, William, Charlotte, and I went on a two-day cruise in Ha Long Bay. The views were beautiful, and the beers went down easily. I sang lots of O-Rod at the rooftop Karaoke while an Australian guy kept calling me Seth MacFarlane.

On the last morning of the cruise, we had to pack up and be checked out within ten minutes of waking up with a brutal hangover, which felt like a scene from Below Deck. It was awesome.

Back in Hanoi, we went to the Hanoi train street, which was sick. It didn’t seem safe, but safe is boring anyway. We also went to the restaurant where Anthony Bourdain and Obama went. Their table was encased in glass. The food was amazing, once again.

I absolutely loved Vietnam. It was really the best.

HAN 🇻🇳 ✈️ MNL 🇵🇭

A few days after returning to Manila, our friend Alice visited us. Together, we flew to Bohol.

MNL 🇵🇭 ✈️ TAG 🇵🇭

In Bohol, we did all the typical Bohol activities: island hopping, snorkeling, swimming with turtles, ATV’ing in the chocolate hills, taking pics with Tarsiers (the smallest monkeys on earth), zip-lining — you know, just regular, everyday activities.

TAG 🇵🇭 ✈️ MNL 🇵🇭

Soon after that, I flew to the most exotic destination of the year… New Haven, Connecticut.

MNL 🇵🇭 ✈️ JFK 🇺🇸

I couldn’t miss my brother’s college graduation. Congrats Jack! (and happy birthday!)

Who let this guy graduate?

JFK 🇺🇸 ✈️ MNL 🇵🇭

I couldn’t stay long because Charlotte and I had another trip planned back in Asia with Roshanak: Bali!

MNL 🇵🇭 ✈️ DPS 🇮🇩 (5 countries so far)

We spent ten days in Bali, first in Canggu, then Ubud, and lastly in Seminyak. From our brief stay in Canggu, it seemed like it had lost a lot of the authenticity that had drawn many people to it initially. Most of the businesses were owned by foreigners. It felt like a place for tourists to take drugs, do yoga, and find themselves. Don’t get me wrong, we had great food and spent some relaxing time at the beach. But it felt like Canggu had been a victim of its success. Then again, I only spent three days there, so I invite you to form your own opinion about the place.

Ubud was much more up our alley. We stayed in a surprisingly affordable private villa with its own pool and a view over rice terraces.

After our first night in the villa, our driver and guide Budi took us to a few notable places in the area. The first stop on the tour was the water temple. Right after being dropped off, we were directed to locker rooms, where we changed out of our day clothes and into green robes provided by the temple. We were then brought to an area to pray and give an offering, after which it was time to get in the water. We followed our guide’s brief instructions and lined up in front of the left-most water spout. When it was my turn, I followed suit with the other temple-goers and dunked my head in the refreshing water, washing it over my face and shoulders with one hand. I then waded over to the second line. One line at a time, we slowly made our way from the left-most spout to the right-most one, skipping a few spouts we were told were reserved for specific purposes (one was for people who had repeated nightmares). It was a very meditative and calming process.

Later that day, Budi dropped us off at the monkey forest. Interacting with monkeys up close in their natural habitat was so cool. But that’s when things took a turn for the worse.

To be continued…

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This post got too long to fit in one email, so I’ll send out the second half tomorrow. Make sure to subscribe if you haven’t already to receive it in your inbox!

Thank you so much for reading this far. I love talking about my adventures, and I’m so lucky to have you to read them. ❤️

My beautiful girlfriend Charlotte Renner edits all of my posts. This one was also edited by William Baird-Smith.