800 days of travel: Reflections on the last 100 days
Posted on 09. Jul, 2012 by Jess in Cambodia, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Travel Reflections, USA
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Today we celebrate not only 800 days of life as traveling nomads, but 2,190 days of being together. That’s right, today is also our 6-year anniversary – two incredible reasons to celebrate today!
If I had to choose one word to describe the last 100 days, it would be contrasting. More than in any of our other 100 days reflections, our experiences have truly been all over the map, both literally and figuratively.
From the gentle subtleties of Asia to the in-your-face intensity of colorful India on to the sandy vastness of the desolate Tucson desert and finally ending up here, in a gorgeous house of our own for two months on a remote beach in southern Mexico.
Tacos in Mexico, a tractor in Cambodia, Singapore’s skyscrapers
A Tucson home, coconut soup in Malaysia, children of India
The world’s best beaches
Let’s start with the end. In the last 100 days, we ended our first stint in South East Asia. When we first bought our tickets to Bangkok, we were wide-eyed and filled with wonder. What would Asia be like? We had read blogs and our Lonely Planet Southeast Asia
Picking up where we left off at Day 700, we were in Sihanoukville, Cambodia’s most popular beach town, at our favorite spot in town – the Beach Club resort. A three-day trip over to the entirely underdeveloped island of Koh Rong made us realize just how spoiled we are after spending so long around the Caribbean the year before. We undertook a tough hour-long hike up and over a mountain, through the jungle of Koh Rong to reach what has been the only stretch of beach to impress us to the same degree the Caribbean did on a daily basis. India’s beaches were no better, either. It may have taken 800 days, but we are now fairly certain that we prefer the Caribbean to any beaches world – until we get to the Maldives, that is!
Friends make everything better
On the whole, however, Cambodia turned out to be our favorite South East Asian country, maybe because the challenges of traveling made us actually feel like we were on the road whereas Thailand and Malaysia are such a breeze to travel. Maybe it was getting so involved in the horrid history…but most likely it was the Cambodian character, the friendliness of the people. We just couldn’t resist the smiling and waving wherever we went. Part of this might also be because we spent such a fun week with friends in Siem Reap, the last week of our stay in the country. With Shannon and Ana we went to Angkor Wat, hung out, swam in the hotel pool and had an all-around fun time.
We also reunited with our friend Jaime in India and having him to laugh with (and during my ‘injured phase’, to cry with too) felt great! Best of all, I was able to be there for my best friend’s wedding in Denver this June. For the past 14 years I either been living abroad or traveling, so being around for such a significant life moment for one of my favorite people was really important to me!
Our lives let us live some intense contrasts
The day we flew from Siem Reap to Singapore was one of those major contrasts I was talking about. We started the day in a rickety tuk-tuk on the way to the airport, and after landing in Singapore, we hopped on one of the most modern and efficient metro systems in the world. We take to big cities like fish to water, so exploring Singapore was an incredibly refreshing change. While in Cambodia you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in a suit but plenty of pigs on the back of motorbikes, Singapore is all brand-new shiny cars, start-ups and excitement about the future. This was an entirely different world, but still very much an Asian city.
After a quick stop in the Malaysian colonial city of Malacca, we were flung into an entirely different world yet again…our first trip to India. This country, or rather sub-continent, is so unique, and so unlike anywhere else we have ever been that just being there made the world feel bigger and smaller simultaneously. Let me try to explain. Obviously, the more we travel, the smaller the world feels. We buy a plane ticket, fly in, and suddenly, places we had only heard about are a part of our reality within that same day.
Singapore, Cambodia and Arizona
But being in India is so different to the Americas, Europe and Asia that it felt like I finally had this triangulation point. A third place in the world that was so incredibly different to anywhere we had ever been before. There was less of a feeling that we had conquered India as travelers, having only visited Kerala, Karnataka and Goa, so we will definitely be going back for round two.
Taking time out to recover is key
There were also those couple of injuries I had in India that completely incapacitated me. Despite access to quality medical care, India is chaotic and not the best place to recover. I had my eyes set on one thing only – our time in Tucson. Back in 2010, just two months into our trip, we had a housesit in Tucson, and they contacted us to come back this June. We loved the dog, the house, the pool, the homeowners and Tucson itself, so it helped so much knowing that after a roller coaster ride in India, Dani and I both could relax, recover and regain control of our schedule in Arizona.
This led to another extreme contrast, as Tucson couldn’t be more different to India. We went from the kind of heavy humidity that presses your chest and frizzes your hair, to the dry scorching days that crack your skin and dehydrate you instantly – luckily we much prefer Arizona’s dry heat and we relished the 110-degree days. A comfortable rhythm of dog-walking, running errands, reading great literature for an hour at the pool and working early in the morning and then again in the late afternoon felt great, and slowly but surely my injuries healed up nicely, and just in time to help with the wedding in Denver.
We love where housesitting brings us
Day 800 finds us in our most remote location yet. We are now in Mexico, on our 11th housesit assignment in two years. Here for two months, this will be our longest stop yet – looking after a beach house and a rather playful guard dog. We plan to work, snorkel, and experience the ebbs and flows of life on the beach.
After this we have absolutely no plans. We have a sneaking suspicion that South America might finally be a part of our near future, but we can honestly say that we have no idea where we will be writing you one hundred days from now…
Looking back:
- Reflections of 100 days of travel
- Reflections of 200 days of travel
- Reflections of 300 days of travel
- Reflections of 400 days of travel
- Reflections of 500 days of travel
- Reflections of 600 days of travel
- Reflections of 700 days of travel
34 Responses to “800 days of travel: Reflections on the last 100 days”
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The GlobetrotterGirls: About Us
We are Dani and Jess, a German-American lesbian couple who decided semi-spontaneously to take our work on the road and travel the world in April 2010. Digital Nomads, Street Food Junkies, House-sitters, Vegetarians, Street Art & Photography Lovers, Hotel Enthusiasts. Find out more about us here
Waegook Tom
09. Jul, 2012
Ladies, congratulations on both the travel-a-versary and your anniversary – 6 years! Here’s to many more
Any ideas where you want to visit in South America first??
Waegook Tom recently posted..Hallim Park, Or Adventures of a Non-Botanist
Jess
10. Jul, 2012
Thanks Tom! No idea exactly where we would start yet, but Buenos Aires is a definite month or more.
Ruth
09. Jul, 2012
Congrats girls!!! This is so cool. Exploring such different places in a small amount of time should be awesome. I am loking forward to read about your next 100 days. Enjoy your time on Mexico.
Ruth recently posted..Solvang: A Piece of Denmark Close to Home
Jess
10. Jul, 2012
Thanks Ruth! Let’s see how much ‘adventure’ we have down here in Mexico!
Ekua
09. Jul, 2012
Congratulations on your anniversaries! So cool that you’ve been to so many places just in the last 100 days. I adored Cambodia for similar reasons. So many of the people I encountered there had such a great sense of humor. Looking forward to see where you guys head off to next!
Ekua recently posted..Photo Essay: Berlin’s Vibrant Turkish Market
Jess
10. Jul, 2012
We have made a lot of stops, but what I love about it is just how much quality time we can spend in 100 days in different places. Life in the office would just have kept on going with very little change…
Bethaney Davies
09. Jul, 2012
Wow. What an amazing last 100 days you’ve had! Everything you’ve done has been so different.
Will be interested to see where you end up next. Somewhere exotic and unusual no doubt!
I’ve got to get into this house-sitting business!!! I must admit, I’ve been reluctant to do it because I’m a bit scared of dogs but we spent two weeks at a friend’s place on Koh Samui and we had a great time with his dogs. My son absolutely loved them. So much that he’d get into the dog cage where the little one slept. He even learnt to tell them “out” when they tried to sneak into the house and to “sit” down which actually came out more like “shit”. I’m sure it would be a good experience for him to live with a pet for a few months on a house-sit.
Bethaney Davies recently posted..Living a Free and Meaningful Life
Jess
10. Jul, 2012
Bethany – you should definitely get into housesitting. If for Dani and I it provides needed stability, I bet it’s a great experience for kids! Sometimes there are cats, not dogs, and other times there are no animals at all. Our housesit in Ottawa last year was six weeks long and we were there to make the house look lived in and cut the acre of grass every week. That was it, in exchange for six weeks of rest and relaxation!
Amanda @ Farsickness
09. Jul, 2012
Happy Anniversary!! And what a fabulous 100 days you’ve had. I can’t wait to read about the next 100
Amanda @ Farsickness recently posted..Flashback Friday: When I Was Stalked in Lucca
Jess
10. Jul, 2012
Aw, thanks Amanda!
Tony James Slater
09. Jul, 2012
Hi ladies!
Well, all I have to say, after reading this summary, is:
When is the book coming out??
You surely have enough adventures to fill a mighty tome! And you actually write in quite a literate manner (as opposed to me, who just gets by with slang and swearing).
It’d be fascinating to see what you came up with. Something like:
‘Every Minute Counts: Two Years, Two Weeks and Two Days on the Road with the Globetrotter Girls’
(of course, that gives you less than 7 weeks to write it… maybe ’3 years..’ would be better!)
Congrats on the dual anniversaries, and good luck on the beach! (I wonder how many of your readers are just dying with jealousy at the mo?) :0)
Tony
Tony James Slater recently posted..SerenDIPity
Jess
10. Jul, 2012
Hey awesome suggestion Tony! We have a ton of story ideas, actually – we should definitely get on that soon. Don’t mean to make anyone jealous, though, with the beach house stories – really want people to realize all the possibilities out there and ways to see the world without spending a fortune…maybe there’s a book in that?
Jaime
09. Jul, 2012
I can’t believe yall have been on the road 800 days. Yall are really in this forever huh? Imagine day 2000…lol!!! Huge congrats on this milestone… I am so glad we were able to meet up during this time and share some ups & downs in India. I wonder when our paths will cross again, cus I know they will.
Oh & congrats on 6 years together that is like 34 in GLBT years…lol!!! Love you both & am glad I can call yall friends.
Jaime recently posted..Oh India I hate you… I hate you not!
Jess
10. Jul, 2012
haha! 34 in GLBT years, that’s awesome.Thanks again for being there and coming back in India – you rock! Wish I could see into the future and see where our paths will cross. WHy do I think it’s Cairo?
Jaime
10. Jul, 2012
I just made that number up… I know us Gays (not sure about lesbians) always joke when someone makes it longer than like a year and say it’s so many more years in Gay years.
Ahhh if we met up in Egypt… I would flip… literally. I have a feeling it may be in South America if y’all keep pushing it back.
Jaime recently posted..Diary of a 31 hour train ride from Mumbai to New Delhi.
Laura
09. Jul, 2012
I was thinking what a great opportunity for downtime this gig would offer after your tumultuous India experience. And I concur with Jaime, 6 years is like 34 or 35 years! Congrats on this!
Laura recently posted..Hipsters and dive bars and shops, oh my!
jan
09. Jul, 2012
What a beautiful place to housesit – you will be jumping out of your skins and ready to travel again at the end of it. Planning where to travel next is fun – like checking out an Indian Smorgasbord!
jan recently posted..Townsville 400 V8 Supercar Race
Jess
10. Jul, 2012
Hey Jan, you’re right – we’ll definitely be jumping out of our skin ready to travel in two months’ time, that’s for sure!
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures
09. Jul, 2012
Your lives are just so freaking amazing!!!!! Talk about following your hearts to the fullest!
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures recently posted..Hong Kong: Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery (Part 2)
Jess
10. Jul, 2012
Hey girl – your life ain’t so bad either!!! But thanks – it’s definitely an amazing feeling knowing that no matter what happens in life, we won’t regret these last 800 days at all!
Aaron @ Aaron's Worldwide Adventures
09. Jul, 2012
Congrats!! And never a dull moment, huh? I really enjoyed your thoughts on the differences throughout the world, and I agree, it all generally does start to feel small to you. It’s not until you’re some place so drastically different and then make such an abrupt shift as getting on an airplane that you really notice ti.
Aaron @ Aaron’s Worldwide Adventures recently posted..So What’s it Like to Travel in Iraq?
Jess
10. Jul, 2012
Exactly right Aaron! Had we traveled Myanmar, Nepal, etc and then into India, it wouldn’t feel so extreme because of the way cultures blend into each other…but to be in Singapore, then boom in India and then boom in Tucson – it just hammers home how incredible the differences are around the world and just how similar it all is at the same time!
Lawrence Michaels
10. Jul, 2012
Wow, 800 days, that’s a really long time to be on the road. Congratulations on the achievement, you’re an inspiration to travelers around the world.
Lawrence Michaels recently posted..Top Ten Phuket Beaches
Jess
10. Jul, 2012
Thanks Lawrence, for saying that! We find it hard to believe ourselves that it has been so long on the road!
Arti
10. Jul, 2012
Congrats Girls!!! Loved the way you presented the post!! Wish you many more years of travel and many more anniversaries:)
Wish you a wonderful week:)
Arti recently posted..Welcome to the Land of the Rising Sun: Japan
Jess
10. Jul, 2012
Thanks so much Arti! We really appreciate you stopping by and sharing it all with us!
Ryan at Travel and Graphs
10. Jul, 2012
Congrats! Looks like it has been a very productive 800 days, may the next 800 be even better!
Dani
10. Jul, 2012
Thanks, Ryan! We’ll definitely take it a bit slower in the next 100 days, we’ve moved around quite a bit in the last 100… who knows where we’ll be in 800 days though!
Laurence
11. Jul, 2012
Super massive congratulations on both milestones girls. I wish you many more to come!
Laurence recently posted..Travel blogging tips from the experts–The Jungle Princess
Dani
12. Jul, 2012
Thanks so much, Lawrence! We don’t care much about the 900 days but we’re already super stoked for 1,000 days! That’s a big number
Our Dear Lady Expatriate
28. Jul, 2012
Congrats on having so many adventures under your belt!
I’m living in Cambodia right now, and I just wanted to stop in and say how much I agree with you – the challenges of Cambo really do make it feel like you’re living every minute!
http://ourdearladyexpatriate.blogspot.com/
Our Dear Lady Expatriate recently posted..Snapshot of Sihanoukville
Dani
31. Jul, 2012
How long will you be living in Cambodia for? It’s such a fascinating country and I really hope we’ll get to return one day. And thanks for pointing us towards your blog
crazy sexy fun traveler
16. Aug, 2012
Congrats to you both
I am happy the injury is ok now! And you make me jealous with all your beach and pool photos
crazy sexy fun traveler recently posted..WHY I DID NOT VISIT BALI IN 2011 AND WHY I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IT IN THE FUTURE
Jess
17. Aug, 2012
Thanks!! Just wait for our 900 days post – it’s going to be almost entirely beaches