Greetings from Singapore!
I’m officially 1 month into my 5 month trip and I LOVE it! On March 1st, I flew from Doha, Qatar to Kathmandu, Nepal!
Over the course of that first weekend, 5 of my co-workers from the US flew in & we explored the city together. On Monday, we had a mini-company meetup & I was able to meet around 20 of my Nepal co-workers for the first time! The rest of the week was dedicated to wedding related events! I felt so honored to have been invited to attend the festivities! The whole week of the wedding and meeting their family while also interacting with my co-workers was so great!
I have friends who are very well traveled and they really helped put it in perspective for me how lucky I was to be flying to Nepal and going to a traditional wedding on my first international trip. They were jealous and it really helped me appreciate every moment of the week there. After the first week, I decided to stay in Kathmandu an additional 5 days to explore the nightlife and do a few local activities, such as taking a cooking class and marking a knife! I really underestimated the knife carving activity… it ended up being so cool and one of my most favorite souvenirs!
On March 14th, I got the Kathmandu airport a few hours early and as I reflected on my two weeks there, I got a little emotional about it & I found myself not wanting to leave. I decided that I would definitely be back again & would make it a several month visit next time.
For the past 10 years, anytime somebody would ask my #1 travel destination, my answer was always: Thailand. I was beyond excited to finally make this flight to Bangkok! The first weekend I stayed there, I stayed in a very backpacker-friendly area downtown with a lot of hostels.
After the first weekend, I moved to a more local neighborhood. It’s actually the gay area of town, a.k.a. the gayborhood.
From there, I mostly spent my time enjoying the nightlife. Staying out late, waking up late, working and repeat. I met a few locals who showed me around a little but nothing noteworthy besides the fun bars!
On Sunday, March 31st, I flew into Singapore. I checked into my hostel & headed downtown for a light show and checkout a couple of views of their downtown area!
Some kind of ceremony in Bangkok
Bangkok, Thailand
Cool building in Bangkok!
Gardens by the Bay in Singapore!
Gardens by the Bay in Singapore!
Downtown Singapore!
The infamous Merlion!
A photo of me right now writing this email from my hostel @ 2am