We left Asia yesterday & it’s exciting but also bittersweet.
One of the hardest goodbyes was Asian hospitality. We have met some of the most genuine people here. They love really well and are so generous!!
Goodbye Ministry hosts
Goodbye Asian Malls, thanks for giving us a taste of America.
Goodbye South East Asian Beaches.
Goodbye Mountains.
Goodbye Monsoon Rainstorms.
Goodbye Chai Tea.
Goodbye Hi-chew candy.
Goodbye Night Markets.
Goodbye versatile and affordable healthcare.
Also goodbye Zumba in the park, if there’s a park, there’s a class every morning and evening.. it’s not something you see all the time in the states but it’s fun to jump in until they ask you to go to the front because you’re American.
Goodbye wildlife like tigers, monkeys, elephants, & freakishly large bugs (that are considered food in Cambodia)
Goodbye monks, and seeing temples on every corner.
Here are some things that have become “normal” to us after being in Asia for 5 months:
.Rice at least twice a day
.Squatty pottys
.No seatbelts
.Stomach issues
.Hangin out of rooftops (one of my new favorite things which will def. be a part of my tiny house!)
.Wandering cows, chickens, & dogs everywhere
.Motorbikes
.Depending on local transportation to get around (Autos/Tuk Tuks, overstuffed buses)
.8-12 hour bus rides
.Sleeping with bugs & geckos
.”TP” in backpack at all times (I’m not talking luscious Cotonelle, TP normally took the form of napkins from restaurants, weddings, coffee shops, etc)
.No a/c
.Naked babies
.Rice fields
.People peeing in public
.Squishing as many people into one vehicle as possible (this month we fit 13 people into 5 passenger truck)
.Eating unidentifiable food
.Hand washing your clothes & line drying them
.Sleeping pads
.Pollution
.Fishy smells
.Being stared at
.Top buns on the reg cause its too hot to where your hair down & even if you did it would be frizzified in minutes. 🙂
.Febreezing clothes to make them last another day
.3-4 people per motorbike
.Power outages
.No public trash cans
.Driver seat being on our passenger seat side
.Not being sure if you are feeling sweat or a bug on your arm
.Carrying a water bottle everywhere
.Taking a shower next to the toilet with no shower curtain #miniflood
.Sewer rivers
Here are the main/infamous foods we encountered in all or some specific countries:
Rice
Baby bananas
Indian Curry
Nepali Momos
Vietnamese Phu
Cambodian Fried Tarantulas/snakes/beetles/cockroaches
Vietnams sweetened condensed milk in coffee
Bones in meat
Shoutout to all the treasurers and the currencies they had to deal with every month:
The Indian Rupee (65/$1)
The Nepali Rupee (103/$1)
The Vietnamese Dong (22,600/$1)
The Cambodian Reil (4,000/$1)
The Thai Bot (34/$1)
Something we take advantage of in the states is being able to use our debit/credit cards, over seas it’s rare to find a place that takes card and it’s always a guessing game…
Later Asia.. Its been real. Peace & blessins! 🙂
