Day 209: Phuket
Breakfast was the most beautiful display of Western and Asian dishes. I gorged myself on three plates from the buffet. My favorite part was the bacon. They had REAL American-style bacon. Not ham. Not Canadian bacon. AMERICAN bacon. This trip has allowed for some pretty great opportunities for delicious food throughout Europe and Asia, but the main thing that’s been missing from my life has been bacon. I now have eight months worth of a bacon deficiency that needs to be rectified, made right. There’s no substitute for this perfect piece of meat. It’s a source of happiness. If I had bacon every day on this trip, I’m sure the mountains would have seemed flat. I could conquer any hardship if only bacon was there for comfort. I knew it was going to be a great day when I opened that steamy warming dish of bacon. The tiny bit of self-control I had prevented me from taking the whole tray; however, it didn’t stop me from putting a few more pieces on my plate each time I got a new one.
The rest of the day was just as wonderful as each strip of fried, fatty bliss. We lounged ALL day at the pool. It’s like a Vegas hotel pool, but better because there’s less people around. The palm trees and cabanas with wispy white linens created the perfect relaxing atmosphere. That’s seriously all we did all day until almost dark. Just lay, lounge, veg out, relax, stayed in a state just slightly more awake than a nap. The most movement included turning over like a rotisserie to try not to get sun burned. Oh and we did swim up to the poolside bar and drank a super expensive fru-fru drink. But just one. Perfection. That’s what today was.
Day 210: Phuket
Today was like a repeat of yesterday. There was bacon. There was sunning by both the main pool and the rooftop infinity pool. Napping occurred- probably more like a bacon coma from breakfast than actually napping. I think I’d feel bad if I only came here to Thailand for a week and didn’t see other places besides this resort. But since we’ve been in this beautiful country for over a month and cycled over 1,000 miles from north to south, I don’t feel bad at all for not sightseeing outside of this magnificent hotel. Besides, the lounge chaises next to the pool were calling my name and I couldn’t disappoint it. I HAD to keep them company.
Thumbs up to cycle touring!
It’s Valentine’s Day. I mostly dislike this day for the sole reason that society tells couples to so something to show your love to each other. I don’t like being like everyone else; especially being like Society; she’s mostly a bitch. Above when I said “mostly dislike,” what I mean is I do love love love getting flowers and I love chocolate and I think it’s important to show and tell your spouse that you love him, but I don’t like being expected to do something on this particular day. In the past, Sean and I celebrated Valentine’s Day on March 14, a month later, just to be different. This year, since we’re on an eight-month hiatus from normalcy, we’re not celebrating birthdays or Christmas or V-Day with gifts or anything special. We did, however, go out to dinner because we HAD to eat. Sabay’s restaurant was the cutest tiki hut place strung up with lights and eclectic chandeliers. Each table had fresh flowers. It was beautiful. The food was amazing. And we were the only ones there. Really, this day was just like any other day: beautiful and wonderful and spent next to an amazing husband who leads me around the world on a bike.
Day 211: Phuket to Phuket Town (22 miles)
Today is our last day of riding. Still lying in bed this morning, I squealed with excitement. I have mixed emotions. I’m sad to end this epic journey, but ecstatic to get back home soon. This always-on-the-go adventure has become our normal and it’ll be weird to stay in one place. Packing up the panniers after breakfast was a little quieter than usual, a bit more somber, more pensive. I planned on staying by the pool at this perfect resort as long as possible today, but the eagerness of completing this last ride was more overwhelming than my desire to stay one step above a comatose state by the sparkling pool oasis. It’s a hard concept to grasp – pool vs bike- but I wouldn’t have enjoyed the pool as much with the final ride lingering overhead.
The endpoint for today’s ride was actually in Phuket Town, the city not a beach. It’s not the ideal place to end a world bike trip, but we needed to find a place to stash the bikes and extra luggage before going on “vacation.” I quoted that because some people might think we’ve been on a vacay this whole time. It’s only been a vacation from the normal 9 to 5 job and bills back at home; this trip has been physically and mentally exhausting and we planned for ten days of recovering before heading back to Cali. Because the crazy city life of Phuket is not a place to take celebratory pictures, we headed to the beach. We didn’t have anyone to photograph us and had to rely on the camera timer. We hooted and hollered and raised the bikes overhead as the camera clicked away. Then we hopped on the bike again for the final ride.
Our end of cycling pictures.
The 22 miles were hectic. This island has tons of traffic. Cars barely skimmed by us. And it rained. When we pulled up to the hostel, Sean and I looked at each other rather blankly. “That’s it. That was fun,” I said. “Remember when we biked around the world?” I asked just moments after we were done. The ending was the complete opposite of our USA trip finale. Then, we had friends and family there to greet us at Baker Beach in San Fran. They surprised us with huge signs and a finish line. One of my favorite moments of all time was riding hand in hand with Sean as we watched our people cheer as we rode those last few pedals toward the beach. I remember crying with a huge smile – one of my favorite emotions. Today day wasn’t so emotional. We kissed. We hauled the bikes inside and went out to search for food and beer. WE’RE DONE!
Reflection:
I would like to say that I’m coming home after these eight months of adventure a new and improved person. I don’t think I am. I think I’m the same old me. Of course, the things I’ve seen and the experiences I’ve encountered will stay with me, but overall, I haven’t changed much.
We met a traveler way back in China who was on a yearlong trip (not on a bike). His predicted ending was Machu Picchu, Peru. While describing his journey, he said to us, “I hope I find myself in Machu Picchu.” As in, he was on a soul-searching, reflective journey and he wanted miracles to happen in that end place. This really struck a chord with me. I completely disagree with the idea that you can pick your time and place to become a better person, more mindful and attentive to your life purpose. Because if you can do that, why not choose NOW and right HERE! I think you can put yourself in a certain place and actively do things to allow for self-improvement, but it’s definitely a process, a journey; not a destination (like Machu Picchu).
I have a pretty great life back at home. I’m not a recovering drug-addict; I wasn’t homeless or jobless or recently divorced. Quite the opposite, in fact. I’m wonderfully and happily married. I loved my job. I have a great, supportive family. My life is and was nowhere close to perfect. But I’m incredibly blessed. All of this to say, I didn’t say “yes” to this trip to actively seek out a new and improved me, or for a soul-searching, contemplative, deep thought, meditative pilgrimage. I said yes because I like to take opportunities to experience the world, get out of my comfort zone, and spend time with the man of my dreams. These past 8 months surely allowed for amazing, new, worldly experiences. My comfort zone has been stretched and contorted and I hope I’ve learned a bit from these many uncomfortable situations. And spending every moment with my husband has proven our love to be strong and lasting. Except for the world experience part, I’d like to think that I would have encountered this forbearance back at home without 6,000 miles on a bike. Who knows, though.
I catch people, myself included, saying things about “returning to normal life” after this trip. I hate that phrase: “normal life.” Because I use it, too, I completely understand that biking every day in foreign countries without a job and responsibilities isn’t what normal people do. Without some type of greater purpose or blog sponsorship, this type of traveling isn’t sustainable. Money goes quickly with the whole eat a few times a day thing I like to do. Nevertheless, “normal life” doesn’t appeal to me. This is MY normal. I’ve traveled all my life. I’ve traveled to gymnastics competitions throughout my younger years. I traveled to Texas to visit my dad every summer. I traveled during competition season for track every weekend in college. When I finally got a real job as a teacher, I could finally start traveling abroad. I’ve traveled as a missionary and for work and for pleasure. I’ve traveled solo, with my mom, and with friends. Luckily, I’ve found a husband who shares my love for travel. Traveling IS my normal. I can’t imagine that after this journey that I’ll stop seeking adventure. I’m not saying that I won’t get a job and a house and have kids. I’m simply saying that I hope I truly am never “normal.” Normal back at home is not audacious and bold. Normal is too much stuff in your home. Normal is always having the latest iPhone. Normal is credit card debt. Normal is too busy for communication other than through texting. Normal is always wanting what you don’t’ have. I don’t want that “normal.” I hope I continue to live a life that supports new travel trips and weekend get-aways. That might mean saying no to weekly Starbucks or having the latest and greatest technology, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. I hope I never go back to normal life.
