This Expat Life (May 2019): Ho Chi Minh City
After moving abroad in July 2014, I started compiling monthly roundup posts about life as an expat in Southeast Asia and all the nitty gritty that goes on behind the scenes here at Travel Lush. Check out my most recent monthly roundup posts February, March and April.
When I started this blog back in 2014, I was on a yearlong backpacking trip around Southeast Asia and South America. I’d never heard of a travel blog before then but because I was doing so much trip research I grew dependent on them. I was (and still am) rather obsessed with one blog in particular: Alex in Wanderland. I was such a fan of her intelligent, helpful and inspiring blog that I became one of her many regular readers and commenters and was ultimately inspired to start my own travel blog.
What I didn’t know when I started this blog five years ago was that I would become a part of this weird little world of travel bloggers. This blog and the people I’ve met through it have not only inspired me but they’ve given me a community at times when I felt utterly alone on this expat journey of mine.
The first four months of living abroad in Jakarta were rough. This blog and the people I met through it gave me something to work toward every single day. I didn’t have any friends in Jakarta at the time, but I had made all sorts of (online) friends through blogging. Rachel of Hippie in Heels was one of those people.
On May 12, I woke up to the news that Rachel had passed away at the tragically young age of 29. Rachel was one of the very first bloggers I started interacting with back in the day. And though we were by no means close friends, we stayed in touch over the years. Her blog is one of the few I followed week after week, and her career was something I marveled at year after year.
While she started off small, she hustled to turn her blog into a business. Hippie in Heels went on to be one of the most successful travel blogs around. Rachel was hardworking, savvy and immensely talented but she was also one of the most genuinely nice people I’ve encountered. Despite her massive success she always remained as humble and approachable as ever.
I had the chance to meet Rachel once at a travel blogging conference in Bangkok in 2015. I was very nervous to put myself out there and attend that conference. I remember randomly getting a Facebook message from Rachel on the first day of the conference. She sent a comically enormous smiley face emoji followed by “I hope to see you tonight.” Though we’d chatted online a lot that year, I remember being so happy that she actually wanted to meet me in person and that she had reached out to me. When we met that night, she was like, “Oh my god, I’m so embarrassed that I sent you that huge smiley face. You must think I’m crazy.”
It was just such a funny moment. And a moment when we both realized we were just people. Quirky, self-conscious, normal people who were both bundles of nerves over meeting other bloggers in person. She put me at ease immediately and I like to think I did the same for her. She really was just so nice and I’m grateful to have followed her incredible journey and honored to have had the opportunity to meet this wonderful human being in person.
What a life she lived, but what an immense loss Rachel’s passing is to this world and to the people who love her the most. I know there are many.
I’m going to India
I booked tickets to go to India just days before Rachel’s passing. As an expat living in Goa, Rachel was one of India’s top travel bloggers. Back in the day, we used to share funny stories about her expat life in India and mine in Indonesia.
The first thing Aaron and I did when we booked our tickets to India was start googling and, of course, we both ended up binge-reading Rachel’s blog.
If she were still here I would have messaged her about my upcoming travels and I likely would have told her how nervous I was to have to attempt to dress myself for an Indian wedding. And, I’m 100% sure she would have responded with style tips (she was so fashionable) and funny anecdotes because that’s the kind of sweet soul she was.
Rachel might be gone but her legacy does live on through her blog. There is some solace in knowing that she’ll still manage to inspire people to see the world and live life to its fullest, the way she did.
So why India?
The reason for our rather impromptu – and very quick trip to India – is that one of Aaron’s lovely coworkers is getting married there in August. A whole group of us decided we just had to go and that was that. I’m fairly certain we invited ourselves…
The whole gang can only take a few days off of work so we’re only able to spend a fleeting five days in the city of Mysore, where the wedding will be held.
The flight options from Ho Chi Minh City are rather awful. We basically have to travel from HCMC to Bangkok to Bangalore. From Bangalore, we will take a 3-hour bus to Mysore, where we’ll arrive around 3 am (if we’re lucky). We’re going to be so jetlagged. Our journey back to HCMC is even worse since we’re on a redeye and have to lay over in Bangkok from 3 to 5 am. Once again, we’re going to be so jetlagged.
Even though this trip is going to be quick I’m beyond excited to get a little taste of India, a country I’ve been wanting to visit for years and years. Mysore happens to be a great city for vegetarians. Our friend, who is also vegetarian, said she went 18 years growing up in the city only eating at pure vegetarian restaurants. I am going to go food crazy there. Oh, and did I mention even the wedding is vegetarian?! Amazing.
My mom moved out of my childhood home
I’m 37. I’ve lived away from home since I was 18. And I live across the world. This move shouldn’t bother me but it does! Last month, I called my mom and she frantically told me that a couple had decided to rent her house for the next two years and that she’d be moving out in two weeks! Though it was fast, it wasn’t a complete surprise. All of her five children have been wanting her to move out of her far-too-big-house for years. We’ve been pestering her relentlessly (sorry, mom!) to move but I never stopped to think that if she moved, my home base in the US would be gone.
Right now she has rough plans to temporarily relocate to Washington, DC. I usually go home to San Diego for a week or two every fall, but this time around I have nowhere to stay and far fewer people to visit. Suddenly, my mom and my siblings are scattered all over the US. At this point, I’m not entirely sure when I’ll go back home or when I’ll see all my family members again. I don’t like that thought, especially at a time when I’m reminded of just how fragile life is.
Escaping Saigon for the summer
I mentioned this before but I moved from downtown Saigon to the suburbs back in February. While there are things I like about living in the suburbs (getting to jog in the motorbike-free streets!), life there is rather dull compared to the fast pace of downtown. I honestly don’t feel like I live in Vietnam sometimes. To put it in perspective my favorite thing about living in my new neighborhood is that I live across the street from a Mexican restaurant.
Because Aaron will work remotely this summer we figured there was no way we were going to spend the entire time in our out-of-town apartment. We’d go insane. As I write this I’m in an Airbnb in the beachside city of Danang, Vietnam. I’ve primarily been working and apartment hunting since we arrived so I haven’t done too much exploring.
For now, I’m just excited to be able to go swimming in the ocean on a daily basis and do as much exploring of this amazing coastline as possible. We plan to be in Danang for a few weeks and then who knows. (If you have Danang travel tips please let me know in the comments below!)
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R.I.P. Rachel.
That was a lovely tribute to Rachel. She is an inspiration to so many. It’s devastating that her life was cut short, but I’m glad she lived such a wonderful one.
If you visit your mom in DC, let me know!
I still can’t wrap my mind around it. I think I was especially emotional because it was her birthday when I wrote this. But she did have quite a life!
Yes, if my mom does end up in DC I’m thinking about going there at some point. I’d love to meet up. I also have family in Virginia that I haven’t seen in forever who I’d love to see. Maybe it will all work out after all 🙂