This Expat Life (Month 47): Ho Chi Minh City & Lombok
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 March, April, and May.
This is going to sound weird, but I was really nervous about being left all alone in Ho Chi Minh City. Not that I’m scared of the city or of being by myself or anything like that. But when you’ve been in a relationship for as long as I have you just kind of get used to having someone around all the time. So when Aaron left for the US on a business trip at the end of May I was like “What the hell am I going to do by myself for two whole weeks? I’m going to go insane!”
Honestly, there are very few times we’ve ever spent that much time apart. And because I’m living in a new(ish) city and still don’t really know many people things can get lonely fast.
I work from home here in Ho Chi Minh City and I don’t get out nearly as much as I should. I’ve also done a very poor job of actually meeting people here in the city. Meeting people as an expat is incredibly hard (at least it is for me) but it’s also tough given that I don’t have co-workers or roommates to help facilitate the process.
So the day Aaron left, I really did feel very alone in my new adopted home.
Per usual, I spent that day working and writing from my apartment. I spent a few hours working from a café and I went for my nightly stroll because it’s never a good idea to spend an entire day cooped up in the apartment, as I often do.
I came home that night to a dark and empty house and wasn’t exactly sure what to do with myself. But then I went into full “secret single behavior” mode (any Sex and the City fans out there?). I ordered a burrito from my favorite Mexican place here in HCMC, plopped myself in front of the TV and binge-watched The Path (what can I say: cults are among my many odd obsessions).
It was kinda great.
It turns out spending time with myself isn’t so bad after all! I got a ton of work done. I was able to watch all the shows that Aaron’s just not that into but that I love. I made a point to have super lengthy conversations with my family and friends back home. I made more of an effort to get out of the house and walk around the city, that is when it wasn’t brutally hot or pouring down rain.
After a couple days, I just kind of developed a routine. Instead of the hours crawling by, the days actually went fairly quickly. And I realized being alone is all that bad or scary. Sure I’m used to having someone to hang out with all the time but I’m perfectly fine just being by myself too.
I did learn that I really need to make a concerted effort to put myself out there and meet people though. I really miss the friends I made in Beijing. I was lucky there. And I really wish I had that network here. I didn’t have to work for them. They just kind of came with the territory and we were a support system for each other. But here in HCMC it’s on me to seek people out. And ugh, I’m the worst at doing that!
Aaron did finally come home and it was exciting for two reasons: 1) I had someone to blab to again, and 2) it meant it was finally time to go back to Indonesia!
I mentioned last month that we’d booked tickets to Lombok. So on July 14, we flew from HCMC to Lombok. Despite the fact that we’ve traveled to Indonesia five times and lived in Jakarta for a year, we’ve never actually visited Lombok (aside from the Gili Islands), so we were really excited to see a new part of the country.
Our trip just so happened to coincide with Idul Fitri, a major Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. As my plane was landing, the sun had just set and the sky was full of fireworks exploding over the island as everyone celebrated the official end of Ramadan and break fast (the breaking of the fast).
Once we arrived in Kuta, Lombok, where we’d be basing ourselves for the next week, we found ourselves in the middle of some pretty amazing parades and ceremonies. Girls and boys dressed in traditional clothes walked through the streets carrying candles, men perched themselves on mosque-themed floats, and onlookers set off fireworks willy-nilly. (The fireworks part was slightly dangerous but no limbs were lost.)
I would have taken pictures but since no Indonesians were filming or taking photos I decided that I’d just err on the side of caution and respect the culture. Either way, it’s definitely an experience I’ll never forget!
The best part about the holiday is that the day after all the festivities it was dead outside. Businesses were closed and the streets were empty. Aaron and I rented a motorbike and went beach hopping around Kuta. One of the guys at our hotel told us that we should visit Tanjung Aan Beach (one of the most well-known beaches near Kuta) because it would be empty that day since most Indonesians were spending that day at home with family. So we took his advice and zipped off to the beach.
Best. Advice. Ever.
We felt like we had that beach (and all the other beaches we explored that day) all to ourselves. It was unreal. The beaches and landscapes of southern Lombok are some of the most stunning I’ve seen in Indonesia. I’ll be writing a full beach guide soon!
While Aaron was in full vacation mode, I work remotely. I took a few days off to explore southern Lombok but after that, we just wanted to find a place where we could relax, work (me) / read (Aaron), swim, and lounge on the beach. So we decided to spend our last week on Gili Trawangan. Some call it a party island, but it’s become one of my go-to places to get work done while living in paradise. I really do love that little island.
Because we’ve spent the past two summers in Indonesia, our two-week trip felt painfully short. But I will say that I’m glad that we had the chance to get away from Ho Chi Minh City for a bit. It was exactly the getaway we needed.
Working & Blogging
One thing I didn’t do last month was blog. I actually wrote a few posts but didn’t have the time to finalize them and get them up, so expect quite a few food and travel posts about Ho Chi Minh City and Lombok to go up in the coming weeks.
On the work front, I’m still working for my same company in China. I love my job because I can work from anywhere. I recently switched from working full time to part-time with the intention of getting more freelance writing and/or editing gigs. Now that I have a little more free time that’s my goal and I’m really excited about it!
Obviously, my most popular photos last month were of Lombok. That place is just too pretty. Seriously though, it’s even prettier in person. And yes, the water really is that color…
PIN ME FOR LATER!
What did you get up to in June?
