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Be My Travel Muse

Solo Female Travel

The Places I’ve Never Really Left

by 44 Comments

You know those times and places that your mind keeps coming back to when you let it wander?  The feelings come alive again from a smell, a song, or a familiar face you haven’t seen in years, and suddenly, it’s like you’ve jumped into the wormhole and traveled back in time. It happened to me when I bought the same soap I had used several years prior, it was like opening a window to the past every time I removed the cap. It happened when I heard a song I’d had on repeat while driving through the countryside in Asia.  I was transported back when I saw a friend I hadn’t seen in seven years.

Not all places are missed equally in my mind, but the ones that remain heavy in my memory I often want to return to, a little scared of the unavoidable changes that await me.

There are some places I’ve never really let go of, some I’ve returned to multiple times, and some I still dream of even years later.  Whether I’ve been back or not, they all have one thing in common: It was almost impossible to leave and I’ve never stopped dreaming of returning in some way, somehow.

 

Taipei, Taiwan

Taipei 101 new years
A photo of the Taipei 101 building – then the tallest in the world – taken on New Years Eve 2008

Taipei was the first place I ever went in Asia when I moved there, sight unseen, at age 21 after graduating from the University of California.  I still wasn’t ready to join the working world, but I did know that I wanted to perfect my Chinese language skills.  I obtained a scholarship for the study of Mandarin and it was only due to a blip in my timing with renewing my student visa that I had to leave after 8 months there. In the end, it led me to where I am now, so I’m ok with how it all went, but I have still not stopped dreaming of a return to Taipei.

It was there that I fell in love with Asia, embarked on the craziest journey of my life by far by obtaining a weirdly semi-famous status there (I still have the tabloids I was in!), and eventually returning home to normalcy. It feels like another life, another girl, and in a way, it was. I’ll always love Taipei for showing me that there’s a big world out there, and for starting the torrid love affair I now have with Asia.

 

Otres Beach, Cambodia

koh rong, cambodia
How beautiful are Cambodian beaches?

Otres was only the fourth place I had been to on my open-ended journey that started almost two years ago now. I had never seen white-sand beaches with that kind of pristine beauty that hadn’t been built up with all kinds of tourism and in a way, been “ruined.”

I still devise grand plans in my mind from time to time to return, because it was my first true taste of Southeast Asian beaches and I still can’t imagine a more perfect place for swimming with phytoplankton at night, eating whole red snapper for $6, meeting amazing and interesting people, and generally lazing each day away without feeling like it was wasted.

Pai, Thailand

pai thailand
Beautiful Pai

If you’re a regular reader of this blog at all, or if you maybe just dabble from time to time, you’ll already know how much I love Pai. I’ve managed to return three times and it just keeps getting better.

After seeing some resorts under construction last time I was there (in May of this year), I started to wonder if maybe it was time to quiet down about how much I love Pai. It’s not that I think I’ve singlehandedly made it more touristic, it’s just that I want more than anything for it to remain just the way it is: beautiful, peaceful, and wild.

Chengdu, China

I didn’t expect to like Chengdu nearly as much as I did. I just wanted to pass through and get my visa extended, then move back over to the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture – an area I’m truly, madly in love with. What ended up happening was an almost month-long stint spent there meeting the expat community and becoming fully immersed in it.

By the time I left, I was already plotting a plan to come back in six months and start teaching English. But I know myself, I’m not the teacher type and the pollution would eventually get to me. Otherwise, I love the wild roller coaster that China is, and I love the expat community there. It was almost as cool as the one in Taipei.

Almost.

Melbourne, Australia

melbourne australia
The botanic gardens in Melbourne

I lived in Melbourne for two months and it makes my heart ache every time I think about it now. I moved there after my first four months in Southeast Asia for the wrong reasons and I wasn’t ready for the sticker shock or the break in my travels that accompanied it. Unfortunately, I wasted my yearlong work and holiday visa, which Americans are not allowed to renew, after getting on the hamster wheel working at high end shoe shop and deciding to leave two months later.

So now, I can’t go back to live without work sponsorship or becoming a student. But, I’m a freelancer and I truly feel like my student days are behind me. It’s a catch 22 and I’ll always miss that amazing city that it seems I have no way back into.

Berlin, Germany

Berlin
Loving Berlin (by Evran Ozturk)

I’ve been searching for two years and I’ve finally found it: the perfect city I never knew existed but always wanted to find. It’s affordable, it’s SO MUCH FUN, and the community of locals and expats here is amazing. Plus, I can actually apply for a freelancing visa and stay here.

Mark my words, I’ll be doing that.

Where are the places in this world you’ve never truly left?

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Comments

  1. We absolutely have those places! Cambodia and New Zealand come in at the top. We are currently in Scotland and think we have added another fave place to the list! There’s something about connecting with the locals that just makes a place stand out for us.

    Reply

  3. Kristin, the way you summed up your experience in Melbourne hits the nail on the head for me too. It’s taken a long period of grief to get over my bad decision to leave Melbourne. Thanks for being a part of it there.

    Also, Otres and Pai! My heart pines for Pai every day. Must come visit you in Berlin in 2016,

    Miss you.

    Reply

    • You’re welcome to visit in Berlin! Thanks for being part of my Pai and Melbourne experiences, love.

      Reply

  4. I hope to hear more about your Freelance Visa in Germany as that is something I’d like to do.

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  5. I feel the same way about Melbourne, and I’m dying to revisit. I’m curious to know how you ended up in tabloids in Taiwan?!

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  6. About places I’ve never left – I would say Rouen (France). I spent seven months there an English assistant teacher at a French high school (October 2005 – May 2006) and I spent a few days there on vacation earlier this year. I can’t say Rouen is my favourite places but in a way, I felt like I had come home when I went to Rouen.

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  7. Great post 🙂 Would love to see the tabloids from your semi-famous status in Taipei! That last photo of you is stunning!

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  8. There are some places on your list where I still have to go, but Berlin is right on top of my favourite cities ever!

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  9. Hey,

    I’m an avid reader of your blog. It’s pretty much my travelling gospel. I’ll be heading to Pai with my friend who is a true hippie, from everything you wrote about it I know she’ll love it. Maybe you are single handily increasing their tourism! I’ll be checking out that beach in Cambodia too.

    I’m setting off on my own SE Asia trip in September and you’ve helped me plan and pack for it, so thanks for that!

    Reply

  10. This piece sounds like a list of ex bf’s that you still have a lil something in your heart for each one of them lol.
    Not to many people love rome, but that would be the place I long for , havent been to asia yet ;(

    Reply

    • That’s a good analogy! In a way, it is kind of like that. Old loves I haven’t let go of.

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  11. YES! Pai got a mention =) Love it! And now Berlin is added to the list as well, I dig it. Cannot wait to hit Berlin sometime! I feel ya though, there are so many places I find my mind retreating to when daydreaming as if I was still right there.

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  12. I truly agree with how you feel about Melbourne. I lived there 2.5 years and I am Australian, but left to see the world. I know I can always go back there, but I feel about San Francisco the way you do about Melbourne – the longest I can ever be there is 90 days.

    Reply

    • I feel like San Francisco and Melbourne have their similarities too! I’m that way about LA – I can always go back because it’s home, and that’s awesome because it’s a truly awesome place. But, there are a lot I can’t just pick up and move to and that’s unfortunate.

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  13. Isn’t it wonderful to have places that are so close to your heart? Places that you can feel in an instant even if it’s been years? We too love Pai and have been there three times. We plan on returning again in January of 2015. We hear Berlin is pretty amazing. We look forward to visiting in the future.

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  14. I definitely know what it’s like to feel like you leave a part of yourself in certain places you visit… You always know those are the places you must return to. I felt a pang in my heart when I read about the issue you have with returning to Australia. It’s always hard to know that certain places you love you may never revisit, but it’s also comforting to know that you had the opportunity to appreciate the beauty. Also, I love the new look of your blog! Cheers. xo

    Reply

  15. This was a great idea for a post–original, warm-hearted, and reflective. From the comments, it seems that a lot of us can relate to this same feeling of connection.

    Best of luck with your stay in Germany! I didn’t realize they had a freelance visa, so I hope you can touch on that a bit in future posts.

    Reply

    • Thanks Cassandra. I’m in the process of applying for the visa so we’ll see how it goes! Fingers crossed 🙂

      Reply

  16. I haven’t spent nearly enough time in Asia, so I’m taking your suggestions to heart! Totally agree on both Melbourne & Berlin though. Preach!

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  17. We have been to 3 of these places. It looks like we have plenty of new great places to visit! We had plans to go to Chengdu when we were in China but due to time, took if off our itinerary. Guess it will have to be a priority on the next trip there then. 🙂

    Reply

    • Chengdu isn’t really a great place for tourism, in my opinion, unless you really like pandas. But there’s a lot surrounding the city that’s awesome to see, and it’s a great place to get to know locals. It’s easy to settle in there and the vibe is awesome.

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  18. I know how you feel – my heart has been left in little pieces across the globe – mainly in India, Cambodia and Queensland, Australia. But I still worry whether it will be just as magical going back for a second time or if I should just enjoy those memories and move onto new destinations?

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    • That’s the tough part. I’ve returned to only two on that list and I did love it just as much the second and even third time, but there were differences. Others I’m afraid will have changed quite a bit which will be sad for me because they were so perfect in that time and place in my mind.

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  19. I just saw this post, but I have to weigh in because I have lived in Taipei for three years now! And you’re right – it’s an amazing place. This was also my first taste of exotic Asia and I have been able to tear myself away yet. You should come back when you can – I’m sure it’s changed since you were here. 🙂 Lovely post!

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    • I have been wanting to go back for years but it just never worked out. That has to change!

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  21. Also while studying abroad with 21 in Taipei the travel bug bit me 🙂 I can relate and I’m actually going back next month!

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  22. Botanic garden is one of the best place Melbourne can offer. I love pants, there something on them that makes me happy. Every time I feel frustrated and depressed, I just visit this place.

    Reply

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