Update: Back in Germany … what now?

This might come surprising and sudden for most of you. I am already back in Germany having arrived last weekend. It was a rather spontaneous decision – I had booked the flight just a week before my departure from Bangkok. There were several reasons for this seemingly abrupt return which in the end wasn’t even that abrupt. Let me explain…

Three reasons to go back home
First of all I ran low on cash. I had already stretched my budget to stay that long. I was thinking to spend another 2-3 weeks in Indonesia just surfing and relaxing and then going home. But that would have meant really stretching it to the max and returning completely broke. I mean debt broke. I figured it might be smarter to return and at least have a little buffer to smoothen the start.

Before taking the train to my hometown.

Second and maybe even more important, I was so to say ready to return. I had basically seen all that I wanted. I visited every single country in South East Asia, met a lot of interesting people, climbed volcanoes, surfed big waves, dove with sharks and rode about 2000 miles by motorbike. It felt complete and adding another leg to this journey seemed to demand a lot of motivation and dedication. And this leads to the third reason…

Those last two things, motivation and dedication, somehow got missing towards the end of the journey. I had become a little bit travel tired. I didn’t look at things with the awe and excitement as the first timers do anymore. Yet another temple here and yet another waterfall there. Things seemed to have become a bit repetitive and I myself had become thin skinned and quick-tempered. Things that I found authentic and interesting at the beginning got me annoyed now. In order to counter this and that “just another syndrome”, I definitely would have had to take a longer break to recharge my batteries and make some space in my head for new experiences. Just chilling for a while and settle in a place. But here my first reason, the shrinking budget, came into play.

And last but not least, traveling without my camera was just not the same. I tried to focus on the beauty of the places I visited and the situations I encountered but I still caught myself thinking, “Damn, this is so good. I wish I had my camera to capture it”. I didn’t feel complete and I also realized that some places only unfold their secrets and beauty if you have a camera with you in search for these special moments. Hmm, that’s already four reasons now…

All in all it was time and finally booking that flight after a long time of procrastination felt really weird. After a few pleasant days in good old Bangkok, I spent my last three days on Koh Samet, a small island only three hours from Bangkok. It was a great place to unwind and mentally prepare for my return. Getting some sun and enjoying the exotic island flair before heading into the cold seemed just about right.

The island of Koh Samet

However, I can say that reverse culture shock and post travel syndrome still have hit me pretty hard. Re-adapting seems harder than expected and a lot of the challenges which have been awaiting seem overwhelming and hard to cope with. Yet it is still all fresh and I am hoping for a quick improvements.

So, what about the blog now?
This here is just a brief status quo to keep you guys updated. The next, very soon to come post, will continue where I left off – my amazing trip across Myanmar. I want to share my last experiences in South East Asia before coming to some final conclusions and general thoughts about my trip. The next posts will include reports on the rest of Myanmar and Vietnam until the point where I got my camera stolen. In my opinion those legs were some of the best of my whole trip including the best pictures. So stay tuned. I also still want to round up my stays in Cambodia and the Philippines which are still missing.

Until recently, I wasn’t sure whether or not to continue ESCapology after my return. But I decided to do so. After my rather narrative reports on the places I have visited, I want to give this blog a more practical approach. In the end I have experienced a lot, good and bad, and I would like to share those experiences in the form of general travel advice and tips about activities, destinations and travel photography. And of course, there will be more trips and more adventure to come .. hopefully.

It will stay exciting and I hope you will all join me for that next part of the journey. Thank you all for accompanying me up until this point. I appreciate your feedback, comments and the time you take to read my stories.

Wish me luck for my re-integration and all the best to you,

Philipp