Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. June 2017.
Zach and I are spending our eight months of travel anniversary in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I cannot believe we leave tomorrow. Out of Asia. Back to western life. A whole lot of travel left to do - but so much behind us. The first few months we were traveling I struggled with the typical freshman, "When am I gonna make a million dollars" mindset. I wondered when I was going to finally FEEL like I had grown in some irreplicable way. I knew every experience I was having was unique and should be embraced. But I waited for that feeling of growth.
Tonight me and Zach sat drinking wine on the thirty third floor (how be-fitting ☺️ - only those who know me will understand the significance) of the Sky Deck overlooking the magnificent Petrona Towers in KLM. Zach's exact words during our conversation, "Words can't describe how it is, how it feels, or what actually goes on." And that's the truth. No stories we tell can paint a clear enough picture of the feelings you have when in another country. We talked about the moment we left Nepal. We had spent two months in India followed by one month in Nepal. Two of the roughest, poorest, most exhausting countries I have EVER and will probably ever be in. There is no road infrastructure in Nepal. There are no comfort zones in India. Nothing exists that you are familiar with. And the moment we left Kathmandu and landed in Kunming, China butterflies flew through my stomach. The airport runway actually brought a smile to my face. Because there was a REAL runway with a real parking lot and a REAL... highway?!! Words cannot describe the feeling you get when you get to embrace a familiar yet simple life luxury, like driving through a metropolitan city again. -AS @travelingsnow