As soon as you find a fun, maybe bilingual, maybe BIPOC, literary agent, you will release your first book, a travel memoir.
What is it about?
A woman becomes motherless, leaves America to live in her birth country and travels to Bhutan, Cambodia, and New Zealand to find out how to accept death except there are other losses she has never confronted.
How long did it take you to write the book?
I started journaling it in 2017 while on the gap year, began editing/rewriting it in fall of 2018, and as of 2023 I am still rewriting it.
Will there be pictures?
Yes and no. I took close to 2 GB of photos during my trips but I do not plan on publishing them ish. There will be interior layout design that mirror them.
What were some of your favorite countries that you visited?
Cambodia – people there were so simple, relaxed and overall humble.
Bhutan – it's so different from how I grew up that I fell in love as soon as I walked into the airport runway.
New Zealand – it's full of picturesque scenes, and people there are very friendly, compassionate, and happy.
Were there any countries you regretted visiting?
I had a physically rough time in Tibet because of the high altitude. I've been in high altitudes before and reacted fine so I was overly confident that I didn't need any medicine for Tibet. Wrong! I was there for almost two weeks and was in pain almost every day, until the day I was supposed to leave. But, I don't regret going. I met folks during the trip whom I still keep in contact with. Through suffering together, the misery was more bearable had I toured the place alone.
Were you ever lonely?
I was but it was so temporary. I'd either have to pick up my belongings again and explore a new place or I'd meet new people. And when I read other solo travelers' blogs, they all said that it's very normal to feel lonely, given the circumstances. So I anticipated it. It's a trade-off but a worthy trade-off!
How many countries did you visit in the entire year?
About 20. Some commented how that's quite few if we do some math: 12/20 = about two countries per month.