The Sunday Edition is Tuesdayās little sisterāoff-the-cuff updates Iād bring up over a coffee catch-up with a friend.
The past month has felt like both the shortest and longest month of my life. On the one hand, I canāt believe I arrived in Bali in mid-August; on the other hand, Iāve lived about a thousand lifetimes since then. Before going on this trip, to Indonesia and Japan, I barely had time to absorb the reality of traveling for six weeks. Apart from studying abroad in Denmark in college, itās the longest amount of time Iāve ever spent outside of the U.S. And, I was a bit distracted by the chaos of summer and an unexpected breakup to fully wrap my head around my ambitious plans. I didnāt understand, or really think about, the extent to which it would impact me, but I am so, so grateful to have had this time. Like travel often does, it has opened up my world to cultures vastly different from my own, reshaping me and making me feel so empowered and curious. In the last few days alone, Iāve travelled all over Japan by bus and train, from Tokyo to Magome, Kyoto, Kinosaki Onsen, and Osaka (developing a hyper-fixation with the different regional ekiben, or train bento boxes, along the way).
While you were sleeping (at least my west-coasters), I arrived in Seoul, South Korea (my friend Monica Wang recently posted so many of her tips), where Iām spending a few days before I head home, as my grand finale! I departed for this trip on the heels of a chaotic summer, which included my book tour and weddings most weekends, and next week Iām arriving to fall in Portland. Itās a final burst of frenetic energy before I spend the next few months wintering, leaning into the cold and calm. My obsessive, extensive guide to Tokyo goes live next week, and Iāll share much more about the rest of my trip in a Part 2. Until then, here are some highlights from the past weekā¦