The Laundrette, the Lotion, and Letting Go

1716hrs (detail is important). The numbers flash on my phone screen, mocking me with their precision. It’s 29 degrees Celsius in the shade, but here, outside this laundrette, even the shade feels like an oven. My skin is prickling with a fiery itch, a not-so-subtle reminder of the “locally sourced” mosquito repellent I slathered on earlier (avoiding mosquitos is equally as important)

But hey, this is it. This is the life. No, not the burning skin and the relentless heat, but the surrender to it all. This isn’t some freak heatwave back in the UK, hyped up by the tabloids with dramatic headlines about “solarbombs” and “heatdomes.” This is Koh Tao, this is Sairee Beach, and after three years of persistent pleading, negotiating, and what my better calls “gentle nudging” (I call it nagging), we’re finally here. Four months. A trial period in paradise.

How did I, a creature of habit and routine, a lover of all things familiar, end up on this tropical island, sweating out every ounce of moisture in my body? Well, let’s just say it involved a healthy dose of compromise, a sprinkle of wanderlust, and maybe a tiny mid-life crisis…

Not a Travel Blog

Is this a travel blog? I’d like to think not! II’ve never been one to share my life publicly, but this feels different. This is my space to explore what this experience means – to capture the internal shifts alongside the external changes.

So why go to the effort of creating this site? Three reasons:

1. To remember: Four months is a long time. I want to document the ups and downs, the frustrations and the joys, so I can truly look back and assess what life in a foreign country felt like.

2. To write: Looking back on my career, the one constant has been writing. Maybe it’s time to embrace that, to hone my skills and see where they lead.

3. To stay sane: My better half is diving headfirst into her Dive Master training. While she’s exploring the underwater world, I’ll be navigating life as a “Scuba widow.” This blog is my anchor, my way to connect with myself and the world.

This isn’t about showcasing perfect travel photos or exotic adventures. It’s about introspection, growth, and finding my place in a new environment. It’s about the internal journey as much as the external one.