Month in Review: April
Thailand, India, and Indonesia
Hey Hey Everyone!
It’s been a crazy, jam-packed past month for me. It’s been very difficult for me to sit down properly and write out my thoughts, let alone sound somewhat coherent as I write.
So, this post is going to be a bit different. Last time I did a “Week in Review” post, I was still in Pai, Thailand. Since then, I travelled to Bangkok (Thailand), Phuket (Thailand), Bangalore (India), Chennai (India), and now Bali (Indonesia), where I am currently sitting in a very beautiful café with high ceilings and a lot of sunlight, writing.
In an attempt to not make this post an extremely long one, I am going to just give a couple highlights and even lowlights of the past 5 weeks of travel that I have done by breaking them down into the 5 locations that I have travelled to since March 28th.
Bangkok, Thailand: March 28th- April 3rd
Project 30 Run #7
This P30 run was done in the heart of Bangkok. I created a route that allowed me to visit four of the major urban parks that are spread throughout the sparling Thai metropolis.
The last 5 miles were, up to that point, the hardest fought miles that I have had to run due to an excruciating amount of pain that I felt in my right knee.
Nightlife
I got to experience first-hand the world-famous nightlife of this crazy, wild and chaotic city!
Even though technically COVID restrictions were in place that included an 11pm curfew for bars and clubs, we were able to find underground parties that lasted until daybreak.
From Sukhumvit to Khao San Road, there’s plenty of entertainment and party frenzy to satisfy even the most party hungry of people.
Here Hostel
Here Hostel embodies the best qualities of a hostel. They have comfortable beds, multiple large communal open spaces with a pool and bar that brings people together, and it’s centrally located
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at this hostel and had the opportunity to meet a few travel and party buddies
Phuket, Thailand: April 3rd- April 7th
Island hopping
Phuket’s main draw for me was its proximity to multiple chains of gorgeous islands. We did a day trip to the Phi Phi Islands, giving us access to crystal blue waters and white sand beaches. They were the definition of picturesque.
The Great Buddha of Phuket
I was absolutely taken away by the sheer size and detail of this Buddha statue. I was all the more impressed by this statue because it is at least 3x larger than the White Buddha that I enjoyed to visit on multiple occasions in Pai. The statue is made all the better by the commanding view of Phuket that it has atop the mountain peak
I was able to get a great meditation and Wim Hof breathing cycle in while I was there
Ping pong show
So, I couldn’t leave Thailand without at least seeing one of the infamous Ping Pong shows. I don’t have the words that can fully encapsulate the pure absurdity that is this show. From live costumed sex to darts shooting out of the most private of places, this uniquely bizarre show will forever be imprinted into my mind, for better and for worse.
Bangalore, India: April 7th- April 13th
Project 30 Run #8
Another tough Project 30 run. This time around my knee held up really well thanks to being able to run on a 1-mile dirt trail loop that encircled an artificial lake in the Lalbagh urban park. The hardest challenges of the run included the:
Severely poor air quality
Intense heat
Necessity to stay on the 1-mile loop for over 22 miles of the run
On a positive note, Akshay joined me for the last 5 miles of the run, giving me the much needed motivation to finish those last grueling miles!
I also put the song “What’s Up Danger” on repeat for the last 10 miles of the run for a much needed boost, one that only a high energy song can deliver
Angamardana Yoga
Akshay and I went to Bangalore in order to attend a 6-day yoga class run by the Isha Institute, a nonprofit founded by Sadhguru (mentioned in this blog post before). Akshay is the one who turned my on to Sadhguru and his teachings. We decided that since we are both in travel mode we might as well travel to India in order to get these classes done in person.
While the class was tough to sit through (the pace of the class was really slow), I am really glad that I went through it as the yoga practice is a powerful one.
Air pollution
The air quality throughout Bangalore and even in Chennai was extremely poor, just breathing regularly was tough there, let alone trying to deeply and consistently breath while training or running outdoors.
Looking back, running in Bangalore to finish my 8th P30 run was a really stupid decision. It was really hot and the air quality is something that I paid for, for nearly a week. My lungs relentlessly hurt and I had the similar symptoms as someone with a severe cold.
Chennai, India: April 13th- April 18th
Recovery
We went to Chennai in order to do another Isha run yoga course. I, however, opted out of the class because I needed to take every bit of sleep and deep recovery as possible. Chennai’s air quality was just as poor as it was in Bangalore and I decided my best chance for recovery was to minimize my time outdoors.
It wasn’t until going to Bali, where the air quality is many orders of magnitude better, that I was able to feel almost completely recovered
Friction
I found India to be riddled with moments of friction. By friction I mean the idea that even the simplest of things like getting a taxi, booking a hotel or making a purchase somewhere would be more difficult to accomplish than it seems necessary to do. From the outside it will sound like I am complaining and sounding like a basic Western tourist that needs certain comforts and
The problem with friction on even the smallest of things is that those little things pile up and after a while your energy and willingness to confront the obstacles diminishes very quickly. At least that’s what I found for myself. I couldn’t wait to leave India and be in a place where the simple desire to workout outdoors wasn’t guaranteed to give me health issues
Visit to Akshay’s grandparents
Akshay and I had the chance to visit his grandparents for two days before we travelled to Indonesia. His grandmother is a wonderful woman. She immediately made me feel like I was one of her grandsons.
Bali, Indonesia: April 18th- Current
Project 30 Run #9
Easily the most difficult Project 30 run that I have done so far. Once again, I was faced with very challenging weather conditions:
Intense heat
100% humidity
Rolling hills
A right knee pain that felt like a serrated knife was being pulled in and out of me. The astonishingly painful sensation started at mile 9 of my run, resulting in me having to run for the next 21 miles gritting my teeth and forcing myself to push past the pain with every step.
The pain made this run my most physically and mentally difficult one. It also resulted in the longest run time that I have had. It took me over 6 hours and 40 minutes of run time to get this one finished. For context, that’s almost a full hour and half longer than my average run time for the other Project 30 runs that I have completed.
Baligasm
Prior to Akshay mentioning that Bali should be our next stop, I never really had Bali on my travel radar. Although now that I am here, I understand the hype and get why there’s an Instagram account called “Baligasm.” This island is absolutely stunning. Even after spending two weeks here, I feel like I’ve only barely scratched the surface of the beauty that exists. I’m eagerly looking forward to explore more beaches, hidden coves and to do some hikes around the island.
Fantastic Food
We have used the Canguu area as our home base over the past two weeks. It’s an extremely popular spot for a younger crowd and a lot of money has flowed into this area over the past decade or so. That influx of cash brought with it many, and I mean many, fantastic places to eat. I have made it a point to meet locals and ask them for their favorite places to eat, and man has the culinary exploration been amazing. Everything from Italian food to Indonesian food has been outstanding. My list of restaurants and cafes has become really deep, so much so that I may create a foodie travel list.
I don’t have many photos of my food because I don’t like to let my phone eat before I do, but I may need to change that policy to show off the great selection of food choices that exists in this paradise
Garuda Wisnu Kencana Culture Park
The culture park houses the 3rd largest statue in the world. The Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue, pictured above, is quite the sight to see. The statue is so large that from across the island the statue’s enormity can be seen far off into the distance
The park is a well-maintained and manicured park that also hosts hourly Indonesian cultural dances.
Hostels
Serenity Yoga Hostel
This was the most calming and serene hostels that I have ever had the chance to stay in. It’s a quite and peaceful place that houses 5 separate yoga rooms and over 20 classes of yoga a day. It’s the perfect place for people looking to maintain their yoga practice or find a new one. I loved the 7 days that I spent there and even enjoyed the in house vegan café, I recommend their homemade snickers bar.
Layday Surf Hostel
A true party hostel. It boasts nightly happy hours with insane drinking challenges like the infamous ‘Safari,’ a drink board with 5 shots and a full beer that people race to finish as quickly as possible. There are psychopaths out there that have finished the board in under 10 seconds
Thank you!
That wraps up the highlights and lowlights of my past 5 weeks of Project 30 travels. I hope the blog wasn’t too long and that it was at least somewhat enjoyable to read through.
Thank you for reading up into this point. I appreciate all the support and love that you all have given me! If anyone of you have any feedback to give me, please do so, I love hearing from you.
And if you believe there’s others out there that would enjoy way too long blog posts please feel free to share
Keep pushing & much love!
-Dylan