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25 Sep '11

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I'm a New York native who left my home to explore the world slowly and thoroughly. I’m just a little obsessed with photography, scuba diving, and reading guidebooks to countries I have no immediate plans to visit.

And then I found my dream house 💭 Are you guys

And then I found my dream house 💭

Are you guys following @villakerangsue? It would be such an honor if you did! I realized I didn’t finish sharing my stories about the home buying process so I’m throwing a bunch of those up over the next few days so I’m all caught up by the time I land back — which is so soon ahhhh cue packing panic!

Truly though, starting any new venture can be a little nerve wracking no matter what stage of life you are in and I think that’s the fun part… you can always start a new chapter when you’re feeling a little stuck or stagnant. It’s also the totally freaking wild scary part too 🤪

I’m just so super grateful for all the love and support you guys give me! If you don’t work in an industry that involves social media marketing you might not realize how incredibly helpful you are being to small businesses when you:

✨ like their accounts
✨ turn on notifications for their posts
✨ like or comment on their feed posts
✨ and of course, share them with anyone you think might be interested! 
The golden years of easily organically growing small business accounts are over which makes me extra appreciative of any of the above! 🍾

Speaking of commenting on a post… I would absolutely love to know what the number one thing you look for in a property rental property is! I’m aiming to make this not just my home but a home away from home to all who rest their weary travel heads here 🫶🏼

Three weeks to go 💕 Moment of honesty — my h

Three weeks to go 💕

Moment of honesty — my heart has really been torn in two directions about going back to Bali. I’m just overall so dang happy and content in Brooklyn — it’s felt good to reconnect to my roots and be surrounded by family and friends from all stages of my wild life.

That said, I can feel the sanity draining from my body every day around 4:02PM when the sun starts to fade into the winter sky 😂

I know me — I’m a migratory bird and it’s time to fly away!  Right now life feels super open and there’s a million different paths it could take. I could decide @villakerangsue is a creative project and business venture and simply vacation there every year. Or, I could realize my heart is indeed back in Southeast Asia and this chapter was a transitory one. Or, I could find that my plan to spend half a year in each really is the perfect balance for both halves of my forever fickle heart.  The Brooklyn path is kinda the cozy one for me, because while life in New York is full of challenges and frustrations, I have an incredible community there, I know it intimately, and it’s been part of who I am since I first moved downstate from Albany at 17. My body composition is like, 11% thin crust pizza lol.

The Bali path is, vulnerably, a little daunting. I’m still building a community there, still figuring out who my people and where my places are. I know the basic rhythms of life in a Southeast Asian tourist island, though Koh Tao was a bit more barefoot and Bali a bit more bougie.

That being said I’m sooooooo enamored with this place; so excited to have laid down a foundation in @villakerangsue upon which I can build a life — a new accessible languag to learn, food and dance and art to embrace, waves to poorly surf, getaways to take, kindred spirits to connect with. I look forward to becoming 1% sambal, haha.

I remember having these same nerves on a smaller scale when I left Thailand earlier this year after the dreamiest month — would I still feel the same way about Indo? I had two weeks there before I left back for the US — and from the moment I touched down I knew yes, I still had butterflies for Bali.

Thanks for coming along for the ride… 🥂

Okay okay I’ll stop posting photos from Thailand

Back off Bahamas! Did you know Thailand has a Pig

Back off Bahamas! Did you know Thailand has a Pig Island of its own? 🐖

Using some good old travel detectice work we discovered it IS in fact possible to visit independently, without a tour!

PS: Just kidding about the Bahamas — I’m actually headed to their own Pig Island this month so stay tuned for a comparison!

Koh Mat Sum is a private island off the south of Koh Samui. Apparently the family that owns it was on the mainland at a livestock market when they came across some piglets that they just fell in love with, and couldn’t help but bring back to their island to live out their lives in pork-free peace. Today there are dozens of pigs of all ages and sizes that are truly living the beachfront dream!

I saw several tours, but they were expensive (anywhere from $50 from poorly rated budget versions to over $100 for those with decent reviews) and would have involved spending tons of time in a huge van, picking up other tourists from all over the island, plus stops at what I assumed would be mediocre snorkeling stops.

I was certain I would be able to find a blog post or other guide to reaching the islands independently, but came up empty.

I asked around to a couple locals and the concierge at our accommodation, but all tried to get us to take a tour.

I located the island on the map and zoomed in to look for the nearest pier and guessed that if we made our way there on motorbikes, we would find a longtail willing to take us out.

So after a 45 minute drive from Bophut to Thong Krut Pier, stopping along the way for viewpoint, temples, and whatever else caught our eyes, we arrived to the pier and I almost cried when a boat driver immediately approached us.

I was worried the whole thing might be overhyped, but we truly had the best day! There was so much room for the piggies to run and play, and it was hysterical watching them in their natural habitat interacting with each other, us, and some of the other wildlife on the island. The beach was beautiful and the boat ride was too!

Overall, it was a super unique and quirky little Thailand adventure, and I was super proud of us for doing it without a tour.

Price breakdown in comments… hogs and kisses! 🐽💕

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