Divine Timing in Southeast Asia

I have a journal that I have been writing in throughout my travels, yet I have a feeling that I am going to slowly start coverting my journal entries to stories on Medium. It is so much easier for me to type quickly, and I hope that someone will find enjoyment from reading about my crazy lifestyle.

Early September, I arrived home from three months in paradise, a little island in Hawaii, and I knew that I was just getting started with branding myself as a world-traveler. I applied to some different Worldpackers exchanges in Thailand, and I was quickly accepted to a really great opportunity. I also signed up for a yoga retreat in Bali shortly after, so I knew that I was going to have at least two countries planned. Knowing that I had a secure place when I landed on the other side of the world was all that I needed to put my mother at ease, so I was off on a jet plane of my 15-hour flight from LAX to China.

I knew very little about Thailand, but I had so many people recommend it to me when I was in Hawaii. I was feeling drawn to this country, so I followed my instinct and set off on another solo-travel adventure. Immediatley, I was struck with an abundance of recommendations and stories about places that I needed to visit in southeast Asia. I have no restrictions in my life at this time. I just need to be home by June because I am standing up in my best friends wedding. I also had my yoga retreat planned for November, but this all quickly changed as I learned to navigate the art of ~going with the flow~.

This has never been my specialty. I am a very type A, organized person, and I appreciate structure in my days. I quickly learned that, as a solo-traveler, it was time to throw this mindset out the window because you never know what opportunities or challenges may arise when you are traveling the world. My Worldpackers experince in Thailand turned into two, and I spent the second half of October volunteering in southern Thailand. Somewhere within this month, I decided that I needed more time to travel before I started my yoga teacher training. I sent a quick text message, and I was able to move my retreat back one month. This gave me all of November to continue exploring, and I did not have any plans.

However, I did have ideas! I always have loads of ideas going through my head. Before I came to southeast Asia, I saw a TikTok of a girl that was doing a work-exchange in Bali. This is what I do when I travel, and it is a great way to travel on a budget. I usually use Worldpackers, which is a program that allows you to exchange your skills for accomodation at places all around the world. Use code PRATT for $10 off your membership. (; My shameless self promo because I truly have had the most amazing experinces in Greece, Hawaii, Thailand and now Bali, and I am beyond grateful to be apart of this community. Getting back on track, I applied to this exchange in Bali. When I received a reply from the host, she stated that I was unable to volunteer in November. I was saddened to hear this, but I am a deep believer that everything happens for a reason. With this mindset, I was able to put my energy into a new country, and I decided to travel somewhere that I have been constantly hearing about!

This is Vietnam. I applied for an eVisa online, and a few days later I was off on another one-way flight. I flew into the north to complete the Ha Giang Loop. I was soley planning my trip based on TikTok recommendations, which was so GenZ of me. After four days on a motorbike exploring northern Vietnam, I sailed off on a two day cruise around Ha Long Bay. I lost service on my cruise, yet somewhere along our journey a text message popped in from a very special person stating that a spot has opened up to volunteer for November in Bali. I was overjoyed, and I really felt like this was some sort of divine timing. I cut the rest of my Vietnam adventures down into a few days, and I booked my ticket for Bali to leave the following weekend.

After two too many night buses, I arrived in Ninh Binh for one night. After a river cruise, hike, and motorbike ride, I had a single sleep before I was back on the bus. This time I was going to Hoi An, which is one of my favorite cities that I visited in Vietnam. I stayed at a beautiful beachside hostel, and I got a custom pair of leather sandals made by a tailor in Old Town. I ate many bahn mi sandwiches before flying to Ho Chi Minh, where I had an eight hour layover. I slept on the airport floor, and I somehow still almost missed my flight. Thankfully, I made it through the gate just in time to find that I had the whole row to myself on the flight, and I was able to lay across the seats and resume my sleep for four hours.

Upon arrival in Bali, I had a driver waiting for me with a folded up piece of paper that said ‘PATTY’ in black sharpie. This was upper-class for me. I have never had a driver pick me up from the airport, so I was romanticizing each moment. He even let me stop at the Circle-K Market outside the airport to grab a coffee and muffin. I hadn’t eaten in a few hours, so this was very necessary to replenish my body. I am not sure if snacks were even offered on the flight because I didn’t open my eyes until we were landed. My driver took me two hours through traffic to my hostel is that i’m volunteering at, and I arrived at the most beautiful place.

I walked up to reception and stated the famous words for the fifth time in the past two years, “Hi, I am a new volunteer”. This is always exciting, humbling, and unknown. Each time I say this I know I am entering a new chapter of my life, where I am going to learn about a new city and meet so many new people. I was greeted with a warm, Balinese smile and escorted to the volunteer dorm. I was so excited to see that there was a drawer for me to unpack my clothes into. After traveling for nearly two months in & out of different lockers, I was way too excited to empty my backpack out completely. I met the other volunteers, and I tried to lay down for a nap, since I did not sleep much the night before. I could not fall asleep, maybe because I just chugged a coffee, but I am blaming it on my excitement to be in this new, stunning space. I jumped back out of bed, put on my bikini, and headed to the pool. I endulged in my first free meal at the cafe, which was incredible. The best part about this exchange is that I get three free meals a day. Do not get me wrong, I love traveling to new places and trying the different cuisine, but I am estatic to have some tasty western food here.

I spent the night at a family dinner, which is an activity at the hostel, and I had two rounds of all you can eat BBQ dinner. I got to bed early and woke up at 6:30 am for a free yoga class. Now let me boast, I messaged my manager to meet with her, and she proceeded to tell me to take the day off to relax and settle in. I understood the assignment all too well as I ordered a plate of pancakes and scheduled my free massage for the early afternoon. I socialized with some guests, and I laid poolside for the next few hours waiting for lunch. The hostel also offers free manicures & pedicures. Also, loads of different activities that I will help with & can join in on; such as, cooking classes, puppy therapy, trivia night, yoga, sound healing, movie night with pasta & wine, shadow boxing, meditation, day trips, sunrise hike, and Indonesian night.

This is just the tip of the iceberg because the best part of this experince so far is the energy that you experince once you are here. I truly feel like I am encapsulated with so many zen, like-minded people, and this is a community that I am constantly seeking to be around. I know that I was rejected from this experince a few months ago, and I was truly so bummed; however, now that I was able to travel solo a bit more and still end up here makes it even better. I could not think of a better place to be as I prepare for my yoga retreat in a few weeks, in the same city that I am volunteering!

I always believe that everything happens for a reason, but when something happens to add to my theory it makes me believe it even more. I have been manifesting for the last few weeks that I would have a calming space to prepare for my yoga retreat, and the opportunity that I have been handed is better than I could ever imagine. I know that my guardian angel was on my side with this situation. I don’t think I could ever get tired of this lifestyle, and I am feeling overwhelmingly grateful in this present state of my life. I started reading the self-help book, The Courage to be Disliked, and I am excited to learn more about the philosopher’s theories while I am in this open-mindset. The perfect place to learn, grow, and begin to heal.

I want to send the ultimate message that even if life is not making complete sense right now, there is a bigger reason for it. With time, trust, and a bit of manifestation, you will slowly see your dreams unfold into a reality. I am optimistic about this life, and I have a goal to share this optimism with other people as well. We are all living this life for the first time, and there is no reason to apply too much pressure on our actions. There is no way to know right from wrong, and the only way to find out is to try. So today, I am trying to live in Bali for three weeks, and I will report back in December to let my readers know if that was the right decision because I am positive that I will know. Spoiler alert, there is quite literally no chance that this isn’t exactly where I am supposed to be thanks to divine timing.