Hey Reader,

It's Sam here. 🤗

I know I know, I heard the collective gasps and boos, but don't worry TA will be back soon. However, as I'm a part of An Aimless Walk as well, I thought that I should at least say hello every once in a blue moon 👋

So.. hey! If you've been around for a while, you know the drill. Grab a brew and get cosy for this month's Travel Journal. ☕️ Where I'll recap our last couple of months in Thailand, and look to what's next for us. But don't worry, I'll try and keep it brief (famous last words, as anyone who knows me can attest 😬).

The last time TA checked in we were amidst flash floods, landslides, sleepless nights, and illness, making us question staying in Thailand.

As our brief updates may have shown... we did, and I'm glad to report it's been smoother since (though still eventful).

We moved from the tourist-heavy, flood-prone Kata to a quieter area in Chalong, East Phuket, away from the main resorts. We've now spent over a month flood and illness-free, with much-improved sleep 🙌 (Fingers crossed, touch wood, I might have jinxed it 🤦‍♂️ TA's going to kill me).

Before moving, we experienced something TA hasn't even after 20 years of travel: a visa-extension-run service.

At 4:45 am, a van picked us up, ensuring we had our passports and cash for the extension. We drove 6 hours to the Malaysian border, exited Thailand, got a stamp in Malaysia, returned to Thailand, paid, got a two-month extension stamp, and drove back 6 hours.

Boom, easy as that. It was a long day but a cool experience and a genius business idea.

So, as mentioned in the last journal, after navigating burnout a few months ago, surfing has taken a back seat to work as of late and we have had a much more 'normal' 9-5, Monday to Friday.

We've embraced our (for now) pretty consistent weekly routine of gym and work and exploring on weekends. Our new accommodation has much more of a homely vibe and is a calmer, more inviting place to chill and work. Our hotel has perhaps the most adorable & sweet cleaning lady ever. We love her. ❤️️

We've enjoyed many a breakfast at our local spot by the water, and at weekends, we have practically finished off exploring the circumference of Phuket, seeing some local temples and experiencing old town markets. 🕌

Of course, it's the season to be creepy, so we've filled October with Halloween vibes 🖤.

This year has been more subdued than previous ones, but we plan to make up for it next year. We've packed in thrilling horror movies, freaky shows, and discovered fantastic Halloween spots in Phuket Old Town. And no Halloween is complete without a unique and bizarre TA face paint creation. She always delivers. 😈

To the horror movie fans out there... 'The Substance'. That's all.

In all seriousness, for those not as twisted as TA and me... don't watch it. But of course, we LOVED IT.

We've enjoyed our quiet cinema in Patong, and this was the best experience yet. We heard about cinema walkouts during the movie's hype and thought 'pffft sure'. But with only 6 people in the cinema, including us, 2 left midway. We were so engrossed we didn't notice until the movie ended and laughed when we realised. 😂 I think we need help.

So, to the 'exciting' incident.

After being a lifelong cat lover, I'm afraid to say that TA's relationship status with our fluffy feline friends has officially changed to 'it's complicated'.

Unfortunately, a local cat decided to use TA's palm as a chew toy and we had to rush to an emergency clinic to get post-exposure rabies jabs.

Although we already had our basic pre-exposure jabs, you are never fully covered, and considering how rife rabies is in Thailand, we weren't going to risk it.

We've enjoyed our time in Thailand. We've needed this time to slow down, work and figure out a sustainable way forward for ourselves. TA has even begun an exciting new project that in time we look forward to sharing with you.

Looking ahead this month, we are excited to be going to a surf camp in Sri Lanka for two weeks and to bring the trip full circle. We arrived in Thailand with a goal of improving our surfing. Unfortunately, we couldn't quite find the right work/ life balance. So surfing fell by the wayside a bit. But we hope to leave S.E Asia with some more positive surf memories!

After that it is back to England for part of December, to catch up with loved ones and to celebrate my big Three-Oh. 😱

Then, it's back in the van & and out to our real home for winter... the mountains. 🏔

So that's what's been going on with us, hit reply and let us know what's going on with you!

Talk soon ❤️️

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An Aimless Walk | Travel Experts, Vanlifers & Adventure Sport Enthusiasts

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