Nomadic Neha

Hello fashion followers! So it’s been a minute since I’ve written a blog post but I’m back- well at least to write this post then it’s back to the books. Alright so since it’s been a while lets use this blog post to update you on the happenings in Neha’s life. The title of this post was probably enough to give away what this post was going to be about. If you have never checked out the travel blog ‘Nomadic Matt’ you absolutely need to, especially before going on an adventure. I found it extremely insightful to read up on some of the tips he had to offer before I took off on this trip which is why my title is in reference to him (thanks Nomadic Matt!). So a month ago I took off to Asia and if you follow me on Instagram or Snapchat I really made sure you knew that (sorry followers!). This trip was much needed but I feel came at the wrong time; okay before anyone thinks I am complaining I’m really not, I say wrong time strictly because I had to come back and focus on my psychology courses and as you can see that’s going really well. Anyways lets move away from the complaints and dive into my favorite parts of the trip, my least favorite parts of the trip and also my fashion faves of the trip because really that’s why we’re all here.

Oh Yes’s

Alright lets start with the positives. The trip was filled with tons of great things like, awesome company, good weather and amazing views. First things first, it was absolutely amazing to walk along the Great Wall of China. This is something that I had seen in textbooks growing up but never thought I’d experience in reality. Now walking along the wall and climbing the stairs was one insane workout not even my months of working out had me prepped for. It was an absolutely surreal experience and like any other, pictures do not do it justice. Moving away from the more historical side of things another experience that tops the list is the rooftop bar in Bangkok. This was a must do on my list and I was lucky enough to celebrate my 25th birthday on the rooftop Sky Bar that Hangover 2 was shot- yes I take pride in saying that Bradley Cooper and I were in the same place just at different times. More exotic feels came when we went to Koh Phi Phi (pronounced ‘Pee Pee’). We were taken to our hotel in a boat which was already a great start to all of this; honestly my expectations of how I should be chauffeured to a hotel have skyrocketed. Beyond this the islands are absolutely stunning and an amazing tourist destination. The night life was lit and we met some great people from all over the world; I will definitely make a trip back in the future. Now onto my favorite city of the whole trip, Chiang Mai. There is tons to do in Chiang Mai and I wish we had a couple more days here. Experiences that top the list here are definitely zip lining in the forest, being up close and personal with the elephants and getting the chance to take part in some authentic Thai cooking. Being in all these places and surrounded by such wonderful people only made me realize how important it is to let loose and not take life so seriously. From the tour guides to hotel staff you never saw anyone without a great big smile plastered across their face (my RBF could learn something from this). So in all honesty my biggest ‘Oh Yes’ would have to be the experience of meeting such happy go lucky locals who really enjoy the work they do and are so dedicated to make your vacation a memorable one. Now I could go on and on with the ‘Oh Yes’s’ of the trip but you’d definitely fall asleep reading this, so before this becomes a bedtime story lets move on to some not so fun moments.

Oh No’s

Well a trip really isn’t a trip without some ‘Oh No’ moments. Well I had a few of those which involved some injuries, some almost getting detained in China and some intense battles with humidity. Without getting too caught up with the injuries, one of my favorite ones to tell is a scar I scored from an elephant kicking me (pretty badass hey?). I like to tell people it’s because the elephant didn’t want to take a picture with me but the real story is he was a little guy who was not fully trained and just trying to play. Lucky for me it was a baby so his kick didn’t hurt too much but definitely left me with a nice scar. I will move away from the injuries though and onto the story that had me peeing my pants. So the day started like any other…oh wait no it started at 5 am when my friend decided to throw a dance party because I had just turned 25. Seems like a pretty good start to 25; waking up in Beijing heading to Bangkok, really the day seemed to be an exciting way to ring in a birthday. Well all that was slightly short lived once we entered the Beijing airport. Like everyone else we were standing in line to clear immigration and then go through security; now when it was my turn I got my passport stamped but was then gestured to follow a man in uniform to the side. Immediately some panic set in as I was unsure why I was being pulled aside and both my friends had been let through. I tried to inquire as to what was going on to which I only received blank looks and a pointed finger to go have a seat. Using all the strategies I teach my anxious clients I tried to remain calm. Now it had been about 5 minutes before someone came to actually talk to me but it felt like I had been sitting there for at least 2 hours contemplating what these people were doing. Finally a woman who thankfully spoke English came over to explain what was going on. I asked her what the problem was and she started with “well we have no record of where you have been staying for the last 3 days”. Now let’s backtrack shall we? Many of us who go on trips and stay in hotel rooms will often have more than the allowed ‘2 guests’. Most people I talk to also let me know they are guilty of saying ‘2 guests’ even if there are 4 or 5 people sleeping in that same room because really who wants to pay for the extra persons (holla at me brown friends). Seems harmless? Well in China not so much; at the hotel we were staying at they had scanned both my friends passports and because I was not scanned in anywhere I was considered an ‘alien’ in their country. After much convincing that I was actually staying at said hotel and I was there with two friends the lady allowed me to go through security. I was comforted to see my friends on the other side had not abandoned me yet and also seemed to be making some efforts to try and understand what was going on. Well I’ve always heard China is a pretty strict place in terms of their laws and policies but I guess I can say I got to experience it first hand. Pretty sure I am on some sort of list and will be avoiding any travels to China in the near future. Post this fiasco our flight was delayed a whopping 6 hours so that only added to the fun that was my 25th birthday. Definitely not in the moment but now when I tell this story it is amusing but I also hope that others learn at my expense. Don’t mess in China!

What I Wore?

To avoid this post from becoming ridiculously long, I will keep this section short and to the point. The weather was hot to say the least and we got to experience some rain which is fine for me but my hair was not too pleased. In any case I packed tons of my floral and printed fashion as it seemed to be most appropriate for an Asian vacation. Below are some of my favorite outfits along with some highlight moments from the trip.

 

Okay phew, I am exhausted from writing that so I hope you don’t fall asleep reading it. I have to head back to the books now because this break has lasted longer than I anticipated. Hope you guys enjoy this post even though it wasn’t super fashion focused but I’ll be back with something fun soon. Much love fashionistas!

 ❤ sharmz