Halfway 2022 in Review: from Vanlifer, Homebody, to World Traveler

So if you’re one of my close personal friends or family, you probably have noticed that I’m not exactly an easy person to pin down. And if you’re not but curious about what a month in a full-time traveler’s life looks like, buckle up for some musings and happenings during the real side of traveling.

This month in “Where in the World is Catherine Xu” has been packed with highs and even higher highs, beautiful scenery, and some pretty hilarious moments (which I will get into later) in the Caribbean and Indonesia. So today, I wanted to take a quick break from all the traveling to do a halfway through 2022-in-review post.

My 2022 Story: Vanlifer To NJ Homebody to Sailor to Backpacker

To kick off 2022, I quit my corporate consulting job to be a full-time travel blogger. The start of the new year brought anxiety from having way too much unstructured time, two terrible computer purchases, the stress of selling my lovely van home, and having no clue how to actually start a blog or write or start a business.

So I went home to New Jersey to be a complete homebody for what turned out to be three months, obsessing over the methodology of how to grow a blog and being painfully, frustratingly slow at it.

During that time, I went from wanting to start my trip in Bangladesh in March, to Vietnam in April, to being invited on a sailing trip to the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean in May, which I happily accepted but still didn’t pack for until 3am the day before setting sail. It was the push I needed to get out of my non-ergonomic chair and too much indoor-time acne in New Jersey, USA.

After returning from the week-long BVI sail and a short solo trip to USVI, I had just a few days to prepare for my big backpacker trip through SE Asia with no return date. And so here I am, writing this post from Bali, Indonesia, where I’ll be spending the next few weeks before moving on to who knows where…probably East Timor.

Destinations Visited in 2022 So Far

Mexico: Acapulco, Zihuatenejo, Puerto Escondido, Chacahua, Huatulco

USA: Las Vegas, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Northern New Mexico, Arizona, Southern California Desert, Moved out of LA (moved out of my Van – Vander), my mom’s house New Jersey

Caribbean: BVI: 10-15 islands, USVI: St Thomas, St. Johns

Indonesia: Jakarta, Bandung, Jogyakarta, Malang, Bromo & Ijen, North Bali, East Bali, Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida

Most Awe-struck Experiences

Snorkeling with Bioluminescence – Nature has never made me cry, and I cried. On day 2 onboard the sailboat, we realized that magical bioluminescence was surrounding our boat Cozmo. Every day, I wanted to jump in at night. Finally, the last night I did. And. It. Was. Possibly. The. Most. Beautiful. Scene. I. Have. Ever. Experienced.

We took turns freediving to the sea’s dark depths, and the outline of an angel glitters in neon with each stroke. It doesn’t end there; the sea of stars continues on land against our lucky coincidence with the new moon. Breath-taking.

Bluest Waters of The Baths Virgin Island and White Bay in Jost Van Dyke – Having never been to the Caribbean before, I always thought the picture-perfect turquoise waters had to be at least partly photoshopped. It is actually prettier in person. And I have something to look forward to, as I’ve heard that many other islands have even more azure seas and white sand beaches.

Sunrise at Mount Bromo and Mount Ijen – Two consecutive impressive sunrise hikes at Mt Bromo and Mt Ijen in a row make up for the very irregular sleep and 16 hours of car rides.

Northeast Bali – The rice terraces, black sand beaches, shipwrecks, canopy views with infinity pools, and volcano sunrises and sunsets make *little* talked about northeast Bali absolutely stunning. I’ve glad the mass tourism of the south has not yet discovered the northeast, but on the other hand, if you’re heading to Bali, you really need to go.

Life-Altering Realizations

Sulfer Miner Lives at Mount Ijen – Our Mt Ijen local guide doubles as a sulfur worker during the day. After taking tourists at 2am to do a sunrise hike, he starts his work in the mines, carrying 60-90 kg of sulfur up the crater 1km and down the good trail for a few kilometers on wheelbarrows, 3x times a day, for 1000 IDR per kilo ($0.07 USD)!

Working in America Vs. Indonesia – Apparently, it is common for Indonesians to find international work on cruise ships. As my Batik teacher said of her son who works on a cruise ship, “He makes $4,000 per month on the cruise ships, of which he would only make $150 for the same job here”. The cost of living is undoubtedly cheaper in Indonesia vs. America, but 26x cheaper, I don’t think so.

Dark Side of Tourism: The Business of Begging – This is not so much life-changing, but I did think about this repeatedly since hearing about the business of begging in Bali. My visa agent told me that the numerous beggars, ages ranging anywhere from 8 to 60 may not actually be homeless as we think of in America. Most (of course not all) actually have homes but instead are picked up in their small villages by vans and driven to the tourist areas to panhandle.

I also just want to compare my experiences in the famous rice fields of Tegallang which is 100% filled with viewing cafes and kiosks offering water and soda to some random rice fields in Northeast Bali. Both are beautiful; both are for agricultural purposes. But the former charges $15 to ride a swing to take an Instagram picture, locals putting their hands out as you pass by expecting a handout, and picking up baskets of straw asking if you want to take a photo for a fee. All this just leaves a bad taste in my mouth of the loss of authenticity. Versus, in the latter, farmers turning their heads as you walk by with a few curiously asking you where you are from.

Most Unique Sleeping Locations

1. A Very Dusty Room in Renovation of an Old Man I Met Walking Through the Sketchiest Neighborhood in USVI
2. A 7 Bedroom Mansion of a Man I Met on the Train for an Hour
3. Onboard Cozmo, an unforgettable invite to a Private Sailboat Charter

Stupid, Hilarious, or Generally Awkward Moments

1. I Fell into a Manhole…Twice…both walking home AFTER dropping off my scooter
2. Most Horrible Wedgie Rappeling 60 Meters Up Jomblang Cave, which is an incredible cave
3. Borderline Creepy Massage at a Hot Spring with a Nice Therapist
4. I lost all my credit cards while scootering…for 20 minutes. Magically a hostel staff saw it on their online community’s lost and found page. I dropped it on a nearby beach.
5. My phone fell scootering 30 mph onto the street. I forgot to lock my GPS holder, luckily ending up with only minor dents.
6. Woodworker is not likely to be one of my future labels…I’ve always held out hope that this could be a future hobby for me. One hilarious class later, it is hard.

Weirdest Things Tried

1. Eating Cobra…it doesn’t taste like chicken. It is weirdly shaped and gamey
2. Charcoal Coffee…Coffee with flaming hot charcoal thrown into it

Most Horrible Happenings (Arguably Not That Bad)

1. Worst Traffic Ever in Bandung, Indonesia Driving on a Scooter at Night
2. The Amount of Rain that Happens in Indonesia in the “Dry Season”
3. Almost All Foods Are Spicy in Indonesia!

Amazing People on the Path

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I try (in chronological order)

1. Always my mom and godfather are #1! My biggest supporters and cheerleaders, especially when I was a real homebody for 3 months and we would have tea time every day. My godfather even got my sticker on the side of my godsisters food truck! Also, if you are in Long Island City, NY, go to their Chinese pancake food truck!
2. Ross and Zach – My Caribbean sailing companions who may be the first people who outpace my love for sweets. Can’t wait to set sail once more and open a pop-up bubble tea shop
3. Chrisna – The welcoming man on the train who opened his home to me after a one hour conversation
4. Pie – An inspirational hostel owner of The Attic in Bandung, filled with amazing life insight and advice
5. Kevin, Mandy, Marija, Paul – My Kawah Putih Dutch Buds, Bandung
6. Victor – Thanks for the below intro, and what a coincidence pulling into Pramadan at the same time
7. Leonie and Andi – A fantastic week with my first travel buddies on my trip! Missing our deep dinner convos about everything and our mutual love for fried bananas.
8. Malang Gym Bros – Thanks for the training session
9. Millou – To our long convos on a two day journey
10. Owners of Bali Bamboo Jungle Huts – Just such hospitable welcoming people
11. Chelsea and Ali – Welcomed me into the digital nomad Canggu fold