Nomad Lifestyle: Day 2158

This is a journal series of posts on specific days of my life as a nomad. Written in or near real time as the day occurred in Thailand and Cambodia.

People wait all week for Friday. All year for summer. All life for happiness… I travel.

Today is June 28 of the year 2018 and it is the 2158th day of my vagabonding lifestyle. My current location is Bangkok, Thailand en route to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

It’s about 7:30 in the morning as I write this on my phone while sitting on a bus in Bangkok. This journey ends in a different country then it departs from. Although a mere 250 miles to Siem Reap, the trip usually lasts 8 – 10 hours. With a big chunk of that time for the overland border crossing.

I always book with Giant Ibis for Bangkok to Siem Reap bus transit. There’s slightly cheaper options of which I’ve tried, but these guys routinely have better timing, smoothly takes care of visas and even feeds us.

That’s my travel go-bag setup while my larger bag is down below in bus storage. This kit is based on the Triple Aught Design FAST Pack Scout. It houses my most important items, tech, docs as well as a single change of (my favorite) clothes.

The idea behind this is that if my larger bag is lost, this much smaller one provides all the requirements of “living”. Hence, go-bag. Once I settle at a location, this bag is emptied and used for other purposes.

We arrived just on time at about 8 hours, that’s almost unheard of in South East Asia bus travel. I grab a tuk-tuk and head to my Siem Reap apartment.

As I used to allocate go-bags around the world while I was still active, I’ve recently been acquiring or gaining access to apartments in a few select cities around the world in the same vein.

They are nothing special, just small humble homes in the cities I visit most or have a vested interest in.

But these are not survival shelters, combat bunkers or safe houses. Just plain ordinary apartments for plain ordinary living as a vagabond’s (moment) home.

Regardless, I got nothing in the fridge so I’m having a crocodile meat snack and some 50 cent draft beers at a nearby pub.

It’s hot as hell, dusty as shit and lagging in development, but goddamn I’ve always loved Siem Reap.

This will be my spot for an undetermined time, but yeah, home for now.

[Featured gear: Ghost S and Ghost 4K cameras by Drift, Clipper Compass by Suunto, TSA Luggage Locks by PacSafe, LD12 Flashlight by Fenix and a brandless keychain USB solar charger.]