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Island 04 of 07 · Summer 2025

Asia, two months solo

Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia. A dive certification, a boat, and whale sharks.

Diving down to a whale shark in Saleh Bay, off Sumbawa.
Diving down to a whale shark in Saleh Bay, off Sumbawa.

The summer before my last year, I went to Asia alone for almost two months.

Me with a backpack in front of the Liberty Square gate in Taipei Taipei. First stop.

I did a lot of things I’d never done. Got PADI scuba certified. Went on some crazy side quests and met all kinds of people. Saw some of the most beautiful nature I’ve ever seen. Dove with whale sharks. Lived on a boat for four days. And a lot more.

Mostly, though, the trip was a chance to step back and ask: do I like who I’ve become, who do I want to be, and what do I really want? I still do that audit often.

Four of us on a porch in Flores, all thumbs up Making friends in random places. Flores.

Freediving over a reef Under the sea.