Back like a boomerang

Tonight I'm flying back to South East Asia. Not everyone will understand but I've had over a year of thinking about it and it's the only thing that feels right. I wasn't ready to leave Asia but decided to fly to Australia as I'd already paid for the flight and my working visa which would have expired otherwise.

About two years ago when I decided to leave the UK and move away, it started off as a desire to experience living and working in a different country. Ideally that country would be the US but unfortunately it's extremely difficult to make that happen. I knew I could easily get a Working Holiday Visa for Australia before my 31st birthday, so a plan started to form around that. Then in the time before the deadline (during which I was lucky enough to work on-and-off in California) I started to question why I would leave my job, friends and whole life in the UK and exchange it for a very similar life in Australia. Working 9 - 5 (what a way to make a living) in an office just didn't seem right for me anymore. I wanted to explore the world and experience new things.

When it came to applying for the Australian visa last April, I had my doubts and almost didn't do it. A last-minute phone call with my mum convinced me that I should get the visa just in case. I was unlikely to regret getting it but I could definitely regret not having the option. I've been debating what to do ever since. Australia is obviously a great country and the high wages would allow me to save up and continue travelling for a long time, but I'd rather see if I can work for myself in Asia. By flying to Australia, I've given myself 12 months to come back and work if that's what I decide to do after I've finished with Asia (I'll never really be finished, but you know what I mean).

The reason I'm leaving so quickly is that Songkran starts tomorrow. It's the celebration of the Thai new year and the biggest festival in Thailand. It's basically a massive three-day water fight with Chiang Mai at the centre of the celebrations, so that's where I'm heading!

I've enjoyed my brief time back in Australia and Byron Bay is a lovely place but I've been haemorrhaging money so I wouldn't have been able to keep it up for much longer without looking for a job and having responsibilities again.