It’s All About the Adventure…

By Sean Ogle •  Updated: 09/26/11 •  4 min read

It's All About the Adventure... koh phi phi thailandRemember that bit last week about flexibility? Well, I wasn’t joking.

You see, this week was supposed to be my vacation of sorts.

Tate was coming out to Asia and we were going to go spend some time in the Gili Islands, Ubud, and I was going to make an attempt at peeling myself away from my computer for a few days.

Well, l should still have the opportunity to get away from my computer, but it’s not going to be from a beach in Bali.

You see, due to some passport expiration issues Tate was told in Hong Kong that she would be unable to enter Indonesia.  Along with that, the only options she had were to head to Japan, Thailand, or stay in Hong Kong, if she didn’t want to head home.

Well after a brief debate, Thailand won out.

Literally minutes after waking up yesterday I was out the door to try and catch a flight to Phuket that was leaving about two hours later.

Thinking it’d be the fastest way, I hopped on a motorbike only to find the driver was completely clueless and didn’t have the slightest idea of how to get to the airport.

Great.

I mean really, if there was one place you’d think every Balinese motorbike driver could get to, it’s the airport, right?

After numerous wrong turns and asking about 5 people for directions I finally arrived – and had the pleasure of walking to the international terminal since he refused to drive me the extra 500 yards.

Remind me to drive myself next time.

*  *  *

Casita Bungalows in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

PP Casita Bungalows in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

24 hours later I find myself in a bungalow on the black hole that is Koh Phi Phi.

Tate arrived late last night and this morning we hopped a ferry to the island I have dubbed “The Least Productive Place in the World.”

That said, things have changed a bit since the last time I was here.  The endless lines of hot Swedish girls on the beach are nowhere to be found.  The swarms of bucket toting Aussies are in hiding.

What happened? Low season is what happened.

In our haste to find flights, we forgot to check the weather reports.  What does it look like over here in the Andaman? Heavy rain, light rain, torrential rain, torrential rain, torrential rain.

Not exactly the ideal way to spend your “vacation”.

But you know what? We’re still in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Two years ago I would be preparing to wake up in just a couple of hours to head to my office.

There’s a lot to be thankful for, and even in situations where you have to quickly change plans, or where things don’t work out exactly the way you hope, you have to remember it’s all part of the adventure.

That’s what life is, an adventure.  The good, the bad, and the unexpected.  It all amounts to having stories to tell at the end of the day, and this will definitely result in a good one.

So for now, I’m going to grab some Pad Thai (Thai food is SO much better than Indonesian), perhaps grab a 99 baht mojito, and take a much needed sabbatical for a couple days.

How do you handle life when it tosses you a curve ball? Do you get pissed and blame the world for your troubles? Consider a mindset shift.  The only thing you have control over is how you react, and that can make all the difference in the world.

My internet access will be limited this week, but I’ll approve any comments as soon as I get a chance! You can also check out a brief note about my adventure on the video blog.

Sean Ogle

Sean Ogle is the Founder of Location Rebel where he has spent the last 12+ years teaching people how to build online businesses that give them the freedom to do more of the things they like to do in life. When he's not in the coffee shops of Portland, or the beaches of Bali, he's probably sneaking into some other high-class establishment where he most certainly doesn't belong.
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14 comments on "It’s All About the Adventure…"

  1. Andy says:

    That’s awesome. I love how you just woke up and just took an unplanned flight!

    Personally I love when there is a curveball makes everything more interesting. If I only done things I planned to do I’d never experience anything new or unexpected.

  2. Love Thailand – although I ate WAY too much food when I was there.

    Enjoy unplugging.

  3. Pete says:

    “The only thing you have control over is how you react, and that can make all the difference in the world.”

    I really like that quote. It’s a great mindset to have while travelling.

  4. Chas says:

    I guess that’s an element of travel that I like- not everyone does. You can’t always ‘read’ the wave and know when it’s going to crest, or which way it’s going to break. But, like you said- that’s part of the adventure.

  5. Chas says:

    PS- It’s raining in Portland, again, if that’s any consolation.

  6. Tristan says:

    Good to see you guys making the most of it. It rained a lot when I was in Phi Phi a few years ago, but it was still fantastic.

    I was scheduled to dive in Ko Tao in October, but had to postpone by a month: and November is monsoon season. I changed my destination and will instead try my hand in Koh Lanta, on the other side of Thailand. Fingers crossed.

    Enjoy your sabbatical!

  7. Stacy Hayden says:

    I am going to resist the urge to be bummed that I can’t show you around Ubud! But I am very happy for you that you were able to switch gears so quickly, that really shows that your efforts are paying off. Most people would never be able to swtch up plans like that so easily!

  8. Joel says:

    Reminds me of the line from UP.

    Adventure is out there!

  9. Heather says:

    Jealous that you are in my dream destination of Koh Phi Phi! But good to know for next year, that this is not necessarily the time of year to go…
    You’re so right about only being able to control your reactions. When we got booted out of Roatan with 12 hours to spare due to an incoming hurricane, you can either freak out and freeze up, (like a couple members of our group did), or you can suck it up and start booking flights. Led to a pretty interesting tour of Central Honduras and a good story!

  10. Darlene says:

    Hey Sean

    One of the things on my bucket list is to just show up at the airport with a toothbrush and one pair of underwear and buy a ticket to the first place available, or that grabs me (better Hawaii than Alaska in January!). Then buy, rent, or borrow what I need when I get there.

    Love Thai food! We wanted to move there after our trip in 2008. We did Bangkok and Koh Samui which is a bit more commercialized now (so I hear) but we stayed on near the Fisherman’s village and beach there and had a bungalow about 10 yards from the beach for $50 a night! Gotta love the food vendors that come around by bicycle!

  11. Darlene says:

    BTW on your Koh Phi Phi post – the top image is not loading or is missing

    http://www.seanogle.com/travel/koh-phi-phi-the-land-where-the-productive-go-to-die

  12. Cody says:

    Haha how does Tate feel about those “endless lines of hot Swedish girls”?

    1. Sean says:

      haha luckily she didn’t have to witness them since they were non-existent on this trip 🙂

Comments are closed.