“The World is not in your Books and Maps it’s Out There” - Gandalf

When I was in Cambodia last fall on a solo trip/visa run, I stayed in a literal hut, just wide enough for a bed and a space to put my backpack, off the beaten path a few kilometers down a long and dusty dirt road. I wanted a break from hostel life, a little space to call my own for a few days, and found this impossibly cheap little spot located on the grounds of a spa/resort oasis. Hanging above the mattress was a framed photo with those 12 words. I read them over and over and felt their simple truth down to my core.

See, I had already been in Kampot, Cambodia for a few nights, and sometimes when you’re solo traveling you find your people, your travel tribe, in mere minutes of landing, and sometimes, well, it takes awhile. I think I had gone into the trip expecting the former, but for some reason I just didn’t find myself clicking or having that instant connection that had become familiar and even common for me whilst backpacking. Don’t get me wrong, I had made friends and found some fantastic women through the yoga community and studios I was attending, but I think the real underlying reason I didn’t immediately find myself in the center of the social scene was because after months of tour guiding, what the universe was really trying to tell me was to unwind in this sleepy, dreamy little river town and take some time to myself.

So I did. I had rented a motorbike for the week, and I packed up my backpack and drove down the bumpy, dusty, dirt road a few kilometers out of town to the infamous aforementioned hut. I felt instantly at ease and empowered for taking action and doing something for myself.

I woke up the next morning, and after a leisurely morning drinking coffee and lounging around the peaceful oasis, I decided to take myself on a solo adventure and day trip. Kampot is famous for its pepper and pepper plantations and about a 45 minute drive out of town you could go for the day and take a free tour. I hopped on my bike, fired up maps, and set off to explore. Kampot’s roads are in contrast to everything the little town represents to me as peaceful and calm- these bumpy, dusty, muddy, pot-hole filled dirt roads made for a very interesting 45 minute drive as I inched closer and closer to the farm, stopping every so often to confirm that yes indeed this WAS the correct road to be driving down. I finally made it to this absolutely stunning pepper plantation, fittingly named La Plantation, and sat in this gorgeous open-air wooden building overlooking banana trees, pineapple, dragon fruit, passion fruit, and of course, pepper plants.

The tour was about 45 minutes long and I had never thought there was so much to know about all of the different types of pepper out there, how to grow it, and we got to taste several different types. So interesting! I had heard there was a lake nearby, called Secret Lake, despite it’s massive size and presence, so I headed off to find it since it showed it was only about 5 minutes down the road. Sure enough after a few bumpy minutes of driving appeared this gorgeous lake on my right hand side. I pulled over to take a photo and then noticed a small sign across the street advertising food. I was pretty hungry after the long drive and tour and decided to pull in and check it out. It turned out that you actually learn to cook whatever you end up ordering and only pay the price of the ingredients—— wait…what?! JACKPOT! The menu had so many delicious khmer food items and I ended up choosing the Massaman Curry. (Seriously for $3.50 I got a cooking class AND a delicious meal pictured below.) I was in heaven! I was basically in a food coma by the time I was finished and the cafe had hammocks to rest and relax in overlooking the stunning lake view Does it get any better??? I had just bought a brand new book- Shantaram- and parked myself in the hammock for hours in the most picturesque dreamy spot. (Side note: Shantaram is one of the best books I have ever read if ANYONE needs a good read and/or wants to spend hours with me having book chat!) I stayed at the cafe until 5pm which meant driving home during sunset and I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with joy and gratitude thinking about the epic day I just had.

I heard the quote ring true again in my head as I drove home…it’s out there, it’s out there, it’s out there. Just a few days ago I had never been to Kampot, didn’t know what it was like, what the food there tasted like, what its people were like. You can’t just read or imagine or see photos of a place to know it’s people and its scents and its quirks and its tastes and its charm. Only when you go does it all absolutely come ALIVE! This day and trip, though maybe not how I had envisioned it originally unfolding, was the absolute perfect confirmation and reminder for why I am living the type of life I am living. I don’t want to just stay home dreaming and imagining, reading about all of the places I want to go in guidebooks and on maps, I want to LIVE, experience, explore, play, and GO. I want to connect, get uncomfortable, learn things that even the best travel book out there can’t teach you. I want to feel connected to the world by being an active participant in it.

“The World is Not in Your Books and Maps it’s Out There”

I found myself thinking on this quote months after I had left, and because I am that person that has never seen or read The Hobbit, (or Star Wars or The Lord of The RIngs ...I know, I know…) I didn’t know who ‘Gandalf’ was and wanted to know a little bit about said Gandalf who so beautifully said this quote. I ended up coming across this blog post with 12 absolutely gorgeous quotes and lessons learned from the Hobbit that all relate back to traveling and getting a little bit uncomfortable. I came across another quote, or excerpt rather, that really brought it all home for me:

“Gandalf: I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone.

Bilbo: I should think so—in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them …

Gandalf: You’ll have a tale or two to tell when you come back

Bilbo: You can promise that I’ll come back?”

Gandalf: No. And if you do, you will not be the same”

If you go, nothing is guaranteed. But I agree with Gandalf yet again- you’ll have a tale (or ten thousand) when you come back, and you will never be the same (in the absolute best way possible). The world is waiting. It’s Out There.