A conversation with a waitress in Chiang Mai flipped my whole travel mindset

I was grabbing coffee at this spot near Nimman and she asked how long I'd been in town. I said 3 months and she laughed, saying most digital nomads treat countries like Netflix shows - binge one, then immediately start looking for the next. She's been living there 7 years, same cafe, same apartment. It hit me that I've been racing through places without actually living in them. Anyone else ever feel like you're collecting passport stamps instead of actually building a life somewhere?

2 comments

2 Comments

brookerobinson4d ago

Honestly that SIM card comment cut deep. I feel attacked too.

robin_wright4d ago

That waitress totally called me out lol. I've got a drawer full of SIM cards from different countries and can barely remember the names of the people I met in any of them. Last month I realized I'd spent more time researching bus routes to the next city than actually walking around the one I was in. Maybe I need to slow down and learn the name of my local barista for a change lmao.