What a trip...

My crazy week of travel back to the US

5 flights, 5 layovers, 31 hours of travel, 1 stolen debit card, 1 tattoo, and 10 hours of diarrhea later...

I'm back in the land of the free.

Let me walk you through the wild week that was my return to the US after 8 months away. You'll quickly see why this newsletter finds you a few days late.

My final days in Southeast Asia were a bit more turbulent than I would have liked.

Two days ahead of my departure, I returned to my bungalow, in need of cash Rupiah. To avoid returning home with a pocket full of monopoly money, I had been withdrawing small amounts of cash at a time.

The downside of this strategy was un-realized to me until the fateful moment that I had no bank card to use.

I could have sworn I put it RIGHT. HERE!

My debit card was nowhere to be found. What I believe happened was that it was lying on my bed, and was swallowed by the sheets when the hosts cleaned my room.

They claim they didn't see it, and the laundry people said the same. The truth of these claims, however suspicious, were and are irrelevant. The fact of the matter was that I was cashless, and now also bankless.

My Amex and Discover cards aren't accepted in Asia, and my Visa was now gone. As viewers of the vlog will know, I wasn't exactly flush either way.

However, with a few strategic transfers, and local favors called in, I sorted myself out. Nonetheless, not ideal ahead of 31 hours of international flights.

The following day, with only 24 hours till takeoff, I assumed I was in the clear.

I was wrong.

I awoke in the morning to a ripping headache, fever, full body aches & chills, and some of the most violent diarrhea of my life. My body was in full-on detox mode.

The cherry on top?

I had a sales call and coaching call booked that morning...

With the power of wifi and indomitable Will I was able to fortify myself enough to take both calls from the porcelain throne. Not exactly a regal experience.

After wrapping the calls, I spent the day on the toilet and lying on the ground in the sun. Too tired to move. Too based to want to.

I only left the house to get coconut water, and a tattoo.

Yes, not the optimal combo I would select for recovery either, but I am nothing if not stubborn and a man of my word. After finishing The Bible, the only remaining 2024 goals were a tattoo and a marathon.

The appointment was scheduled a few days prior, and well before my body began to detox the demons. With 300,000 rupiah of sunk-cost-falllacy deposited, I figured I could grit my teeth for a couple hours and make it happen.

I do not recommend getting a tattoo dehydrated and with no sugar in your bloodstream, but I live to tell the tale.

To celebrate a massive personal win from the year, I got a cheeky little Winnie The Pooh, having his fill of the golden Nectar of The Gods.

A tasteful reminder of self-love.

By the grace of God, I awoke the following morning with no symptoms.

One hellish day, but all done and dusted just in time for 31 hours of onward flights back home to see the family.

I replenished my empty vessel with my last liter of raw Lombok milk, 6 raw eggs, honey, and sea salt. Real medicine.

I returned my motorbike, and locked the bungalow for the final time.

Sampai jumpa lagi, Indonesia; Thank you for everything.

Thanks for reading, share if you feel called. Otherwise, talk soon.

Be The Renaissance.