I had an early flight out of Bali and was up before the sun. It was pouring rain, the first I’d seen rain in Bali, and it seemed so fitting. Like the sky crying, my heart was crying too. There will always be a special place inside of me for Bali, like a first love or a first kiss. Bali held so many firsts for me. It gave me so much good and took away so many things I needed to let go of.

But next up for me was The Philippines. I am embarrassed to tell you all that my time in The Philippines was too short. I let the fear get the best of me, and I wish I would have fought through it.

During the time that I was planning my short stint in The Philippines, they had just gone through an election that had the potential of creating some political unrest. This coupled with the news sources advising of kidnappings and terrorist events put me on edge. I had promised all of my loved ones back home that the one thing I would commit to on this solo trip is not ever putting my safety on the line. So…my time was very short in The Philippines.