DAY 5
LOCATION: Melbourne

I woke up congested and tired. My walk-everywhere-do-everything approach had caught up to me. Under normal conditions in my More Enlightened State, I would’ve listened to my body and taken it easy all day, reading Guenon and binging Man in the High Castle. But these were not normal conditions. A) It was my last day in Melbourne, B) I had 15 more vegan spots on my list, and C) it was New Year’s Eve.

If you read 40 Dates, you already know that I don’t put a lot of stock into arbitrary holidays where YOU MUST HAVE FUN.* But 2016 had been a pivotal year for me, and I wanted to end it on a spiritually high note, especially since I’d began it with the stomach flu. No full circle here, I’m on the vertical path, thank you very much!

I kicked off the morning with a hot yoga class at Rise Yoga. It seemed like a good idea, until halfway through the second chatauranga...

DAY: Four
LOCATION: Melbourne, The Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell

I almost didn’t go to Port Campbell, the place with the cool rocks. While the location itself looked amazing, the process of getting there seemed less appealing. Tours started at 7am, lasted 14 hours, involved far more driving than actual sightseeing, and cost anywhere from $70-$140. Not to mention there was potential for crappy weather, and Aaron did not recommend it – “exhausting and too many tourists.”

Thank god I trusted my instinct and went anyway. It. Was. Spectacular. You don’t make it to the top of Melbourne’s Google sights and earn that many “excellent” TripAdvisor reviews for nothing.

That being said, the morning did start off a bit rough. I enjoyed the crisp walk to St. Paul’s Cathedral (the pick-up point) but it went downhill from there. Any hopes of making new friends on my tour quickly faded, as my...

DAY: Three
LOCATION: Melbourne

Usually I spend my first night overseas tossing, turning, reading, stretching, texting, and doing just about everything except sleeping. But not in Melbourne! I zonked out for ten hours straight and woke up at 6:30am, ready to discover the city. Of course nothing was open yet, so I took the early morning hour to do some research. Like, where’s the best coffee? The best yoga? How about that place with the cool rocks?

One of the greatest things about the Internet is the amount of information available at the click of a button. Looking for vegan food in Timbuktu? Check Happy Cow. Wanting a three star hotel in the $50-100 range? Go to Booking.com or Agoda. Like the little blue dot on Google Maps, the Internet has made traveling a breeze.

It’s also made it a first world nightmare. The sheer mass of choices overwhelms the seeker, especially if you’re a...

DAY: Two
LOCATION: Melbourne

The plane landed in Melbourne around noon. I managed to squeeze in a few hours of rest by curling into a fetal position and using my scarf as an eye mask/pillow/ body odor diffuser. It was a testament to my fatigue – I never sleep on flights.

But who needs sleep when adventure awaits! The thrill of the unknown coursed through my veins as I stepped off the jetliner. Helllooooo… Starbucks? Whatever, it didn’t matter. Not even the sight of the familiar corporate mermaid could kill my joy – I’d made it to Oz!

Almost. For some reason, passport control didn’t seem to believe my story about why I was in Melbourne.

“So, you’re just here by yourself, doing what exactly?” The gatekeeper eyed me suspiciously.

“Well, I was supposed to meet my friend here, but then he got this girlfriend, so he’s in Sydney and I’ll see him there in a few days. But I’m gonna do the...

DAY: One
LOCATION: Los Angeles, Taiwan

I couldn’t sleep. It was T-12 hours to take off, and my mind was racing. It probably didn’t help that James was sleeping next to me. Or maybe it did. Who wants to spend Christmas night alone, right? And what are exes good for, if not airport runs and someone to look after your cat?

Only kidding. In spite of the “Day of Our Lives” worthy blow-out in September, James and I had started back up again. Damn birthday and soul connection. This time, though, we were taking it slow. We’d waited almost an entire month before having sex, no small feat when you’re at the baby-making age of 31. At any rate, we’d both agreed to postpone any sort of relationship status / future planning until I got back from my trip.

My trip. I’d been on a booking frenzy the last couple of weeks, and nailed down the course - Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand.* By...

Day: Zero
Location: Los Angeles

I really thought New York James was the one. Yes, I know I’ve said this sort of thing before, with Justin, and Aaron, and Paul, and Old James. But this time was different. This time, we’d actually grown together. A lot.

We went from being heavy drinkers to teetotalers. From living in New York to living in LA. From meat n’ cheese loving omnivores to full on ethical vegans. Exercise freaks to balanced yogis. Codependent love addicts to codependent love addicts aware of their codependent love addiction. In just one year, we’d made more major changes than a millennial college student.

But not everything was in sync. For instance, I stopped drinking for health reasons, and then realized I had an unhealthy relationship to alcohol. James stopped drinking after he came home wasted and aggressive one night and I told him I couldn’t keep seeing him if he kept...