Rogue Chemist — Outta the lab and into the entropic jungle

What I’ve learned after three months as a digital nomad

I recently passed the three-month mark as a digital nomad and felt compelled to commemorate the occasion by shedding some light on my current lifestyle and reflecting on my experience so far.

The hills are alive with the sound of no tourists

It might seem like a strange focal point in a place so heavily steeped in ancient history and mythology, but the high point of Athens for me is the hills (no pun intended). The lighter-than-usual tourist traffic (courtesy of the Covid-19 era) ain’t such a bad perk, either.

‘A’ is for anarchy

As a newly self-ordained digital nomad, I felt that my first order of business was to properly explore my Greek roots (being half Greek on my father’s side).

A foreigner’s guide to deregistering from Germany

As one would expect, transitioning into digital nomadism comes with its fair share of administrative obligations. Not my favorite kind of obligation, but it’s a minor inconvenience on the path to freedom.

Carnival of horrors

Towards the end of the gloomy winter here in southwest Germany, I’m usually starved for telltale signs of spring: tulips and daffodils, birds singing before sunrise, earthworms scattered on the sidewalks (which I try my best not to decapitate), and the fresh scent of dirt in the warming air.

Mall rat

As maids swept and dusted my room and hung my clean laundry from the trek in a flurry of activity around me, I realized I would have a hard time getting used to this in my normal life.

Precious cargo

Along with the driver we hired, Hassan accompanied us on the ride back to Skardu from Hushe. Also in tow was a random teenager from the village who had slept in too late, missing his earlier bus to the city to write his exams that started the next day.

Mashabrum

Situated on the immediate outskirts of Central Karakoram National Park, the village of Hushe (part of Hushe Valley in the Ghanche District of Gilgit-Baltistan) is the stopover point for treks to Mashabrum and Gondogoro La.

The long-ass road to Skardu

Entering the airport arrival hall in Lahore at 5 am, I was met with a sea of multicolored salwar kameez and not-so-discreet gazes from curious onlookers. Once Maida and her family appeared outside to whisk me away (and snap me out of my red-eyed trance), we headed directly to her home.

Prepping for Pakistan

Following my trip to Ethiopia in March, I had originally thought that my second “big trip” of the year would once again be Africa (i.e., Republic of Congo, for an exciting documentary project I’m involved in), but alas, the filming has been postponed for the time being.