This Battered Suitcase
  • Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Around the Web
    • Contact
  • Start Here
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Kenya
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
      • Zambia
    • Asia
      • Bhutan
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Israel
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Macau
      • Malaysia
      • Mongolia
      • Myanmar
      • Nepal
      • The Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • South Korea
      • Thailand
      • UAE
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Cyprus
      • Czechia
      • Denmark
      • England
      • Estonia
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Latvia
      • Liechtenstein
      • Lithuania
      • Luxembourg
      • Malta
      • Monaco
      • Netherlands
      • Northern Ireland
      • Norway
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • San Marino
      • Scotland
      • Slovakia
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
      • Vatican City
      • Wales
    • North America
      • Antigua and Barbuda
      • Barbados
      • Belize
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Dominican Republic
      • Grenada
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Jamaica
      • Nicaragua
      • Mexico
      • Panama
      • St. Kitt’s and Nevis
      • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
      • USA
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
  • Topics
    • Advice
    • Fashion
    • Lifestyle
    • Opinions
    • Romance
    • Stories
    • Travel
    • Writing and Blogging
  • Work With Me

This Battered Suitcase

  • Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Around the Web
    • Contact
  • Start Here
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Kenya
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
      • Zambia
    • Asia
      • Bhutan
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Israel
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Macau
      • Malaysia
      • Mongolia
      • Myanmar
      • Nepal
      • The Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • South Korea
      • Thailand
      • UAE
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Cyprus
      • Czechia
      • Denmark
      • England
      • Estonia
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Latvia
      • Liechtenstein
      • Lithuania
      • Luxembourg
      • Malta
      • Monaco
      • Netherlands
      • Northern Ireland
      • Norway
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • San Marino
      • Scotland
      • Slovakia
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
      • Vatican City
      • Wales
    • North America
      • Antigua and Barbuda
      • Barbados
      • Belize
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Dominican Republic
      • Grenada
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Jamaica
      • Nicaragua
      • Mexico
      • Panama
      • St. Kitt’s and Nevis
      • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
      • USA
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
  • Topics
    • Advice
    • Fashion
    • Lifestyle
    • Opinions
    • Romance
    • Stories
    • Travel
    • Writing and Blogging
  • Work With Me
Travel

A Letter From My Best Friend

written by Brenna Holeman January 9, 2012
Clockwise from top left: Full Moon Parties on Koh Phangan – Getting Lost in Japan – Beers in Bangkok – Mirrored Images in Myanmar – The Third Wheel in Romania – Protective Headgear in South Korea – Dancing the Night Away on Koh Tao – Making Friends by the Mediterranean in Turkey – Sunny Days by the Black Sea of Bulgaria (middle)
A letter from Kerrilyn, with whom I have laughed with in Canada, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Myanmar. We are planning to travel for five months together through Central and South America later on this year, and plan to one day open up a guesthouse on a little beach somewhere. She’s my best friend.
Hello Miss Brennalyn –
Let’s just acknowledge that I’m writing to you while both of us are in Canada. The last time we were both in Toronto together was just before you were moving to Japan (in 2008). We were in your mum’s apartment overlooking the skyline and treetops, wondering what our new Asian lives would bring us. If only we could have shown ourselves the visits in Osaka – the overeating of cabbage, the shopping in Amemura, the okonomiyaki, the Asahi, the friendship that we nurture and grow with every new adventure.
Could we have told ourselves that we would visit Burma together? That we would make friends, if only for a few hours, with locals so warm and kind they dress up their daughter in gold makeup and a wig? That we would dance the night away to “Barbara Streisand” on the beach in southern Thailand for two nights straight? That we would both make such a consistent effort to keep in contact, despite our distance? That Brennalyn would travel solo all over Asia and India for eight months and send a box of memories to Kerrilyn? That Kerrilyn wears the yak wool scarf from Nepal as she writes? Could we have told ourselves any of these things?
What’s in store for us?
Where are our lives going to take us?
Will our dreams of typewriters and hostels and cups of coffee and land on an unknown beach somewhere pan out? I have no doubt.
Love,
Kerrilyn

 

Travel Plans
8 comments
0
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Brenna Holeman

Brenna Holeman has travelled to over 100 countries in the past 15 years, many of them solo. She's a big fan of whisky and window seats.

previous post
Ringing (In The New Year, In Chiang Mai, Etc)
next post
I Believe in (Nepali) Pink

You may also like

Navigating Home: A Story From Japan

June 1, 2013

Trying Francesinha in Porto

January 18, 2014

The Problem With Buses

July 14, 2011

The Streets Of Yangon (Part One)

September 27, 2011

For Whatever Reason, Or For Luang Prabang

December 29, 2011

Underwater Paradise

October 1, 2011

A Thought For Sunday (Complete With Llamas)

September 24, 2012

Keep Moving

September 10, 2011

A Flashback to Peru

January 28, 2013

The Wind

February 21, 2012

8 comments

Andi of My Beautiful Adventures January 9, 2012 - 2:00 pm

GORGEOUS! Besties are…the best! 🙂

Love the new look of the blog.

Reply
Christine loves to Travel January 9, 2012 - 2:55 pm

You are both amazing! BFF’s are the best!

Reply
This Battered Suitcase January 9, 2012 - 3:06 pm

Thank you, girls! I don’t know what I’d do without her…

Reply
Valerie January 9, 2012 - 10:41 pm

I love this! Remind me of my best friend and travel buddy 🙂

Reply
This Battered Suitcase January 10, 2012 - 4:39 am

Thanks, Valerie!

Reply
kls January 24, 2012 - 5:50 am

this collage of us is my background photo on my computer and everyone is like WHO IS THAT BEAUTIFUL GIRL!!!!

i demand that we stop everything we’re doing and start taking over the world like we know we can.

-xo

kerri

Reply
This Battered Suitcase January 24, 2012 - 6:04 am

It is officially my background, too!! And yes, let’s go. NOW

Reply
Le Marginal Magnifique July 22, 2012 - 5:37 am

La Full Moon c’est un truc de dingue !!!

En voilà un aperçu drôle, poétique et plutôt réaliste :

http://www.lemarginalmagnifique.com/2012/07/full-moon.html

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me

About Me

Hi, I'm Brenna

My name is Brenna Holeman and I drink a lot of whisky. No, wait. That’s not how I want to start. After travelling to more than 100 countries over the past 15 years, many of them solo, I tend to write about travel a lot, but I write about other things, too: getting dumped, buying way too much jewellery, and yeah, OK, whisky (none of those things are related, I swear). You’ll find a mix of advice, opinion pieces, and stories on this blog, but either way, I hope to make you want to read more. And up next? I'm about to become a single mom to a beautiful baby boy, the biggest solo adventure I've ever been on. For more about me and what you'll find on This Battered Suitcase, click here .

Keep in touch

facebook
instagram
twitter
pinterest
youtube

Newsletter

Subscribe to get the latest updates from This Battered Suitcase!

Archives

INSPIRATION

Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." - Jack Kerouac

About Brenna

This Battered Suitcase is not only about the where and the how of travel, it's about the who and the why.

Originally from Canada, all I've ever wanted to do is travel. After eleven years of solo travel and over 90 countries, I'm currently living in London and fulfilling my other dream of becoming a writer. If I'm not travelling, I'm writing about it, either for my blog, my job, or my book. I firmly believe there is adventure everywhere, so long as you keep your eyes (and your mind, and your heart) open. Join me as I continue to look for these adventures. Hopefully you'll find your own, too.

For more, click here.

WHERE AM I?

Last stops: Manitoba, Canada

Currently: Manitoba, Canada

Up Next: Manitoba, Canada (are you sensing a theme?)

Archives

Want local knowledge about Manitoba?

AFFILIATE POLICY

Please note that some links on This Battered Suitcase are affiliates (at no extra cost to you); I only recommend products I use and love. This Battered Suitcase is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

INSPIRATION

"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." - Jack Kerouac

Currently in

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA

Last Stops: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Up Next:  Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

(AKA: STAY HOME)

Disclosures

This Battered Suitcase is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and links to Amazon.com. For the full disclosure/privacy policy, please click here.

Popular Posts

  • 1

    On Ghosting (and what to do if it happens to you)

    August 8, 2016
  • 2

    What to Wear in Canada in Winter

    February 28, 2018
  • 3

    What to Wear in India

    December 15, 2014
  • 4

    Giraffe Manor: Is It Worth The Cost?

    November 22, 2017
Promotion Image

The Last time I saw you

Promotion Image

What to wear

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube

@2018 - All Rights Reserved


Back To Top