Bangkok And Away

Bangkok and I had a bit of an awkward introduction...

Computer glitch?: Aww come on!

I was nervous throughout my flight. I didn't have the distraction of a personal TV screen and movie selection like with Qatar Airways. Instead I had Midnight At Paris and one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies showing on a giant screen at the front of the plane. I tried watching both but I had to keep fidgeting and maneuvering myself into unthinkable positions to see above the towering people in front. I had a feeling I wasn't missing much anyway. Instead I had brief conversations with the girl sat next to me, a native of Bangkok. I couldn't quite pronounce her name but she said that I can call her Run. I then turned to my inner monologue and thought about how fitting that word is to how I was feeling at that point. I had two nights booked at a hostel but had no idea what I was going to do or where I was going next. I hoped it would all come to me when I arrived.

My first thoughts of Bangkok were not that great. I was still in Japan mode so when I wasn't greeted with a friendly smile but a stern look and complete silence at the airport, I was a bit disorientated. There were no musical chimes at the station, no chirpy greetings from the counter staff in 7 Eleven and no road crossings anywhere, just chaos. I instantly felt out of my comfort zone but remembered that this is probably the same feeling I had when I first arrived in Japan. Instead of paper tickets there were plastic coins for the train ticket barriers. There seemed to be a strong bus link throughout Bangkok but I had no idea how to navigate myself. Taxi or tuk-tuk seems to be the best way to get around.

The constant urge to say arigatou gozaimasu (thank you) and sumimasen (excuse me) when trying to get by people was incredible. My Japanese wasn't that great, but here, I only know how to say hello in Thai. I feel incredibly rude but not completely isolated in my ignorance. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is clueless.

Directions to the hostel were vague and just advised me to get a taxi. I did this but soon found that the taxi driver had no idea where he was going. The ride was incredibly cheap, especially compared to the rates in England. You'd expect to pay around 100-150 baht for a rough 30 minute taxi ride. That is around two to three British pounds. In England you'd pay around 15 to 20 pounds for about half that journey! Nevertheless, I still felt like this guy was taking me further and further away from where I needed to be. He kept pulling over and reading my map whilst the meter was running. I had two choices. I either stick with this guy and burn more money or get out and find the way myself. I went for the latter with no regrets. I looked around and saw no street signs. My bottom lip started to quiver but I manned up and looked for someone or somewhere I can get directions from. Thankfully I found an Intrepid (travel company) office and the receptionist spoke good English. I was shown a shortcut to the street parallel to where I needed to be. It turned out I wasn't too far from where I needed to be. I found the hostel and relaxed. The staff were very friendly and told me that they had upgraded me to a smaller female only dorm. Nice.

I didn't feel like doing much so grabbed some food from the nearest restaurant and ran a few online errands when I got back in. The hostel here seems to hold a mixture of clicky gangs of people with nice seemingly gregarious people hidden in corners. I met a guy called Charlie yesterday. He overheard me mentioning that I'd just come from Japan and explained that he is going there next. It didn't take much encouragement from Charlie for me to waffle on madly about how much I love Japan. It helped that Charlie seemed excited to be going to Japan so my anecdotes and vague tips heightened this. I stayed up far too late online catching up with people and watching random clips on YouTube. I needed a comedy fix. It's been too long.

*****

I was completely wiped out the next day. I'm not sure if it was the heat or the continuous lugging of the beast (my backpack for new readers) the day before, but I really didn't feel like doing much. My morning was wasted and I took full advantage of not having to vacate the room until 12pm. I found somewhere to have breakfast and set myself two challenges. Firstly, I needed to find a post office to send my Japan memorabilia back home and the nearest Tourist Information Centre so I can get some leaflets and...well...information. Unlike in Japan, this hostel doesn't hold that much information.

I went outside, looked both ways, wandered ten steps firstly in one direction, then in the other, frowned at my map and retreated back to the safety of the hostel. I asked which direction I should be heading in and the receptionist kindly pointed out where I needed to be. Off I went. Along the way, I was accosted by many males asking me where I wanted to go and pointing to their tuk-tuk. I chuckled to myself as I remembered the night before I was so exasperated at being lost I got grouchy with a few tuk-tuk drivers - Driver: "Where are you going?", Me: "I have no idea!" If it wasn't a sarccy retort, I just plain ignored them. It seemed to do the trick. I was in better spirits today so politely said to each guy that I am fine. A local approached me and offered to help. I was a bit uneasy at first. He recommended a few sights in Bangkok and asked me where I was from etc etc. He then said he would help me get to each place. He marked some places on my map and negotiated a deal with a tuk-tuk in Thai. He could have said anything. The price that was agreed to go to three places and take as much time as I wanted was 5 baht. At the moment you get around 46 baht to the British pound so that amount was pennies. I wanted to have a ride in the tuk-tuk so thought I'd leave the inevitable argument over fares until later.

Back of the tuk-tuk: I had fun

The streets are always busy and there seems to be no real order to the traffic. Motorcycles weave in and out of traffic. Taxis weave in and out of traffic, with or without the use of indicators. Tuk-tuk drivers weave in and out of traffic. People weave in and out of traffic! There aren't that many crossings in Bangkok. I've only seen two so fair and I've seen a far bit of Bangkok. Crazy! The streets are lined with stalls which shelter from the rain and provide shade too. Although the temperature feels exactly the same whether I'm stood in the sun or the shade at the moment!

 Ahhh, shelter...

...From this!

Some of the stalls are quite random. I saw one which just sold all things Angry Birds related. Some sell just one particular garment and others have an array of things. I went out last night intending to buy a top that covers my shoulders for any possible temple visit and some more underwear. I bought neither. Instead I bought a dress and a long top. It was another opportunity to test my haggling skills.

I managed to visit each place and was returned to my original position without any random detours. I paid the guy 5 baht and that was it. Nothing. No scams. Crazy. Someone later told me they paid 120 baht for a one way trip to the Grand Palace which is about a 5-10 minute walk. I felt pretty good about myself at that moment.

I later met a group of guys through a mixture of group conversations. I won't get bogged down in the details. In the end, me, Danny (from Bournemouth, England), Steve (Washington D.C.) and Joshua (Malaysia) went out for a stroll down Khao San Road which is a street synonymous with backpackers and comes alive on a night. We saw this sign...it's not a great photo but it was busy and I didn't have time to wait too long so it was a bit rushed. Hope you can read it!

After that, we decided to go to the Sky Bar which featured in the Hangover 2 movie. This movie is played at least once a day in the hostel. I've seen it and the people that have stayed at the hostel longer than me have said the same. I feel like it's some sort of initiation into Bangkok. I didn't watch this but saw a large chunk of Forrest Gump yesterday. Random, but a great film to watch. We were told that there is a strict dress code there so I needed to change. Several outfit changes later I finally settled on something pretty simple and wasn't sure I whether they'd let me in. I figured that plenty of backpackers must go there so hoped they'd take pity on me. Several haggling sessions later, we finally found a taxi that wouldn't rip us off. The Sky Bar is on the 64th floor. I wasn't sure what to expect but knew that we'd get to see a great view of Bangkok.

Wow...although the drinks were expensive, it was worth it just for the view. I couldn't decide on what cocktail to get. They did an appletini which, as a Scrubs fan, stood out as a front-runner. Then I saw they did a passion fruit martini and was swayed. I thought it would taste better. 

Not a great photo but I tried! We had a photo taken with us all by the skyline but it's not on my camera. I'll upload it when I see it on Facebook.

We didn't get back to the hostel until around 4:00am. Josh had to catch a train to Cambodia in a couple of hours and needed to leave the hostel at 5am. Bad news for him. I didn't get to bed until 5am. It was a good night!

*****

I had a good sleep but still didn't want to move in the morning. Danny, Paul (not sure of his nationality!) and I went for a walk around. We tried to get to the bridge in Bangkok but couldn't find a way to get to it. In the end we caved in and had a break to cool down in a smoothie bar.

Now that's what I'm talking about

I was on a definite sugar-high after visiting this place. Steve went to Chiang Mai earlier on in the day and Danny and Paul left for Laos in the early evening. So now I'm down to no friends. Not to worry as I'm departing Bangkok tomorrow for a four week journey of beach hopping indulgence. I have no idea what internet access I'm going to have so I might not be updating for a while.

The Plan

Pha Taem National Park: 2 days, one night
Ko Tao - 5 nights
Ko Phangan - 6 nights
Krabi - 5 nights

Phi Phi - 5 nights

Phuket - 2 nights

Kuala Lumpur - Not sure. I have around 2 weeks until I depart from Singapore airport to Melbourne so I'm not sure whether to hang about or fly out a week earlier. I wanted to go to North Thailand (Chiang Mai, Rai etc) but I'm not too sure what the flood damage is like up there and was advised not to visit there just now. It's a pretty unoriginal itinerary but I don't care. I've come to Thailand to relax, have fun and laze on a beach or three. The above should help with that nicely.

It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know...Well Sort Of...

This year all I’ve done is drift along from one job to the other. Any space left in between has been filled with sleep, eating and the occasional cinema trip. This has meant that, for me, 2011 has congealed in to one loooong-ass working day. This week has been a wake up call for me. With less than seven weeks to go, I’ve realised I better get my act together! I’ve not really done a lot other than save money and day dream wistfully. Yeah I’ve read a couple of books and watched a step 1, 2, 3 guide on how to “stay safe” whilst backpacking but other than that I’ve been a bit complacent. I’ve booked it so all I need to do is pack it and get the hell outta here…

How wrong was I! After spending half an hour on the phone to the tax man, it’s become quite clear that I have to do a lot more before I go. So, with rocket firmly wedged up one’s arse, I’ve ran ragged trying to put things in motion. I now have a debit and credit card especially for spending abroad. I’ve sorted out my subscriptions (e.g. Specsavers, Vodafone…) so nobody but me will be spending my money whilst I’m away. I’ve booked my last jab too which is nice. It will be the last time I’m asked if I’m pregnant. I’m tempted to go “Yes, I am. I’ve already sold my future baby on eBay to fund the start of my trip. Not sure what I’ll do afterwards but at least I know I won’t get Hepatitis A or B. Bonus.” Although I might end up getting arrested. Sometimes I can pull sarcasm off and other times, no matter how blindingly obvious the ridiculousness of my statements are, some people actually think that I’m being serious. It’s quite worrying and offensive really!

I’m still worried about the tax man. I had a sudden rush of excitement as I realised that I won’t have reached the cut-off amount that you have to earn to get taxed. I already had the amount totted up in my head and thought that would be a nice juicy bonus for America. I went online to the maze of a website that is HRMC and thought I had this thing down. There’s a P85 form to declare what I’ve worked this year and where I plan to work abroad. From this, I’d get a tax refund, if applicable. Simples right? No. Some computer told me that I need to write to them and request a certificate of UK residency. I need to hand this over to the Aussie tax man to ensure I don’t get taxed by the UK and Oz whilst I’m away. I then have to wait until I get back to fill out a self assessment form and THEN I’ll get a tax refund. Thing is, what I earn in Oz will go towards my UK earnings which will mean that I’ll probably end up going over the tax free allowance…so what’s the point? I have no idea. Surely if I don’t tell the tax man I’m going to Oz, open an Oz bank account, shove my earnings in that, claim back the Oz tax, then apply for a UK tax refund in April 2012 then that would be more beneficial right?*

As well as that headache, I also thought I’d have a little listen to my Japanese language CD. It’s quite good. A softly spoken gentleman states the phrase in English. A perky lady translates very slowly into Japanese, pauses, then says it again normally. I’m supposed to repeat what was said during that pause.

Hello - konnichiwa - yep, already knew that, neeext.
Goodbye - sayoonara - ok, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that in some martial arts/action flick. Sorted. Neeext.
Yes - hai - pronounced “hi”. Lovely. I can remember that.
No - iie - pronounced “e-ay”. See, keeping it simple. I like it.
Excuse me (to get attention) or I’m sorry - sumimasen - I’m liking these one word means two phrases. I think I might be alright at this…
Excuse me (to get past) - shitsuree shimasu - ok, a little tricky. I need to work on that one.
I’d like… - ga hoshiin desu ga - errr, wait, say it ag…

I think you can predict how the rest of that goes. You know that classic comedy conveyer belt scenario? The one where it starts off at a nice speed, you have enough time to pack everything up or stamp what you need. Then it starts getting a little quicker. You start to get flustered and sweat a bit but you can handle it. Then it really picks up and you can’t handle it. The boss walks in and you’re on the floor covered in cakes (it’s my imaginary situation so, naturally, I’m in a cake factory). Well that’s what it was like. I’m overwhelmed to say the least. Not that I ever thought it would be easy! I wonder if playing the CD in your sleep actually works. It might be worth a shot. My brain’s not been functioning at the best of times so I thought I’d sideline the task of learning a new language until now. What was I thinking?!

I served a couple who couldn’t speak a word of English so have caught a glimpse of what I’ll look like. Smiling helps. Pointing too. Oh dear…

I am still trying to remain optimistic though. Somehow things do tend to work out for the best. It just means I have to sift through the crap to find the silver lining. It’s there somewhere dammit!

Despite the confusion above, there have been some positives. I’ve unexpectedly spoken to or have been put in touch with people that have helped me with my trip. Oz is a bit of a mystery still but there’s a guy I work with who has spent time over there which is handy. I also had a couple of things that needed doing to my car which would be a pain to organise and expensive. I just happened to start talking to someone at work who is also a mechanic who just happens to specialise in the area of work that I need help with. He did the job for free. Nice one! I then got chatting to someone who knows someone who has spent the past five years living and working in Japan. It may come across as weird but I don’t care, it’d be great to have an insider’s current perspective of Japan. Facebook add? Why not? I also work with someone whose son has been to Japan so I’ve messaged him too. I can read all the books in the world but it would never top speaking to people who have actually been there.

I guess it’s all good practice for when I’m away…48 days baby!

* I don’t know who I’m expecting to answer that question. I’d be surprised if you understood anything I just said.

The Plan

Blackadder: Baldrick, I have a very, very, very cunning

plan.

Baldrick: Is it as cunning as a fox what used to be Professor

of Cunning at Oxford University but has moved on, and is

now working for the UN at the High Commission of

International Cunning Planning?

Blackadder: Yes, it is.

Baldrick: Mm... That's cunning!

Blackadder Back & Forth

Wow, only 125 days ‘til the big day. OK that may sound like a lot to you, but for the amount of stuff that I have left to organise, it doesn’t seem that far away. I’m getting there, slowly but surely! This month I’ve bought my backpack, have a rough plan of where I’m going in Japan and have booked my first night’s stay. Every little step that goes towards organising my trip gives me a natural high. It’s the same feeling I get when I count the money in my tips jar. I’ve got enough to fan my face but no where near enough to throw in the air and writhe around in American Beauty style. One day…

I try not to think about the planning side of things too much as it is pretty overwhelming. Maybe I should have just planned a trip of 12 months in one place. That way there’s only one culture/language I need to learn and only one itinerary to plan! But I feel like I’m not going to get this opportunity again so I’m aiming to cram as much into the next year as possible. So I only have myself to blame.

I think I have the master plan (where I’m going to be at what time) sorted. I seem to have these moments of clarity just before I drift off to sleep. It’s like my memory is on standby throughout the day, taking note of things around me, then decides to kick in at the end of the day. Sleep? No, I’m going to make you remember that you need to post out a mobile phone to someone in London and you must call the gardener…crazy. So as I was drifting off I had a sudden thought about my trip calendar. I’m still waiting to book my Fiji trip and Niagara Falls trip as they both fall towards the end of the year and apparently it’s too early to be that organised. But that spark of clarity kicked in and I realised that I could actually map out my dates regardless of this. So I turned on my light, wrote down the dates below, happily fist-pumped the air, turned off my light and drifted off to sleep....

...So here it is:


28th August - Arrive in Tokyo at 7:30pm. I set off from Manchester at 2:30pm on 27th August so it’s safe to say that I will have no sense of time or what the hell’s going on. So a typical day out for me then!

29th September depart Tokyo, land in Bangkok. I'll be starting my Thailand experience with a 28 day stint of voluntary work. There will be children and I will be scared. After that I will be wandering down to Singapore making the odd stop off for some much needed beach time. If I’m lucky I might actually tan...hey, it could happen!

14th November depart Singapore, land in Melbourne where I plan to find a job and some people to live with while I’m there. Fingers crossed that works out or I will quickly run out of money and will have to busk for spends and nobody wants to hear this singing voice.

15th May depart Brisbane, land in Auckland in search of cake. Once cake has been found and happily devoured I will then seek out the sights.

29th June depart Christchurch, land in Fiji where I plan to do absolutely nothing. Beach, tan (ahem), drink, eat, sleep...beach - yeah you get the picture.

7th July depart Fiji, land in LA. Travel down to San Diego (3 days). I also want to visit a spot featured in one of my favourite films, 500 Days of Summer

15th July depart LA for a tour to San Francisco where their morals are a little more relaxed. Let’s just say I don’t have to worry too much if I leave laundry day a little late...

28th July depart San Francisco, land in Chicago where I want to see the bean and visit a Threadless shop amongst other things.

2nd August depart Chicago, land in New York baby! Travel down to Washington DC (3 days) and back again for a trip to Niagara Falls (3 days). My last days will be spent in New York cramming in all the usual tourist stuff as a distraction to the inevitable...

25th August depart New York, land in London all sad-like.

The end *sniffle*

Now I have to do something that I have been putting off for months. No, not seeing if  my bikini still fits. Christ, I’m saving that for…wait…I don’t think there’ll ever be a perfect moment for that activity. What I mean is that now I have my itinerary sorted for Japan, I best start learning the lingo. I’ve got a learning CD which you can upload onto an mp3, ergo, I’m going to be walking around mumbling Japanese with a Yorkshire accent. Beautiful!

Missing

Right, that’s it, I’ve had enough, I’m ready to go now…well not literally. I don’t have everything booked yet, I have no money, and I don’t even have a backpack! So maybe I’m not technically ready but my mind is already wandering away. I find myself randomly staring into space JD style and I daydream about my trip.

What’s the worst that can happen? That’s what someone said to me before they backtracked and thought about it and we both laughed. During my planning stage a volcano has erupted in Japan, cyclones and floods have plagued parts of Australia and now an earthquake in New Zealand. Mother Nature is having a field day at the moment. If it doesn’t stop I fear my mum might imprison me or blackmail me to stay.

At the moment my thoughts are leaning more towards change and adjustment. It’s rather strange. I could be doing something inane like brushing my teeth and I think “hmm, I won’t have an electric toothbrush whilst I’m away…”. Or I’ll be straightening my hair and think “I am going to have a LOT of bad hair days next year.”  Whilst getting changed, I reach into the bottomless pit that is my wardrobe, and I sometimes think – “what the hell am I going to wear whilst I’m away?!” It’s endless! I also keep thinking about what I’ll miss and what I won’t miss. When my mum asks for a play-by-play of what I will be doing when I go out I keep thinking “soon I will be freeee!”. That’s the punishment for not moving out I guess. I have always said I can’t afford to move out. I can’t really say that now seen as I will have spent, in total, the same amount of money people use as a deposit on a house or a fancy wedding!

I’m going all High Fidelity on you guys…

Top 5 things I think I’ll miss:

1. A wardrobe – what would usually be a sufficient amount of clobber for a weekend away needs to last me a year. Is the hobo look in this year?
   
   
2. Mummy’s cooking – Yes I still have my tea cooked for me sometimes…ok most of the time, haha. Well if it’s on offer it would be rude not to eat it surely. I hear New Zealand is good for cake so there’ll be at least one place where I can have a yummy dessert.
   
   
3. Shower and other home comforts - I will miss my hot steamy power showers. I'm not a bath person so I'm not bothered about that. For the prices I'll be paying, I'm not optimistic about the facilities which await me! I’ve booked an en suite room for when I do my voluntary work in Thailand, but that could mean anything! Karl Pilkington's reaction in An Idiot Abroad where he thought he was getting a plush ride from Sky was hilarious. There was one scene where he was told he was getting an en-suite room and when he arrived it was a cupboard with a hole in the bottom. I couldn't find the scene on YouTube but there is the moment in China which makes me laugh.
   
   
4. Duvet days – not that I get much of them now, what with working every day, but I think I’ll definitely miss those days where you wake up and do absolutely nothing but envelope yourself in your duvet and read/watch DVDs/eat Ben & Jerrys etc etc. See I’ll be sleeping in dorms so privacy isn’t an option. I do have moments where I’m halfway between being awake and asleep and not really knowing where I am. This could be at home, at a mate’s house, in a hotel or whatever so I do fear I’ll wake up and think that I’m at home and do something crazy like belt out the first song that pops in my head. I do tend to randomly break into song. One day at work I started singing Mr Sandman and one of the directors joined in. It was a surreal but funny moment. I might try that when I’m having a down day and am missing home. Not sure Mr Sandman was a worldwide hit though. I might get sectioned! That’s another thing, no more singing in the shower. Daaaamn. Well I could…but I doubt it’d go down well.
   
   
5. Being connected – I sound like a BT advert but I will definitely miss having my phone and being able to text/call/google whenever I want. I hope I can update my blog a few times a month and hope to get a sim card in Australia where I’ll be spending most of my time.

Top 5 things I don’t think I’ll miss:

1. Schedules and updates – Sorry Mum but I miss my uni days where I could roam free and not have to submit a step-by-step POA to my parents. “Where are you going? Who with? Ooo a boy, what’s this now? What time are you going out? What time will you be back?...” Argh! My brother had none of this. Yes I am pulling out the gender card, sue me! I am hardly ever spontaneous so I am looking forward to just going free! It can take months to organise things with friends so perhaps the “Being connected” point above might not be such a bad thing. Rather than texting back and forth or Facebooking people, I can sort things out in person.
   
   
2. Work – I’m actually enjoying my second job. I’m not sat in an office on my own and I get to talk to people, real-life people face-to-face and everything! So it’s not the job in itself that I won’t miss, more like the stress that it induces. No more waking up at daft-o-clock suddenly realising that someone in Milton Keynes needs a new sim card. I am also realising that I am fast becoming Roy in the IT Crowd – “Have you tried switching it off and on again?” or “Have you tried logging off and logging back on again?”. I am IT administrator and I deal with mobile phones so it’s double the joy. I will be working in Oz but it will only be manual jobs so hopefully the social aspect will shine over the back breaking hard labour part!
   
   
3. People – I put that as a general term as there are so many different types which I won’t miss. The great thing about travelling is that if a friendship or what-not blows up in my face, I’ll be catching a flight soon and I may never see them again. I’m not saying this in a way that I’m going to be a complete dick to everyone, speak my mind and sod the rest and walk in with a superior attitude, no no no. What I mean is that I can totally be myself and I’ll (hopefully!) meet so many people that I’ll find at least one or two people that I don’t want to punch in the face after 5 minutes of conversation. Back of the neeeet.
   
   
4. Facebook – for me, it is like the infamous activity of rubbernecking past a car crash or crime scene. I know what I’m getting, I might not necessarily like what I see but I can’t help but have a peek. Facebook is bullshit. Let’s face it, I could write any old thing on my status and it means nothing. Just because someone writes about how spectacular their life is, doesn’t make it so. I do like the dramatics though. The people who post a status along the lines of  - “Oh my God, I can’t believe what just happened. Why could life be so cruel?” And loads of people comment and either a) they don’t actually say what is wrong – pffft or b) the answer is something pathetic like “Did you just see what happened in Eastenders? It’s awful.” So no, they’re not suffering bereavement or are going through a tragic moment…they’re just taking Eastenders a little bit too seriously. So as much as I like that Facebook keeps me in touch with a few people I don’t get to see as much these days, I definitely won’t miss the ludicrousness.
   
   
5. Pressure – the same conversation keeps following me. Careers and degree. “So what do you want to do with your life?” and “Why aren’t you using your degree?”. Judgement. I don’t know what I want to do, do you? But I always feel embarrassed and try and blag my way out of the conversation which usually ends up with me wanting to punch them in the face (a running theme perhaps). No matter what I say people tend to shit on it so now I respond with a simple “I don’t know. I’m in no rush.” I thought this would be the easier option. Instead, I get people throwing suggestions at me “Why don’t you get onto that BBC and get a job there?” and so on and so forth. It’s like I need saving. If you don’t have a career plan you’re doomed, doomed I tell you!!

Once Upon A Time...

The Dream

Do you remember the lesson you had in primary school where the teacher asked you what you wanted to do when you grew up? At that age answers included princess, fireman, astronaut etc etc. It’s just one of the occasions in life where random dreams tumbled from the mind but, to many, will never be achieved. To me, travelling has always been that preposterous out-of-reach dream I’ve had and never really spoken about. I always placed it in the box of things I’d love to do but will probably never get round to doing. So far the list includes learning to play the drums, snowboarding, learning a new language, going to Glastonbury…and so on…

Now that’s all changed. I’m doing it. I’m actually bloody doing it! While I’m at it, why stick to one country? I’m dreaming big.

The Trip

What started off as a few months in Australia has turned into something a bit more ambitious.

Manchester - Tokyo - Bangkok - overland to Singapore - Melbourne - overland to Brisbane - Auckland - overland to Christchurch - Fiji - LA - New York - London

The Reason

To me, 2010 has been the giant kick up the arse I have been subconsciously craving for for the past 3 years. Since graduating in 2007 I’ve been trapped in a series of ruts. I’d go through a period of extreme motivation and achieve so much, then I’d get comfortable and settle on what I had and didn’t really think about anything else. After a while, something would rattle me, and I'd shift back to the beginning again.

I am bored. I am tremendously bored to the extent that I want to do something completely out of character. For some reason I tend to work better when challenged. Perhaps it’s the competitive spirit within as whenever I’m told I can’t do something, I don’t stop until I can do it.

Now 2009, that was my year. In the space of 2 months I’d passed my driving test, bought a car, started a new job and ran 10 miles in my fastest time yet. The latter meant so much to me as only 8 months prior to the run I was in a pathetic state. I’d just started training after the major lurgy which had swallowed around 7 months of my life. I’ve always been pretty active and reasonably fit and I wanted that back. Challenge set and challenge achieved.

I want 2011/12 to be the new 2009 for me. I can’t wait to break free and create my own experiences and adventures. I’m sick of waiting around for something to happen. Departure date is Saturday 27th August. I’m going…and perhaps I’ll never look back…