Things I have learnt so far… traveling the globe and being homeless

Just because someone spends months “selling” you on stuff doesn’t mean they really want you to pursue it..
Don’t believe everything they “sell” you on
Start being more selfish.. everyone else is and no one will ever be selfish for you on your behalf

Be ready to change and adapt at a moments notice
Boys will still be boys even once they are men… but not to worry I’m not hating ~ I still love ‘em
Being happy and confident in yourself will rub some people the wrong way… but hey that’s not your problem

Hearts break … it’s unfortunate, but it happens! And yes you can survive and you do move on… relationship wise it sucks… when it’s a the passing of a loved one it can cripple…. don’t allow that cloud to swallow you, since the whole world is waiting to be explored and they’d probably want you to explore it!!

Take that walk because sometimes the opportunity might not come around again.
Stop, look around and really soak it in
Enjoy each hot sunny day like it’s your last … because as soon as the bloody cold sets in you need as many photos and memories to get you through it.

Heart break down under…

It shouldn’t have been a surprise since I partly knew what was coming. What I didn’t expect was feeling more than I did, and then the devastation of not having it returned.

Confused, since I’m pretty sure since October I had been hearing strong argument why I should come half way around the world to be with someone.
Things I could do here… and yet on the eve of arriving I’m met with cold shoulder and later my heart shattered.

The last 3 days were spent in fog.. numbness.. and sadly I never really got to see that much of the city! The non-stop rain didn’t help soothe my heart or allow for exploration.

Despite heart break I don’t hate this place or the breaker…

Thoughts on Melbourne and Victoria

I like this part of Australia. I hear that the Gold Coast is a must see… I want to see the Great Barrier Reef!

Obviously I will be back in the future to see more of it.

Parts remind me of certain places in South Africa that I vaguely remember from when I was tiny, and yet so not.

After big cities like Seoul, Melbourne seems very quaint and laid back.
It’s hard to tell within such a short visit but would a city like this get boring after a while?

Safely in Australia

After delayed flight in KL, I have finally made it back to western territory.

The flight felt long since it was delayed but I did manage to squeeze in a massage during the layover. This will probably be the last cheap massage for a long while.

Arriving in Melbourne I had to take the shuttle from the Airport to Southern Cross Station. Then from Southern Cross take a train on the V Line Train to Warragul Station.

On the shuttle I was a little surprised to see the hostility on the shuttle bus … but in all fairness the young woman kinda deserved it after blocking the isle with her suitcase. She sat right in front of the luggage racks which had plenty of room! Honestly people use your brain and show a little common sense.

Kuala Lumpur, Day 2!

This is just a short stopover in KL before I make it to Australia!

I’m staying in China Town on a cheap beer budget but managed to spring for my own room at the backpackers.

Note to self… next time be a LOT richer and stay in the nice end of town.

Note to anyone reading… take the Hop on/off tour bus to get a good over view of what the city looks like. I was told to take it once and mark all the places I want to see. The next round jump off at the site you want to see.

I’m so glad that it’s nice and hot, what a change from the frigid cold of Seoul.

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Kuala Lumpur 2 days, 1 night

Arrived early at the airport. Katie, a fellow ESL teacher back from orientation 2009, was on my flight.
We killed a few hours at the airport Starbucks catching up on life and future plans.

Katie had a layover, while I was too early to arrive at the hostel and we were told that the Star Shuttle wouldn’t open until 8am… little did we know that it was running from early in the morning but you buy your ticket from the bus driver.

Star Shuttle takes forever, and I had paid extra to get a ride straight to my hostel, Backpackers Travelers Inn.
The only complaint I have after paying a few bucks extra, that I wasn’t driven to the door but half a block from… my bags were heavy and I was tired.

I decided once I checked in to go out and explore… first things first – get a massage!

The massage was interesting!! It was the least peaceful massage I’ve ever had. The man was chatty.. and that’s an understatement. I found out not only his sexual orientation, his customers sexual preferences, but also the recent trip to Thailand to learn how to give sexual enhancement massages. Also, I recieved an education on what would happen to homosexuals in Malaysia – it’s called prison.

Afterwards, I sought out a small place for dinner and then headed back to the hostel to crash.

So far so good… I have to admit that although I’m in no way lonely, this solo travel is a little boring at times. I guess I will have to revisit some of these places with someone someday!

Rooftop at the Backpackers Travelers Inn

Two more days till farewell

After packing and packing, re-packing then looking around my empty flat I only see more STUFF. I’ve come to the conclusion I have waaay too much shit… and need a detox from STUFF.

It’s amazing how much STUFF one can accumulate in the space of 2 years.

I am so ready to be on the road… only two more days now and I’ll be flying out of Seoul for the last time.

Evernote… ever heard of it?

It’s a software and services for note-taking and archiving. You take notes: text, webpage, photos, memos, or even hand written notes can be sorted into folder, tagged, edited, or searched. They have the free version, which I’ve decided to download and try out. The service has monthly usage of 60MB/month, but if you really like it you can pay $5/month or for a year $45.

http://www.evernote.com/

Remember everything. Capture anything. Access anywhere, Find things fast. Their video’s quiet cute, too.

Hopefully this will make my five months of travels a little easier

The tickets are booked :-) WOO HOO

Most of my friends have booked their tickets months in advance. Some as far back as 6 months ago. I on the other hand only just booked mine

I fly out of Incheon International Airport and land in Kuala Lumpur at 5am. I fly out of KL the following day at 10:30 in the evening. I will arrive the next day in Melbourne at 9:20am. Woo hoo 18 days in Australia, some of those days I will take a side trip to Auckland. After that I’ll head over to South Africa for a blissful 2 month stay before going to Canada for 2 months and then finally landing in London. That’s 5 months of traveling meeting up with family and friends… oh and spend 2 years of hard earned savings. YAY! It’s gonna be great.

In one of the weirdest ways I realise that I’m doing my first RTW trip.

Thankfully, I’ve had some great help with tickets and insurance. If you’re looking for an around the world  & multi-stop trips.  http://www.airtreks.com Click on the “Start Planning Your Trip Now!” You can click on the links of each destination. Then the dates. If you want to get more than an estimate then fill out the information to get a quote. One of their reps, Sarah, got in contact with pretty fast. She was very patient answering all my questions and millions of emails. If you’re American or Canadian they have in-house travel insurance, basic insurance will be covered but there is an option to get full-coverage.

Now on to the nitty-gritty planning of internal flights, what to do and where to stay in each country.

Selling all my possessions

So, I’ve decided to try sell as much of the stuff I’ve accumulated the last few years in Korea. Each year I normally give things away or chuck them. However, this time I’ll be traveling for a few months after this contract and I’ve bought things that are sell-able.

I think the most interesting thing about this whole process is how cheap people really are. I’ve been pretty generous in price since I don’t want anyone to feel ripped off and yet people reply with really low-ball offers.

Er, no I don’t think so cheap ass!!

Sadly, I think is the last time I’ll ever do the sell your stuff… next time I’ll find a salvation army or some charity and donate it. AND yes, I realise many people sell shit but that’s not the case here. I’ve had one person email me over five times and send dozens of text messages. Each getting more and more persistent.

Hmmmm psychos of the world .. and maybe those who aren’t but come off as … send a request and asking more information is one thing getting weird on the buyer.. er, ain’t so kosher!