Travel Writing

First vindication, then felt cheated before finally comes understanding and an epiphony!

With today being the first say off work, I spent most of the day at home sorting out bank stuff, cameras, mobiles phones and my sisters photo gallery { as she is unable to download the stuff onto her own PC due to it being second hand from Noah's Ark }.

At around 4pm I sorted out myself, got some last minute bits of shopping for tomorrow and then left to meet up with some friends in London who were having a reunion / leaving party / returning party and early double birthday celebration all rolled into one.

In all the world I have never seen as nice a sight as Paula and her friends all dressed up to thrill and dancing in tight formation to some banging club tunes. I cursed myself a dozen times as my new phone camera { 5 mega pixels but no zoom and a flash that isn't worth squat } was incapable of taking even a half decent photo and thus I have nothing to show for one of the best nights I have had in a long time.

The night went well and as I hadn't had much to eat I was drunk before I knew it, after which I switched back on soft drinks by about 10pm so as to be semi-sober for the train home instead of trying to not throw up each time the train lurched one way or the other.

During the train journey back to GIllingham I happened to be sitting along side a couple of women, and with no one else doing much talking it was impossible not overhear some of their conversation. One was in her early forties, full of figure and looking like she would not be out of place in the Caribbean, the other was in her early to mid thirties, of Indian background and of a mild and modest demeanor.

About half way through the hours journey their topic of conversation somehow meandered onto travel and I was shocked, surprised and elated to overhear the Indian lady say that when she was only 25 she herself went on a solo round the world trip, starting in Japan and covering many parts of the far east and Australia.

The first thing that went through my mind was that this was yet another example of someone who went away, did it and came back alive and well, thus proving it can be done and that all the horror stories should not put me off.

The next thing that occurred to me is that as she had done it, and on her own, as a slim and single woman this made her trip even more hazardous and potentially dangerous than my own, and if she had not chose to write about her trip then what makes me think that anyone will want to read mine. The fact that she had not booked and planned it in half as much detail as I have, meant even more than she was travelling by the seat of her pants and thus my effort is tame and controlled by comparison.

Luckily just before anger, frustration and depression at my efforts being poo pooed by this woman without her realising it I suddenly realised the error of my logic and found reassurance.

About 5 years ago I also travelled to the far east for about 18 days without a plan and without a fixed itinerary, and upon reflection I felt that a lot of my time could have been better spent and I could certainly have done it a lot cheaper too.

Realising that I have managed to organise some cracking deals on flights and accommodation, I came to the conclusion that her idea was more chaotic and thus without any formal structure as long as she came back alive and in one piece it could only be viewed as a success. However she probably wasted a lot of time looking for cheap accommodation, she probably did not make the best use of her time in each city and she could also probably done it cheaper had she given it more forward planning.

Now far from trying to diminish her mighty effort, which was of course both brave and successful, I am taking on board her comments but also it has finally helped crystallize in my mind who I am writing this book for and how.

In a nutshell I am writing this book for everyone that has an interest in travel.

It is for all the people who have already travelled around the world and want to compare their adventure to mine { for better or worse }.

It is for all the people who have yet to pluck up the courage to go it alone and ask their boss for a year sabbatical.

It is for all the people who have decided to go away travelling but have no idea of where to start looking for tips, suggestions and practical advice from someone who has already done it, and recently.

It is for all the people who know of people who are about to go around the world and want / need reassurance that it can be done and done safely.

It is for all the people who, for one reason or another, are unable to go travelling themselves but who can at least slightly live out their dreams through me vicariously.

It is for all the people who love reading epic stories where the little guy says "up-yours" to the big corporations and goes it alone - and succeeds.

My travels, and my book, do not have to be bigger, bolder and more life threatening than any other writers. I am not trying to say that my trip is great and everyone else's is naff when compared to mine, and of course there will be some people for which a book on travel holds no interest.

All I have to do is to keep it realistic, make sure that it's entertaining first and foremost and then just cram in plenty of helpful tips and facts, plus some good photos, and I should have all the makings of a book that although it might not be an overnight best seller of Harry Potter proportions, could find a happy home in most well stocked libraries, be they private or public.

Forget using Nationwide

An earlier blog entry said that I have finally found some good news about using Nationwide.

 

Forget it, I was wrong ... lied to ... time wasted ... the internet banking, telephone banking and branch banking is so crap that it isn't even worth the hassle of trying to use.

 

I have never had as poor customer services as I have with these people, I have NEVER entered a branch and had anyone resolve a query to a satisfactory level and I would now rather close the account than keep it going any longer.

D-Day minus 3

D-day may be just the other side of the weekend, but the start of my life starts right here right now.

I have not just officially left my work, but even the extra tempt work in the final run up to leaving the UK has now finished.

I have collected my P45, I have emptied what was my desk, I have wiped what was my computer, I have said my goodbyes, I have had one last meal with the faces that I have come to know as well as my own and I have signed myself out for the very last time.

- No more early commuter runs to a city miles away, to work for a job that is neither exciting nor inspiring.

- No more fussing with suits, ties and wondering how I can ever make it to lunchtime without going out falling asleep.
- No more pathetic office one-up-manships and office politics to bore me to tears.

But it was not all bad, or I would never have put up with it for so long.
- No more sharing lunches with my friends in the park.

- No more free broadband internet and landline calls.

- No more regular income, free health care or additional pension contributions.

From now on I have just my forward planning, quick wits, previous travelling experience and occasionally the added guidance of a friendly face, to navigate me from the safety of my home town to the further reaches on the planet and back again, spanning ten potentially glorious months.

It will sure be an adventure to remember, and though the idea may have formed many years past it really and truly only started a few hours ago.

So giddy I can't sleep

Maybe it was the drink, maybe it was the company, maybe it was saying an emotional "Au Revoir" to some great friends, maybe it was the thought of yet another injection or maybe it was even a combination of everything coming to a head, but I really couldn't get any sleep last night.

My local friends all banded around, some at very short notice, to make my last free weekend in the UK go with a bang, and thank to a house a few roads up we even had he odd firework go off in my honour ... well, after a few drinks that what I convinces myself was going on.

We had some laughter, some food, some drinks and some good conversation, and I even got to get some more practice in with my camera.

My Hostels

Well, plenty of people seem to want to know more about the route that I am taking, specifically where I am staying.

So at the risk of leaving a very obvious trail for any stalker-minded-person to follow, I have spent a good few hours compiling this list of accommodations in the order that I will attempt to visit them in.

The added bonus is that later on I can just mention a place or a hotel and you can easily find out which one it is and if to go there, or to avoid it in future.

Please consider that many of the weblinks are not official, just a page with the most information that I could find from the online booking agent websites.

Also be aware that some of the websites may have pop-ups or music. I am not affiliated with, or sponsored by, any of the websites or hotels with links below and I only provide them for the interest of anyone who is curious.

- - -

Amsterdam - Shelter Jordan
Berlin - Backpacker Berlin
Dresden - Lollis Homestay
Prague - Atlas Hostel
Vienna - Wombat's City Hostels
Zurich - Hostel Suisse
Bern - Bern Backpackers
Geneva - Geneva Youth Hostel
Lyon - Le Ville Des Lumieres
Toulouse - Albion Hotel
Barcelona - Catalina Hostel
Valencia - Purple Nest Hostel
Madrid - Ole International Hostel
Salvador - Hostel Pousada Planeta Itapua
Rio de Janeiro - Ace Backpackers Youth Hostel
Sao Paulo - Hotel Rojas
Cuzco - Loki Hostel
Arequipa - Misti House
Lima - Magdalen House
Piura - Hostal San Jose
Guayaquil - Casa de Romero
Manta - Villa Monica
Quito - Centro del Mundo
Cali - Hostal Santa Rita
Medellin - Black Sheep Hostal
Manizales - Mountain House
Bogota - Anandamayi Hostel
Santa Marta - Sun City
Cartagena - Casa Viena
Panama City - Hospedaje Casco Viejo
David City - Purple House International Backpackers Hostel
San Jose - Costa Rica Backpackers
Managua - Managua Hostel
San Pedro Sula - Los Molinos B&B
San Salvador - Hotel Villa Luz
Mexico City - Hostal Amigo
Morelia - Hostel Allende
Cancun - Casa Mexico Tipico
Orlando Florida - Palm Lakefront Resort
Santo Domingo - Plaza Toledo Bettyes Guesthouse
Santo Domingo - Hotel Freeman
Las Vegas - AAE Todd's Las Vegas Hostel
Hawaii - Seaside Hawaiian Hostel
Nadi - Nomads Skylodge
Sydney - Backpackers Headquarters
Brisbane - Bunk
Cairns - Cairns City Backpackers
Darwin - Melaleuca on Mitchell
Singapore - Axis Hostel
Jakarta - Wisma Tujuh
Surabaya - Sahid Hotel
Kuala Lumpur - Red Palm
Penang - Hutton Lodge
Hat Yai - J.B. Hotel
Phuket - Anchalee Inn
Phuket - Southern Fried Rice
Bangkok - Asha Guesthouse
Bangkok - Stable Lodge
Pattaya - Chaiyapoon Inn
Bangkok - Cozy Bangkok Place
Prachin Buri - Kao Yai Grandview Resort
Siem Reap - 13th Villa
Phnom Penh - Sunday Guesthouse
Ho Chi Minh City - Bich Duyen Hotel
Ho Chi Minh City - Luan Vu Guesthouse
Da Nang - Hello Vietnam Hotel
Hanoi - Vien Dong Hotel
Nanning - Wanxing Hotel
Guilin - Guilin Flowers International
Guilin - Guilin Oasis Inn
Guangzhou - Mei Yi Hotel
Hong Kong - Hong Kong Budget Hostel
Manila - Green Mango Inn
Manila - Southern Cross Hotel
Cebu City - Palazzo Pensionne
Hong Kong - Calton Hostel
Shanghai - Shanghai City Central International Hostel
Tokyo - bAKpAK Tokyo Hostel
Osaka - Hotel Raizan South
Hiroshima - J-Hoppers Hiroshima Traditonal Guesthouse
Hakata-Fu - Japanese Ryokan Kashima Honkan
Busan - Zen Backpackers
Seoul - Golden Pond Guesthouse
Incheon - Airport Backpackers Guesthouse
Beijing - 9 Dragons Hostel
New Delhi - Smyle Inn
Dubai - San Marco Hotel
Cairo - Wake Up! Cairo
Athens - Aristoteles Hotel

An Embassy that Rocks

If you ever decide to do some real backpack travelling in the Far East then I really strongly suggest that you pluck up the courage to take a trip to Cambodia.

Sure, it may have lovely countryside, beautiful women, Ankor Wat, cheap prices and religion practices that don't involve starting jihad's on anyone that has a shorter beard than they have, but the best reason is that you have to get a Entry Visa to go there.

What ... an Entry Visa being a good thing .... this is insanity I hear you cry.

Well no, not exactly, for aside from the fact that too many countries let in just anyone willy-nilly, the best thing about the Cambodia is that they are streaking ahead so to speak by allowing you to purchase your own visa online via their embassy website.

The form was incredibly easy to use, so easy that I only mucked it up three times from pure eagerness to complete it in record time, and another superb part was being able to send ANY decent solo head shot photo jpeg to attach to my application, instead of one of those sterile damn-i-wished-id-put-on-a-better-shirt-and-shaved-this-morning passport photos.

And what could make it even better, was that the embassy website had this lovely asian melody drifting through my speakers while I was doing it, so I got a real brief taster of being there before I even set out towards the airport.

In short ... it was a great experience and I'm now starting to think that a visa is a good idea once more, instead of continuing to liken them with a lawyers subpoena.

Inoculations

As I am barely a week away from my trip I decided that the time had come to make the long walk { spiritually at least } down to my local doctors to get some potentially-life-saving travel vaccinations.

Using the net I was able to get the telephone number and called up to see when the nurse was in the surgery to give the injections and also hopefully book an appointment. As luck would have it, they were in the next day both in the morning and in the afternoon, and so being a fully flexible part-time temp these days it took all of 2 seconds to decide that it was best to get it over and done with and get the all clear from my boss.

Sauntering down to the surgery wasn't a bad thing, as it was only a few minutes from my sisters and the weather was good, but my mood dampened somewhat when I was slipped the news that the nurse wasn't in this morning, but at least she would be in later, say at about 4pm.

Thus it was that for a few hours I made hay while the sun was shining and then at around 4pm, when it just so happened to start lightly raining, I paid my second visit to the house of pain. This time the news was slightly more promising in that, although the nurse was in, as the doctor wasn't that I would have to wait a bit longer.

However when it finally was my time, I spend more time chating with the nurse, { who was a delightfully little old Irish woman with an amazing daughter by all accounts } and deciding which countries I should visit than it took her to actually perform the tiny pinprick and push.

The only downside was the I had to purchase anti-Malaria tablets from the chemist down the road { at £15 per box, and I needed two } and the yellow fever jab has to come with a certificate and you have to go to specialist clinics to get one.

10 Days To Go

Hiya

 

Just a quick email to keep in touch as I am still awake and I have a few minutes before I can't keep my eyes open any longer.

 

Well, as it is now Friday morning { albeit very early as I haven't been to sleep yet from Thursday night}, I can now say that the real countdown is on as there is only 10 days to go before the start of my life's biggest adventure.

 

First thing when I wake up tomorrow I have to go down to my doctors in order to receive my travel vaccination jabs, and then its back home for more bashing of the keyboards in a frantic effort to re-confirm that I have booked everything that I possibly can.

 

After that I will probably complete a trial packing of my rucksack to ensure that it is big enough, yet light enough, to store all my travel belongings - something I could not really do before as I have made lots of last minute purchases specifically for this trip.

 

Take care,keep in touch and more soon.

 

~ Dickon ~

Reworking my route

With the shocking recent events in the news { namely the Russians continuing to fight despite them offering a cease fire to the Georgians }, and the continued dilemma of trying to get an urgent Mongolian and Russian Visa in China, I have finally decided against trekking back across from Vladivostock, instead favouring a more indirect but culturally interesting route.

I have not paid for all the flights yet, as it is still too early to so and I am hoping to get some good deals slightly closer to the time, but I have booked the flight out of China { as the Chinese are a bit fussy about foreigners coming in with no proof of their intention to leave again} and thus my current best guess is that the final journeys are likely to be as follows :-

- - -

Beijing, China > Delhi, India > Abu Dhabi, UAE > Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt > Cairo, Egypt > Istanbul, Turkey > Athens, Greece > Achai, Greece > Bari, Itlay > Napoli, Italy > Rome, Itlay > Milano, Italy > Dusseldorf, Germany > Aachen, Germany > Brussels, Belguim > Brugge, Belgium > Oostende, Belgium > Ramsgate, UK > Kent, UK { home }

- - -

This route, of course, relies on the assumptions that I won't have already exhausted all my personal reserves of funds, that I still have a desire to travel, that I am still healthy and fit enough to travel, that I have not already thrown in the towel and flown back and that I have not already feel hopelessly in love with some other location and vowed never to return to the UK { that final assumption is a very unlikely scenario in my opinion, but one that still a small handful of people seem keen on trying to hang round my neck ! }.

There is even the possibility that the last home stretch, being the return from Dusseldorf, might be made much more enjoyable if my friend there does indeed manage to sort out their own travel arrangements and is still able and willing to drive me back home from there, via a ferry from Belgium, however knowing how crazy life is I am still prepared to complete this part by train alone if needs be. 

Joys of Blogging

There was a time when no one I knew had even heard of a blog let alone was the author of one, including my good self.

Then over time a few people plucked up the courage to brave the world of cyberspace and laid bare at least some of their lesser secrets for entertainment and a way of telling their story.

When it was my turn to let my fingers dance across a keyboard, I was glad that I had some prior touch typing experience to help me speed up the process of turning chaotic thought into legible writing.

Months drew by and even as I was beginning to wax and wane through the lows of self enforced regular postings most of my family began their own, some in great earnest.

Then with the seeds of my travel plans firmly planted I decided that it would be much more convenient for me to restart the blog that attempt to email everyone, both home and abroad, I dusted off the old password and began to write again.

Which brings me up to date, and now that I am almost back up to speed I have looked back at the blogs of my family to find that most have not posted anything new recently, some seemly having given up the ghost more than two month previous.

Russian Conflict

Hmmm - this whole recent turn of events is unsettling, dissappointing and not to mention potentially dangerous to my health.

After visiting China I was strongly considering travelling across Russia and into Poland, but with them waging war against the Georgians it is giving me pause to think, and I may very well reconsider.

The alternatives are many, but with China being strict on proving incoming and outgoing routes it is not the kind of thing that I can leave to the last minute.

I may still fly to India and then the Middle East before going on to Greece, or alternativelty return to a city I have already been to should I have met and made a special contact with someone.

Weddings and Holidays

I have had enough people telling me about the horrors of travelling to not only become immune to it, but also to realise that in this way Travel is a lot like marriage.

 

1) Millions of people are doing it every day

2) Everyone has an opinion about it

3) Everyone can tell you a scary story about a horrific incident they once overheard

4) Even people that have done it will tell you not to do it carelessly, yet they are still likely to redo it again themselves

5) It costs a lot of money and preparation

6) It is very stressful and often best enjoyed looking back as posterity

7) Entire agencies are set up to take the hassle and stress away and to help you find the best deals ( all the while taking a hefty hidden markup )

8) Fashion and the media tell you what you should be doing and what you should be wearing while your doing it

9) The cost seems to go up and up each year, getting more and more extravagent

10) A, B & C list celebrities are happy to sell their photos and stories to make money and inflate their feeling of self worth

11) For more people big ones are once in a lifetime experiences, but for the select few they occur quite frequently

 

The bare fact is that travel is not for everyone, just like marriage is not for everyone, but travel is the kind of thing that you can get a taste for if you like it and thankfully its legal to do it again and again.

 

I do not begrudge or bemoan anyon who spends £60K on their "special day" if they have it, yet almost everyone seems to think that me spending £20K for an entire years worth of memories is pure insanity.

 

Some people spend more on a car every year than I will on this trip, and noone calls them lunatics.

Internet and Contacts

I had a bit of a rude awakening the other day when I learned that even though my laptop was wifi ready that I would still need to get a modem before I could access a wireless network { unless I was actually sitting on top of the bloody router !!! } and also that as the rest of the world was very sparse with wifi servers and routers that I would also probably need a modem from one of the mobile companies in order to have access.

 

I was even more shocked when I looked at the prices of the overseas internet costs and found that the cheapest was £10 for 30 days of the lightest email contact in existence or for more routine websurfing I could be charged anything from £4 per day upward.

 

Realising that I have already spend hundreds on the laptop and that I am trying to spend under £10 per night for accommodation, it is totally unrealistic for me to spend half as much on web surfing as on providing a roof over my head for the upcoming trip.

 

If I had realised this at the start, I would have made a bit more of an effort to book into accommodation that offered free wifi in their rooms, and I am only glad that I still have a few weeks left to check the facilities of my booking and rebook the odd reservation to include it I find myself suffering a long stretch without internet access.

 

Following my old computers giving up the ghost and my buying my new laptop, I did not appreciate how much I would lose in the way of not only photos, music and programs but also in contact information. Thus it was that I found myself spending at least a couple of hours, again, searching all through my emails and various websites that I frequent for the details of friends and family in order to ensure that I had the latest information on my phone, my gmail account and my outlook.

 

I had planned on spending the rest of the weekend emailing my friends around the world, however one email stopped me cold and had my nerves and doubts in a stranglehold of fear and panic.

 

It seemed innocent enough, being a minor flight time change from one of the many airports that I am due to fly with, however that fact that that send shivers down my spine was that it was for a flight on the wrong date. Quickly finding the original email confirmation I noticed for the first time that it too was for a completely different date than the one I needed and had scheduled.

 

A few minutes { and a AUS$20 processing fee } later I was now back on track with the right flight on the right day, but knowing that I had booked most of my itinerary late at night, accepting that this error was mine and not there is and also that I had not picked up on it before, now all my earlier doubts returned to haunt me and I knew that the only thing to alleviate my fears was that in the cold light of day to go back through all my bookings one by one, ensuring that no more Dickon errors had crept into the schedule undetected.

Friends

With less than four weeks to go before my big departure I have been doing my best to catch up with everyone from back home, and I can say that I don't think that I have never been this in-demand before in my life.

It is not that I am popular, or that anyone wants to get in the act of being mentioned in any post travel blog, but I get the impression that people are half thinking that this will be the last time that they might ever see me.

People I haven't spoken to for ages are coming out of the woodwork and making a lot of noise about meeting up before I go, asking how long it is left, and one person even half joked that he thought that I had died as he had not seen or heard of anything from me in months.

Thanks to the staff at my old { and still current } company, I have been furnished with a compact digital camera and so its no surprise that I have been snapping away whenever I have got the chance to, especially with my old friends, and then posting them on my facebook profile.

However I was not expecting that just because I met up with a female friend on her own, and took a photo of the two of us together, to have many of my online friends suddenly jump to conclusions that we were not an item, and with this realization I have now decided that from now on I will have to be more selective with my postings.

It is a shame, but although there are potentially a small handful of people out there that I am hoping to meet that I would be happy for something romantic to happen between the two of us, I will have to keep all my rendezvous secret or else I will be spending more time explaining the past than enjoying the present.

Belgian Fruli Strawberry Beer

My friend David invited me up to his local for a long overdue chat and a drink.

I have never been much of a heavy drinker, not even in my younger days, but he had been subtly raving about their Strawberry Beer called Fruli that apparently I just had to try.

The bar itself was great as it had a real open place fire and comfy sofas to sit on, but it was the long awaited Fruli beer that realy stole the evening for me.

Fruli was very strawberryish, yet still tasted like a beer and not just a fruit drink and by the end of my second I was 'happily merry' and freed of my inhibitions and coordination that only alcohol can bestow upon a person.

As I staggered back towards the tube station the fog in my brain and the smile on my face left me in no doubts that Fruli was going to be a drink that I was going to enjoy drinking a lot more of in the future.

Live Air Broadcast

This weekend I travelled down to the south coast of England to meet an old friend of mine, which was pretty cool.

 

In typical Springate fashion, despite several phone calls over the last week to confirm things, changing plans at the last minute led to a flurry of phone calls before I ended up at my destination alone and having to let myself in and amuse myself, as they were out at a DJ function.

 

Watching a complete series of House M.D. was good, especially as I have always loved watching them and there was nothing else really to watch on the box, and this quality time alone gave me just the opportunity.

 

However the fact that the next night the solo entertaining had to be repeated was not so much fun, as by then I was going stir crazy in an empty house in the middle of nowhere without even my own computer { with programs, music and Internet free to use as I saw fit } and thus I ended up going to the end of another Wedding function just to alleviate the boredom.

 

The Sunday was much better as I got to go down with him to the local radio station where he had a bit of a regular guest status, and I even managed to get in on the act with a few comments as the microphones in those places are very sensitive if your facing them even over a meter away !!!

 

As I haven't got a clue about my travel book yet, and I didn't want to talk even more about my upcoming R.T.W. trip yet again, I totally sidestepped the chance to drop a blatant plug on it, which even in hindsight I feel was for the best.

 

Seeing the studio and the modern rig that they were using was impressive and interesting, and I took a few photos which I will put up later when I can connect my phone and PC together. I chose to to take down my new digital camera as I still have not got used to all the functions yet, and downloading seems to take an eternity.

 

Being part time, I can take as much or as little time off as I like, so I have let my friend twist my arm into staying another morning at least, so we can go play a bit of golf, which involves me swinging wildly and missing every other ball, and him making my successful hits seem limp wristed by comparison.

 

Later I will catch a train back home, sad to be saying goodbye til after my return, but happy to be leaving a town so sleepy that it has no nightclubs, the pubs are closing themselves down, and the only way in or out via public transport is by bus and even that stops for the night around 6pm, week or weekend!