Sunday was a long day.
It had been a fun two weeks in Melbourne, despite the weirdness of being home, but now it was time to go. I hugged my sister outside the departure terminal, wrenched my backpack from the car and headed for the check-in counter. It was 11.30am, and I was feeling refreshed from a good night’s sleep.
34 hours later I stumbled out of an Amsterdam train station, my lungs enjoying fresh air for the first time in a day and a half. I was exhausted, smelled terrible and felt like death after fighting severe stomach cramps the whole way from Bangkok.
I’ve had more enjoyable days, but I didn’t care. I was travelling again … and despite not really wanting to leave Thailand, I was excited about it.
The next six months are looking amazing. I’ve alluded to what the rest of the year looks like on my Facebook page a few times recently, but not in great detail. So, here’s the plan:
Read the rest of this entry »
You know what they say about how people always explore the world before they explore their home town?
Yeah. I’m that guy.
I lived in New Zealand for over twenty years and still didn’t see large chunks of it. I spent three years in both London and Sydney and barely scratched the surface of either.
Melbourne has been much the same. Two and half years I lived here, and I have probably still seen less of the city than some people that are only here for a week. Although I can, at least, point out a few good bars…
So it was that when I found myself back ‘home’ for a couple of weeks, I figured it was time to change that situation.
Urban Adventures offer a few different tours there, but the one that appealed the most was a sunset kayak on the Yarra river that flows through the centre of the city. The Yarra is much-maligned by Melburnians, however, and all of the ones I spoke to about it had a remarkably unanimous response…
Kayaking? In May? On the Yarra? WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT?
After two hours on the water last week, I had an answer for them.
BECAUSE IT’S AWESOME.
Stepping inside the grounds of the Grand Palace in Phnom Penh is a strange, almost surreal experience.
The manicured gardens and golden buildings seem bizarrely out of place compared with the dirt, noise and poverty of city life on the other side of the gates.
The Cambodian Royal family have lived there since it was built in the 1860s, interrupted only by the horror of the Khmer Rouge.genocide. Try as I might, though, I didn’t spot the king wandering around anywhere…
Comfort zones.
They’re funny old things.
Usually when travellers write about breaking out of a comfort zone, we’re talking about leaving behind the 9-5. Throwing our old life in the trash and hitting the world, armed with only a backpack and some hope.
Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve been back in Melbourne for a few days after finally, reluctantly leaving Thailand. I’m only here for two weeks – just long enough to catch up with friends and family, deal with a bit of paperwork and head back to the airport, really. It’s only a short break.
Because my return is only temporary I don’t feel the same depression that I did last time I came back. This is a time of celebration, of drinking with mates, gossiping with my sister and cuddling my little nephew until he’s blue in the face. I’ve done all those things, repeatedly, and it has been wonderful … but I just can’t shake this weird feeling I’ve got.
Read the rest of this entry »
