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G'day Mate Your at the WORLD WELCOME MAT!
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Hey Hey & A Big Aussie
G'Day to Ya Mate
I welcome you all to the Great World Welcome Mat.
From here you can follow me on my journey that took me through many diverse and fascinating countries in Asia where I finally lived many of my dreams and boarded smoky disco sleeper buses and trains travelling far and wide. From far off farming villages to large bustling over crowded cities, to majestic mountains overlooking some of Asia's most enchanting scenery.
I met so many wonderful people both Asian and Western.
I ate so many different types of food both delicious and crazy.
I even found a romance or three.
I then boarded both the Trans Mongolian and the Trans Siberian and slowly made my way across the Gobi Desert and Russia's ever changing lands to where east meets west. I can't say my experience on board the Trans Siberian was that of 'normal' but as it pulled into Moscow I shakily left the train to continue my journeys.
But then again, what is 'normal' when it comes to travelling the world?
I then joined the big white people's world and partied my way through Scandinavian lands to meet both my Australian friend and face the big question of love in Norway. Here I had to face who I really was, where I really wanted to be and what I wanted from my future.
I began this blog on several occasions after returning back to Australia and now finally I find myself completing it seven years later from where I live now, the worlds most amazing country....China! To me it had become 'Lord Fouls Bane'. It kept calling to be completed yet with only a few emails and not enough photos it always became too frustrating to finish.
I never kept a travel diary and only had several words written down for each day.
After seven years I really had no idea what most of those words meant.
I also lost twelve or fifteen films so most of what could have made it easy vanished!
It's taken many hours of researching and reading other peoples blogs and then many hours of beery thought and concentration to try to match what photos and emails I do have to what I found on the net. I then had to match all of this and include the vital pieces of information...those several daily words I kept as my diary!
I have slept during the humidity of the day and used the cool hours from 11pm to 5am to relive and mentally retake this adventure where I had to once again meet all those people I had forgotten about and relive experiences that had dropped from mind.
Looking back, I really did have an amazing time.
It was a time filled with life experiences and adventures so many are not so lucky to fill a decade or two with. So come in, wipe your feet, grab a beer and with me visit a random selection of cities, towns, small villages, temples, churches, hostels and beaches throughout this beautiful world of ours..
I HAVE ALSO WOVEN ALL PHOTO'S FOR EACH ENTRY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. SIMPLY SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW THEM!
Beers N Cheers toya from an Aussieroo from the Land Down Under!
15 July 2007
The_Workin_Drinkin_&_Beerin Truth of it all prior to travel
Are you too comfortable in life
Alot of the time it really is easier just to stay home!
It's comfortable and most of all it's bloody beautiful!
Giving up the perfect lifestyle 'music, friends, girls and moneywise' was the hardest thing I've ever done. The second hardest thing I have ever done believe it or not was going home after travelling and trying to fit back into it. It was still the same perfect life!
Sadly, (or happily depending on how you look at it) I didn't seem to fit in anymore.
Everything was still the same but I had changed. I no longer wanted the money, girls, music etc. It took me another four years to admit it, but all I really wanted was my pack, my friends, my family and my passport.
But most of all I really REALLY wanted to be back in Asia and to be living in China!
Life changes when you allow yourself the Freedom of Change
Maaaaaaaaate,by 1999 I was living an existence that didn't make me happy at all.
I thought I was happy but inside I was drying out. I was so bored with life. I was bored with being bored. I was bored of having everything I wanted. I was bored with meeting important and interesting people. I was bored with door lists to see new and exciting bands, I was bored with existing. None of these things are actually 'boring', in fact they are very exciting.
The fact was I was mentally BORED with myself and my pathway in life.
Add to that the fact that I didn't like change.
Thoughts_of_Life & Travel
My thoughts on Organised Tours & Travelling Solo
The one positive thing about doing a tour is the fact that it doesn't allow you to sit and drink beer with those you meet along the way. It keeps you moving at a steady pace and you will always get what you paid for; that is to see all the major sites and attractions with relative ease and comfort. You never have to experience the language barrier or find clean and safe lodgings. It is all done for you. Everything is booked prior to your arrival, your guide can speak English and one of the biggest positive points is you never have to carry your own bags! The real negative side to things is you are totally within the 'travel bubble'.
Backpackers to me are the luckiest people alive.
For a short time they have a lot of money and there isn't a single thought about a mortgage on their minds. Their money is for one thing and one thing only, themselves! It's for their good time and their own life experience on the road. Sounds selfish don't it. If you think it is, you are wrong. To me, this is what life is really about! But hey, maybe I'm just a selfish kinda guy. I can live with that!
Random_Rambling_Walkabout_Stories
The sadness of being left truly alone for the first time
Some nights they would play a song that has remained in my memory. It introduced me to this long sad night long before it became real. It's not really a song; it's more a captive ten minutes in time in Hanoi Vietnam. It was what I was hearing that night. There is no music, only the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the busy streets below my window.
The only difference was in the 'song' there was a lone tin bell in the distance.
On this night my heart was that lone bell.
These were my thoughts as I fell asleep.
The coldness of the Monglian Russian boarder
This was kind of what went thought my mind when I saw Russian soldiers circling the train with machine guns and dogs. What and why? There we sat for hours. All doors were locked and the soldiers continued to walk around us. Were they guarding the train to make us safe? If so, why? Or maybe the worried we would get off the train and make the boarder unsafe!
Trains_Planes_N_Automobile Stories
The Trans Mongolian
The journey was very comfortable. There was plenty of water for my noodles, a food cart rolled by at very odd times and the passengers and staff was very happy people. The luggage on board was questionable. I had been told there would be chickens and other small animals onboard and to my surprise there actually was. Try getting a dog on board a train in Australia!
The Trans Siberian - The journey in km's, towns and added info
The following entry is not filled with personal details. It is a very full run down on towns, kilometers to Moscow, the different sections of the journey and a little information as well. I guess it wasn't until I looked at the amount of towns that the train goes through that the journeys length really hit me.
Total Distance: 9289 km - Vladivostok to Moscow
9651 km - Beijing to St Petersburg
Accommodation: around 7 nights onboard
Time Zones: 7 time zones
Total Amount of stations: 295
The Trans Siberian Railway
For reading materials either a copy of War & Peace or my choice, Melville's 'Moby Dick' really is required no matter how long you can sit inside your own mind. Captain Ahab, Queequeg, Stubbs, Ishmael and all those on board the Prequod became my, Argh, Maatees!
All of us were on board and all in search of something!
'By the Cabin Windows sitting alone'
Food_&_Market_Stories_From_All_Over
Look, there's Fido. Where? There all over the table!
It was like staring at a Technicolor rainbow of new fruits. The meat section left nothing to the imagination. Fido was waiting for you in the cage behind the stall wagging his tail waiting to be chosen...for what? There he was again in full form, skinned, tail and all.
There he was again in sections all over the table.
Safety_&_Danger:_Bad_Things_Can_Happen!
The Y2K Bug My Arse
We arrived in Hanoi on New Years Eve, the last day of the 1999 year. At 12:00 that very night the world was supposed to go into complete chaos as the Y2K Bug bit its techno arse. The money Microsoft and other companies must have made! Hey, all of my electrical appliances have only two digits for the year, best I go buy new ones because they won't work anymore! Unbelievable and the world fell for it, me included. But I wanted the chaos and disorder in our technological lives. Maybe it's the big kick in the butt the world actually needs. Sadly it passed never to be heard of again.
Crossing Russia on The Trans Siberian during a time of war
Around 6pm or so he began yelling something and became so furious that he began screaming in my face. He then spat in my face and stormed out of the cabin. The soldiers once again patted me on the shoulder and said OK. This time he was followed firstly by the largest soldier and soon after the other soldier. I heard screaming from the end of the corridor and glass breaking. The man soon returned covered in blood and a two huge bloody eyes. His face was ripped open as was his scalp.
Here Is My 'FEEL LIKE AN ADVENTURE' Series
Each choice will take you to my arrival in that country.
Then simply use the main menu to continue through
Feel Like An Adventure In Thailand? Mate, grab a beer and click here!
I am finally HERE!
HERE I finally am!
These were my thoughts as I sat drinking my first beer on Bangkok's Khao San Road. For me this was the first real 'big step' in the wishful thinking of a life on the road. It's what I had dreamed of for so long but had kept myself away from for no actual real reason. Koh San Road is one of the worlds most well known roads/areas for travelers. It is where so many, like me begin their journey and others chose to end theirs.
Feel Like An Adventure in Vietnam? Mate, grab a beer and click here!
When I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City I joined the line at customs. I had been told what to expect but there is a difference between being told and reality. That place was like a freezer. There was no character at all. There was mainly silence. I had never experienced anything like it. Finally I crossed the red line and was admitted into Vietnam
Feel Like An Adventure in China? Mate, grab a beer and click here!
Good Bye Vietnam and Hello China!
I remember how worried I was waking up on the morning of the 18th.
It was time to move on to a new country, new food, new people and another new language.
In a previous entry I had explained how worried I was about entering China. So many people I had met had told me how hard it was travelling there and none of were solo travelers.
Feel Like An Adventure In Japan? Mate, grab a beer and click here!
This cit is so beautiful. Japan is so beautiful. After being in countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and China for several months and then coming to a country like Japan, it kind of makes you walk around in a total dream like state for awhile. It is so clean, it is so colourful, it is so friendly and the girls are just as beautiful as the Chinese girls!
WOW, I'm in Kyoto, Kyoto Japan!
Feel Like An Adventure In South Korea? Mate, grab a beer and click here!
They obviously didn't know where it was either as after telling me to stay put they all rain off in different directions. It was so funny and like a scene out of a movie.
A few came back saying No No and then run off again. Another couple returned saying No No and finally after about forty minutes of this one of them had the bright idea of ringing the hostel which is what I asked them to do in the beginning. I couldn't stop laughing when we found out it was down a laneway that was about twenty meters away from us.
No one had thought of running down there either!
Feel Like An Adventure In Mongolia? Mate, grab a beer and click here!
As the sun and our part of the world said they slow good byes I made my way home. I sat with the hotel staff for dinner and guess what I had for dinner?
Guess! Guess! Guess!
Take a little time and think about it.
Not many can say they've actually done this.
I HAD MONGOLIAN HOT POT IN MONGOLIA!!!!!
It has always been a big favorite of mine and now I could actually say that I have had Mongolian hot pot in Mongolia. We sat for several Tiger Beers before I headed to my room. There I sat on my balcony that over looked the city streets and drank beer and watched Mongolians go about their nightly business.
Feel Like An Adventure In Russia? Mate, grab a beer and click here!
Lake Baikal is the world's largest fresh water lake. It holds up to one fifth of the world's total fresh water! In fact, it is millions of years old not a young twenty or so thousand so I think it is one of the world's oldest as well. At 640km long, it's like driving most of the way to Adelaide from Melbourne! In fact, we did drive and walk upon it as it was still frozen! Take that Moses! I've no need to part the waters!
Feel Like An Adventure In Finland? Mate, grab a beer and click here!
SORRY SORRY SORRY! I haven't got this far yet....stay tuned! Coming soon!
Feel Like An Adventure In Estonia? Mate, grab a beer and click here!
SORRY SORRY SORRY! I haven't got this far yet....stay tuned! Coming soon!
Feel Like An Adventure In Sweden? Mate, grab a beer and click here!
SORRY SORRY SORRY! I haven't got this far yet....stay tuned! Coming soon!
Feel Like An Adventure In Norway? Mate, grab a beer and click here!
SORRY SORRY SORRY! I haven't got this far yet....stay tuned! Coming soon!
Here Is My Second 'FEEL LIKE AN ADVENTURE' Series
Each choice will take you to my favourite entry for that village, town or city.
If you want to read more about that place, simply use the main menu.
Feel like an adventure in Bangkok Thailand?
Bangkok, The First Steps In My Dream
Feel like an adventure in Siagon Vietnam?
Cu Chi Tunnels N Gaodai Great Temple
Feel like an adventure in Da Lat Vietnam?
Mad Monks N Crazy Houses
Feel like an adventure in Nha Trang Vietnam?
Pills N Seafood N CHRISTMAS Cheer
Feel like an adventure in Quang Ngai Vietnam?
The North Coast N Soul Searching
Feel like an adventure in Hoi An Vietnam?
Look!Theres Fido! Where? In sections on the table
Feel like an adventure in Hue Vietnam?
The Purple City...Where is it?
Feel like an adventure in Hanoi Vietnam?
The Y2K Bug N The Simplest of Cities
Feel like an adventure in Mai Chua Vietnam?
So Many Warm N Welcoming Smiles From The Hill Tribe
Feel like an adventure in Nihn Binh Vietnam?
The Days Colour Faded In Ninh Binh
Feel like another adventure back in Hanoi Vietnam?
She Paddled The Boat With Her Feet
Feel like an adventure in Ha Long Bay Vietnam?
There are over 3000 limestone islands in the bay. It is truly an amazing experience.
Feel like another adventure back in Hanoi Vietnam?
Solo Style and Last Drinks in Vietnam
Feel like an adventure in Yangshuo China?
Boarder Crossings, Birthdays N Local Dinners
Feel like another adventure in Yangshuo China?
I Never Thought To Simply Change My Plans!
Feel like an adventure in Nanning China?
The Train Journey That Dreams Are Made Of!
Feel like an adventure in Kunming China?
Wonderfully White Kunming
Feel like an adventure in the Xishuangbanna China?
A Dai Peoples Wedding N Chinese New Year IN CHINA!
Feel like an adventure in Xian China?
Bell Towers Markets Dumplings and a Family
Feel like an adventure in Beijing China?
How big was it? Maaate, it was this big!
Feel like an adventure in Tokyo Japan?
Immigration Staff Booked Hostels
Feel like an adventure in Kyoto Japan?
Orange N Red, Temples N Shrines, Ancient N New
Feel like an adventure in Nara Japan?
Nara The Beautiful! The Deers Are Ugly Though!
Feel like an adventure in Takayama Japan?
Snow Pizza The Fugees Beer and Funkinout
Feel like an adventure in Hiroshima Japan?
It Was No Walk In The Peace Park Baby
Feel like an adventure to Nagasaki Japan?
A Beautiful Sweedish Girl Peace Parks N Tori Arches
Feel like an adventure to Ibusuki Japan?
Black Steaming Sand Baths N a Romantic Birthday.
Feel like an adventure to Kagoshima Japan?
Anna! Anna Look! It's a Real Smoking Volcano!
Feel like an adventure to Sakarishima Japan?
The Volcano Is Going To Go Off! Right Stoopid!
Feel like an adventure in Miyazaki Japan?
Multi-Skilling in Miyazaki
Feel like an adventure in Kochi Japan?
A Night at 'The Big One' Japanese Capsule Hotel
Feel like an adventure in Awa Ikeda Japan?
A Stunning Train Ride to a Hostel With a View
Feel like an adventure on Shadoshima Island Japan?
The Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Set N Boat Bobbing!
Feel like an adventure in Nara Japan?
Feet Burning N the Totaiji Temples O-Mizutori Fest
Feel like an adventure in Kyoto Japan?
Beers N Cheers and Down Sizing Back Packs
Feel like an adventure in Seoul South Korea?
Crossing the Line and going North....a few steps!
Feel like an adventure in Itaewon South Korea?
Many American Soldiers N Parks N Markets
Feel like an adventure in Mokpo South Korea?
Tree Planting, Traditional Dinners, Discos N BLAR!
Feel like an adventure on Wando Island South Korea?
Burial Mnds, Phrase Books N Tampons over Rice Wine
Feel like an adventure on Cheju Island South Korea?
Abalone , An Historical Village N Changbang Falls
Feel like an adventure in Kochiang South Korea?
NOT COMPLETE YET
Feel like an adventure in Keonju South Korea?
NOT YET COMPLETE
Feel like an adventure in Sokch'o South Korea?
NOT YET COMPLETE
Feel like an adventure in Samch'ok South Korea?
NOT YET COMPLETE
Feel like an adventure in Sorakson National Park South Korea?
NOT YET COMPLETE
Feel like another adventure in Seoul South Korea?
NOT YET COMPLETE
Feel like an adventure in Ulaan Baator Mongolia?
The Trans Mongolian Mate!
Feel like an adventure at the border of Mongolia and Russia?
YOU Can Enter Russia, If I Return Your Passport
Feel like an adventure in Listvyanka & Lake Baikal Russia?
Polny! Ice Fishing N Lake Baikal
Feel like an adventure in Irkutsk Russia?
Feeling Unwelcome in Irkutsk
Feel like an adventure onboard the Trans Siberian Russia?
Beer Blood Pistols N Vodka
Feel like an adventure in Moscow Russia?
STILL NOT COMPLETE!
Feel like an adventure in St Petersburg Russia?
STILL NOT COMPLETE!
Feel like an adventure in Helsinki Finland?
STILL NOT COMPLETE
Feel like an adventure in Tallin Estonia?
STILL NOT COMPLETE
Feel like an adventure in Stockholm Sweden?
STILL NOT COMPLETE
Feel like an adventure in Oslow Norway?
STILL NOT COMPLETE
Feel like an adventure in Stavanger Norway?
STILL NOT COMPLETE
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