I’d just left the soft, warm Nirvana of Thailand where the memories of the beach and the mind-blowing conversations I’d had with people were still fresh in my mind. I was very sad to leave the tropical paradise after spending weeks volunteering there and for the first time since travelling, I was looking at my journey to Myanmar with a little trepidation...
Everyone goes on about how dangerous travelling is, but in November 2016, I’d been in Thailand for a month as part of my 8-month global adventure and I was feeling pretty good about things. I’d encountered no dangers and apart from getting lost a few times, I never encountered any crazy people. But there’s a first time for everything. I’d met an awesome woman...
The second half of my South Korean journey involved swimming under powerful Korean waterfalls, visiting sex exhibitions, chilling out on breathtaking islands and embarking on a dark underground journey to the North Korean border. After my short foray into Japan I passed rows and rows of industrial buildings and hazy, smoke-filled factories as the bus rolled through...
Japan was quite an unexpected detour in my journey across Asia. As a young child, I always wanted to visit the country but as an adult, my budget wouldn’t allow it. This meant that when I first packed my bags in England, ready to face the adventure of a lifetime, I reluctantly crossed it off the list because it would greatly exceed the financial limits that I had put...
Hearing stories about the long neck people has fascinated me ever since I was a child. In 2016, I got to learn about the real stories behind this fascinating tribe when I became a first-time globetrotter. It opened up a whole new world of experience and important life lessons for me.
PART ONE
South Korea is not the tropical paradise of Thailand or the mayhem and madness of China. Rather, it is the quaint, quiet, little beauty in the heart of the Orient.
I had no idea what to expect. I guess I was after a taste of the unusual to quench the thirst of curiosity as I emerged from Seoul Incheon Airport hot, confused and flustered.
I’d never seen a panda before I went to China. After a nine day hiatus in Tibet, I got the 48 hour sleeper train from Lhasa to Chengdu in China.
Yes you read that right: I was on a train for 48 hours. That’s got to be some kind of record no?
Mixed feelings
It doesn’t matter how much you hear about China, nothing can prepare you for the adventure that lay ahead. Or so it was the case with me.
Hostels are a great way to meet new people when you are backpacking and they are a money saver too, as they are more often than not, cheaper than most hotels.
Some can offer extremely good value for money, comfortable beds, tourism services, free food and affordable laundry services, all under one roof.
And there I was in Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, taking in the scenery and smiling at the curious onlookers who were staring at me in bewilderment, when I suddenly felt as if my braids were caught in something.
