13 countries in 4 years. 14 if you count the land i call home. though i am not travelling in the manner that i want to, i am quite pleased with what i have accomplished.

i have changed, as i must. i feel as though i have crossed over. see - there is thick line of difference between travelling with companions, and travelling alone. i flirted with that line for a while. then i took a taste of the thrill of solo backpacking. and i am hooked.

i will not lie to you - it’s not fun all the time. mostly, it’s tolerable. mostly, it’s me, alone. and i am fine with me, alone. i like being with myself. it gives me time to grow, time to know what i want my next phase of life to be, time to understand the language of my soul. hours can stretch by without me hearing my own voice. the need to speak evaporates, and in that stillness i am one with myself, i am at peace. it is a feeling i miss when i am back home, when i’m going through my familiar routine of work and play.

again, i will not lie to you - when it was fun, it certainly was damn good fun. i am astounded time and again by the inherent goodness in the people that i meet. when you are out there, alone, there is only so much you can do to protect yourself from the evils of today’s society. you rely on the kindness of strangers to bridge that gap. i either have very good travel luck, or there are many good souls out there who without hesitation, will extend their hand in kindness. and of course, i believe the latter to be true. angels walk amongst us.

which taught me what i deem, the most important lesson i have learnt from the road. open your heart. yes, it’s a vulnerable state of mind; yes, you are open for hurt. however, if you travel with a closed heart and mind, you might as well be back home watching the travel channel.

twice i opened myself big and wide - twice i was rewarded with the adventures of my life, and collected a heartful of stories that i will tell till the day i lay upon the ground.

but i digressed, and now i backtrack to my original topic - i have crossed over. i now see how much adventure is before me when i go solo. i am hungry for it. no longer am i afraid of the perils that might befall me, though i am keenly aware of them. and i must add that i take all the necessary precautions to keep them at bay and equip myself as best as i can to deal with them if they come to be.

13 countries in 4 years. riding on the roof of a bus to changu narayan in kathmandu, biking the back alleys of ninh binh in hanoi, jumping out of a kayak into the waters of koh railay in thailand, searching for land mine safety marks on the dirt path of phonsavan in laos, watching wild whales at warnambool in melbourne, sipping hot spiced vino while exploring a christmas fair in prague. so many moments that made me feel truly alive, so many memories burnt in my heart, so much to be grateful for.

the travel bug still pulsates in me. wanderlust is the blood that courses through my veins. i have a rough plan. i have goals. in the next three years, i want to :
- travel to Burma and complete my South East Asia circuit
- experience loy krathong in Ayutthaya
- watch the sunrise over Borobudur
- learn to surf
- ride a horse in a country side
- play with snow
- be in India
- see the many shades that colour Uluru
- camp in a jungle
- be in kiwi land
- go WWOOFing
- take a long train ride

i foresee my return to australia, repeatedly. so charmed am i with the outback, and the land down under. tassie, adelaide, the sunshine state, perth. i can see myself going back very often, for my heart feels at home there.

i end my rambles with a paragraph from paul theroux that eloquently describes how i like to travel. namaste.

“to me, travel was not about rest and relaxation. it was action, exertion, motion, and the built-in delays were longueurs necessitated by the inevitable problem-solving of forward movement; waiting for buses and trains, enduring breakdowns that you tried to make the best of.”
- paul theroux