Around the World in 80 Ways by Devan Panchal
I'm home..... Devan Panchal
1. Walk
2. London Underground
3. Aeroplane
4. Travellator - not the gladiator type
5. Hong Kong Bus
6. MTR - HK underground
7. Escalator - outdoors in HK
8. Taxi - HK style!
9. Cable car
10. Steps- that were over 900 years old
11. Ferry - that was over a 100 years old
12. Elephant - though I won't be riding one again, the mahouts are mean to them :-(
13. Bamboo raft - that didn't really float
14. Inflatable white water raft - that was slowly deflating
15. In the back of a pickup
16. In the back of a truck sitting on hay
17. Scooter
18. Tuk Tuk - that was on two wheels on a number of occasions
19. Kayak - Paddling down the mekong in Laos
20. Swimming/drowning - I'm not amphibious
21. Sailing - I even docked the 12m barge up in the quays, skills!
22. Monorail - boring and slow
23. Sleeper Train - surprisingly comfy
24. Sleeper bus - that was very smelly
25. 23 Year Old Van, named Delia ...... I slept in her for over a week, then we got stuck in the only gravel patch on the campsite
26. Greayhound bus - I spent over 48 hours aboard in less than 12 days. Why are buses in developing countries more comfy than in first world countries?!
27. Bicycle - back seat bike riding
28. 4x4 - driving through the mountains of NZ
mmm, I'm struggling here, maybe I should have kept it to 18 ways!
More methods of travel to come, hopefully ones that are a little more interesting.
Travel Blog Posts
March 15th 2009
High expectations can often leave you disappointed, but on the odd occasion your wildest imagination can't prepare you for what you're about to experience. Expectations high or low can be dissolved in a fraction of a second. Where can you find a country like this, especially when you've heard so much about everywhere? Vietnam. If someone had spent all day telling me how much they loved it, this would only have built me up to about a tenth of what I felt when I arrived. In my opinion, expectations, high or low are simply overated. So just ignore what anyone tells you. We are all unique just like our sensors; the iris, the tongue, our fingerprints and most importantly our brains. this means our interpretation of any given sensory input is as individual as our reaction. ... read more
February 11th 2009
Back in 1971 Stanford University conducted a experiment, that involved placing 'good' citizens in positions of power in a prison and studying the change in their behaviour. They found even model citizens quickly become corrupt and sadistic under their new found powers. Exactly the same is happening in Cambodia, but it's no experiment. Under the world CPI index, Cambodia is ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, and it's not too hard to see why. The corrupt 'elite' rub it in your face. There are three types of vehicle that buzz along the roads of Phnom Penh; motorcycles, Toyota Camrys and 4x4 Lexus', or Lexi! The honest, hard working population (or those not in a position to practice corruption) own the motorbikes. The Camrys are usually in a post car crash condition ... read more
January 25th 2009
Most of Asia is known for it's laid back way of life however Laos takes this to a new level. Finding a tuk-tuk in Thailand is easy, they find you, it's almost impossible to get away from your Thai fan base of drivers shouting "Tuk-tuk Sir?". In Laos, you have to go and find the tuk-tuk, wake the driver up who is usually found sleeping in the back, but this is no guarantee he will want to take you anywhere. Eating out in a group is a unique experience too, it is guaranteed everyone's food will arrive at different times. You're sure to find yourself watching your friends eat and even finish their meal whilst your stomach continues to rumble, because the chef has sent his daughter down the road to get some potatoes. But on ... read more
How to Loose Your 'V' Plates Twice
Published: January 4th 2009Asia » Thailand » North-West Thailand » Chiang Mai
January 4th 2009
I arrived in Chiang Mai at 10.30am by overnight train from Bangkok. It was a second class, 13 hour journey on an air conditioned cabin for 16 pounds, where they even make the beds for you and bring you your pre-ordered meal. The hostel I had booked was a bit out of town but had the highest rating for that area, it had even been rated no.2 Hostel in Asia by Hostelworld in 2007, so naturally my expectations where high. On arrival I was a little disappointed, as in comparison to the sleek ultra modern hostel in Bangkok, this place was a converted house. In fact it used to be the residence of the US ambassador some years ago. The place was a bit rough round the edges and the showers dribbled luke warm water. However, ... read more
Elephants That Want to Forget
Published: February 3rd 2009Asia » Thailand » North-West Thailand » Chiang Mai
December 29th 2008
Disclaimer: I would start this blog with a disclaimer, but fear this might result in you not getting to the end of it, which is rather likely irrelevant of my subject, however if you intend to get to the end of this mammoth insert (non pun intended), please read..... Knowledge is a powerful thing as we all know, however on the other hand ignorance can be bliss. As much as this is a cliche, it couldn't be more apt for this blog entry. When I first heard of volunteering opportunities at the Elephant Nature Park (ENP) in Chiang Mai, I was super excited to have a opening there at such short notice. I was collected at my hostel early on a Monday and taken to the park located about an hour from Chiang Mai. On arrival ... read more
December 13th 2008
Crossing the road in any given country will teach you how much the locals value human life. Your position in the heirachy of the road in Bangkok, is pretty much at the bottom. There are zebra crossings, but they mean as much as a Chinese character to an illiterate redneck. Not once has a car stopped or slowed to let me cross the road at a pedestrian cross, however this is preparing me well for travel to more remote parts of Asia where the only road marking will be the remains of road kill. Having had a great time in Hong Kong with some uni friends, the first few days in Bangkok I felt lost, lonely and distant. It took a few days and making some new friends, before things started to look up. One of ... read more
December 3rd 2008
Twenty pounds a night for a room in Hong Kong is cheap. When I told Cathy where I was staying, she told me on a number of occasions to be careful. On arrival at the entrance to the building where the hostel was located, I was conviced I was in the wrong place, purely because of the dodgy looking folk walking in and out of the buidling. It was only when I wandered in I saw the sign for the hostel on a mail box and I realised I had arrived. On getting to the 14th floor, things didn't really improve. However once I entered the hostel things looked remarkably better. It had about the same sqaure footage as the average 2 bed British flat, but split into 6 rooms. My room was directly behind the ... read more
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