Doran
Chasing Tales and Rainbows Joined: September 10th 2008
Logged in: October 18th 2011
Logged in: October 18th 2011
When you are traveling you get a strange perspective of the world. In a normal life you meet very few people who travel, sure your colleagues might be ecstatic about their 2 week "holiday" to turkey, but there is a crucial difference in this mentality such that they can hardly count. Whilst you travel though, you will constantly be surrounded by travelers from all over the world. Some will be out for a few weeks, others a few months, some will be taking a year-long sabatical, and still others will be one the infamous one-way trip.
The infamous one-way trip means that there are no plans to return, there is no time limit, and there is no end destination. Usually, when you meet one of these intrepid wanderers you find that they have been travelling for at least 5 months (possibly they missed their return flight home on purpose) and that they travel much more slowly than people out for a two month adventure. The reason for this, is that travel has simply become their life. They have taken the leap and let go of all the pressures that western society impinges upon us. Some have given up girlfriends, others their jobs, and some their mortgage. Long term travelers gain mixed reactions from people living the "normal life"... "Dossers not wanting to get a proper job", "Lazy hippie types" are a couple of the negative viewpoints. Yet I have come to believe that, on the whole, long term travellers such as myself, serve more often as a source of inspiration to those sitting in a call centre in dreary old England wondering what they are doing with their lives... If you can do it why wouldn't you? You can get back to your 40 year career later!
Long term travellers tend to coallesce to each other, it is almost as if there is some unspoken bond that gets us talking to each other and often traveling together. Because of this we are constantly surrounded by a plethora of great travel stories, secret spots to be discovered, and tricks that let you travel more cheaply and for longer. Above all, you are surrounded by inspiration to see more and go longer. We forget about the "normal life" and become completely absorbed in what normal people might call a 'deluded reality'. I think one of the main differences is that, as a traveler, you have ALLLL the time in the world and you are only limited by money. As someone living a normal life, you have no free time, very little opportunity for adventure, and responsibilities, but you have lots of money. Or wait... do you? Or do you spend the money you earn buying things? That is the second main difference. As a traveler... you have nothing. If you buy something it has to go into your backpack. It is a life that is frugal and poor in terms of material items, but it is a life that is gluttonuosly rich in experiences. It is a simpler life, where you live day to day and in the moment.
So I invite you to share with me some of these experience, take a glimpse into my deluded reality, and hopefully... get inspired.
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I started traveling September 2007. My trip started at 5am at my flat in Brighton, U.K and has since carried me overland through Eastern Europe, Finland, Russia, Mongolia and into China. I got stuck in China. After travelling around northern China for about a month I found myself in Shanghai and worked there for five months. After my brief stint at a semi-normal life, I packed my bag again and returned to the road in August, 2008. I started writing this travel blog just before my one-year anniversary of travel.
At the time of last editing this profile, it was the 23rd of August, 2009 and I was back in Chengdu, China. I was broke and working to save up some money to STOP travelling (moving to a western country is expensive!). Although still living in China, an adventure in its own right, I ostentatiously stopped traveling on the 29th of March, 2009... 18 months after leaving the United Kingdom. On that day I got a job. For all intents and purposes I feel that the "big trip" has come to an end. I will travel my whole life, that is a fact, but those travels will belong to a different chapter of my life.
Countries Traveled/Visited on the "Big Trip": Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Finland, Russia, Mongolia, China, United States, Hong Kong, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
Countries passed through (in order) on the "Big Trip": England, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, FYOM, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Mongolia, China, United States, China, Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong, China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Vietnam, and China.
Cities Visited in my time in China: Beijing, Datong, Pingyao, Xi'an, Chongqing, Shanghai, Wuxi, Suzhou, Hangzhou, (Hong Kong), Yangshuo, Guilin, Longsheng, Qianbei, Ping'an (Longji Rice Terraces), Sanjiang, Chengyang, Chengdu, Dujiangyan, Qingdao, Guiyang, Huangguoshu, Anshun, Zhijin, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Mengla, Hekou
Estimated Future Itinerary:
(Currently Based in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China)
April 27th to May 1st 2009: Hong Kong for a Visa Run
May 3rd to May 8th 2009: Shanghai for 1-week work for an old boss
May 29th to June 14th 2009: Guam (via Shanghai, Tokyo (narita)) for first trip home in 5 years
Top Ten Countries I would love to visit and haven´t yet: (in alphabetical order)
1.Antartica
2.Australia
3.Colombia
4.Greenland
5.India
6.Iran
7.Ireland
8.Nepal
9.Norway
10.South Africa
Travel Blog Posts
Few times in my life has an event been so anticipated and yet still completely unexpected as leaving China for Australia. But that is the way life in China has often seemed. Life there is so completely devoid of routine and yet so involved that you find yourself charging ahead day by day with the tenacity and narrow focus of your average Chinese driver. Before you know it, months have gone by. In Chengdu, this is particularly true. In the city where its all about “enjoying life”, things move slower but time moves quicker. Its a paradox that you can lose yourself in, and many do. So even though I had been planning my escape from China and from Asia since the first day I arrived back in Chengdu, I was still amused by a dizzying ... read more
First let me say that I am obviously a TERRIBLE travel blogger. My last entry was all the way back in Hat Yaii, in Thailand. 11 months ago! 11! I was just going to completely skip the last 11 months and pick up the tale with the fun I've been having in the present day... but then I looked in my hand-written journal and saw quite a few entries (not many considering it was over 11 months!) that could be interesting. But nah, nevermind. So here is what happened the past 11 months in short summary: After Hat Yai, I headed for Malaysia and struggled to enjoy and make the most of my last month traveling alone. I did a pretty good job of it and made some good travel buddies such as Jacob and Sarah ... read more
Hat Yai
Still disorientated from the debauchery of the full moon party on Ko Pha Ngan I went from ferry to bus to bus to minivan working my way down to Hat Yai, a city near the southern tip of Thailand. Hat Yai is essentially a bordertown, its dirty and old and everything looks a bit run down. Its as if there was a surge of money and development in the 80s but since then no one could be asked to build anything new. In my memory I also remember having the distinct impression that nobody liked to clean either. Black mold enocroaches on every 'white' wall, and lines the trim of every roof, a tribute to hat yai indifference and climate (hot, humid, and frequent rain and sunshine). Lonely planet refers to this area of Thailand as ... read more
Extreme Dancing
I wake up on the beach at about 730am, the sound of heavy trance music banging into my skull. "Thank god I am still drunk!" I say to myself. I do an inventory from where I lay: No money, no friends, nothing broken, and I am missing one flip-flop. Now where the hell am I? (mom, you might want to stop reading here...) I spring up and nearly fall over, "Yep, still druuuunk" and stumbled down the sand... "Oh Yeah! Im in Ko Phangan at the full moon beach party!" I said to myself. The beach is completely trashed from the party the night before. I see maybe fifty people passed out on the beach, some alone, some couples. Water bottles, t-shirts, beer cans, plastic buckets, and lost flip flops are all washed up along the ... read more
beach
Doran Update:(Doran writes his entries as he travels, but only dishes them out every four days so if he is traveling quickly and seeing interesting stuff, the blog falls behind his progress. I'm now currently in Singapore... its a beautiful clean city... and its expensive. I have two more weeks left in the malaysian peninsular before I fly to Vietnam. But for now... back to pattaya. ------------------------------------------------------------ "I have never considered myself an adrenaline junkie. I just really enjoy the occassional fix" - an adrenaline junkie The bus arrived in Pattaya about 9pm and as I hopped on the "bus" (a pickup truck with seats on the back, flag one down, hop in the back, ring the bell when you want off and pay the driver a set fare) and rode it down both Pattaya and ... read more
Khao San Road
Doran Update:(Doran tries to write his entries as he travels, but only dishes them out every four days so if he is traveling quickly and seeing interesting stuff, the blog falls behind his progress.)I'm a bit behind on this blog now because I am doing so much writing in my journal. Sorry if they seem a bit rushed... When I started writing this entry it was Christmas day and I'm was in the Cameron Highlands in the middle of Malaysia (the eastern peninsular). Its been a good christmas, my first christmas in a hostel but not my first without family. A couple Christmasses ago I spent Boxing Day in a hostel after camping in the Lake District in the UK. Miss the family, miss the girlfriend, but you still know they are there Anyways, back to ... read more
Grabbin some Z's
Doran Update:(Doran writes his entries as he travels as best he can, but only dishes them out every four days or so. So, if he is traveling quickly and seeing interesting stuff, the blog falls behind his progress.) I'm now currently in Pulau Penang of the west coast of the MALAYSIAN PENINSULAR. I love this country! ------------------------------------------------------------ Chris and I showed up in Vang Vieng at about 3:30 in the morning along with about 15 other travelers. We got dropped off on the side of a very dark road, the only people around were the tuc tuc drivers waiting for us. I don't know where everyone else went, perhaps they found a spot to sleep or had friends with a room somewhere, but Chris and I failed to find anywhere that had both a night man ... read more
Traveler Chic
Doran Update:(Doran writes his entries as he travels, but only dishes them out every four days so if he is traveling quickly and seeing interesting stuff, the blog falls behind his progress.)I'm now currently in Pattaya, south of Bangkok getting in some long overdue windsurfing (it had been like 5 years!) This town has definitely earned itself a blog entry! But first, let's go back to Luang Prabang in Laos, this entry digresses quite a bit, I do apologise! ---------------------------------------------------------------- From the little village of Muang Ngoi where we had gone fishing (see previous entry) it took altogether about 8 hours to get down river to Luang Prabang by long boat. When we (I was still traveling with Chris and Tommy) arrived, I was in shock. WHERE THE HELL DID ALL THESE WHITE. PEOPLE COME FROM!!!!!! ... read more
Phase 1: Western Europe
I've been in Laos a week now, and to be sure I am a few blogs behind on the experiences I have been having in this fantastic chilled out country, However I think this entry comes first... I had intended to use the 5 or 6 hour slow-boat journey from Nong Kiao to Luang Prabang yesterday to catch up on my travel journal, instead though I was suddenly inspired to look back and read the beginning of my black book of memories. Its Volume #2 since I left the UK and this one starts on the 17th of January, 2008. The first entry was written while I had a 17 hour wait in LAX airport in Los Angeles, California, awaiting my return to Beijing. I ended up reading the whole bloody thing, mostly because I realise ... read more
Fishing 1
--- I arrived in Bangkok from Vientiane last night. The PAD got what they wanted and the PM has been banned from gov't for 5 years. The "siege" on the airport ended at 10am on the 3rd of December. Today is the 5th, the king's birthday. For me plans are rapidly changing, I am now considering going to see friends in Malaysia and Singapore, as well as visiting Indonesia. This would meaning passing on Northern Thailand and Cambodia. I can get a flight out to HCMC from Singapore for a decent price. Once I book the flight my plans will be pretty set. For now though... Back to the 20th of November and Northern Laos... --- I want to just digress quickly on one funny thing about travelling and travel writing. Most people travelling have a ... read more
Maroon 
