Christina Gill
A fashion designer for 7 years and it's all I've ever done - I love my job, I really do... I get to draw T-shirts for a living (though it's far more complicated and stressful than that!) I see people wearing my stuff on the street, I get to travel to amazing places round the world - hell I get paid to go shopping in LA twice a year...and that's just one of the 8 places I visited with work last year... But that's just it... It's work... And as much as it's satisfied my appetite for travel a little while, there's still this desire.. This NEED to see the world... Go travelling.. Like PROPER travelling!... Tina International
I'm 30 next year and I've been thinking about doing this for 10 whole years. I should have done it 10 whole years ago too but I didn't... And now seems as good a time as any to just go!...
So I'm ditching the heels, the make-up & the hair straighteners, trading in the 5 star hotels & business class flights for hostels & cattle class, squeezing 8 months worth of clothes into one bag (!!!! How is that even possible???) and I'm doing it!... I'm going! And yes I'm nervous - shitting it in fact! But I don't know if you ever saw the film "Up"? Where it's this couple's lifelong dream to visit Angel Falls and they save their whole life and then the woman dies at the age of about 90 having never done it... Well I don't want to be that old woman goddammit!!
And yes I'm scared of EVERYTHING...Petrified of heights, snakes, big waves (even small waves), foxes, ants, the baddies in Superman...you name it, I'll run a mile but no matter how tough the road ahead and the many challenges I have to face, no matter what grotty hostel I find myself in, in need of a long hot bath, no matter how bad my roots get and chipped are my nails, no matter how homesick I am and long for a nice cuppa Yorkshire Tea and a Bourbon biscuit...for the next 8 months - this is Tina International...on her way, living the dream and not looking back!...
Travel Blog Posts
May 22nd 2012
Suprisingly I awake on the nightbus feeling a lot better after an unexpectedly good night sleep. We arrive in Hoi An around 8am so I make a beeline straight for a little guesthouse in the ancient town called Thahn Duoy, where Steve & Nat are already staying and had earlier kindly facebooked me to recommend it. Accomodation is a little more expensive here but I don't mind as the town is beautiful! Old faded French villas line the quiet pedestrianised streets, just the occasional old lady in a conical hat will cycle past - it's so nice not have to dodge traffic and listen to the constant honking of horns. I take a walk around the pituresque town known for it's many tailors & dressmakers. They are literally everywhere, one after another after another, at least ... read more
May 12th 2012
I take a 7am bus out of Saigon & head for Dalat, a town up in the central highlands I'd heard good things about. I'm the only westerner on the bus but I don't mind, the bus boy speaks a little English and hands me a bottle of water and a refresher towel as I board. Now this is service I'm not used to! What a refreshing change from the crowded stuffy buses, packed with motorbikes & refridgerators, people sat on the floor etc. This is a new coach, air con fully working and the staff even have a uniform! I booked my open tour bus ticket yesterday which basically means I can travel South to North from Saigon to Hanoi, stopping at all the main cities on the way for the bargain price of £30. ... read more
May 11th 2012
"Crazy" was certainly one of the first words that sprung to mind before I even arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it is known to most people. Warned by many about this chaotic metropolis, infamously known for it's traffic jams & millions upon millions of motorbikes, I kind of knew what to expect and it certainly didn't disappoint! I arrive at the airport, which is surprisingly brand spanking new & almost empty, breeze through the visa process (which I was expecting to be a bit of a nightmare) and hop on a bus to the the city centre. I get chatting to 5 oldish Singaporean men who are on a boys holiday while also helping local schools. One of them, a bit of an old hippy with his ponytail, embroidered multi coloured bag ... read more
Climbing Rinjani - Blood, Sweat & Tantrums
Published: May 7th 2012Asia » Indonesia » Lombok » Rinjani
May 7th 2012
After being in Ubud for 10 days, I finally decide enough is enough, it's time to move on. I must admit I've gotten pretty comfortable in Darta's homestay, eating at the local Warung every night with the same bunch of people. I don't know if it's recovery from being ill or the fact that the last few weeks have mainly been spent with family & friends, but I seem to have lost my appetite for exploring right now and it's felt good just to be in one place, particularly one I feel so at home in! But I can't stay here forever, and I had wanted to climb the monstrous Mount Rinjani since day one of getting to Indonesia, in fact it was the main reason I decided to not take my flight to Vietnam last ... read more
April 26th 2012
I wasn't planning on even coming to Indonesia, as stunning as it sounded. My original plan for Asia packed into 3 months was already a bit of a stretch. But then original plans seem to go out the window as soon as you start travelling and I've lost count of how many flights I've booked and not taken or re-scheduled, put back or changed dates. I had already toyed with the idea of Bali so it didn't take much twisting of my rubber arm when my best friend Fi announced she was thinking of going there for a 10 day holiday and did I fancy it..? Hell yeah, get me on that plane! So after saying goodbye to mum & dad in Singapore, I hop straight over to Bali for a good old girly holiday! Our ... read more
Singapore, Celebrations & Some Serious Luxury
Published: April 14th 2012Asia » Singapore » Sentosa Island » Siloso Beach
April 14th 2012
I catch the 5 hour bus from KL to Singapore and I'm in luxury already! Big wide comfy reclining seats, air con that actually works, no music blaring, no karoke... No motorbikes/cucumbers/breastfeeding women in the aisles... I'm on my way back to Singapore and don't I know it! The journey is smooth, crossing borders out of Malaysia and into Singapore is a simple transition of getting off the bus, walking through a huge immigration hall with 127 desks all open waiting to stamp you're passport (Heathrow & Stansted take note!) I breeze through in 5 minutes, am back on the bus and within an hour arrive at Beach Road. I flag a cab to take me to Sentosa Island where my parents are staying, as they're visiting me for a holiday. "Shangri-La Sentosa" I say to ... read more
Sepang Pours, Alonso Reigns (To my Bitter Disappointment!)
Published: April 8th 2012Asia » Malaysia » Wilayah Persekutuan » Kuala Lumpur
April 8th 2012
Arriving in Kuala Lumpur I take the bus into town and after wandering up the same street in China Town several times eventually find my backpackers hostel, tucked away down some dingy alleyway lined in fried food stalls. My room consists of a bed, a fan and a light switch that is conveniently placed on the outside of the room, down the hall. But I don't mind, I'm only sleeping here, the people are nice & friendly and it's in the heart of the hustle & bustle, markets & food stalls of China Town - not too hectic, but with the vibrant smells, sights, sounds and colours there's an exciting vibe here. I meet Mark, my ex, who I've remained friends with and with whom I share a passion for Formula One, and we have a ... read more
April 2nd 2012
We leave the beguiling chaos of the city behind us and board a local bus from Phnom Penn to the coast. The bus stations in Cambodia normally just consist of an office on the main road - the buses pull up in their dozens outside, and if you're lucky they'll have an A4 piece of paper stuck in the window with the destination written on so you know which one to get on! We grab some breakfast from one of the nearby stalls selling everything from curries & rice to doughnuts & juice. Other fruit sellers swarm the area, but I scan the crowd for a coffee stand keen for my regular morning fix. Disappointingly there's no coffee being sold here... Woman selling those battery powered fluffy dogs that do somersaults that you had when you ... read more
March 22nd 2012
After a fourteen hour bus journey we finally arrive in Siem Reap around midnight. Our guesthouse - Garden Village, we had pre-booked as we heard it gets full pretty quick, however arriving at the reception we're told our room was given away as we are so late...Great! Finding somewhere else to stay at this time of night after being on a bus for so long is not a challenge that I'm relishing right now, but then out of nowhere a friendly looking Israeli girl pops her head round the corner and says "I have 2 spare beds in my room if you want to stay with me for the night?"... What a lifesaver! We say a greatful thankyou and crash out for the night, and the next morning move to our own room for just $4 ... read more
March 19th 2012
Leaving Vientiane, myself & Mel, my new travelling companion, head south; our destination Don Det, part of the 4000 islands in the very South of Laos. However, as I've decided to postpone my visit to Vietnam until April, we have time on our side and decide to explore a bit more of Southern Laos en route. First stop is Kong Lor cave, described in the guide book as "The real Indiana Jones experience" and "Star Trek on LSD"... Its enough to get us excited about it, though neither of us being Star Trek fans, we go with Indiana Jones and frequently burst into singing the theme tune at regular intervals on the bus ride down there, which inevitably always seems to turn into the A-Team theme tune, or sometimes Superman (try it yourself, you'll know what ... read more
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