Wrapping up eight months in Asia
After eight months of travel in Asia I find myself back where I started in Kuala Lumpur. What an incredible eight months it has been. Two months in China, a month in India and three months in Thailand, punctuated by many visits to Malaysia, including Borneo for the first time.
[Kuala Lumpur – funny name, cool city.]
There were so many highlights along the way, but I will resist turning this post into a best of (though now would a good excuse to show a picture of a Giant Panda from my visit to Chengdu).
I kind of had a plan for the eight months, but like all good plans, that went out the window early on. My plan for a year in China was not to be after I couldn’t get a one year tourist visa. From China I was going to spend three months in Borneo. I may end up doing that yet, as this island had me the moment I arrived. In my first week there I had the privilege to attend a local wedding in Sabah, which included getting dressed up in traditional attire. Borneo was that kind of place for me.
[Dusun wedding party – Sabah]
My three months in Borneo was truncated to three weeks as I decided to spend Christmas with people I know in Chiang Mai. That was the biggest surprise of this trip. I didn’t think I would be back in Thailand this time around, but the Travel Gods had other plans. After Christmas I was then lured back by a coffee tour, and the fellowship of working nomads living in Chiang Mai kept me on. Spending some living time in Chiang Mai got me thinking that I could possibly base myself there in the future.
[With my Chiang Mai coffee dealers from Akha Ama Coffee.]
Now I am back in KL, catching up on some work before going back to Melbourne this week, where I will be returning as a visitor. When I left in September, I left a house I had been living in off and on since 2001. While I have been travelling as a working nomad since 2003, this is the first time I have travelled without a fixed address. With no current abode in Melbourne, this is just a two week visit to see family and friends, and to sort out some business administration.
After Melbourne I will be heading to Hawaii for eight days, which happened to be the first place I went to overseas. From Hawaii I then make my way to Vancouver for the TBEX travel bloggers meetup. I attended TBEX in New York last year and met so many wonderful people that I knew I would have to return. Having the conference in Vancouver was a great selling point as well, a city which I hear nothing but rave reviews for. I will also include Seattle and Portland in this trip. From there, more will be revealed :).
So it’s my last week in SE Asia, and I am in KL eating everything I possibly can before I go. I’m going to miss this part of the world.
[Tosai Masala and Teh Tarik in KL.]
Nice. It’s been fun following your travels, James. I can’t believe it’s been 8 months in Asia!
Thanks Gray, glad to have you along for the ride. I’m replying from KUL airport. I can’t believe I was here 8 months ago ready to start this trip.
I am so jealous! I spent 3 months travelling around Sout East Asia in 2005 and it was nowhere near long enough. 8 months would have been amazing!
Sounded like a fabulous trip indeed! Panda & wedding had me already. I’ve heard a lot good about Chiang Mai from different persons now, makes me curious – and envious. We haven’t been to Asia yet, we did plan for a 3 month in the Philippines and Malaysia in spring 2005, but we both got pneumonia (!) and had to cancel the flight tickets 🙁
We went to South America in the fall instead 🙂
That must have hard to cancel the tickets! At least you had a good backup plan 🙂
I hope you get to have another crack at coming to Asia.
That panda is so cute, I want to hug it!
They look so huggable. You can actually hug the pandas at that place in Chengdu, for a price (or course). I think it was around $150USD and you get to hug a panda and get a bunch of photos taken.
That panda is so cute, I want to hug it!
They look so huggable. You can actually hug the pandas at that place in Chengdu, for a price (or course). I think it was around $150USD and you get to hug a panda and get a bunch of photos taken.
Looks like I’ve missed a big thing in my trip, I didn’t get to see the cute panda=(
Pandas are awesome 🙂
Looks like I’ve missed a big thing in my trip, I didn’t get to see the cute panda=(