Twenty something year old doing twenty something year old things

After a magical first Thai experience on the island of Koh Lipe, I found myself on a travelers 'comedown' by the time my bus pulled in to a grey and rainy Krabi.  I was feeling  'crabby' (yes, I went there). This is one danger for the solo traveler, the lonesome days: your usual support group are not around you and left with just your own thoughts for company, a slight echo chamber can occur. Despite the fact that you are arguably in the most freeing position of all--the world is at your feet and you are obliged to roam it without a job to tie you down, it can be daunting and sometimes designless. Krabi, however, cannot be blamed for my dark mood. It is a haven for any lover of the great outdoors with mountains to be climbed and beaches waiting to be ogled over. Railay peninsular was one such beach. Three men in a boat (technically two women and one man) were whisked away beyond the murky, marshy surrounding waters of Krabi town into the expanse of ocean, jagged limes...

Rain and a distracted brain finally provides the perfect opportunity to write my long overdue blog. I sit in the Pak Up hostel of Thailand's Krabi, once again on mainland after three island paradises: Penang, Langkawi (both part of Malaysia) and last but not least, Kohlipe - - my gateway drug to Thailand. I shall talk about Penang first, primarily because this was the destination I escaped to after Singapore had burnt significant holes in my pockets, but also for the sake of familial values. Georgetown in Penang was the former home of my great great grandmother Lavinia Brereton Martin and her husband Stephen the solicitor. I was feeling ambitious and energetic the evening I arrived into Georgetown and so decided to brave the one hour fifteen minute walk to Western Road cemetery in the heat without the aid of a taxi. After getting lost several times I arrived to a locked graveyard and the prospect of a long walk home, interspersed of course with some chicken satay. The following day...

‘Thank you for flying with Air Asia and welcome to Singapore. If you have any drugs in your possession this will be punishable by the death penalty’ announced the intercom comfortingly as I touched down in Singapore last week. The city state which in many ways epitomises modernisation also manages to hold onto some pretty antiquated systems. It may be a capitalist city but the bankers here won’t be partying like they do in the Wolf of Wall Street. My first greeting into just how multi-cultural and, well, ‘white’ this city is occurred during my first ten minutes of wandering around: oversized rucksack on my back and birkenstocks drenched by the rain, trying to find my friend’s apartment block. A bubbly English woman approached me, clearly having taken pity on the ‘lost backpacker in concrete jungle’ ('has she flown into the wrong destination?' ) and wondered did I need directions --as it transpired the apartment block I was searching for was the one she lived in and I was le...

In typical backpacker style I booked only one night at my current hostel and ended up 'sticking' as seemed to be a similar affliction for anyone staying in 'Zoku Lifestyle hostel'. I spent the majority of my trip in Borneo with an ozzie pal whom I first met working in the US three years ago. Our only plan for our time here was the hiking of Mt. Kinabalu which we proudly summited and from which my legs have only just forgiven me for. This was a two day one night feat which included staying in the 'Laban Rata' mountain hut, which we like to call base camp. We set off on this hike confident in our abilities 'to smash it' and soon realised training may have been a good idea! The track to the summit is comprised of never-ending and very steep steps through thick and beautiful jungle. The air is heavy with the only sounds (apart from your own heavy breathing) being birds screeching and insects screaming. We set off at a hearty pace which gradually began to...

In preparation for an imminent trip to South East Asia, specifically Malaysian Borneo for my first week 'out East', I am currently trying to pack as many light clothes into a large navy backpack which has definitely seen better days. I have also just spent an obscene amount of money for a mountain trek on Mount Kinabalu, a majestic 4095 meter peak located two hours outside Kota Kinabalu in Borneo's northern state of Sabah. World Heritage Site or not, I balked slightly at the cost required to summit the beast--will they provide us with a flying carpet if we can't reach it to the summit? My flight departs this Friday and with every passing day (and drop in temperature) the reality and excitement of my adventure hits me. My intention with this blog is that every week of my trip I will post a tasty morsel of anecdotes from my wanderings. My granny recently asked me "would you not just keep a diary or write home love?" but of course, times have changed ("lik...