Goodbye!!

In five and a half days time I will bid farewell to the comfort and security of my Sydney home and embark on a seven-month adventure through Indochina, Western Europe and Morocco. I'm as good as ready to go and am hell excited!!!

Flying into Bangkok this coming Thursday evening, I will spend a few days exploring the Thai capital, it's grand temples and floating markets before journeying north-east to the province of Ubon Ratchithani. There I will teach English to disadvantaged children in a rural school for a month throughout which time I will live with a Thai family. In mid-June I will leave Thailand for Cambodia to explore the temples of Angkor Wat, experience the vitality of Cambodia's capital, Phnom Phen, and the riverside elegance of it's second city, Battambang. Then, at the end of June, I will depart the humid and rugged world of Indochina for the more sterile world of Western Europe.

My first stop along my European trail will be the liberal land of Holland, where I plan to relax for a week or so in coffee shops and 'drink coffee' while watching the canals come alive at night. A day or two in Belgium later, I will make use of my Eurail Pass and board a train to the infamous German capital of Berlin, devastated by the fire-bombing during WWII. From there I will make my way north to Denmark, the home of Aussie Princess Mary and the birthplace of The Little Mermaid, before crossing the strait to Sweden where I will reunite with friends and work as a nanny for two months, teaching a couple of young Swedes English and improving on my 'svenska'.

In mid-September I will leave Sweden's pristine shores for the grey skies and pork pies of bonny ol' Scotland where half of my roots are planted. After a couple of weeks of visiting family and watching a Celtic match or two, I will journey south to the north African kingdom of Morocco. There I plan to wonder the Marrakech town square of Jemaa l-Fna, ride camels in the desert and perhaps fit in a surf or two along Morocco's northern beaches. As the end of October draws near, I will then leave this part of the world to once again set foot in Asia.

Following a few nights in Bangkok arranging visas, I will fly into the Lao town of Luang Prabang, often argued to be Southeast Asia's most enchanting town. I will subsequently journey up the Mekong River to cross the border back into Thailand to visit the cultural centre of Chiang Mai. From there I plan to catch a (dodgy) flight into Myanmar where I will explore the Burmese city of Mandalay, wander at the temples of Bagan and float along the rivers of Inle Kalaw. A flight to Bangkok later, I will meet my sister who I have not seen since early January and together we will venture to southern Thailand for some well-earned rest and relaxation on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and some partying under the full moon before returning home just in time for my 22nd birthday on 10 December.

Of course, my travels never go according to plan but it's nice to look forward to an adventure as exciting as this will be! Please keep your eyes posted on the site to read about my experiences, good, bad and ugly, and feel free to forward your comments when you have something to ask, thoughts to share or simply to say hi. And until we meet again at Christmas, in the new year or at my Rasta-themed birthday party, know that I'm thinking of you all, that is when I'm not too busy having the time of my life! Take care while I am gone and don't do anything that I wouldn't do (which pretty much means you can do whatever tickles your fancy!). Peace.