Er...me...after climbing The Mountain...with a bit of a hangover...at 6pm...yes, that is sweat, thank you
October 11, 2004
October 08, 2004
Leaving home...
...was, in the end, unbelievably difficult. I was left torn between the conflicting desires of seeing new places and meeting new people or staying at home and trying to repay all the love and kindness shown me by my friends and family over my last weekend.
A great meal with my family on Wednesday was the start of the end of a very long farewell process. My nephew, Josh Byrom (remember that name!) is the most amazing little person who I really had to tear myself away from...he might be four months, but he is certainly smarter than the average bear...and a damn sight happier too. Something very strange and wonderful has happened to my parents as they revel in the role of grandparents...doting is not sufficient to describe the spell they're under. I'm ecstatic to say that my sis and her husband have taken to parenting with unsurpassed ease...I can't wait to come back and see all of you...but particularly the three little special people in my life...Josh and his cousins Celia and Oliver. As you can see from their photos, they're a good-looking bunch - God alone knows how they're related to me ;-)
Friday night in Harrogate with old school friends started off inauspiciously...sorry about the restaurant guys, but what can you do? I'm sorry to say I have no photos at the mo, but if Ben or someone could send some on to me, I'd appreciate it a lot. Thanks to all of the beautiful girls who made me look like some kind of stud by sitting with me all evening - seriously, after dinner I wouldn't have minded if you'd gone...;-) Memories of the rest of the night are a little hazy, but some involvement with 'Lemon Drops' seems likely....and maybe one or two shandies as well. Those of you that were there that I've known since the age of eleven, it was great to be still hanging out with you after all that time...the rest of you have been welcome additions to my life at varying points over the last few years. Despite my disappearing for such a long time,I know our friendships will grow stronger still, and I look forward to celebrating with you all when I get back.
What can I say about Saturday? Some of you may laugh (Jon) but it really was the best night I've ever had...closely followed by Sunday (and only on account of the music - for no other reason!). To everyon who travelled great distances to be there, I appreciate it. To those who let me use their houses and vehicles, thank you. The music was brilliant, I was surrounded by a sea of friends (who went to great pains to ensure that I knew how much they loved me) and I can safely say I've never felt so happy. It's not very often in your life that you really get to appreciate how much you mean to your friends, nor how much they mean to you - this was just such an occasion, and for that I feel blessed.
I had lovely lunch with Don, Vickie, Mary-Ann,Tony,Amber and Evie in St. Albans. Another friend whom I see far too little of, Gav, also joined us. It was all too brief, but in the end it was just nice to have the opportunity to say goodbye to good friends.
And finally, the Ruby Lounge. It felt fitting that the place which has launched so many nocturnal adventures over the last two years, should be the final springboard for my greatest adventure yet. I was totally overwhelmed by the number of people that came - particularly those of you who made it to PAssion the night before as well. I would have liked to have been able to 'Pause' proceedings and sit with each of you for the whole evening. I hope nobody felt neglected and that you all had as fantastic a time as I did. It really topped the night off when we went to Russ's for one final party too. Several times, I was close to tears...there are those of you, particularly, that I found it hard to leave and I could see it was the same for you too.
Sorry to get all soppy, everyone, but to my darling Sue I want to say an extra special big thank you! If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have my little blue book. Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts. I will always treasure them. So thank you Sue...for my book, for driving me, for putting me up...and putting up with me...for all your love and affection, which I hope you feel is reciprocated in full.
And let's not forget Don - who crawled out of bed at stupid o'clock to wave me off at the airport...the sort of thing I've come to expect from a very, very good friend...and a man I proudly call my brother!
Everybody who I've seen in the last few weeks (friends, family, neighbours) and, indeed, some with whom I wasn't able to catch up - I will miss you. But I have a little of each of you in my thoughts and I hope I've left a little of me with you. Fear not I will be back...in one piece ;-)
A great meal with my family on Wednesday was the start of the end of a very long farewell process. My nephew, Josh Byrom (remember that name!) is the most amazing little person who I really had to tear myself away from...he might be four months, but he is certainly smarter than the average bear...and a damn sight happier too. Something very strange and wonderful has happened to my parents as they revel in the role of grandparents...doting is not sufficient to describe the spell they're under. I'm ecstatic to say that my sis and her husband have taken to parenting with unsurpassed ease...I can't wait to come back and see all of you...but particularly the three little special people in my life...Josh and his cousins Celia and Oliver. As you can see from their photos, they're a good-looking bunch - God alone knows how they're related to me ;-)
Friday night in Harrogate with old school friends started off inauspiciously...sorry about the restaurant guys, but what can you do? I'm sorry to say I have no photos at the mo, but if Ben or someone could send some on to me, I'd appreciate it a lot. Thanks to all of the beautiful girls who made me look like some kind of stud by sitting with me all evening - seriously, after dinner I wouldn't have minded if you'd gone...;-) Memories of the rest of the night are a little hazy, but some involvement with 'Lemon Drops' seems likely....and maybe one or two shandies as well. Those of you that were there that I've known since the age of eleven, it was great to be still hanging out with you after all that time...the rest of you have been welcome additions to my life at varying points over the last few years. Despite my disappearing for such a long time,I know our friendships will grow stronger still, and I look forward to celebrating with you all when I get back.
What can I say about Saturday? Some of you may laugh (Jon) but it really was the best night I've ever had...closely followed by Sunday (and only on account of the music - for no other reason!). To everyon who travelled great distances to be there, I appreciate it. To those who let me use their houses and vehicles, thank you. The music was brilliant, I was surrounded by a sea of friends (who went to great pains to ensure that I knew how much they loved me) and I can safely say I've never felt so happy. It's not very often in your life that you really get to appreciate how much you mean to your friends, nor how much they mean to you - this was just such an occasion, and for that I feel blessed.
I had lovely lunch with Don, Vickie, Mary-Ann,Tony,Amber and Evie in St. Albans. Another friend whom I see far too little of, Gav, also joined us. It was all too brief, but in the end it was just nice to have the opportunity to say goodbye to good friends.
And finally, the Ruby Lounge. It felt fitting that the place which has launched so many nocturnal adventures over the last two years, should be the final springboard for my greatest adventure yet. I was totally overwhelmed by the number of people that came - particularly those of you who made it to PAssion the night before as well. I would have liked to have been able to 'Pause' proceedings and sit with each of you for the whole evening. I hope nobody felt neglected and that you all had as fantastic a time as I did. It really topped the night off when we went to Russ's for one final party too. Several times, I was close to tears...there are those of you, particularly, that I found it hard to leave and I could see it was the same for you too.
Sorry to get all soppy, everyone, but to my darling Sue I want to say an extra special big thank you! If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have my little blue book. Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts. I will always treasure them. So thank you Sue...for my book, for driving me, for putting me up...and putting up with me...for all your love and affection, which I hope you feel is reciprocated in full.
And let's not forget Don - who crawled out of bed at stupid o'clock to wave me off at the airport...the sort of thing I've come to expect from a very, very good friend...and a man I proudly call my brother!
Everybody who I've seen in the last few weeks (friends, family, neighbours) and, indeed, some with whom I wasn't able to catch up - I will miss you. But I have a little of each of you in my thoughts and I hope I've left a little of me with you. Fear not I will be back...in one piece ;-)
October 01, 2004
Intended Itinerary
As promised:
October 4th: Fly to Montreal, Canada to spend a week chilling with my buddy, Ollie. A little sidetrip to Toronto at the end of the week should make for a good leaving party from this side of the International Dateline.
October 11th: Fly (via L.A.) to Seoul, South Korea. A couple of weeks soaking in the autumn splendour of the national parks. Nothing and nobody, but me and my pack...can't wait!
October 25th: Fly to Manila, Phillipines. Another fortnight soaking up the local atmosphere. No firm plans...may learn to scuba dive, trek in the mountains, visit volcanoes...or just sit on my (hopefully, slightly less) fat ass on the beach.
November 8th: Fly to Hanoi, Vietnam. The start of a 3month overland journey around the Indo-Chinese peninsula. The Re-unification Express, Mekong and Yellow River Deltas, Angkor Wat, Koh Phanghan, Bangkok, Chiang Mai etc. will be some of the highlights. Catching up with some friends on the Thai islands will be a nice way to spend Christmas and New Year. My family will of course be appreciating being able to eat Christmas dinner at a leisurely pace without me scoffing all the seconds.
January 31st 2005: Fly from Bangkok to Kathmandu. Two months of teaching at Niketan School, about 5km East of the city centre. I'm really excited about this opportunity to really immerse myself in the local community...unfortunately for you lot, I'll be able to access the internet most days so you'll be getting reams of excitable babble on the place. When I've finished my placement, I'll have about 5 weeks to trek in the Himalayas around the Annapurna Sanctuary. This has been a lifelong ambition, so be prepared for gushtastic reporting.
May 2nd: From India into Nepal (overland): Six weeks isn't nearly long enough to see a country of the size and diversity of India so I'll be limiting myself to Varanasi, Agra and Delhi on the sightseeing front....followed by some soaking up of rays in Goa...life's gonna be hard ;-)
June 13th: Fly from Bombay to Jo'burg - and hopefully from there straight to Blantyre, Malawi. As some of you know, I've been to Malawi before and I'm stoked to be able to go back and put something back into the country. Neville Beavis (a former teacher who led the school trip that I went on in 1993) is now running an orphanage with his wife Rosemarie. So, for a couple of months, I'll be helping out with ongoing projects. Open Arms Infant Home cares for children whose parents have died from AIDS. I'm sure my time there will be very rewarding and I'm looking forward to sharing the stories of some very special people with you.
August 18th: Fly back to Jo'burg and from there back to UK. A good friend is getting married and I'd be shot for missing the ceremony, so I'm taking the opportunity to come back and spend a little time with friends and family before I take off on the next leg of my trip.
As this 'next leg' will depend on finance and making new plans, I won't bore with the potential details until they stop being potential and become definite.
Back after the weekend with photos from leaving do's etc.
October 4th: Fly to Montreal, Canada to spend a week chilling with my buddy, Ollie. A little sidetrip to Toronto at the end of the week should make for a good leaving party from this side of the International Dateline.
October 11th: Fly (via L.A.) to Seoul, South Korea. A couple of weeks soaking in the autumn splendour of the national parks. Nothing and nobody, but me and my pack...can't wait!
October 25th: Fly to Manila, Phillipines. Another fortnight soaking up the local atmosphere. No firm plans...may learn to scuba dive, trek in the mountains, visit volcanoes...or just sit on my (hopefully, slightly less) fat ass on the beach.
November 8th: Fly to Hanoi, Vietnam. The start of a 3month overland journey around the Indo-Chinese peninsula. The Re-unification Express, Mekong and Yellow River Deltas, Angkor Wat, Koh Phanghan, Bangkok, Chiang Mai etc. will be some of the highlights. Catching up with some friends on the Thai islands will be a nice way to spend Christmas and New Year. My family will of course be appreciating being able to eat Christmas dinner at a leisurely pace without me scoffing all the seconds.
January 31st 2005: Fly from Bangkok to Kathmandu. Two months of teaching at Niketan School, about 5km East of the city centre. I'm really excited about this opportunity to really immerse myself in the local community...unfortunately for you lot, I'll be able to access the internet most days so you'll be getting reams of excitable babble on the place. When I've finished my placement, I'll have about 5 weeks to trek in the Himalayas around the Annapurna Sanctuary. This has been a lifelong ambition, so be prepared for gushtastic reporting.
May 2nd: From India into Nepal (overland): Six weeks isn't nearly long enough to see a country of the size and diversity of India so I'll be limiting myself to Varanasi, Agra and Delhi on the sightseeing front....followed by some soaking up of rays in Goa...life's gonna be hard ;-)
June 13th: Fly from Bombay to Jo'burg - and hopefully from there straight to Blantyre, Malawi. As some of you know, I've been to Malawi before and I'm stoked to be able to go back and put something back into the country. Neville Beavis (a former teacher who led the school trip that I went on in 1993) is now running an orphanage with his wife Rosemarie. So, for a couple of months, I'll be helping out with ongoing projects. Open Arms Infant Home cares for children whose parents have died from AIDS. I'm sure my time there will be very rewarding and I'm looking forward to sharing the stories of some very special people with you.
August 18th: Fly back to Jo'burg and from there back to UK. A good friend is getting married and I'd be shot for missing the ceremony, so I'm taking the opportunity to come back and spend a little time with friends and family before I take off on the next leg of my trip.
As this 'next leg' will depend on finance and making new plans, I won't bore with the potential details until they stop being potential and become definite.
Back after the weekend with photos from leaving do's etc.
September 30, 2004
The Last Supper
Very strange...just had the last home-cooked meal with my parents for a very long time. The strange thing was that it just didn't feel particularly strange. Don't know if any other travellers have felt like this? It might be a product of the fact I've been living a fair distance from the rest of my family for most of the last nine years anyway. Or maybe I'm just a cold-hearted bastard - sorry, mum;-).
To be honest, I don't really feel like I'm truly going away...the other side of the world isn't as far as it used to be. Staying in touch with people (phone, e-mail, weblog etc.) is getting easier all the time...and, for me, friendships and family ties transcend distances as petty as a few thousand miles. As far as I'm concerned, I'm taking a little piece of you all with me...and I'd like to think that a little piece of me will stay at home with each of my friends and family.
Sorry, to get all philosophical and deep - it will surely happen again, although hopefully not too often. I guess that my perspectives are already starting to shift and I'm sure the coming months will give me plenty of food for thought...I'm looking forward to sharing it with you.
Back tomorrow with a full itinerary and maybe some philosophical musings...
To be honest, I don't really feel like I'm truly going away...the other side of the world isn't as far as it used to be. Staying in touch with people (phone, e-mail, weblog etc.) is getting easier all the time...and, for me, friendships and family ties transcend distances as petty as a few thousand miles. As far as I'm concerned, I'm taking a little piece of you all with me...and I'd like to think that a little piece of me will stay at home with each of my friends and family.
Sorry, to get all philosophical and deep - it will surely happen again, although hopefully not too often. I guess that my perspectives are already starting to shift and I'm sure the coming months will give me plenty of food for thought...I'm looking forward to sharing it with you.
Back tomorrow with a full itinerary and maybe some philosophical musings...
September 25, 2004
Ten days to go...
Soon enough, someone else is going to be reading this...which means it won't be very long before I'm on the other side of the world.
I've finally started to get excited about my trip...I've been so pre-occupied (booking flights, buying equipment, cajoling said equipment into a deceptively-tardis-like rucksack, spending time with friends and family...and the small matter of a wicked holiday in Ibiza), that it's only just beginning to dawn on me that, in ten days time, I'll be setting off on the trip of a lifetime.
The vast majority of people reading this will have a good idea of what I'm up to and where I'm going. The blog is a kind of diary for me - as well as a substitute for the ubiquitous mass e-mail which all travellers tend to send to friends and family. It won't sit, taking up valuable inbox space, guilt-tripping you into sending a green-eyed reply. Dip in / out at your leisure and if you do want to mail me - asking for or giving news - I'll do my best to reply asap.
There isn't a lot for me to do now...staggering around various hilly bits of Yorkshire, trying to convince myself that I can hump that bag (read 'small terraced house') around the world for the next 18 months...re-counting malaria tablets to try and save some precious weight...a final round of visits and leaving-do's (er, any excuse fora party...)...so I'll no doubt have plenty of time to pop on here most days and fill everyone in on the details of my trip...
I've finally started to get excited about my trip...I've been so pre-occupied (booking flights, buying equipment, cajoling said equipment into a deceptively-tardis-like rucksack, spending time with friends and family...and the small matter of a wicked holiday in Ibiza), that it's only just beginning to dawn on me that, in ten days time, I'll be setting off on the trip of a lifetime.
The vast majority of people reading this will have a good idea of what I'm up to and where I'm going. The blog is a kind of diary for me - as well as a substitute for the ubiquitous mass e-mail which all travellers tend to send to friends and family. It won't sit, taking up valuable inbox space, guilt-tripping you into sending a green-eyed reply. Dip in / out at your leisure and if you do want to mail me - asking for or giving news - I'll do my best to reply asap.
There isn't a lot for me to do now...staggering around various hilly bits of Yorkshire, trying to convince myself that I can hump that bag (read 'small terraced house') around the world for the next 18 months...re-counting malaria tablets to try and save some precious weight...a final round of visits and leaving-do's (er, any excuse fora party...)...so I'll no doubt have plenty of time to pop on here most days and fill everyone in on the details of my trip...
September 20, 2004
September 02, 2004
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