Just some of my favourite travel moments from the past three years:
1) Sitting on a plastic chair eating noodles in low-so Ratchada. The rain was absolutely HAMMERING down and my surroundings looked like Gotham. I later grabbed a beer and sat there for another hour. Fantastic.
2) Walking around Taipei at night and seeing Taipei 101 staring at me wherever I went. That building is fucking enormous. It's like something out of Independence Day.
3) Gangnam bus terminal. I got off the bus there. It was essentially my first step onto Asian soil. The sea of beautiful, skinny women surrounding me will always be remembered. From then on, I was blind to white women.
4) Riding on the back of a motorcycle on a sunny day in Taipei. It was so damn warm. I went and had dinner and 'Waterfalls' by TLC came on. I had it in my head all day.
5) Laying in the sea like a starfish at Poda island. I went on one of those 'five island tours' where they try and rush you through tropical paradises as quickly as possible. We got to Poda, and everyone on my boat geared themselves up for an hour of walking around taking photos. I, on the other hand, lay in the sea and stared at a big rock for the whole time.
6) Being sat at a rooftop bar in Laos. Looking across the river was nice. Never had so much enjoyment from being at a bar. I'm thinking of travelling to Laos next month just to go there again.
7) My first few hours in Taipei. After a hellish last few months in Korea, arriving in that city was the most relieving damn feeling that could be had. I sat on the floor in Taipei Main Station for over an hour, just grinning. The weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Some kids were throwing paper airplanes around.
8) A night out with some millionaire Thai's. It got to the point where we were chugging bottles of Gold Label whilst shouting '1-2-3!'. I won't disclose much more, but it was a VERY expensive night for some.
9) The journey home after my first night in Taipei. It was a wet, grey Sunday morning. It smelt of tofu and lavendar. (Taipei does constantly smell of tofu actually. For some reason I really miss it.)
10) My hellish journey from my family home in England to my new home in Korea back in 2012. It was a 35-hour trip, and it was a bloody great laugh.
So, what's my point?
The best moments of travel are all completely intangible. So much so, that I actually find it nearly impossible to describe why I enjoyed them so much.
...The smell of tofu in Taipei, the weird new font on my Korean phone, having a Chang beer on a tropical island in the pissing rain, the 'red' 7-11's in Taipei, their 'bluer' counterparts in Bangkok.
So many feelings and smells and things. These are the reasons I travel, and I think people should remember these little moments of joy.
I've been to temples, monuments and beaches. Not many of these things stick in my memory. My advice is to take it easier and open your eyes to your surroundings more.
1) Sitting on a plastic chair eating noodles in low-so Ratchada. The rain was absolutely HAMMERING down and my surroundings looked like Gotham. I later grabbed a beer and sat there for another hour. Fantastic.
2) Walking around Taipei at night and seeing Taipei 101 staring at me wherever I went. That building is fucking enormous. It's like something out of Independence Day.
3) Gangnam bus terminal. I got off the bus there. It was essentially my first step onto Asian soil. The sea of beautiful, skinny women surrounding me will always be remembered. From then on, I was blind to white women.
4) Riding on the back of a motorcycle on a sunny day in Taipei. It was so damn warm. I went and had dinner and 'Waterfalls' by TLC came on. I had it in my head all day.
5) Laying in the sea like a starfish at Poda island. I went on one of those 'five island tours' where they try and rush you through tropical paradises as quickly as possible. We got to Poda, and everyone on my boat geared themselves up for an hour of walking around taking photos. I, on the other hand, lay in the sea and stared at a big rock for the whole time.
6) Being sat at a rooftop bar in Laos. Looking across the river was nice. Never had so much enjoyment from being at a bar. I'm thinking of travelling to Laos next month just to go there again.
7) My first few hours in Taipei. After a hellish last few months in Korea, arriving in that city was the most relieving damn feeling that could be had. I sat on the floor in Taipei Main Station for over an hour, just grinning. The weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Some kids were throwing paper airplanes around.
8) A night out with some millionaire Thai's. It got to the point where we were chugging bottles of Gold Label whilst shouting '1-2-3!'. I won't disclose much more, but it was a VERY expensive night for some.
9) The journey home after my first night in Taipei. It was a wet, grey Sunday morning. It smelt of tofu and lavendar. (Taipei does constantly smell of tofu actually. For some reason I really miss it.)
10) My hellish journey from my family home in England to my new home in Korea back in 2012. It was a 35-hour trip, and it was a bloody great laugh.
So, what's my point?
The best moments of travel are all completely intangible. So much so, that I actually find it nearly impossible to describe why I enjoyed them so much.
...The smell of tofu in Taipei, the weird new font on my Korean phone, having a Chang beer on a tropical island in the pissing rain, the 'red' 7-11's in Taipei, their 'bluer' counterparts in Bangkok.
So many feelings and smells and things. These are the reasons I travel, and I think people should remember these little moments of joy.
I've been to temples, monuments and beaches. Not many of these things stick in my memory. My advice is to take it easier and open your eyes to your surroundings more.