And Finally…

Monday, 23 January 2012 14:49 Last Updated on Monday, 23 January 2012 19:56 Written by James Mathers

It seems that Shanghai airport has become my Limbo; I seem to spend a lot of time here doing absolutely nothing. I can watch a movie, maybe read a book, but in the end I’m just killing time until I move on. One thing I am doing is thinking, thinking about my trip, the people I have met and the things that I have seen. I’m also thinking about home. After seven and a half months I’m going home. I am 2 hours away from boarding, 13 hours away from Sydney and 16 hours away from seeing my family.

Home. It’s a deceptively big word isn’t it? Four little letter have so much responsibility. What is home? I have seen miserable people in mansions and deliriously happy people in shacks. Is home where you find your family? Is home where you feel most comfortable? Is home where you find love? Home is up to you! You make it what it is, you make a home. Unfortunately with seeing my family and friends and going home, I also have to come back to reality! Damn it! Work, Bills, you know what I mean. But hey as long as I’m home. Think home is addictive, and you never really know how important it is until your away. That’s why we travel! To have that feeling of coming home…

As I sit here in Shanghai Airport (again) and think about my journey (again), I can’t help but flicker through the amazing places I have been and people I have met; the Deverzy fire craters; the top of the world at Jungfrau, the Pamirs and Denver; snorkeling in 2 degree waters in Iceland and seeing the midnight (almost) sun; the beaches and jungles in the Philippines; the mayhem of driving in Tehran; Mohammad’s family taking us in for dinner; the Kurdish Generals insisting we stay the night; building a road to make it through an impassable river bed; the plains in Mongolia; rain in the Gobi; Camels, many, many camels; the many mates on the Rally (for a time the best friends a man can have); the happy, smiling faces in faraway places. There’s so much I didn’t see, but to tell you the truth I have seen so much, it’s going to take a while to take it all in and work it all out.

I came into China late last night, after saying goodbye to Emma, made it to my hotel, and had my first hot shower in 6 weeks. It’s funny how a couple of hours in a big, flying bus can make so many changes: language is different, temperature went from 30 degrees to 2 degrees and back to 30 once I get home, you look like everyone else, and everything is familiar, where it should be. It’ll take me months to not have to think about which side of the road I need to be on, weeks to bore my friends and family with stories (even though they could’ve just read this! You know who you are), a while to get back into the rhythm of work, and quite some time to get everything back into some sort of order. The biggest change is that I will be home. There’s a feeling yo0u get when you land back in Australia, a cuddly warmth that all is going to be Ok. There’s another thing too; a voice screaming in your head “WHY! Why did you come home?” I’m obviously a bit twisted.

Thank you so very much for coming along and taking my hand on this world trip, I couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks to those who read my story and left comments. What did I take away from this trip? You don’t need much to be happy; family, humility, food and somewhere to sleep. Poor people can do it, so why can’t I?

It’s been a blast.

Thankyou!

Thank you for your time...

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Travelling in the Philippines

Friday, 13 January 2012 15:30 Last Updated on Friday, 13 January 2012 15:33 Written by James Mathers

Instead of going through my daily routine I thought I’d give you a highlights tour of what’s been happening. Believe me a whole lot has been going on!

Boracay Island

One of the things that the Philippines has is islands, lots of them; over 7000 islands of all sizes spread like gemstones through crystal seas. Going to Boracay is an amazing experience due to its ability to make you feel like you’re 15 and on summer holiday. Well it did for me! Flying into Cataclan from Cebu, the first thing you notice as the prop-plane swoops in low over the ocean is the colour of the water; to explain its crystal waters doesn’t even come close to doing it justice. The sun sprinkles the waves in clear blues and greens, frothy white dances towards the sandy even whiter shores, only broken by the jungle green swathe through the middle of the island.

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Then a short boat-ride across to the simple-but-sensational Boracay, there for you to explore as you would have as a child or just laze around as an adult. I did a bit of both. The narrow, dusty streets are filled with motor-trikes taxis, pot-pots (3 wheel bicycle taxis), bikes, people and the odd car. After a five minute ride past the rambling shambles of a town with glimpses of the beach, we stopped and walked a few hundred meters to one of the prettiest postcard images of my trip. The white sand beach drifted into the distance on both sides, lazy, low waves broke onto the pristine, people filled beach, populated with beachgoers and coconut palms every few meters; in the distance a storm was brewing over the islands dotting the horizon, but magically the sun stayed bright, beaming over the island, while the grey clouds dappled the meeting of the skies and the seas with rain. Simple stores, restaurants and bars are jammed together the entire length of the beach, but set respectfully back from the beach, a walkway marks the line between the sunbakers and the partygoers.

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A Journey to the East

Friday, 30 December 2011 07:49 Last Updated on Friday, 30 December 2011 07:57 Written by James Mathers

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the Philippines...China. Or to be more specific: Shanghai, Pudong Airport.

The flight to Shanghai was nothing special; I slept most of the way. I did have time to think about the fact that there were fewer days of my travels ahead of me then behind me, a nice little metaphor for my life, I think. Pudong airport is massive and I needed to find my way from one terminal to the next, easily a one kilometre walk, inside. Wave-like ripples in the ceiling crane above you as you wander across its mirror finish, shiny floors, through a tide of people hustling to and from their intended destinations. The airport itself is based on an H design with a Sydney harbour tunnel like raised walkway between them, and did I mention it was huge; about halfway along this tunnel is a couple of hotels. The smog covers the whole area in a thick yellow film, with only glimpses of the huge city that is Shanghai and the airport a solitary island in the midst of the pink and grey smog, the sun set giving colour where there is none. With the help of some friendly, English (!) speaking girls at the information booth I made my way towards terminal 2 and an eight hour layover, thanks to limited flights and an early arrival.

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A Bus Full of Crazy, Awesome, Fun People!

Wednesday, 21 December 2011 14:45 Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 December 2011 14:57 Written by James Mathers

I just want to start with saying that a bus tour is an awesome way of seeing Europe. You can just sit back and enjoy someone else doing all the work. The way these bus tours are set up is that you can do as little or as much as you like. They have so many options for you it’s not funny, but if you want to do your own thing then you can as well. I won’t mention the tour operators name but if you’re interested just get in touch. And for the money you can't beat it. For a bit under 900 pounds ($1400 AUD) we had a 17 day tour, good accommodation, most meals and great food, tours, side trips and more.

This was the beginning of an awesome trip.

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Inside the Chunnel train on the way home

First thing we did was meet up with the rest of the bus crew: mostly young Aussies and Kiwis, but a couple of people older than Emma and I thrown into the mix. My favourite game was making people do the “Emma’s forty?” face. People never believe me when I do tell them, and ID is often required as proof. Good times.

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Germany to Rome!

Tuesday, 29 November 2011 08:36 Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 December 2011 14:44 Written by James Mathers

As I sit here in the Shanghai Pudong airport waiting a long 8 hours til my next flight and another layover of 4 hours, I think about my journey so far and am amazed at the places I have been. A country list would be: USA, Iceland, UK, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Czech, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia (For an hour), Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Mongolia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Monaco, Lichtenstein, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, China and tomorrow morning, the Philippines. Also a side trip to Thailand or Malaysia or both is probably on as well. It’s a crazy trip! But I have had some great times and believe that the world can be a lot of fun. If you let it!

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After leaving Hamburg we went down south and headed for Lachingen, an hour or so out of Stuttgart. Emma spoke to me of her friends from school and how they travelled and married all over the world. A lot of people have the wrong idea about these marriages. I was also one of them. Let me explain a few things: The Philippines is not a rich country, opportunities are few and education is almost non-existent in some areas. This doesn’t make the people stupid, just “without”. They want more, and it’s usually only the men who get opportunities for business. Women are left behind in this. The idea of marriage as a romantic notion is seriously a 20 century invention. Marriage has stopped wars, created dynasties, forged pacts between villages and, in some cases, given people and opportunity that they may never be able to have if they stay home. Through Emma I have met a lot of people who have had arranged marriages, and for the most part they seem very happy. They have security, education, an income, a family. Everyone is a stranger until you meet them. And I have seen some very happy, albeit strange, couples, who have met through family or other marriages. It’s a way of bettering yourself and giving yourself a chance. They can stay home on the islands, get pregnant, and have a good life, but no growth, or you can travel to another country, in another part of the world, learn a language, a culture, educate yourself, create a family and have an income. What would you do?

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And this brings us to Laichingen, what a beautiful place, if you could see it! We pretty much had a thick fog the entire time we were there. Drive a few miles in any direction and the picturesque German countryside reveals itself, but in Laichingen? White. Just white. Sometimes only white! Here we met Roslyn and Nana (from Ghana), an unlikely but happy family with 4 children. Unbelievably welcoming and our 3 day tour of the area turned into just on a week! “Hello, I’m Nana from Ghana, and I am so happy to have you in my home...” was our first greeting from the first Ghanan I have met. A big happy man with a huge smile and a lot of love for his family. We were made to be part of the family at once, even the kids were all over us from the start! Beautiful happy children. The family home was an open friendly place where people would drop in a stay for an hour or a couple of days. Random children would just come and stay for a while, and random adults were also welcome. Every adult was Mother, Father, Uncle or Aunt, and had respect and interest. Meals were huge and warm, every meal being a banquet and a wrestling match with the kids. Food was never so much fun!

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The south of Germany is a beautiful place and I’m glad I got to see so much of it: The zoo in Stuttgart, a meandering fun walk through a large city park filled with all kinds of creatures, the Cathedral tower in Ulm, with its spiral, dizzying climb (768 Steps) to the spire, a farm with its own self-sustaining million euro poo-fuel making technology. Nana took us to a wonderful Chinese restaurant and regaled us with stories and anecdotes from his life in Ghana and Germany. He is a self made man, making a small business from nothing, learning 2 new languages, making a family in a strange new country. My favourite story was about the Bermuda triangle: apparently slave traders would travel across through that area on the way to America from Africa, with a cargo of stolen people. When slavery was abolished by Lincoln, the slave traders had cargo that nobody wanted. They dumped hundreds of people into the sea during a storm, right in the centre of where the triangle is. Jamiaca was started by some of these people, when one slave trader couldn’t kill them, but dumped them on an island. And most of these people were from Ghana. Creepy huh?

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We spent the rest of the week, recharging our batteries and enjoying spending time with our new family. We travelled up to a castle and visited the dairy for some fresh milk. Apparently after we left the kids cried the next day when they came up to our room and we weren’t there. We had such a lovely time with them and Nana kept telling us how “happy I am that you are here...” Thanks to them all for our fantastic week. We then drove north heading back to Hamburg for a night German TV is hilarious by the way: the Simpsons and Spongebob have a sinister edge to them, brought on by years of WW2 movies, and Jaws in German made me root for the shark. We stayed in a nice hotel, but the area was not unlike Kings Cross, with its sex shops and street walkers. We had a great dinner before heading for bed. The next morning was a quick drive to the airport and quick flight to Rome to meet up with our bus tour.

But I’ll tell you about that next I think!

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East for West – how to save money travelling through Europe.

Friday, 04 November 2011 21:26 Last Updated on Friday, 04 November 2011 21:35 Written by David Cronk

Travelling through Western Europe can be an expensive exercise especially if your currency is a little weak at the time. Although the British pound and Euro are not going that well, the US dollar is weaker and this can make travelling in some Western European nations prohibitively expensive. (Read Scandinavia and Switzerland.)

One way you can turn the tables is to substitute Eastern European destinations that give a similar experience for a Western Europe equivalent. It will usually be cheaper and in some cases a better experience as well.

The Art Galleries of St Petersburg instead of the Art Galleries of Paris

On a trip to Paris everyone wants to visit the Louvre and see the Mona Lisa. Well how about substituting the Louvre for the Hermitage. St Petersburg was Russia’s first true European city designed by European architects in the early 1700’s.

The Hermitage was formerly the palace that the Russian Tsars ruled the country from and is full of paintings from European artists including Rembrandt, Rubens and Picasso. The gallery includes 5 main buildings and in the Winter Palace alone there are 1057 rooms and 117 staircases. (Thank You Lonely Planet for that fact).

There are also collections of Egyptian and Oriental art so the Hermitage is a bit like a cross between the Louvre and the British Museum.

As a bonus if you haven’t seen enough art St Petersburg is also the home of the Russian Museum that houses one of the best collections of Russian Art in the world.

Roaming the streets of St Petersburg you will see architecture the equal of Paris and in Paris everyone loves the Seine, in St Petersburg you get to see the beautiful canals. While St Petersburg is not a cheap place to visit it is certainly not more expensive than Paris so you can see one of the best collections of art in the world and not be too light in the pocket.

To read the other 9 ideas to save money travelling through Europe please join our Travel Club for free to enjoy all the content on the website.

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Scandinavia – Hamburg to Roros, Norway and Back!

Thursday, 03 November 2011 19:35 Last Updated on Thursday, 03 November 2011 19:38 Written by James Mathers

Away we went on our next adventure! Now I have to talk about these airports for a second: who said a flight is faster than any other form of transport? Seriously... a short, cheap flight from London to Hamburg sounds great, and on paper it’s only 2 hours or so, but the reality is so much longer. I’m not complaining, just letting you all know that 2 hours is not the actual time it takes when flying. This is the illusion of the airways, where we think we are getting a faster cheaper option, but honestly who are we fooling! London to any of the airports takes at least an hour, express trains or not you have to get to the train station and then catch the express.

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She made it!!!... and Majorca!

Friday, 21 October 2011 19:13 Last Updated on Friday, 21 October 2011 19:26 Written by James Mathers

Ok so after some fun with typhoons, missed flights and generally the world trying to get in our way...My beautiful Girlfriend Emma Made it to London. After more than 120 days of planes, trains and automobiles... and an ambulance, family friends and foes, and mostly just all that time away from her: we were back together! I know, I know....ahhhh...its sickening. But amazing to have her back. We had the slow motion cuddle and kiss moment at the airport and then did what all couples do when they haven’t seen each other for so long... get a beer! You all have dirty minds.

London Eye