… no not that one. The internet is very regulated in mainland China so if you want to communicate with me while I’m here you’ll have to go old school and email me
Alternatively you could try the WeChat app but it appears to be 50/50 who is permitted to use it and who needs to be “authorised”…
In Changi’s Terminal 4, a fine, cooling mist descends from a leafy avenue. Fish swim in ponds beneath the butterfly garden, and primates rest in a plethora of bright and comfy places they’d found.
I hadn’t yet left the bright lights and clean edges of Singapore, but what I saw in this eden was as surprising to me as what I hoped waited for me in the deep jungles of Borneo.
In the air the sun sets in to a rusty brown horizon. The dark water becomes a deep space, speckled with the starlight of passing boats.
Once or twice a red dwarf flickers by, as we pass the oil rigs of the South China Sea. Then finally the coast arrived. A golden nebula of lights, the remnants of life gone supernova. Its glistening filaments emerging from the rainforest.
“What adventures await me down there?” I’d wondered. But tomorrow, gliding across 30km of that same water, still not arrived at my first tour destination, I’d realise the adventure had begun back in that airport.
Perhaps in future I’d let the journey be less about the function and more part of the experience.
I sat back in the boat, gobbled down the last segment of my orange and let the cool spray of the sea clean my hands.
I may be cursing myself, but so far, everything we’ve planned has worked out well. Even when Simon reserved our room in Galle for the night before we arrived. There were no problems. Shironey the proprietor of Beach Haven Guesthouse welcomed us and was a font of information.
“Big Mamma” as she became affectionately known, showed us that your accommodation has the connections you need first and foremost. But also most of the Tuk Tuk drivers will also be able to get you an air conditioned taxi if you’re travelling further. Fifty minutes of hair-raising Tuk Tuk at 5am between Galle and Mirissa is all we could handle!
WiFi can usually be found in the rooms, cafes and even on the beach in this case!
For our £1 train journey I’d looked on The Man In Seat 61 but a man outside the station approached us unpromted and told us everything we needed to know.
In and around Colombo, if you’re lucky enough to have a non-extortionate mobile data connection, get the PickMe app for your phone. If not, get it anyway and use it from your room to give you a price estimate then get out there and have fun trying to get a good deal.
Rome2Rio is another good site for getting an estimate to help your bartering but before you get all worked up like I did on my first try, please remember you’re probably arguing for the sake of a few quid.
Revalation! Apparently you can just tap in and out with a regular contactless debit card to travel on the Tube in London.
I should have twigged this after another trip when I’d spent 2 minutes holding up a bus vehemently denying I had a card to use with the contactless payment.
No folks, it’s not just those smug oyster lot that can get around easily now. Just make sure you tap in and out to avoid paying the highest fare.
TfL Contactless for more info.
.
… the one hanging around your neck. We all have them and I’m no exception. Believe me, coming from someone who spent hours collecting virtual treasure to decorate a virtual house on Skyrim, I’m no stranger to the hoarding urge. In fact, I love it. Stuff, kit, tech, hardware, tools, I want it and I need it. Gimme.
Unfortunately, that stuff really builds up over time. Been through any house moves lately? I have. In the last 2 years I’ve had 4 addresses. These moves really remind you how much you’ve accumulated over the years and it becomes a real pain to shift around.
Then, when you come to planning a long trip, the first and most difficult obstacle to overcome is that very same Albatross.
Are you going to end up paying for a house you’re not living in? Are you leaving work? Can you get out of your broadband contract (if you have TalkTalk then it is not easy!). Is your car going to slowly seize up while you’re away. I guess this is why most people travel before they hit their mid 30’s!
I’ve been lucky and thanks to some awesome friends and one Narnia-like garage, the Albatross is now on ice! But, initially I traded one Albatross for another:
In Canada I had a 40-litre standard rucksack with a further say 20 litres strapped to my front like a ridiculous stuff-filled papoose. That was for only 3 weeks, this time I was going for 3 and a half months! My first thought was “I’ll need more stuff” so I picked up this 70 litre Osprey Farpoint (Jack Russel for scale)
It’s a really great bag. As you can see, it splits in to two when you need a handy 13-litre day-pack, leaving you with 57 litres in the main section. It also has a nice set of straps and a waist support that fold away under a zipping panel. There were so many angry airport staff telling me I needed to tie all my straps together in Canada whom I would now avoid. Finally, it opens like a suitcase so you don’t have look like you’re trying to induce a farm animal every time you want a specific item of clothing!
It is, however, big. With such a capacity it’s not surprising and my packing list seemed to expand to fill the space available.
Perhaps about, a week before I flew, a sleepless night was suddenly consumed with the realisation I had a new Albatross. I knew I’d never be one of those “all I need is my woven sandals and Thai-dye underpants” kind of travellers. But maybe I could be better than this.
Luckily the fantastic staff at Cotswold Outdoor had no problem whatsoever giving me a swap so I got this 40-litre version of the same bag instead (different Jack Russel for scale):
No removable day-pack on this one but the front pocket is wider and it has all the other features I mentioned, plus a shoulder strap. The best thing about it though, is that it’s carry-on size (56x36x23cm). In Croatia I had experienced check-in desk woe. Long, snaking queues, in which you suddenly become some sort of irritable beast, infuriated if people aren’t shuffling forward quick enough.
Avoiding that was worth the challenge of trying to get the pack down to 7 kg which seemed to be the standard carry-on allowance of the flights I’d chosen. They do all seem to allow you to carry an additional (and much less standardised) “personal item”. This applies to things like laptops and cameras, or in one case a “lady’s handbag”. Once I’m done sewing flowers to my man-bag, I’m going to stick both my laptop and camera in there and hope for the best.
I get the impression as long as it doesn’t look like I’m taking the mickey and the “personal item” fits under my seat, then I should get by alright. Now just the small challenge of making the rest of this stuff fit in:
