So, after many years of travelling and sending irregular emails but forgetting to include half my friends and family, jotting things down in notepads never to be read again, and excitedly regaling stories over terrible phone lines, I've decided that I ought to start something a little more accessible and enduring.
In January 2011, I left the UK yet again on a trip that will last at least a year, with the aim of filling in most of the gaps in my current travel CV. I drove my old, worthless, beaten up car across Europe as far as Bulgaria (where it broke) and then headed east by public transport on to Istanbul and through Turkey. I dropped down into northern Iraq (Kurdistan) and then crossed Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and finally Kazakhstan.
From there I took a short flight to India, then went overland to Nepal, trekking the Himalayas whilst there. I continued across Tibet, into China proper and down to Hong Kong and Macau.
Another short flight took me to Sumatra and I traversed the length of Indonesia before flying to Darwin. I hitched my way through the centre of Australia and out to Sydney and the continued my hitching adventure along the length of New Zealand.
At the start of August 2011 I flew from Auckland to Buenos Aires and headed south to the very bottom: Ushuaia, Argentina. I then travelled up through South America for at another six months to the Caribbean coast of Colombia. I then took a boat to Panama and continued through all of Central America, into Mexico and the US, and finally up through Canada to the very top of the continent! An amazing, unforgettable trip.
Why is this blog called Travel Eyes Open? A good question! Thank you for raising it. Well, I think travelling opens one's eyes: open to the cultures and lives of people all over the world; open to the comedy and absurdity of everyday life; to the simple but beautiful things others take for granted. If you don't travel with your eyes open, there's no point in travelling. Although it's true that the sand won't get in your eyes. I really hate that.
I also had an idea that Travel Eyes Open could be a genius, multifaceted title: Travel with Eyes Open, my Travel Eyes are Open… But it's not that great, is it. Just travel and make sure your eyes are open, got it? I simply hope to write eloquently enough to make people understand what it is that fascinates and excites me about travelling.
I'll keep this blog updated regularly as I travel, but until then I'll post updates on how my preparations are going. These mostly comprise trying to secure hideously complicated visas for various Asian countries.
I hope you enjoy what you read, even if I fail miserably at inspiring anyone. As long as you're vaguely entertained by me falling over or breaking things in other people's houses, that's all that matters.
J
PS I've decided to put in some stories from previous travels. And I've created a Google map of my entire route. Also, have a look at my Facebook page for various pictures of said trips!
