When I can’t travel..

It’s been a crazy 2020.. Initially I wanted to use the year to document the travels from previous trips and the coming trips. Who knew that Covid-19 had other plans? 🤷🏻‍♀️

So instead of the #moleonthetoe.. It was pretty much a cooped at home working (which I have been doing since March!) and with the initial lockdown in Singapore, it was just heading out on weekends for groceries and cooking for the rest of the weekdays and the cycle continues. 

I’ve known how to cook all these years, just that I prefer eating over cooking. Such a pig eh! 😂 

Back in school, it was Food and Nutrition in the secondary school years (or high school as some know it as), and I took up the course of Hospitality in polytechnic (tiertiary) and so cooking was part of the modules I had to go through. So with the lockdown, never fear, Yix to the rescue! 

A little late in the year to start documenting down my cooking adventures, but as the saying goes, better late than never! Inspired by many homecooks, I shamelessly learnt from their recipes and tried to make them better. 🙈 

I’m definitely more active on Facebook and Instagram and I share my recipes with the photos, but it’s getting difficult to search back those, and that’s when it struck me - Foodie goes Travelling. I can’t travel this year (and probably even the next), but hey! A foodie can also be someone who cooks right? 😆 So here we go on a new adventure of cooking and good food around Singapore! ❤️

Whiling away the afternoon..

A cuppa.. And my Lonely Planet. 

As I spent this afternoon holed up in a cafe called Alley No. 5 in Malacca. Malaysia. Random thoughts just flashed past my mind. 

Malacca is a city that I used to be so familiar with that I'll do a yearly 'pilgrimage' up from Singapore. And I always used to stick to the same old Jonker Street and after a while.. Without thinking. I could tell you how to walk and where are some of the places worth stopping by for food. 

But my notion of Malacca being an easy place to walk around vanished 2 years ago when I met Gus. My Airbnb host. He has been based in Malacca since 2010 and there are places where only locals go but he'll show us around too. 

I got to know Malacca better. From a local stand point. And since then.. Malacca has changed. I see how the locals are proud of their culture. Their roots. Of how their daily lives are and their jobs and roles in this little tourist-drawing city. 

This year.. This trip marks my 3rd. My first alone.

The places I went with Gus today were places I never knew.. Never been. Lest the weekly market behind his Airbnb and this cafe I was at this afternoon. 

I enjoy how friendly I've become with the locals. How we became friends and keep track of each other's lives via social media. :) 

Like at Alley No. 5. Oren. The owner/barista. He saw me fishing out a book from my bag and he went like 'Doing your 'homework' for Russia ah?' Or when his older brother Yalu walked past and asked me 'You're back? Alone?' And proceeded to talk to me about Gus other Airbnb like we've known each other for ages (which we ain't.. I only got to know him better this year.) 

And when another of their friend came over for a drink. We were chatting across the different tables and just whiling the afternoon away. 

It's a simple lifestyle. A simple trip up Malacca. But what made it all so special are the friends I've made here that makes me come back so much more often. 

Travelling to familiar places never cease to amaze me each time I go back. And that's probably the magic of travelling. <3

It's been a while..

My Trans-Siberian book I bought this year.. With the Russia travel guide a friend gave me. 

It's been a long while since I'm here blogging. I think stopped somewhere after closing down that page I had. Hmmmz. 

So what made me come back? Coz as I was researching on my Trans-Siberian trip next year. I realized there's not a lot of information on the trip and the planning. I'm not talking about the typical tour group trips. But rather. The DIY kind trip. I've only found a good webpage (read more here: http://www.railway-train-travel.com.au) by a couple who shared from their planning to during the trip and details. Had a friend who linked me up with her friend who also captured some of her accounts on the Trans-Siberian too (you can read more here: http://burtontravels.blogspot.sg/). 

So I decided to blog about the planning and the happenings during the trip (when that happens) and post-trip (if there is any) as I guess in a way. Besides wanting to share my experiences and how I got about doing it. To serve as a memory to myself that I can do all of this alone. 

And the story begins...

Ever since I went Russia (Saint Petersburg. Novgorod and Moscow) last year with Contiki (no.. I stopped blogging by then. So sorry.. No stories to share. ;P). I started dreaming about doing Trans-Siberian. It felt like a daunting journey.. But little did I know how close to the truth I was. 

I have a sabbatical next year that I am taking. So I decided to do the Trans-Siberian during that period. 

What exactly is Trans-Siberian? In simple terms. It's a train journey across Russia and Siberia. Starting in Moscow and usually ending in Vladivostok. Spanning 7 different time zones. It is also the longest railway in the world (at a length of 9289 km and still expanding). There are a total of 18 stops on the Trans-Siberian journey and it also branches out in the Trans-Mongolian and Trans-Manchurian. If you were to take the train journey straight from one end to the other. It will take you 10 days on the train non-stop. You can read more on the background and history brief here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Siberian_Railway. 

Daunted yet? :) 

I have already started researching on where to go. What to do. Where to stay. And studying Cyrillic (or at least trying to recognize the words) since the beginning of this year. Along the way plans changed. And new additions were added. :) 

So why Trans-Siberian? Coz I'm hooked on to the history. The culture. The architecture. And the beauty of the nature of the country. And that it was something that I guess I want to do while I'm still young and in good health. 

What popped up as I was planning? That the thought of visiting Keukenhof Gardens in Netherlands came up. And when I realized how close Netherlands is to Belgium (I have cousins living there). And a friend asked why not do a day trip to Paris from Belgium as I am unlikely to fly and just visit France on its own. Then there is a Eurail pass that covers Netherlands. France. Belgium and Luxembourg for S$400. And thinking of going down to Ho Chi Minh on my way back from Vladivostok before coming home.

Hence. From a simple Trans-Siberian. Suddenly I have an overwhelming list of places to cover together. :P

As of now. I have only bought my tickets to Amsterdam. And from Belgium to Saint Petersburg. My flight ticket from Singapore to Amsterdam is on Garuda Indonesia (direct 13 hours flight) for S$535 and from Belgium (on Brussels Airlines - 4 hours) for S$119. Will need to buy the Benulux-France rail pass by the end of this month so that I can get the 1 free travel day on top of the 4 travel days.

So yeah. It's time to find back my mojo for writing. Regardless who may be reading this blog. :) 

Safe travels to all. Wherever you may be heading! 

The purpose in life..

It's been a long time since I'm here blogging. Most of the time I just share photos and articles. But this morning. I was reading an article in the newspaper which was talking about how a girl quit her job to travel and find herself. And it got me thinking. 

A little background about the article. This girl's a Uni graduate and came out to work in the corporate world. She got tired of climbing the corporate ladder and wanted to find herself. So she took off to Guatemala for 3 weeks. Hoping to find what she really wanted in life. There she met travellers who are as lost as her and did not know what they wanted to do with their lives either. Until she met a yoga instructor (who is now her boyfriend) and she opened a restaurant there and an agency helping others to look for jobs for Spanish teachers. That was 4 years ago that she left Singapore and she seems to have found her purpose in life. 

What I want to share here is this. If you want to find yourself. You do not need to leave the corporate world. Neither does it guarantee that once you leave and travel you will be able to find yourself. And I strongly disagree with the fact that travellers are lost. I have met and known travellers who know exactly why they are travelling. And travellers who are travelling to find themselves - but not lost. 

I've a full time job and in the corporate world. I face the corporate ladder and dog-eats-dog world every day. But do I know what I want to do with my life? I do. I know that this job I have now allows me to earn enough to continue travelling when I have the time. But it doesn't mean that I lose myself when I stop travelling. 

In the 9 years that I am in this full time job of mine. I travel. I travel to places that I grew up dreaming of. Never thinking they will come true one day. I travel alone. Living by the day.

Travelling opened up my eyes to the places beyond the horizon. It made me come back more appreciative of what I have and taught me things that education did not.

One of the first few places I travelled to alone.. Malacca, Malaysia.

Another one of the first few places I travelled to alone.. Taken at the foot of Mount Phousi, Luang Prabang, Laos. 

I didn't only take the less trodden path. But I splurged once in a while when I went to DisneyLand in Hong Kong. Universal Studios in Osaka. DisneySea in Tokyo. Of course with every splurge it came with a price. But have I ever regretted spending more money than what I brought over? Never. I worked so hard back home. Why shouldn't I treat myself a little better when I'm away?

With Mickey in DisneySea, Tokyo! 

I learnt to appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature. Especially when I started backpacking to The Philippines.

Kids playing on the sand bank in Batanyan Island, Cebu, Philippines. 

A 8 hours banca ride from Coron to El Nido, Philippines. 

Sunrise in Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

I made new friends along the way and hung out with them.. Just like a local. =) 

My friend and I sitting on the ledge of a waterfall in Siquijor, Philippines. 

And a family and me rafting away in Bali, Indonesia.

 I went to places that I never even dreamed of sometimes. Learning the ways as I go along. 

On top of one of the 5 peaks in Mount Hua Shan, Xi'an, China.

Floating down the Yellow River on a pig skin raft, China.

Drinking horse wine - neat - once we got down the bus in Inner Mongolia, China. 

And to fulfill my dream of getting to Tibet. I planned and on a whim. Signed up for the tour and off I went! My first destination that was crossed off my bucket list! 

Beautiful beautiful Lin Zhi, Tibet, China. 

Of course a visit and climb to the Potala Palace is a given! Lhasa, Tibet. 

Another place on my bucket list was to backpack to Sri Lanka. I love the hospitality. The people. The nature. What I didn't really enjoy was the food.. Coz I came back home and swore off Indian food for a good 9 months!

Sunrise from our 'tent' in Madulkele, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Across us was the Knuckles Range. Breathtaking!

Finally seeing the fishermen on stilts in Galle, Sri Lanka!

Just not too long ago. I took a 3 weeks break and went back to the Philippines and decided that after procrastinating for so long. It's time to pick up scuba diving. Never have I accomplished something that I'm so proud of. Till the extent that I'm thinking of doing the divemaster course too!

My Open Water session in Camiguin, Philippines.

Fish feeding in process in Batangas, Philippines.

Heading down into the unknown off White Island in Camiguin, Philippines.

And seeing a white tip reef shark so close while down under in Maldives is the icing on the cake!

I learnt. Through backpacking and staying in hostels. And through driving on road trips. I don't need to leave the corporate world to find my purpose in life. I know what I want and I go for it! 

My travel peeves..

There are many articles out there about what kind of travellers (or rather tourists..) there are. And they always ask the same things.. Asking you which category you fall in. Which type of traveller you are. So I was having dinner with a friend recently and it just struck me that wouldn't it be fun to share what kind of traveller I am? =)

Bathroom picker:

I am icky when it comes to picking accommodation that does not have attached bathrooms. And even more icky if the bathroom comes in olive green. =/ I recently tried a open dorm hostel in Siargao Philippines and after the initial shock. It really was not too bad! Coz it was clean and there was no foul smell. =) But the best (or rather more memorable one that I had was the one in Galle Sri Lanka. Where it was an open bathroom! Hahaha.. Imagine showering in the rain! =D

My bathroom in a hostel!

My outdoor bathroom in Galle! 

My outdoor bathroom in Galle! 

Cheap and good accommodations:

When I mean cheap I really mean cheap. Anything about USD$80 per night is too expensive for me. Especially if I travel alone. My cheapest stay was in the dorm (yes.. That dorm..) for USD$3.50 per night. And my most expensive was a stay in Maldives (well it was my birthday week and I wanted to pamper myself..) and it set be back about USD$150 per night. =D The best deal I had? A villa for USD$40 in Krabi Thailand! Hahaha..  I scourge for my deals by comparing (Agoda. Tripadvisor. Individual websites of the place I wanted to stay in..) and of course booking in advance. I am a solo backpacker but I do not like scrambling for accommodations at the very last minute so it has been a habit that I will always book in advance. =) the headaches it save me is tremendous.

My overwater villa in Maldives!

And the open dorm I had in Siargao!

Street food and cafes:

I am always intrigued by the street food in each place I visit. But thing is. I am very selective on the kind of street food I try. I love fried and grilled insects and so far have tried locusts. Crickets. Grasshoppers. Tarantulas (I know this doesn't count. It's not an insect.. But still.. =P). Scorpions. Tried balut in Philippines but I could not bring myself to swallow the ungrown chick. =/ Worms are not my kinda thing either. Even though I have seen people slurping up tamilok in Philippines too. *horroz*

We were trying grilled golden locusts in Beijing. 

Street food in the cold in Lhasa.

I looked damn happy for some oily/grilled/spicy food!

My favourite tempura when I'm back in Philippines.

And the tamilok that I will never ever ever try! *shudderz*

And I simply love cafes. The smell of the beans.. The aroma of freshly ground coffee. And the decor and atmosphere of most cafes. 

In Malacca!

And another also in Malacca!

Local beers:

And me being me. I love my alcohol. Mainly the beers and ciders. Best when they are served icy cold and either I am alone enjoying the place I am in. Or with my drinking kakis/travellers while we stone and catch up. =)

In Sri Lanka!

And in Phnom Penh.

A must try Cambodian beer!

Water activities:

Sometimes I wonder if I was a fish my in my last lifetime. I could never stay away from water activities for too long. And now that on my last trip 'home' (read: Philippines) I picked up scuba diving. Nothing can keep me away from it for too long. *grinz* Mainly dived in Philippines and Maldives so far. (I only clocked 19 dives since May when I got my license. And next month. I am going for more! Perhaps I can hit 25 before 2014 comes to an end!) I love white water rafting too since my first experience in Bali Indonesia. And went on to do it in Kitulgala Sri Lanka. Cagayan de Oro Philippines is famous for their waters too so I gave it a try too! 

In Maldives.

That's me! =D

In Cagayan de Oro Philippines.

Picky about who I travel with: 

And like everyone else. I have pet peeves too. I dislike travelling with people who cannot sit still and want to pack the whole day with activities. Sometimes when you are at a place where you are keen in. It is annoying when your friend is walking around you looking listless. That feeling sucks. I do not like to travel to places where most people have been. Coz after seeing/reading so much about it. It just takes the thrill out of everything. I like to go where the locals go. Do what the locals do. And I get an experience like none other.

I dislike travelling with people who are super connected to technology. Checking your phone once every hour is too much for me. Even when eating if you can't put down you phone. Then 'Thank you. (Never) see you again.' When I travel alone. I check my phone probably in the early morning when I wake up and after dinner. If not for my job. I would love to stay unconnected totally. (That's for another post.)

I love travelling with people who are super laid back and have no plans. Maybe coz I love to plan for trips. I would ask those friends I love to travel with what they want to see so I can incorporate it into my plans. Other than that. It is free flow for all. =) We wake up when we are ready. Not because we had to rush from place to place. I used to be packing my 7 days back to back with places. usually covering 3 places in a week. But after my trip to Philippines in May. I realized that probably age is catching up and staying put in the same place for 7 days isn't too bad. And that is what I am doing on my next trip 'home'. =)

I love travelling with friends who ain't sticky and enjoys doing and seeing the things I do.

So far me being the picky me. I only have 3 friends good for road trips and 2 friends for backpacking. Of course it can be 'mix and match' in a sense coz I haven't brought those 2 of those 3 road trips friends for backpacking. But we shall see. =)

What kinda traveller are you? =)

My travel burnout..

You may be curious what initiated me to write this post and come on. What has the picture of giving up gotta do with anything? Sadly. It has everything to do with how I am feeling about my travel right now. 

I am dealing with travel burnout now. Yes. You read right. Me. Talking about travel burnout. I know I know. Those who know me are in shocked. With mouths wide opened and eyes staring in disbelief. So what is travel burnout? It's when you have reached a limit of travelling and travelling is no longer top of your mind. Here are some articles describing travel burnout: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/15-signs-you-may-have-travel-burnout/1. http://www.pacsafe.com/blog/7-signs-you-may-have-travel-burnout/. 

Compared to many travellers. My trip is nothing but short for many. But for me. When my longest was to Chengdu/Tibet/Inner Mongolia/Beijing last June (19 days) and with a tour group though I was travelling solo. This is my longest trip so far. And it's to a place that was like home to me. Today is the 10th day into my 16 days trip here.

So when I left Camiguin for Cagayan de Oro. I thought it was juz that familiarity of  Camiguin and the place I was staying at and the people (Camiguin Action Geckos) that made me torn when leaving the place even though I already had plans in Cagayan de Oro.

The stay at Cagayan de Oro was not good. And I juz didn't like the vibes the room gave me. So I decided to get out and stayed out as much as possible. But there really wasn't much to do there except white water rafting and my heart and mind kept wandering back to Camiguin. =/

I was so happy to get away from that place and the almost 10 hours journey from Cagayan de Oro to Surigao was good and gave me some peace and time to think about continuing my trip. Once I got to Surigao (this was meant as an overnight stop before getting over to Siargao). The hotel (the only hotel I am staying at for this whole trip) was calling me. I juz wanted to stay in the room as much as I can and I almost refuse all calls to get out for food even (which explains me blogging now).

Many thoughts started running through my mind. Why did I choose to come here? Why did I have to leave Camiguin (okok.. So coz I booked all my accomodations thereafter and also my flight is back from Siargao to Cebu.) But still. I juz flat out refused to go see the local culture or do any island hopping or any shopping or anything. Like literally. 

I slept till 11am today and went out for postcards and mineral water and brunch (at McDonald's - craving) and I'm back holed up in my room. I juz feel tired moving about. I haven't really cramped my trip this time round with enough days at each place for rest. But it's getting to me. So I guess like what this article mentioned (http://travelista.org/332-top-three-tips-for-avoiding-travel-burnout). I juz wanna do nothing. Or rather do whatever I want: which is to rot in the room and get the day over and done with quickly.

And like what the picture quote says. Now that I kept thinking about giving up. I think back on why I started in the first place. And I guess another thing that will spike my otherwise lethargic mind and body is to look forward to more diving in the next few days. No doubt I can't stay at Kermit Surf and Dive Eco Camp but I plan to stay most of my time there. Why? The word 'dive' explains it all. No? =)

My reservation was with Paglaom Hostel and Michel from Camiguin Action Geckos was the one who suggested staying with Gianni at Kermit Surf and Dive Eco Camp. But coz Paglaom Hostel doesn't provide any food (but with kitchen to cook and all) I have a feeling that will be a place only for me to shower and sleep coz I'll be whiling away at Kermit's instead doing my Advanced Open Water course and probably even learning surfing there. And coz there's free wifi there too where Paglaom doesn't. =)

So I guess my travel burnout has somewhat subsided as today is coming to an end in another 5 hours time or so. I will juz keep myself busy with the internet. And then out for dinner. Back for completion of my last module and tomorrow will be a brand new day at Siargao!

But damn. I'm missing Camiguin so much! I will go back next year for more diving with Arno and Michele! Anyone wanna come along? =)

Question: why do I travel?

I was juz reading an article of why 'I tendered my resignation without securing the next job. Here's why I don't mind.' (Read the full article here: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/tendered-resignation-without-securing-next-033039932.html) and it evoked some thoughts in me but more related to travel then to work.

So I was wondering why do I travel as much as I do now and the reasons behind it. Initially I started travelling coz it was fun and pure fun. After a while the fun sort of died off and travelling became a journey to find myself. My independence. To detox.

1) To satisfy a craving of chicken rice balls and tako su: A day trip to Malacca with a friend. Along the way we saw super bikes and it juz made my day so much happier (I have a place in my heart for super bikes). After the dinner I was of course even happier. =)  

2) Being rebellious/adventurous.. depending which angle you are looking at: I have no bike license and whenever I mentioned about riding I had a friend who will give me that dead stare. (That was a friend who mattered most to me back then..) So knowing that I will piss him off in some way. I rode in Siquijor without a license and without a map in hand. In which I fell off 4 times off the bike and came home with scratches and bruises and burnt skin.

3) To check off my bucket list: The only place that was on the list for the longest time ever.. Tibet. Roof of the World. I went with an open mind and worried that I may not make it up the Potola Palace. But all my fears were unfounded coz I had the best time of my life. Ever.

4) Meeting new people and making new friends: On a trip to El Nido. I met and befriended a German and a couple from Russia and we are still in contact since. It's wonders how travel can bring people from such diverse background together.

5) Finding myself: Travelling with a friend I've never travelled with before who's also a solo traveller to Boracay. Each trip I embark on. I find a little more about myself and the person I lost touch with ever since I started working.

6) To get away from it all: My trip to Bali in December last year was impromptu and it was something I've never ever done before. I've never travelled on spontaneity and enjoy the process of planning. I went on a whim coz I juz wanted to get away for a little while. Hoping that coming back would bring me a fresh perspective on what is happening and how I could have done differently. But it didn't really work out that way.

7) To seek solace. Peace and inspiration: I went Kandy (Madulkele specifically) and suddenly my Chinese was all the more powerful.. (I was posting on my personal facebook page in Chinese flowery sentences.) Hahaha. The scenery took my breath away. Literally. The sunset and sunrise was awesome and the journey up was worth every single bone shattering moment. I found a peace within me that I haven't had in ages (even though I was travelling with 2 other friends) and that solace I was looking for all this time. Short lived - no doubt - but it was a time that seemed to slow down when I was there and I could breathe more easily.

All of us have different reasons for travelling. So more than others. So lesser. But whatever your reason may be. Have a good one and don't regret doing what you did! There would come a day that you will appreciate the opportunities you took. Travel is priceless. So are the memories that's etched forever.