Jet-setter Jones

For the longest time I didn’t want to tell you, I have decided to re-plan my route. Initially, I was due to start in Japan: Tokyo to Kyoto, Okinawa, Osaka. Fly on to Seoul, South Korea and then to China. Spend a month in China, trekking the Great wall, perhaps even hit up Mongolia and Tibet whilst I was in the vicinity.

This scared the bajeezus out of me. And so I chickened out.

Then I guilt tripped myself for a long time thinking that this went against my pact with myself.

Then I reminded myself that:

1.       Despite my new pact with myself, I do have an anxiety disorder and I need to embrace that and accept what it means for me.

2.       I am new to this whole travel thing. This is my first big trip and I am not a seasoned traveller by any stretch of the imagination.

As much as this trip is about challenging myself, it is also about enjoying myself. I am going in order to have the time of my life not the fright of my life; I need to ease myself in.

So instead, I am going to initially head somewhere more on the beaten track. Start in Thailand: First stop Bangkok and then head North to Chang Mai and Pai. I plan to be in Cambodia (with one of my best friends who owns Easy Tiger, a lush and friendly little bungalows-style hostel on Koh Rong Samloem) by Christmas. Stay there until my birthday at the end of January and then move on, hoping to have gained some friends and some confidence to go it alone or with new found companions.

Japan, Korea and China will still be waiting for me when I am a more seasoned and experienced nomad and until then, I can build up the confidence and spend two important occasions (which could otherwise be very lonely) with my beautiful friend who I won’t have seen for nearly 3 years by then.

Goodbye, Shitsureeshimasu,  失礼します for now Japan, we WILL meet along the road.