I have been waiting for an opportunity to attend this festival since I was a child. When I heard earlier on this year that it takes place in November, the same time that I am in Thailand, I couldn’t believe my luck. Finally, I could go. Loy Krathong and Yi Peng coincide with each other (as … More Loi Krathong and Yi Peng, The Thai Festival of Letting Go
Kanchanaburi was everything I wanted it to be and more. Turns out escape from Bangkok was exactly what I needed. The girl I had arranged to meet, Sophie, met a guy on the train also on his way there. He checked into the same hostel as us and together, along with our room-mate, as four … More How Kanchanaburi Cured My Blues
I’m glad I made the decision to start in Bangkok, somewhere I have already been before. I was so scared; expecting culture shock, confusion and fear but the bustling chaos of this sprawling metropolis just feels so familiar to me and it makes me smile. I first came to Thailand nearly ten years ago and … More Six Things My First Two Days in Bangkok Reminded Me About Thailand
I flew yesterday. No, Thursday. Somehow I have lost a day to crossed time zones. I flew the other day on my first big solo mission. On the 5 November I woke up at 0530am and could not breathe. The day consisted of panic, packing and a hangover that I did not deserve from the … More New Chapters Start Here. Journey One: Outbound. From LHR to BKK
As you may have read in my earlier post, I am volunteering at Sepilok orang-utan sanctuary in Borneo next year. Fundraising is well underway. I pledged to walk 87 miles of the South West Coast Path from Bude to Chapel Porth, Cornwall, in 5 days. And I did it! Well…. almost. My friend, Amanda, was coming … More From Bude to Chapel Porth: 87 miles in 5 days
As you may have gathered from a previous post, I booked my flight. I leave on Bonfire Night. November 5 at 22:30. Heathrow to Bangkok. One way. New chapters start here. ‘Make the choice adventurous stranger, strike the bell and bide the danger or wonder ’til it drives you mad, what would have happened if … More The Countdown Begins…
Today, I am only excited. Well, that’s a lie. Let’s say I am teetering the balance on the fence between fear and excitement, but today, three limbs are on the side of excited. If you read this blog you will know, this doesn’t happen often. Normally, I am panic, apprehension and over-analysis; feet firmly planted … More I Have Finally Found my Excitement
So I moved in with a child. Why?! You might ask. Because location was class, rent was a steal and it’s only for two months. Why?! I am asking. Repeatedly. I am terrible with children. I totally underestimated how hard it would be and how I would have to compromise my personal and social life … More Home-sweet-Home?
It’s often the case that when you establish yourself in one place, you are overtaken by a lethargic reluctance to discover its surroundings. As if just because you live there, the seduction of nearby places gets lost and we look instead at faraway destinations for excitement. I am fortunate enough to be a long-standing resident … More Keep the Discovery-Fire Alive
I had a bit of a melt down yesterday. I owe this to the fact that I have now reached the “three-months-to-departure” date and I have so much still to do. Recently, this has started weighing heavily in my mind and I have had so much swimming around in my head, that it has all … More Fundraising Related Panic
Jet-setter Jones 