I am travelling for around 6 months in the new year, and I wanted to post a few details here because it would be great to:
- Hang out with any of you who might live in/be visiting India, Nepal and SE Asia.
- Hear any recommendations about places to visit/avoid. Horrifying/hilarious stories welcome.
- Be given any contacts you might be kind enough to share.
I've had a busy year with a few things now coming to a neat end, and this is one reason for the extended getaway. Another reason is that I want to see what daily life is like in the other half of the globe. Finally (and primarily), I am also travelling with the aim of attaining an actual freedom... returning a free man! It's a short period for sure, but I don't see any reason not to be ambitious.
I land in Thiruvananthapuram (South India) at the start of January, and will be working through Kerala for 6 - 7 weeks, probably ending up in Goa. From there I'll fly to Delhi and then into Nepal. I have a few free days in Kathmandu before heading off trekking the Everest region with a group from 24th Feb to 15th Mar. On 21st Mar I land in Bangkok and have no plans from then on, except the intention to see Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, spending 3 - 4 weeks in each. If it gets to too wet I might skip one of the four and head further East to Indonesia or the Philippines.
It's a very rough and open itinerary at the moment, which I like.
I'm mostly interested in lazily trekking through natural landscapes: rainforests, hills, mountains, beaches. I might do some diving and rock climbing as there seem to be too many great locations to miss out on these activities. I'm not particularly interested in cultural landmarks, but will probably still see a few big ones. Although these kinds of areas are my preference I will also be in and out of big cities, and will be in all kinds of areas so I'm not particularly fussed about that. What I am more fussed about is travelling lightweight (I'm taking one 28l pack for the trip) and living cheap, so I'll mostly be in guest houses.
If you are looking for something in return for tips, contacts and accommodation, I am a trained massage therapist, a black belt in ninjutsu, and an arhat (meaning 4th path - an arhat in the way that MCTB and the DhO uses the term) so I'd be happy to ease your aches and pains, show you how to cause aches and pains very quickly, and help you get enlightened! I would of course be particularly interested in meeting anyone working towards/living in an actual freedom.
There is a vague idea in my head about continuing on to Australia and possibly even North America, which I'm sure would open up a lot more opportunities, but I'll post about that nearer the time if it looks likely.
Any advice, offers or ideas would be very welcome!