So I was kinda half and half as to if I would do a last post after my last 'last' post, but I kinda figured that my blog has always been a travel blog, and a big BIG part of travelling is returning home! So I suppose it makes sense to write one!
Returning home is...well it's easy! You have to start again in a new country, opening up bank accounts, getting a phone number, finding a home, finding a job, and finding a social network (not a website, an actual physical 'social network')! Sweet as, I'm from England, I have two and a half of them straight away (I didn't need to open my bank accounts, just obtain new cards). But I had the main two, a house and a social network!
Returning home is easy! Returning home at first is the easiest and most excited I've ever been....at first!
It was amazing to see my parents and my sister at the airport and spend the evening with them on my return home. It was so cool to spend the following morning with my bruda and my nephew (he really can talk now, he was 2 when I left), it was amazing that Danny G got me a ticket for the Saints - West Ham game. It was so weird walking back into St Mary's, I really cannot explain that experience! It was exactly the same........exactly the same, but....uh I dunno, the whole stepping into the terraces again after so long away.....no seriously, I really think that is the only way that I can explain it! But it really was awesome to see all (well nearly all) of my ASC again! That was an awesome messy night! I forgot how cheap it is to drink in England! It was always sweet to come home to them dirty skate bastards getting relegated for a THIRD SEASON IN A ROW! Who's laughing now! Ohhhh how I hate the blue corner of Hampshire so much!
The main reason I came home when I did is for my brother's wedding, but mainly his stag! We had his stag last weekend, all I need to say about that is that he had an amazing time, and we brought home home ALIVE! Job done!
Trust me, there's still a few of you that I haven't caught up with yet, it's not cos I don't want to, it's because I haven't had the chance yet! (or cos some of you have "your reasons").
That's the thing with it all though, I have always been expecting everyone to get over me being home again way before I was used to being home. But I really didn't expect it this quick! I think I'm gonna have to get use to text messages like "oh sorry mate, we would have invited you, but I gotta get use to you being back"......uuuuummmmm, yeah maybe that's something I don't really wanna get used to! It really does feel like hard work again, with them all, but then when I actually think about it, it's exactly the same as when I left!
I can't help but think about Melissa, not like "oh I Miss her", but more along the lines of the last time I was in England, walking the exact same streets that I am again walking down, I was working, I was studying, I was excited about my travels, and I was about to reunited myself with 'the most amazing person in the world'...now I'm walling down these streets again, and I have a new and amazing someone on my mind (notice how there's no "'" over the amazing), but no plans set as of yet!
I'm hoping that this is just a case of not working, and not having a plan set, I'm hoping that once I'm back in the system and earning, and have a plan set that this will pass, but the grass really is greener!
I really miss being an hour or two from the mountains, or the islands, or the national parks. I really miss the carefree lifestyle (and I'm including Brisbane in that where I was working full time), I miss struggling with a foreign language! I miss being away from here. I miss not caring about the weather and having to get excited when the sun comes out for 5 minutes! I miss there not being an end to the night...I was home at 12:40ish tonight, and that was it, night over! I miss having an English accent (now I just have a weird Australian/American twaaaaang apparently (depending on who I speak to)). I miss people understanding that I don't get everything about where I am (Seriously I've been gone for over 2 and a half years, laws my have changed, and I get confused with what was a law in one country and not another)
I would like to point out that the whole time I was away from England, I really did miss my family, my ASC, my friends, football ((the original and only football), English dry humour, and some foods!
Aber mehr als alles, Ich vermisse dich
So, I wrote everything above about two weeks after I arrived home in England (so about the middle/end of April), after a Saturday night out in the local Botley pubs! And after I wrote it, I didn't wanna publish it, and I have edited it only a tiny bit today (not to correct it, but to make sure I could understand what I wrote when I was slightly drunk), but I thought that I should publish it, kinda sticking with what I said then, coming home is all an included part of the travelling experience, similar to now! So I thought I should publish the post above, but also include about where I am now, 3 months after getting back to England! Plus I enjoy writing this!
So I think overall, my mood is way better than it was back then, especially compared to that night! It did take me a while and the holiday blues didn't really kick in until after my brother's wedding. He got married back in the middle of May, and it was a great day, and I really loved doing my best man speech for the newly wed couple and their guests. The following day I went to the last game of the Premier League season at St Mary's as Saints could only manage a 1-1 draw with Stoke (wherever that may be), but then the Monday morning after that, the holiday blues really kicked in. Like I said, the main reason I came home when I did was because of my bro's wedding, and as soon as that was over I think the thought crossed my mind as "hang on, what am I doing here!?".....and honestly that was hard. It wasn't helped much more that one of my favourite person in the world was heading to one of my favourite locations in the world...I really did look into booking flights to New Zealand for the week after the wedding to reunite with said person in said location. But my sense got the better of me, and I started thinking more long term....(but still bearing that person in mind, just several different locations).
So since I've been home, I have been helping my brother out as he has his own plastering and decorating company, actually I think it was more him helping me out for money and to get myself out of my house. I then started working for my town's local Medical Centre, where I just filled their records......just to keep me going whilst I was looking for work. But it did give me a great chance to work on my German through the days.
I have had a couple of trips up to London since I've been home, to see an old friend from school, Luke, to see one of my Aussie friends from Brisbane, Nat, my old Australian manger, Rich (who now lives in Japan), and to see a few of my friends that I met in South America, Angela, Ruk and Clare. Twas good seeing you all again! And a fair few adventures in Southampton with my friends since I have returned, including Beer Festivals, Rat Races, Camping, BIG FIRES, Cheap Comedy Shows......etc.........etc.........etc........ And I have also been catching up with (nearly now) all family members.
I have now started working as a Test Technician for an Avionics Company after getting offered a job and starting (just for a few weeks) as a Test Technician for an underwater ROV (Remote Operated Vehicles) company, but I felt I got offered a role that would help me better my career. I've been at this company (the avionics company) for just over a week now, and I think that I'm gonna like it there.
Sorry that there's no pictures up here, but I didn't really wanna put too many on, plus it'd just be photos of people (mostly) I don't have to many of many epic English landscapes!
But since my last post, like I said, my frame of mind is better, my friends are used to having me home again, and I get included in all things again. I am down a gym and learning German to keep myself occupied in the evenings when no one is around. I do have to get used to the fact that most of my friends have partners or kids now, but I suppose that's just my age now...or friends are moving away from Southampton. It is great to be working again and earning for sure, I can commit to doing cool things again! I do still need to get my drum kit out of my loft though!
Seriously though, I still get asked the 'subject/heading' all the time! And I'm really starting to question it myself too! I haven't giving up the bug to travel, and I am really looking into heading back to Australia, but I need to wait to see how things go in September.....
......Oh, Und mein Deutsch ist viel besser.....oder........eine klein besser!
Thanks Dad for just walking in my room and giving me a close off....."I can't have been that bad of a Dad if you're listening to Pink Floyd!".......
Bring on September is all that I can say to that, und dieses - Immer noch fehlst mir, und ich kann nicht warten sehen dir und Roger Waters' The Wall
And finally hanks to all that have still be reading my blog including a lot of people from Latvia over the last month.....and myself.....I've started reading my blog from the very beginning!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Today, for the first time this year, I was able to flush my toilet paper down the toilet!
So Ilha Grande was awesome, beautiful, peaceful, but maybe not the best place
for night-life I pretty much spent two days last weekend wondering the Island on
my own. I walked from the north to the south on Saturday where I found a
secluded beach and I swam out to a smaller island. Then walked up Pico do
Papagaio (Parrot Peak) on Sunday. I was joined by a group of Brazilians half way
up. After the (about) 3 hour hike up through proper jungle, singing much Led
Zeppelin, there was so much cloud that there was no view at all, but it soon
cleared for some amazing views of the island, spending a “moment with Bob”
Leaving the island on Monday, finally headed to Rio de Janerio, my last destination of all of my travels! Whata amazing city, GO THERE! It’s been a few days, of tours, drinking, chilling, loving the amazing views. And finally the last thing I did, going for a walk in the woods (a rainforest in the middle of the city), never really setting to obtain anything, but Lisa, Ruk, Monika and I ended up reaching the top of Cristo Redentor. Whata amazing way to finish my time in Rio, and Brazil, and all my travels. Rio really has everything, huge city with a lot going on day and night, mountains, forests, beaches, not may clothes…..if I could speak Portuguese it really would be a great place to be!
Brazil was honestly amazing, and I will go back (hopefully) one day, and see a lot more of it. The people are amazing, full of character and so friendly, and it really was an amazing place to end my travels!
Sorry this update is brief but I'm a bit pushed for time, and I really wanted to get this on-line before my next flight. I've just arrived in Lisbon airport, Portugal, so I'm back in Europe for the first time in over 31 months (2 years and 7 months). 31 flights done, 1 more left - Next stop is London, England! Before heading home to Southampton!
I can’t begin to explain everything that I have experienced, but I hope that me writing this blog has given you some idea of it all. If not, at least it’s there for my memories, and I have enjoyed writing it all! I have tried to keep it ‘PG’ and clean throughout, but I have also tried to be as honest as possible. Having said that, keeping it ‘PG’; means that at times some stories or details have been missing, but some of them stories I’d be more than happy to tell / brag about in actual conversation. I have also (well at least I hope I have) tried to write in a positive way, and be pretty informative in certain areas. There has also been several jokes that have just been included for my benefit or just for a person, or a small handful of people, so I apologise (just a little) if things have not been clear or have gone over your head at times.
Most importantly though - Thank you to EVERYONE that I have had the pleasure of meeting / remeeting over all of my travels, you have ALL played a massive part in making everything so amazing, all in different ways. I can’t thank you enough for all the great memories created, the things that I've learnt or taught, the crazy epic times and adventures. To list you all would be stupid, but you know who you are. I hope I get to meet lots of you again. Thank you for showing me round your awesome countries and/or cultures, thank you for sharing these epic times with me, thanks for: making me laugh; making me smile; helping me have a better understanding; teaching me; listening to me; getting messed up with me; taking me to the hospital; the list goes on and on. And some of you I will always hold so close to me wherever I am in the world! And again, you know who you are. I miss you a lot, and I can’t lie, leaving Rhode Island so early on felt weird and wrong, leaving Australia just didn't feel right at all, and leaving New Zealand really just made me feel sick, but when you live in places for so long (or plan to, in the Rhode Island incident) and get so close to people it’s never easy! Much love goes out to all you people, and I really mean that! THANK YOU!
To pick a favourite time/occasion or to pick a favourite location/country would be impossible, so all I will say is that the last 31 months have been amazing, and all 22 countries have also all been amazing, all for their own unique reasons!
If anyone is ever thinking of travelling I’d always be more than happy to help, give advice or recommend anything, but my main advice will always be…JUST GET OUT THERE AND DO IT, why not!? You only live once!
I managed to write all the above on my flight from Rio to Lisbon, and at Lisbon airport, but (again) I was unable to post it due to internet issues! I have since arrived back in England, and I'm currently typing this in my old/current room. Last time I slept in this room was the night before I flew out to Boston to live in Rhode Island, USA. Earlier this afternoon I left Portugal and flew over France, with not a cloud in the bright blue sky (I was actually listening to Pink Floyd's 'Goodbye Blue Sky' when the called for "boarding to London"), and as I arrived over England, I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I could not see my home land below! I really was laughing out load to myself on the plane......'typical!' I haven't actually been this excited arriving in a country for a while, crossing new boarders doesn't really seem weird or daunting to me at all any more but coming home to England felt crazy! I knew I was back in England straight away due to 3 things, 1: The weather, it was spitting and cold, I haven't felt that cold for a while ("Oh, maybe I should put my jumper on" cold), 2: As soon as people got on the escalator they moved to the right, so that people (like me) can just by-pass them on the left (I love my English for that), and 3: When I went through customs (which was really really easy) I approached the Customs Officer and as I handed him my passport I asked him "Hay Buddy, how's it going?" with a response of "nhwuh"....yep, I'm back in England! And everyone has an accent here, like really, I never noticed it before!
My parents (whom I haven't seen since I left England) and my sister (who I haven't seen since she left Australia about a year and a half ago) came and picked me up from the airport. I don't think I've ever met anyone as excited as I was to get back to Southampton, seeing all the London posters made me realise I was close, but London aint quite home! Was awesome to see them all again (I have to write that, they read this). We then headed home for a chilled out evening, a few beers, a catch up, and fish and REAL CHIPS, a meal my Mum asked me about two months ago! I haven't had real chips in sooooooooooo long.
Tomorrow's catching up with my Brother and nephew, watching the Super Super Saints, and then out with the boyssssssssssssssss..................
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| The beach at Vila do Abrão, the area that we were staying |
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| Pico do Papagaio (982m tall) from a distance |
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| Arriving at Dois Rios beach after walking through the jungle |
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| I decided to swim out to this island, which turned out to be further out than I thought it was, and it also turned out to be the end of my camera |
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| The following day, half way up Pico! |
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| And the view from the top...at first! |
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| Real case of vertigo!!! |
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| Looking down on Vila do Abrão |
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| Walking all the way up and down in just my flip-flops might not have been the smartest thing that I've ever done! |
Leaving the island on Monday, finally headed to Rio de Janerio, my last destination of all of my travels! Whata amazing city, GO THERE! It’s been a few days, of tours, drinking, chilling, loving the amazing views. And finally the last thing I did, going for a walk in the woods (a rainforest in the middle of the city), never really setting to obtain anything, but Lisa, Ruk, Monika and I ended up reaching the top of Cristo Redentor. Whata amazing way to finish my time in Rio, and Brazil, and all my travels. Rio really has everything, huge city with a lot going on day and night, mountains, forests, beaches, not may clothes…..if I could speak Portuguese it really would be a great place to be!
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| Copacabana beaches, it wasn't too great weather on Monday, but still warm! |
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| Sweet sign for the hostels we were staying in! |
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| Cristo Redentor (or Christ the Redeemer) on Tuesday, not such a great view really! |
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| But it did clear. Pão de Açúcar (or Sugarloaf Mountain) in the distance |
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| Escadaria Selarón |
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| Not quite as colourful on route down! |
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| Rio at night from Sugarloaf Mountain |
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| The following morning in Rocinha (Little Farm), the biggest Favela in Latin America |
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| A.D.A - Amigos dos Amigos - Friends of Friends |
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| Bullet holes! |
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| And just like that, the favela ends, and you're in the "normal" world |
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| And the start of yesterday morning |
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| This time it was a lot clearer from the top! |
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| More monkeys on route down |
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| And the sun setting over Copacabana just before I got my shuttle to the airport, yesterday! |
Brazil was honestly amazing, and I will go back (hopefully) one day, and see a lot more of it. The people are amazing, full of character and so friendly, and it really was an amazing place to end my travels!
Sorry this update is brief but I'm a bit pushed for time, and I really wanted to get this on-line before my next flight. I've just arrived in Lisbon airport, Portugal, so I'm back in Europe for the first time in over 31 months (2 years and 7 months). 31 flights done, 1 more left - Next stop is London, England! Before heading home to Southampton!
I can’t begin to explain everything that I have experienced, but I hope that me writing this blog has given you some idea of it all. If not, at least it’s there for my memories, and I have enjoyed writing it all! I have tried to keep it ‘PG’ and clean throughout, but I have also tried to be as honest as possible. Having said that, keeping it ‘PG’; means that at times some stories or details have been missing, but some of them stories I’d be more than happy to tell / brag about in actual conversation. I have also (well at least I hope I have) tried to write in a positive way, and be pretty informative in certain areas. There has also been several jokes that have just been included for my benefit or just for a person, or a small handful of people, so I apologise (just a little) if things have not been clear or have gone over your head at times.
- From topless snowboarding in Mount Marmot Basin, Canada to snowboarding in a 'painted on bikini' up Mt Hutt, New Zealand.
- From talking with a 17 year old Novice Monk in Vientiane, Laos looking out to the sunset over Thailand to not remembering how to talk at Parklife festival in Brisbane, Australia.
- From seeing System of a Down at Soundwave in Brisbane, Australia to seeing live Peruvian flute bands all over Peru.
- From living in the mountains in Jasper, Canada to living up a mountain in Methven, New Zealand
- From waking up to natural hot pools somewhere in outback California, USA to going to sleep in a hammock under the stars on the remote beaches on Poneloya, Nicaragua.
- From working on radars that read rock movements to help predict potential land slides working as a Reliability Engineer in Brisbane, Australia to taking people out on kayaking tours to and under Haruru falls in Paihia, New Zealand.
- From partying with a load of tourists for a full-moon party on Koh Phangan, Thailand to arriving at a random festival where they plant trees in the middle of the road then partying with loads of locals with live salsa music on the streets of Chachapoyas, Peru.
- From (somehow) surviving the hecticness of Hanoi, Vietnam, to being completely remote and lost off of the beaten track on a mountain bike in a random cactus field somewhere outside San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
- From watching the Red Sox turn over the Yankees at Fenway Park, Boston, USA to watching (not that I can remember much) Queensland beat New South Wales by one point in the deciding game of the State of Origin at The Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia.
- From scrambling rocks surrounded by amazing scenery in Arthur's Pass, New Zealand, to concurring Death Road – downhill mountain biking, again surrounded by amazing scenery (not that I could look too much) near La Paz, Bolivia.
- From hiking, in just flip-flops in less than a day, a huge chunk of Abel Tasman (one of my favourite parts of the world), New Zealand, to completing the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu on a 3 day hike, near Ollantaytambo, Peru.
- From walking on frozen lakes around frozen waterfalls at night near Jasper, Canada to waking up at ‘stupid o’clock’ to climb a mountain in the dark to watch the sunrise at the peak of Mt Warning, Australia (a year ago today).
- From watching Saints lose to Rochdale 2-0 in League One in September 2010 to (hopefully) watching them beat/thrash West Ham in the Premier League tomorrow again at St Mary’s!
- From Boston, USA to Rio de Janerio, Brazil in 2 years and 7 months, covering 22 countries over 4 continuants!
- From Thursday 9th September 2010 to Friday 12th April 2013, I'm finally coming home!
- USA
- Canada
- Hong Kong
- Vietnam
- Laos
- Thailand
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Costa Rica
- Nicaragua
- El Salvador
- Honduras
- Guatemala
- Belize
- Mexico
- Peru
- Bolivia
- Chile
- Argentina
- Uruguay
- Paraguay
- Brazil
Most importantly though - Thank you to EVERYONE that I have had the pleasure of meeting / remeeting over all of my travels, you have ALL played a massive part in making everything so amazing, all in different ways. I can’t thank you enough for all the great memories created, the things that I've learnt or taught, the crazy epic times and adventures. To list you all would be stupid, but you know who you are. I hope I get to meet lots of you again. Thank you for showing me round your awesome countries and/or cultures, thank you for sharing these epic times with me, thanks for: making me laugh; making me smile; helping me have a better understanding; teaching me; listening to me; getting messed up with me; taking me to the hospital; the list goes on and on. And some of you I will always hold so close to me wherever I am in the world! And again, you know who you are. I miss you a lot, and I can’t lie, leaving Rhode Island so early on felt weird and wrong, leaving Australia just didn't feel right at all, and leaving New Zealand really just made me feel sick, but when you live in places for so long (or plan to, in the Rhode Island incident) and get so close to people it’s never easy! Much love goes out to all you people, and I really mean that! THANK YOU!
To pick a favourite time/occasion or to pick a favourite location/country would be impossible, so all I will say is that the last 31 months have been amazing, and all 22 countries have also all been amazing, all for their own unique reasons!
If anyone is ever thinking of travelling I’d always be more than happy to help, give advice or recommend anything, but my main advice will always be…JUST GET OUT THERE AND DO IT, why not!? You only live once!
I managed to write all the above on my flight from Rio to Lisbon, and at Lisbon airport, but (again) I was unable to post it due to internet issues! I have since arrived back in England, and I'm currently typing this in my old/current room. Last time I slept in this room was the night before I flew out to Boston to live in Rhode Island, USA. Earlier this afternoon I left Portugal and flew over France, with not a cloud in the bright blue sky (I was actually listening to Pink Floyd's 'Goodbye Blue Sky' when the called for "boarding to London"), and as I arrived over England, I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I could not see my home land below! I really was laughing out load to myself on the plane......'typical!' I haven't actually been this excited arriving in a country for a while, crossing new boarders doesn't really seem weird or daunting to me at all any more but coming home to England felt crazy! I knew I was back in England straight away due to 3 things, 1: The weather, it was spitting and cold, I haven't felt that cold for a while ("Oh, maybe I should put my jumper on" cold), 2: As soon as people got on the escalator they moved to the right, so that people (like me) can just by-pass them on the left (I love my English for that), and 3: When I went through customs (which was really really easy) I approached the Customs Officer and as I handed him my passport I asked him "Hay Buddy, how's it going?" with a response of "nhwuh"....yep, I'm back in England! And everyone has an accent here, like really, I never noticed it before!
My parents (whom I haven't seen since I left England) and my sister (who I haven't seen since she left Australia about a year and a half ago) came and picked me up from the airport. I don't think I've ever met anyone as excited as I was to get back to Southampton, seeing all the London posters made me realise I was close, but London aint quite home! Was awesome to see them all again (I have to write that, they read this). We then headed home for a chilled out evening, a few beers, a catch up, and fish and REAL CHIPS, a meal my Mum asked me about two months ago! I haven't had real chips in sooooooooooo long.
Tomorrow's catching up with my Brother and nephew, watching the Super Super Saints, and then out with the boyssssssssssssssss..................
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| I'm home, what more can I say?!!!!! |
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