Ryszard Kapuściński, Polish reporter said once:

“A journey, after all, neither begins in the instant we set out, nor ends when we have reached our doorstep once again. It starts much earlier and is really never over, because the film of memory continues running on inside of us long after we have come to a physical standstill. Indeed, there exists something like a contagion of travel, and the disease is essentially incurable.”

I got this disease a long time ago and I don’t think there is any cure for it. 🙂  It is a sickness which doesn’t allow you to stay in one place for long, there is always a rush for discovering new places, going somewhere constantly.

For me travelling is an important factor of my life. It is not about crossing every touristic attraction from the list, staying in the 5-star hotels and drinking fancy cocktails in front of the pool. Of course – sometimes you just have to get crazy, especially while travelling.  When there is no commitment, you don’t have to think about tomorrow and there is no job to be done. And sometimes you have to treat yourself and spend a day or two in front of the swimming pool.  But to get familiar with the country, with the real face, you have to get to know the locals – their culture, their habits and their day-to-day life.  It is about simple conversations, sharing time together, celebrations and sometimes it is just simply about exchanging smiles, gestures and energy.

That is the most important for me – meeting different types of people along the way. People who inspire me, sometimes teach how to be flexible and more tolerant and sometimes give me a friendship for life and beautiful memories.

My last trip around South East Asia was full of beautiful, magic moments and amazing people crossed our paths. Travelling with every possible form of public transport. Hiking in Sagada in the Philippines. Drinking beer until the wee hours on the beach near the Mekong in Luang Prabang. Staying in the beautiful countryside in Laos, surrounded by amazing people. Drinking snake vodka. Swimming in the waterfall near Luang Prabang while there is nobody else around but us. Driving scooters on the crazy roads in Chiang Mai. Cooking with a family in a Cambodian village. Climbing the mountain and admiring the sunset in the monastery on the top of the hill in Myanmar. Trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake. Cycling around Inle Lake and drinking wine in the local winery. Climbing pagodas in Old Bagan, waiting for sunrise and sunsets and being a celebrity there where every Burmese person wanted a picture with us and it was turning into a full photo session! 🙂 So many wonderful memories that it is difficult to count.

I hope you will enjoy my journey as much as I enjoyed it. Hopefully my posts will help you to answer some questions before heading for your life trip or maybe will inspire and encourage you to pack your bag and go somewhere where you have never been before? Our World is full of undiscovered treasures and wonders so go and explore! I came back to Ireland and have to anchor here for a while but soon enough I will start planning another adventure. 🙂