On the application for Australian Residency, they ask for a list of every country you have been in the last 10 years including the exact dates. Using an obligatory excel spreadsheet to conquer the task, I was surprised how I quietly racked up an impressive list of destinations and duration in foreign lands. I didn't really start travelling globally until 2010, age 25, when I went to Europe on a 10 day blitz. Since then, its been non stop.
2014 was my most nomadic year yet.
I travelled to Indonesia 5 times. I spent more time in Indonesia than America
this year. I speak better Bahasa than
Spanish (5 years study in high school).
I feel about 1/64 Indonesian.
I ticked off two new countries for 2014, which also happen
to be world class destinations: Japan
and New Zealand. Tokyo is ridiculously
clean and efficient. The south island is
an outdoor wonderland.
And my obligatory trip back to the USA. 3 weeks of continuous movement visiting 6
great American cities: Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Dallas, Austin, and
iconic Elko Nevada.
I explored Australia’s southwest again and again and again. The most under-rated, serene place in the
Australia? The world?
35 Flight Legs = Super tight psoas muscles = ridiculous
injury rate = questioning my sleep deprived travel habits
I slept (aka laid awake for hours on hard floors) at
airports. I showered at airports. I know
the best toilets to use and the places to go run and the lockers to put my
belongings. Embrace the long layover.
Numbers and stats aside, I met so many great people who literally
made the destinations memorable. Without
them, every single trip would have had far less meaning. Quite simply, the majority of the travel memories are People related vs. site/scene/guidebook hotspot.
I feel like I missed out on some locally sourced fun and
friends here in Western Australia. And I
am not the most well rested person now…but I have had 2 months off and ready to go to Myanmar in
February. 2015 adventures start.
2014 Travels in chronological order:
Jakarta, Indonesia. Population:
lots, Traffic: Sucks, 4 hours to cover 50 km. Jakarta isn't too high on my list of places I
want to visit. I had a reason to be
there- having no responsibility or obligation to anyone or anything, this was a
chance to surprise a friend for her Birthday.
I got to stay with her family and experience life as a local battling
J-town’s smog, people, flood waters and traffic. It is always quite refreshing to see four
generations all living in the same small neighbourhood. Family and friends are important. Apparently January is the wet season in
Indonesia. I learned that as I waded
through a flooded side street from Linda’s family house to catch the DAMRI bus. There are a lot of big malls too. That is the thing to do: go to malls and
drink JCo coffee. The park in the middle of Jakarta is fun.
Japan. Season- winter, Pre-emptive Planning- none
except 7 days Japanese Rail Pass, Time – 7 days but wish I had 3 weeks. Japan is an easy place to recommend for
travel. People, food, culture, transportation
infrastructure and cleanliness make it an unassuming, yet enriching
experience. I was stranded in Nagano
because snow bombarded the rail line.
Luckily, I met a Japanese woman who navigated language barriers. She took me out to eat some Ramen at a place I
would never venture into alone.
Apparently, you are supposed to slurp and suck the ramen down
loudly. The guy next to me was so
ferocious in his execution that I could not stop laughing. I regained my composure and tried my hardest
to match his pitch and timbre but failed.
Hopefully, I will get back there to try again. I have to mention capsule hotels. They are basically a 3 ft x 3ft hole in the
wall 6 ft deep. They have a curtain for
privacy and a mini tv (I caught up on Olympic Games coverage of the Women’s
Japanese Curling). I stayed in two
different capsule hotels. One was more
of a hostel style for backpackers ($15) and the second place was an upscale
male only hotel catering to Japanese business men in the Shinjuku neighbourhood
of Tokyo ($40). The second place was
unusual for me and overpriced because I didn't properly utilize all the
amenities. It was a place to be pampered
and relax. When you check in they give
you a robe to wear and two lockers: one to put your shoes in before you enter
the main area (Japanese always take off shoes before entering any main living
area- the only time I heard anyone raise their voice was when I walked into a
room with my shoes still on) and one for all you clothes when you enter. Most guys were walking around in the robes or
naked. There was a tv lounge with big
reclining chairs, Onsens (hot water spas), massage centre, shaving/grooming
room, and a massive dark room with futons you could sleep on if for some reason
you didn't want to retire to your capsule.
Tokyo is crazy clean for the largest city in the world. Kyoto is beautiful but I only had like 2
hours to explore. The mountains and
countryside are beautiful. 90 years olds
shovel snow. People are so
friendly. Japanophile.
Albany, Western
Australia. The quintessential long
weekend Western Australian road trip is to go “Down South”. South generally means the surfing and wine hotspot
loosely defined as Margaret River and its surrounding area. My long weekend trip took me from Perth to Albany
via Margaret River. This route can be
covered in 3 days. I did some salmon
fishing, chocolate tasting, tree climbing and beach hopping. The water is brisk but the beaches on the
southern ocean are the best I have seen.
I went in April during Salmon season.
I pulled my salmon in at Shelly Beach west of Albany:
Bali, Indonesia. Bali is a great destination for the hesitant
tourist wanting to try out Indonesia. I
prefer to go to other lesser travelled parts of Indo (see below). My plan on travel lately is to go somewhere
because there is someone or something specifically I want to see or do (a race,
an event, a course). Or if I find a
great flight deal (Japan). The purpose
of this trip was to do a wilderness first First Responder course at the Green
School. The Green School itself is an
impressive place to visit. A half hour
drive from Ubud, the progressive k-12 school for expat and local children is made
entirely out of Bamboo. I attended class
during the day, and then spent evenings exploring around Ubud via a 1-2 hour
run. I laced up the shoes every night for
a jaunt through rice fields. The Campuhan
Ridge walk (near the Ibah hotel) is a great place to run during the cooler
sunset hours. Local teenagers typically
hang out there at night to do things but always smile and try to take photos as
I run past. One night, I veered off my
normal Campuhan Ridge route and stumbled upon a lone pavilion in a rice
field. Loud music was playing so I went
to explore. It was an international Hula
Hoop Convention with 150 girls in sports bras (and a handful of dudes, not in
sports bras) performing in front of their peers. That “run” lasted nearly 3 hours but my watch
was frozen at 27 minutes- the time it took for me to stumble upon this “gem in
the jungle”. It was the first and only time
in my life I was asked the question: “Do you hoop?” The expat Green School teachers lamented when
I told them the story: “That is so Ubud”.
It has that mystical, hippie feel where women come to do soul searching
and pamper themselves (Eat Pray Love- I have not read yet but takes place in
Ubud). I partook in my own pampering by
getting a Balinese massage. Matteo, a 21
year old Italian convinced me to go with him.
He argued that we had to try it because we are in Indonesia and it’s
what people do here. We have to
experience the true culture he pressed.
Normally, I feel uncomfortable doing massages and this time was no
different. But at a $5 price point, I had
nothing to lose economically so I rationalized it in my mind. Besides, travel is about getting out of your
comfort zone. We each changed into the
black “whity tighty” style underwear and stood awkwardly in the candlelit
lounge together waiting for the masseuse to guide us each into our respective
room. The girls came and led us both
into the same room with two massage tables a soccer balls width apart. It was a couple’s massage. We were like “No No No” but they didn’t understand
so the manager came and basically laughed at us as if to say you silly immature
boys but gave us each a private room.
Later in Lombok, I went again with my co-worker- that time they put us in
the same room but was separated by a curtain so we could still talk but not
having to look at each other oiled bodies.
I always meet out of place characters people on the street in Ubud. I feel like the world meets in Bali whether
it is a successful Ukrainian Lawyer dressed like 60’s hippie dancing to local
music or the 20 something South African vagabond flying home the next morning
after 3 full years on the road.
Esperance, Western
Australia. If Margaret River is the
quintessential 3 day weekend trip from Perth, then Esperance would be the top
choice for a weeklong road trip. Stops
along the way can include Albany and the seemingly out of place Stirling range
where you can experience alpine environments and snow if you get lucky. I went in July, when whales put on a display
at Point Anne in Fitzgerald River National Park just 200 meters off shore. Then finally got to Esperance and beyond to
Cape Le Grand National Park for camping and kangaroos on the beach. Hardly anyone was there because it was winter
and so “cold”. But even in summer this
wonderland has been surprisingly empty. Someone
then complained that Lucky Bay was awful because of all the seaweed on the
Beach. I didn’t notice until they said
that – maybe I was too focused on the dozen kangaroos on the beach hopping
around 3 feet away. My conclusion is
that the stretch of coast between Margaret River and Esperance is unspoilt
playground with some of the best beaches in the world. Ok- the water is cold though.
Lombok, Indonesia. In August I went to Lombok to run a race;
I got much more than that. I ran the
Mount Rinjani Ultra. Midnight start, 52
km with an absurd 5,200 meters of vertical gain, active volcano. The times seemed ridiculously slow to me at
over 14 hours in 2013. How hard could it
be? I thought I would easily run under
10 hours. I was wrong. It took me nearly 13 hours. It was hard, really hard but awesome. The feeling I had running down Rinjani at
sunrise knee deep in ash and dust left me grinning ear to ear. I was running completely unconstrained as
fast as I possible could down an active volcano at sunrise knee deep in ash and
dust. That moment erased 3 years of
personal struggle and doubt about my dedication running. It made the long toil worth it. It’s funny how in a good race or good feeling
during a race can justify years of running doldrums. I hope to return in 2015 but I am not sure
the stars will line up for me. It may
spoil the feeling 2014’s race gave me (and I don’t know my work schedule). I have more to write about this one, for now
it is jotted down on loose sheets of paper until I am ready to post it
here. I met so many great people who
were eager to learn more about my training and trail running in general. There is a great community at Trail Runners
Indonesia who is opening the door to trail running in the country. It is great to see. Besides Rinjani, my co-worker in Mataram chauffeured
me around the island which is basically just a less crowded version of
Bali. There are some awesome spots like
Gili Nanggu and Senggigi Sunset restaurants but I feel pretty content with my
coverage of Lombok. Sumbawa island seems
like the natural new frontier for me.
United States of
America. Los Angeles, Pittsburgh,
Seattle, Nevada, Dallas. I am
running out of energy to keep typing.
There is so much to say about this trip that I can’t really sum it
up. Mostly, though it was about catching
up with old friends and family. I even
got to spend my 29th Bday with family.
Yogyakarta, Java,
Indonesia. 8 days after landing in
Australia from my crazy America trip, I hopped on another plane headed to Jogja
(Yogyakarta) in Central Java for another Trail Race. This time it was the 60 km Mesastila
Challenge Ultra. The Trail Runners Indo guys
put on some sinister races. I think this
one had like 4,200m of vertical and naturally an 11pm start. We ran though rice fields and villages in
middle of the night while locals standing next to bonfires cheered us on. Actually, they just stood there silently and
watched us run by as if they had just seen an alien spaceship. Trail running is still a new sport in
Indonesia so I am always encouraged by their beginner enthusiasm towards
everything trail running. I felt ok for
the first two hours, then stomach pain set in and I was in damage control
mode. Maybe it was all the travel the
past month or just lack of fitness or something I ate but whatever the reason
it made or a long outing. It was still a
great cultural experience for me. My
favourite part of the race was running on the narrow Andong peak ridgeline at
3am dodging all the tents and bonfires and teenagers strumming guitars and
singing. My Second favourite part was
the ridiculous first climb while running up a knife edge footpath a piece of dental
floss thin white ribbon was the only thing preventing a shear 300 foot fall off
the mountain. I also met some great
people at this one. Trail running is a
global community and it always amazes me who I meet at these races.
Mount Bromo, Java. Ok, One last time to Indonesia during
2014 for yet another trail race race. I
was scheduled to run the 100 km to get 3 UTMB points but dropped it back. I was having mid leg thigh pain since
Mesastila race a few weeks earlier. I
thought was another femoral stress fracture so made the decision to drop to
30km and jog it. Bromo is awesome. The scenery is unparalleled except to maybe the moon. The 30 km edition skirts the Caldera and
before climbing to the crater rim. I
made a wrong turn and kept running along the rim giving me sweeping
views of the valley and smells of sulphur.
At the race, I met more great people and some familiar faces from
previous events. Thanks Indonesia trail
runners for a great year. And congrats
to my buddy Luc for the 100km W.
New Zealand, South
Island. My brother and his wife were
on holiday there so I finally had a good reason to go (ahem). I hired a car for 8 days, no itinerary. Christchurch to Queenstown. Queenstown to up the West Coast. West Coast back to Christchurch. Like Australia, there are hardly any New
Zealanders there. Everybody is from
somewhere else. Queenstown Rocks. Routeburn was the best hike I did on the
island. I love the Mount Cooke area but
needed some more time to get off the beaten path. The weather also limited those opportunities. I got stranded by Landslides twice which led
to unexpected encounters with some interesting people. Most notably was the French chemical-nuclear
engineer also sleeping in his car around the South Island. I asked some questions about his job and he
about my job. We came to the conclusion
that even in highly specialized jobs like open cut mining and nuclear reactor
energy generation, there is still a comically large amount of technical
knowledge we don’t know in our niche field.
The next day after chatting with my Nuclear Buddy, I touched a glacier
and hiked in the rainforest on the same day.
New Zealand is diverse as heck and obviously 8 days was not enough time,
but better than no time. It is expensive
there too. I paid over $2 per litre of
petrol. I gotta get back here now that
fuel prices plummeted.
Whew. That’s it for
2014.
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