A year on the road (and 5 months at sea) living out of my backpack, escorted by my guitar (the surfboard I had started out with I donated to Soul Surf Project in Bali) and a daypack – my world had expanded beyond the complexities of western society.
In this past year I met the most amazing people I have ever crossed paths with (besides the amazing people already in my life). I did things I have never ever dreamed of doing like hitch-hiking in Asia, catching sailing boats to cross the seas in the off-season (also known as cyclone season). I explored deserted islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean, rode motorbikes in suicidal Asian traffic and partied hard on beaches, in bars, clubs and private homes.
I slept in hammocks in the Malaysian jungle, woke up in a car park in Bangkok, did some contortioning yoga in Thailand, swam with sharks in Chagos, swam in 4,000 meters of water, saw dolphins at sunrise and sunset. Saw mind-tripping bio luminous plankton, more stars than in an astronomers wet dream and witnessed some of the most breath-taking sunsets known to man.
12 months, 10 countries, countless of adventures and that cemented feeling of never returning to a ‘normal’ life-style.
This is me for the rest of my days. Thanks to everyone that hosted me and helped me along the way. Before I start my two-year (thereabouts) hitch-hiking expedition across Africa to the Middle East, here’s a quick summary of the year gone by:
Number of Countries Visited – 10
Number of Islands Visited – 22
Number of Mountains conquered – 6
Number of Boats Sailed – 12
Number of Bodies of Water Crossed – 2 – The Timor Sea and the Indian Ocean
Furthest Distance Covered by Land – 5,400 KM (driving from Melbourne to Darwin through the Outback, Australia)
Furthest Distance Covered by Sea – 4,000 nautical miles (7,408 KM, crossing the Indian Ocean from Thailand to South Africa)
Number of Storms Encountered at Sea – 9
Number of Shitting Bricks Moments at Sea – 3
Number of Fish Caught – 5
Number of Fish Hooked but then Escaped – 8
Number of Times Hit by Flying Fish – 1
Number of Motorbikes Ridden – 8
Number of Motorbike Accidents – 3
Number of Motorbike Accidents where I was at Fault – 2
Number of Surf Spots Surfed – 6
Favourite Conservation Project – MYCAT – Tiger Conservation, Malaysia
Number of Leeches – 17
Number of Leeches that Sucked Me Dry – 3
Favourite Surf Spot – Bukka, Mossel Bay, South Africa
Number of Near-death Experiences – 3
– Any bus ride\road crossing in Asia
– Surfing Desert Point, Lombok, Indonesia
– Stung by Portuguese Man O’War in the middle of the Indian Ocean
Number of Food Poisonings – 1 (Madagascar)
Number of Jellyfish Stings – 3 (Portuguese Man O’War)
Number of Dinghies Stolen – 1 (Madagascar)
Number of Sandals Stolen – 1 (Madagascar – they were in the dinghy)
Number of Sunglasses Lost – 3 (Timor Sea and Indian Ocean)
Number of iPhones Lost – 1 (Timor Sea)
Number of Parties Attended – 31… I think
Number of Parties Remembered – 20… I think
Number of Acid Trips – 2 (Sri Lanka – trippy, South Africa – mellow)
Favourite Word for ‘thank you’ – Stoo-tie (Singahlese, Sri Lanka)
Favourite Word for ‘you’re welcome’ – Suma-suma (Indonesian)
Favourite Word for ‘sweet as’ – Lekker (Afrikaans, South Africa)
Number of Sponsors – 3 – Ticket to the Moon (Bali, Indonesia) supplying a travel hammock
North Ridge (South Africa) supplying a 65L backpack
Source (Israel) supplying hiking sandals and a 3L water bag
Favourite Alcoholic Beverage – Coconut liquor (known as Arak), Sri Lanka
Best Weed – Sri Lanka
Originally posted on The Nomadic Diaries.
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Photo Credit: Getty Images