Nomadic Notes Newsletter: May 2011

Wrapping up eight months in Asia

Where I’m At: Kuala Lumpur

After eight months of travel in Asia I find myself back where I started in Kuala Lumpur. What an incredible eight months it has been. Two months in China, a month in India and three months in Thailand, punctuated by many visits to Malaysia, including Borneo for the first time.

There were so many highlights along the way, but I will resist turning this post into a best of (though now would a good excuse to show a picture of a Giant Panda from my visit to Chengdu).

I kind of had a plan for the eight months, but like all good plans, that went out the window early on. My plan for a year in China was not to be after I couldn’t get a one year tourist visa. From China I was going to spend three months in Borneo. I may end up doing that yet, as this island had me the moment I arrived. In my first week there I had the privilege to attend a local wedding in Sabah, which included getting dressed up in traditional attire. Borneo was that kind of place for me.

[Dusun wedding party – Sabah]

My three months in Borneo was truncated to three weeks as I decided to spend Christmas with people I know in Chiang Mai. That was the biggest surprise of this trip. I didn’t think I would be back in Thailand this time around, but the Travel Gods had other plans. After Christmas I was then lured back by a coffee tour, and the fellowship of working nomads living in Chiang Mai kept me on. Spending some living time in Chiang Mai got me thinking that I could possibly base myself there in the future.

[With my Chiang Mai coffee dealers from Akha Ama Coffee.]

Now I am back in KL, catching up on some work before going back to Melbourne this week, where I will be returning as a visitor. When I left in September, I left a house I had been living in off and on since 2001. While I have been travelling as a working nomad since 2003, this is the first time I have travelled without a fixed address. With no current abode in Melbourne, this is just a two week visit to see family and friends, and to sort out some business administration.

After Melbourne I will be heading to Hawaii for eight days, which happened to be the first place I went to overseas. From Hawaii I then make my way to Vancouver for the TBEX travel bloggers meetup. I attended TBEX in New York last year and met so many wonderful people that I knew I would have to return. Having the conference in Vancouver was a great selling point as well, a city which I hear nothing but rave reviews for. I will also include Seattle and Portland in this trip. From there, more will be revealed :).

So it’s my last week in SE Asia, and I am in KL eating everything I possibly can before I go. I’m going to miss this part of the world.

[Tosai Masala and Teh Tarik in KL.]