 Day 40: Does this whet your appetite? |
Tell me: what have you always wanted to do? Where have you wanted to go? Why aren’t you doing it now?
If you’re here, traveling the world is probably something on your mind. Maybe it’s amazing and unreal, almost unattainable, but let me tell you that it’s not. Whether you want to enjoy your holidays in Spain or journey to the farthest reaches of the Amazon jungle, I believe you can do it, just as much as I believe I’ll complete my 10 before 30 plan. But, why, you ask? Why would you want to change your life for the goal of travel?
Read on, reader, and trust that this post is just as delicious as that pack of Tim Tams in my daily photo.
My pal Anna Jura has finally started a blog of her own to document her tales of life in Cambodia for the next 3 months. I was reading her initial post and loved the imagery presented, capable of making almost anyone jealous of her adventures, especially me.
I am writing to you from the 3rd floor balcony of my guesthouse in Phnom Penh, kicking back on a ramshackle wicker chair, my feet balanced precariously on a table. A can of icy cold Beer Lao sits next to me and the sounds of the backpacker ghetto waft up from below “want tuk tuk lady? where you go?”.
Beer Lao, Anna? I bet you paid less than 50 cents for that beer.
From the left blares Khmer pop music and from the right streams a classical soundtrack (currently the 1812 Overture, go figure). The mosquitos join in the chorus with their annoying buzz; car horns clash with crying children. It’s a daily battle of the airwaves that will be familiar to you if you have travelled much in Asia.
Only from a world so different to what I live in now could the harmonious discord of bugs and cars make me green with envy, but what really got me was Anna’s description in our Skype chat of a life much “lighter” than home. Have you felt that light and airy freedom travel brings?
Did I tell you about the time I woke up with the jungle? I sat on top of Temple IV in Tikal, watching the sunrise change from dark blue to purple and then to pink before it finally became real light. The sounds of sleepy animals slowly coming to life intensified with every color change, almost as if one animal were the official wake-up call for another. At one stretch of time the birds would call from their lower-left region of the jungle below us, or fly across the rainbow-streaked sky. At another, the trees to the right of us would rustle as howler monkeys presented themselves for their morning duties. The minutes were meditative; I sat there with a giant group of people, in silence, for a little less than an hour, with no cell phone, no stress, no worries, no where else in the world to be except for right there in that very moment in the jungle of Guatemala.
Consider your travel appetite whetted.
Firstly, you have great taste in Tim Tam flavours – classic dark FTW
Secondly, thanks for the shout-out. It’s funny that we both used the word “lighter” to describe what it was like when we are travelling. I’m curious to see if/how that changes over the next three months. I know it’s different being in a first-world country like Aus but isn’t that how you felt when you first got there? Maybe it’s just the novelty of a new place.
Thirdly, you totally made me want to get out into the jungle! you should do more narrative/descriptive writing like that . I don’t see it much on your blog, or maybe I’m not looking hard enough….direct me next time we chat.
Yeah, the dark Tim Tams are AMAZING… but probably not a good idea to have around the house….
I think part of the “lighter” feeling is the novelty of a new place, but I think it also has something to do with — well a lot actually. Like here in Oz, I never really felt light… I was stressed from the moment I landed, having to find an apartment and job immediately and then worry about if Pat wanted to see me or not. To this day, it is very stressful, and I think money has a lot to do with it. I worry about bills and all that stuff bc it is all so expensive here. If I were in a cheaper place, I wouldn’t think about normal life expenses as so much of a stress. Also, everyone speaks English, so there’s no shield of “real life” knowledge that comes by not understanding what is happening around me? If that makes sense?
And yes, get out in the jungle! Although, are the jungles of Cambodia safe? Landmines?
As for narrative… no I don’t do it much, but I have done it in bits and pieces. Here’s a post I enjoy: http://brookevstheworld.com/learning-like-a-child-host-family-flashback-part-2/
haha – I like the post – awkward turtle.
Yeah, I know what you’re saying about your life in Aus. It is really different when you don’t have to worry about the finances as much. It definitely equates to more stress and less comfort with sitting about soaking up culture, when the voice in your head says you should be earning money to pay the bills.
Bring on the visa and your work rights!
Traveling is one of those things that you can get addicted too, just like food
For me thinking about coming trips brings pretty much the same effect as thinking about those timtams in the photo 
I think I’ll get myself to Coles around the corner and grab a packet 
Yeah, definitely! I know the feeling you are talking about, and… did you buy some Tim Tams?
Successfully whetted.
This post succeeded…. but mostly whetted my appetite for Tim Tams! OMG I miss them so much. I was a bit of an addict while living in New Zealand…
The dark chocolate Tim Tams are by far the best thing on Earth