On Travel

This blog is suppose be about my life in Aceh, but as I browse through the posts in the past few months, seems like more entries have been about life on the road versus happenings in Banda Aceh.

I've done quite a bit of traveling the last 11 months, probably the most concentrated period of traveling ever in my life (I do work hard for my job!) This morning, while I was reading on the beach of Sabang, I came across this passage in Paulo Coelho's The Pilgrimage that really hit home:

When you travel, you experience, in a very practical way, the act of rebirth. You confront completely new situations, the day passes more slowly, and on most journeys you don't even understand the language the people speak. So you are like a child just out of the womb. You begin to attach much more importance to the things around you because your survival depends upon them. You begin to be more accessible to others because they may be able to help you in difficult situations. And you accept any small favor from the gods with great delights, as if it were an episode you would remember for the rest of your life.

At the same time, since all things are new, you see only the beauty in them, and you feel happy to be alive.

Here's my list of places to see before I'm done here:

• Eastern Malaysia - Sarawak and climb Mt. Kinabalu
• Laos - Valley of Jars and Luang Prabang
• Myanmar - Yangon and Bagan
• Cambodia - Angkor Wat
• New Zealand - Hobbit Land :)
• Australia - Uluru, Australian Open
• Train from Singapore to Changmai (via KL, Penang, Langkawi, Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok)
  

As you can see, I've defintely got the travel bug and always looking for travel buddies.

Ok. I promise, will write more about Aceh from now on. Gotta pack my bag, going to Lhokseumawe tomorrow morning.