Excitement…

It feels like forever ago that we went on our trip to Italy but the excitement is growing for our impending trip to Singapore and Hong Kong.

Eight months doesn’t sound like a lot between trips, but as you know my life over the past two decades has seen me travel up to 8 or 9 times per year…

I truly realize that this is a first world issue and that I have been so fortunate to be able to travel and explore both so frequently, but also so broadly over that time.

Since being retrenched in July and starting my photography business, it’s been a full time job setting up and building my business so travel and exploration on a national or international scale has been curtailed, and therefore taken a back seat.

Fortunately for us we had booked and paid for our trip to Singapore and Hong Kong back in March and so here we are only days away from leaving.

Judy hasn’t been to either location so it will be super exciting for her to visit and explore.  I’m also looking forward to acquainting myself to both of these beautiful cities once again after a hiatus of a couple of years.

My mate Rodney and his family are going to meet up with us in Singapore as he now lives in Kuala Lumper (Malaysia).

He and I shared a house when we both lived in Darwin and both taught PE, although that was a lifetime ago, but it will be great to see them again.

I was lucky enough to catch up with him and his family during a trip I took to Bali in 2018, but it will be great to introduce them all to Judy while exploring Singapore.

As a traveller and explorer, the excitement always becomes palpable about a week out from the trip, although I won’t pack until the night before there are always aspects of the trip running through my mind.

In fact, earlier today I went through my travel books and pulled out the ones for both cities so reacquaint us with some ideas of places to go and see.

I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about travel that is such an important part of who I am but the satisfaction and excitement I get when I’m on the road exploring is boundless…

Perhaps it’s the stories I read as a boy of far-off lands, full of adventure and intrigue or the fact that we were too poor to go on any trips, but whatever the catalyst was it projected me to far end of the spectrum when it comes to travel.

I simply can’t get enough of it…

The travel journalist side of me wants to understand the destination from a local’s perspective and find the unique, off the beaten track aspects to a city or country that make it unique and indeed special.

The best way I’ve found to do this is immerse yourself and spend time absorbing the vibe of the people and their way of life.

As an example, when in Hong Kong we won’t spend too much time visiting the well know tourist areas, but more likely the back alleys of Kowloon and Mong Kok.

This is where the locals live and transact, often labouring in support of the local economy as shop keepers and traders.

For me this is where the fabric of life and action really is.  I’ve never been a normal tourist that’s contented with the usual attractions.  In fact, I really can’t think of anything worse.

I guess I’m not your average tourist, what can I say…

I’ll do my best to provide a little balance to our adventure, but fortunately Judy is a good sport and knows my quirks when it comes to exploring new places with my camera.

Now for this adventure we’ll need to pack both for summer and winter…

Singapore sits 85 miles north of the equator and therefore is quite hot all year round, with the wet monsoon season from December to February.

Clearly, we’ll need to pack an umbrella each as monsoonal rains can be very heavy albeit warm rain.

Then of course Hong Kong at this time of year is in their winter.

For Hong Kong, this means a daytime high of between 20C – 22C and generally dry.

Fun and games when it comes to packing… right?  Now add dinner plans set for Christmas day in Hong Kong where we need to be nicely dressed, and it means more than just carry on.

Not a big fan of taking more than a carry on but have come to terms with it for certain trips – this being one of those.

Ideally, we’d spend more time in each city but given that it’s a short break and we both need to be back at our respective jobs early in the New Year.

Then of course, we’ll need to begin planning for our 2025 adventures, clearly more travel excitement beckons.

Until next week.

Ciao!