Around the World

When I was younger,

That phrase, “around the world”

Seemed to be like mere aimless fantasy.

That “world” we’re talking about is a real deal. It’s big. With so many places most of which are even untouched. So I took it for granted, treated it like another popular term I never considered seriously, and lived on believing that it’s just a beautiful proverb too good to be true.

But as I grew up, as my thirst of exploration deepened, and as the trend of traveling bloomed, somehow that so-called proverb seems...

Possible.

It’s been four years since my first ever solo trip abroad. And it hasn’t stopped. I’ve been here and there, slowly crossing places I’ve been dying to visit off of my list. The plans were neat and carefully thought, leading me to bigger journeys and greater places. Making me able to actually start dreaming of traveling around the world—no longer treating it as a fantasy.

It’s a big deal, yes, but I didn’t notice about it,

Until I got in touch with this masterpiece. A book.

“Around the World in 80 Days”

Pic's from here.

You must know about this one. It’s a classic. From around 1800s, talking about a wonderful adventure of this guy around, well, as the title suggests, the world.

Let’s not talk about the book. It needs a separate post because, God, I really loved it. The guy, Phileas Fogg, is basically me. With all his plans, all his calculations of departing from one city and arriving in another to catch trains or steamboats to even further places, yea, that’s what I’d do in each and every single trip of mine.

So following his journey, from London crossing mainland Europe to Greece, sailing the strait to the gulf countries towards India, riding trains and elephants to reach the border of Southeast Asia, entering Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and China to cross over the Pacific Ocean and land in America, only to head back to England it was like, damn—if he could do that, in just 80 days, and it was for God’s sake the year of 1800s where even no one dared to dream about flying, well, how could I not do the same??? It makes much more sense to do it now, to actually live my long lost dream.

But then you can’t call it a dream if you don’t have any obstacles.

I have a life. And responsibilities. Traveling for 80 days is actually possible, but, maybe not now. I did travel for nearly 80 days in Japan two years ago, but it was partly business. While for pure exploration, I don’t know, I should’ve done that in three years back or so, when I was free as a bird. But then I didn’t have the money. Now I have the money, but responsibilities got me caged like a... bird.

Well I’m not that trapped though. As I said, I have travel plans to do. Even now as I’m typing this, I’m currently lying down on my capsule bed in Malaysia, just finished a chapter of that book I’m currently loving, now trying to get some sleep because I have to wake up early and head to Sepang for an F1 race. So yea, I’m not THAT trapped.

And something inside of me is convincing me that, what I’ve achieved since 2013, it deserves a massive recognition.

So I made a deal with myself, right here when I’m on a trip, and with Jules Verne’s travel bible on my hands. A deal to complete my exploration of the world, just like what Mr Fogg did—even wider, but with a twist.

“Around the world, in 80 months.”

These are the witnesses of my oath.

Just because I had to keep my lust to travel always on, yet I had to be realistic.

Let’s do the math. I began all this traveling thingy on January 2013. 80 months from that, and my deadline would be on August 2019. Nice, I still have time.

Now let’s do geography. Mr Fogg’s journey may be damn long, but he didn’t reach Africa and Australia. Yet his book is still called “around the world” anyway. My story, therefore, should be complete for me to be able to call it “around the world”. Well of course by ‘complete’ I didn’t ambitiously vision myself to visit multiple countries in one region.

So my version of "around the world", is to complete my continent visit. The number of countries won’t matter, it’s the continent that I’m counting. I’ve been around Asia many times. America once, to The US, and Australia just this year, visiting three states. I’m traveling to Europe for Christmas New Year so, right, there I am! I only need to land my ass in Africa!

God I'm so excited about this project!

Excited because I never realized I'd actually make a phrase I took for granted 15 years ago to actually come true. Excited because all the jealousy I felt towards all the characters inside Jules Verne's book will soon pay off.

Excited because I'm on the verge of telling the world

That there's no such thing as "Impossible", to travel

Around the world

True Traveler

I know, I know.

Traveling has been an integral part of my life. And being a traveler has been my other identity. I keep telling this to myself in real life, in this blog, basically everywhere.

But then, there's apparently something about my kind of "traveling", and being a "traveler", that I never discovered before.

Something beyond.

I just realized about this recently. When my parents gone traveling. When a friend came visiting. When a coworker planned having a trip.

It all started with my parents' trip to Japan, for about 10 days. Only the two of them, with no tour, no relatives, no one they know. As a traveler, and as somebody who had traveled there, AND, as a good son blessed by God for them, of course, I helped them with everything. Literally, everything. From booking their flights and hotels, arranging their itinerary and ultimately, assisting them real-time by providing them detailed instructions of where to go now, after this and after that, complete with which transport to take, AND, how to ask locals. It's like I was there, traveling with them.

Then during their trip a friend from Australia came visiting me in town. He went down here absolutely unplanned, taking granted of my expertise in my own city, hoping me to suggest him with whatever. As a friend, and as a civilized human being attempting to give back to someone who was such a big help during his trip in Australia, of course, I helped him with everything. From hotel recos to food options, from just telling him where to go to actually explore with him. It's like I was the one traveling, and he was just a clueless friend tagging along.

Not enough with those two, at the same time something else happened. Remember that I once started an itinerary-making business on my own? Yea, it’s still around. And a coworker of mine kind of needed my help to arrange her trip to... London. As a hungry traveler who wanted to know more about the city, and as a professional, of course, I accepted the job. Creating her one comprehensive, detailed day-to-day itinerary as if I was writing a guide book. It's like I was a citizen of London, telling her what to prepare prior her arrival.

I just realized about this. When my parents gone to Japan and I was the one assisting them. When a friend came to Indonesia and I was the one guiding him. When a coworker planned a trip to London and I, whom never actually been there, was the one arranging her journey as if I had been there thousands of times. All counting on me with not just simple helps, but COMPLETELY counting their life on me—

And with the fact that those three happened exactly at ONE SAME TIME, well, gotta say, my value as a traveler instantly increased.

You do know that I call myself Tricky Traveler, right?

From just a regular guy who traveled,

Doing some normal kind of traveling,

Going home to make a book of travel,

From that kind of traveler,

To a true traveler