Welcome back
For those of you who haven't read the previous post, this is post 2 of who knows how many. I recommend that you read the first one so you know who I am.
For the good people who follow me on Instagram, you will have guessed by now that I am in Vietnam. It's been a long journey (I don't mean the actual travel but everything that has been building up to it). It is however worth the work and waiting. Vietnam is the first stop on a journey that could, take us back to Suffolk in no time at all, or it could be the start of something totally different.
This journey as with all great journeys started with an idea. That idea was "there has to be more to life than just working and living." For the past 12 years (omitting 2.5 years traveling and working overseas) I have worked hard and lived life within my means. But I am now choosing not to live that life. I feel that the option to live life as I wanted wasn't available to me in the uk. This is no ones fault but my own and i feel that a change of scenery will be the catalyst to fuel the new direction I wish to go in. When i decided to write a blog about travel and my change in life style i was sure that I didn’t want it to become a platform to complain from or a commentary on how one way of life can be better than another.
this little kookaburra used to "visit" us most mornings while on the farm
So, back to the journy. On our last big trip we met Brian. He is an Australian and we worked on his farm near Airlie beach, Queensland. It was beautiful there and we worked in the drying shed. The crop was organic lemon myrtle. Don't worrie I also had no idea what that was. It's the lemon flavouring used in a lot of flavoured tea.
Towards the end of our time working on the farm we had a conversation with Brian about his plans for the near future. One item on this list was to sail his boat back to Australia from Panama City. We mentioned that we had a basic knowledge of sailing and would love to join him on that voyage. Thinking nothing would come of that conversation we left the farm and Australia to continue our travels in Asia. A few weeks had passed when we received and email asking if we could be in Panama by March. Almost before finishing reading the email we had kayak open (kayak.com is our online flight checker of choice) and were looking into flights.
The Foredeck of the S.V. Vindicator
We made it to Panama and joined the crew of the S.V. Vindicator this trip didn't go as planned and we parted company with the boat in Tahiti ( its quite a story and I will do a seperate post about it.) We flew home physically and emotionally ruined.
We both found jobs and moved into a house together. In the intervening 4 years we totally renovated the house, got engaged and married. It's was a fairly busy 4 years where it felt like life was passing us by. So we decided that a change was required and we wouldn't let life pass us by in a work filled haze. Now we're hungry for the next challenge. This want for a challenge is what brings us to Vietnam and ultimately New Zealand.
As stated before I wish to become a professional photographer and in an age where every one carries a camera in there pocket this is becoming a smaller and smaller market. I hope that the quality of a professional shines through my photographs and in turn they find me employment.
Some one once told me that "the two most addictive things on this planet are sugar and a monthly salary". When I was told this I did the classic nod and mumble a reply about "how right you are" or "that's so true". In truth I didn't have a clue what they were on about or really care. I guess I was too young. Now that I am older, and I like to think a little wiser, this makes sense to me. So I have gone cold turky on the salary and I am going cool turky on the sugar. Cool turky is explaind wonderfuly in 'The drawing of the three' by Stephan King.