what now?

This is me, treading lightly over my future.

I lie here, entirely unemployed, and wonder what there is to write about now that my travels have come to such an abrupt end. Although 'end' is a word I find safe to use only in moderation at this point, for this is merely the beginning. As we near the fifth month of the year two-thousand-and-ten, I realise that, indeed, I have the whole year ahead of me, brimming with shiny beautiful opportunities.

Unfortunately, with them all laid out ahead of me like this, like bright pebbles on a endless beach, it is difficult to see the horizon, and the sun shines so brilliantly opon my future that all these shimmering possibilities are quite blinding. They are also difficult to judge from this distance. Once a particularly bright opportunity is reached, I may find that it is broken, or flawed, and does not in fact shine as vibrantly as it had appeared to from a distance. No matter – I tread lightly over the surface of my future, and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts

A few of these glamorously gleaming granules of potential I can foresee and I will be listing them, so as not to forget them myself, but also to remind whomever might be reading this little titbit of contemplation of my plans for the short-term. The list begins:

- Cape Town, the city by the sea. This is where I plan to be for an indeterminate amount of time, weighing up my options, sorting through my opportunities, tossing those that are dull, pocketing those that glimmer. Of these opportunities I am certain I shall pursue these few:

1. Open Water Diving course (with the possibility of following through to Masters)

2. Vega (or other such institution, where I intend on discovering the joys of professional photography beginning 2011)

3. Job agencies (or other form of assistance to the unemployed where I will be trying my luck with the qualifications I possess, if nothing else but to see what is on offer)

4. Yachting schools (my dream has not fallen through yet. It may still be pursued in the future, when in need of a ‘little bit’ of extra cash)

I also believe that I may involve myself in the transportation of 2010 World Cup soccer fanatics around the Mother City, if the conditions are right and the requirement are fulfilled before the onset of the month of June. Contribute my little bit towards making it ‘A’yoba!’ and so on and so forth – [insert patriotic statement here].

Writing this piece also serves to inform those that do not know what my plans are of what my plans are. When asked, my response will now simply be, "Check my blog", because, frankly, I’m tired of talking about it! I love you all dearly, friends, family and lover (singular, of course) who are spread out across the country and, indeed, the globe, but if I get asked one more time, "So, what are you doing now?" I might lose the plot and write more ridiculous blog posts such as this one. Faytjie over and out - for now... dun dun dun!

Interview with a Monk: Day One with Tawatchai

by Nick Piper

He answers his phone and, despite the fact that he is speaking thai, subconsiously strolls out of earshot. His voice, however, still pierces the silence that abounds in the temple complex in which we have found ourselves. I have now spent the better part of a scorching Chiang Mai afternoon with Pra Tawatchai but have come no closer to ironing out the ambiguities that confronted me about monkhood before I met this particular charming 24 year-old.

With nothing but a curious interest in Buddism and some free time on my hands, I decided to heed the recommendation of my guidebook and partake in "monk chat". Essentially this involves making one's way to Wat Chedi Luang, located in the centre of Chiang Mai, and conversing with whichever monk is 'on duty'. The purpose is two-fold. Firstly, it is for the tourist to shed some of his/her ignorance about the Buddhist religion and secondly, for the monk to practice his command of the english language.

Tawatchai's phone call is short and apparently involved organising two iced coffees, one for him and one for me. When our beverages eventually arrive they are the same colour as his robes- a redish-yellow. The drinks provide welcome relief from what must be 35 degree heat.

Earlier in the afternoon our conversation had begun with the usual formalities associated with meeting somebody for the first time. I discovered that Tawatchai was born in the same year as me- 1986- in Bangkok with only his mother as support until the age of twelve. It was then that he became a novice monk, something that most Thai men are obliged to do. This tradition, Tawatchai tells me, stems from when Sukothai was Thailand's capital and the king at the time decreed that every Thai man should become a monk for at least a short period of time. The purpose of this tradition was, and still is, to ensure the survival of Buddism.

Tawatchai spent eight years as a novice monk in Bangkok and the North-east before moving to Chiang Mai once he had become a full monk four years ago. He agrees with me that not having a complete family as a support base contributed to his decision to stay in the monkhood.

Having finished our drinks, we make our way through the temple complex and he suggests that we move on to another temple where he wants to show me a larger buddhist university than the one he attends at Wat Chedi Luang. Soon I manage to steer our conversation to pertainent questions I have entertained about his chosen path in life.

First and foremost, perhaps even naturally, I am interested in the vow of celebasy that he and other monks have taken. This includes, I might add, no masturbation. A rather awkward enquiry along the lines of, "How do you manage it?" is met (as one would expect with a monk) with a question directed right back at me- "Are you human?" he asks.

"Yes," I reply.

"Am I human?"

I pause, "Yes. Yes, you are human".

"Well then it can be done." Reflection. "Nicky, it is like this. Every rule is only surface-deep. Underneath lies the real reason for its particular existence. I cannot have sex, for example, means that any temptation to temporary worldy beauty is, in itself, partly disallowed." Understood. "So if I concentrate on the meaning behind the rule, the rule becomes more managable." Clear.

Tawtchai pauses, takes another sip of his iced coffee, and asks if he can take a photo of me. I oblige. So, in front of a gold leaf-encassed spire, in a temple complex in northern Thailand, I pose for a monk as he takes my picture on his camera phone. The light is not good. I move and we have more success.

"What do you regard as luxury items, Tawatchai?" I had seen earlier in a book on Buddism that the possesion of such items was forbidden.

"Anything that distracts," he replies.

"Like expensive cellphones?" I probe.

"We have had to move with the times," he says. "Some types of Buddhism do forbid luxury items outright and some also forbid the use of money, but as long as you remember the fundamental reason for the these particular rules, then you are in a better position than those who spend as much as they can on luxury items."

I was confused. It seemed at this point that one could break the rules as long as one knew why the rule they were breaking existed in the first place. I challenged him.

"So you can spend money and buy fancy phones and numerous iced-coffees then?"

"I don't though. I spend what is reasonable for somebody in this day and age and on things that are reasonable. My mother bought me this phone"

We walked for the next few minutes in silence through the temple, soaking up the late-afternoon atmosphere. Tawatchai said he needed another iced-coffee.

"So, you are you in some way addicted to iced-coffee, Tawatchai?"

He paused. Had I crossed the line? Had my lay-person interogation gone too far? I knew that addiction of any sort was fundamentally rejected by Buddhism. Quite suddenly, he broke the silence with a smile that subsequently turned into an adolescent giggle. "We don't call it addiction." And that is where we left it.

I wished Tawatchai well and made an arrangement to meet with him for lunch the next day. As I walked the two or so kilometres to my guesthouse I considered what Tawatchai had said about rules associated with the monkhood and the breaking thereof. I concluded that I would need to spend more time with the man to fully comprehend the ironies of a monk's lifestyle in the 21st century. That evening I googled some information on Buddhism and checked my Facebook. Tawatchai had already added me as a friend.

how to perform an inter-continental leap. or rather, why?

(photo taken by Bevan)

Parties and meeting new people, running around the old city at 3am and climbing the Tha Phae gate while the security guard sleeps. Learning to cook 14 amazing local Thai dishes and sending up enormous bursts of flames. Making plans. I have allowed Bevan to do all the job hunting, as we seem to be interested in the same things - all the rewards, minimal effort. All this laziness only makes me lazier. It does seem, however, that Chiang Mai is not the place to go about making a career. English teaching jobs pay pitifully, and positions teaching art are few and far between, normally requiring someone who has a resonable grasp of Thai. Settling down in Chiang Mai also seems like a less and less attractive prospect to me. Although it's rather beautiful (in a smelly Asian city way), the pollution is omnipresent, such that the sun cannot penetrate and I haven't seen the sky since we arrived here. I miss the clear air and indigo skies of home...

Making decisions. Decisions involving inter-continental travel and an alteration of ideas regarding employment. Decisions involving (at this stage) a place called Antibes in the south of France and luxury watercrafts. Yes, it looks like I'm going to the Mediterranean to work on a yacht. This change of plan may seem rather elaborate, but when considered with future endevours in mind it makes a lot more sense. As of late, I have been feeling at a total loss with regard to my future - feeling like I studied for four years to no avail. I guess it's not nicknamed a 'Bachelors of Fuck All' for nothing... So my new plans have been centred around saving money. Money which will go towards furthering my education in a direction that I feel is more practical and relevant. I cannot decide whether this will involve a course in interior design, or animation, or graphic design, or professional photography; but at least, I feel, I have made a decision (working on a yacht) that is necessary in order to persue one (or more) of these things.

This decision also conviniently allows me to travel more - oh how I look foward to seeing Europe! It will be quite a shock, I'm sure, traversing the gap between this ugly/beautiful third world country and arriving in France, but I absolutely cannot wait. My passport has recently lost its virginity and now it can't get enough. Whore.

Love in all directions and in great quantities.

chiang mai - the beginning

Bangkok without the 'bang'. Small city with a big city attitude. Friendly people. Cheap-cheap food. A little place called Pakinai where we will be residing for the month of March. A cooking course appears to be in the cards for me at this stage, as employment opportunities here seem slim, and I really need to start doing something with my time - all this inactivity is driving me crazy. In our pursuit of inactivity (however unintentional), I had a once in a lifetime experience. Seated outside our residence on a Friday night, fully engaged in a game of 'drinking crazy eights', and what else should walk up but an elephant. A common occurence during Friday-night-predrinks, is it not ? Feeding elephants? Incredible!

koh phangan

A, once very beautiful, beach sacrificed to hedonism and debauchery. Spent the week there dedicated to drinking, which culminated in the outright outrageousness of the famous Full Moon Party, which, coincidently, happened to fall on Bevan's birthday. Our buckets overflowing, we entered the madness. There was any type of music you like blaring from any number of small places to do much of the same as you did the night before, except tonight you are annointed with UV paint and the moon is full and there are thousands upon thousands of other people in the same frame of mind as you are. The result is quite overwhelming, and I was overwhelmed early. Note to self: must learn the lesson known as 'pacing oneself'!

It was fun, but as the saying goes, "Too much haha, pretty soon boohoo", and 'boohoo' I was. Very soon. Two days after Full Moon, three days of swollen glands, aching muscles, nightmarish delusions brought on by fever and a throat full of razor blades. Thank goodness for Augmentin - one times antibiotics course and we're off to Chiang Mai, the longest journey of my life... Taxi to the ferry, ferry to the mainland, bus to the bus-station, 8hrs on the bus to the train-station in Bangkok, arrive at 3am, wait until 8am. Catch a train (the first of my life) to Chiang Mai, but be prepared for a 12hr journey. 32hrs later and there we were. And here we are.

hatyai

Just another city: Cooked poultry with their heads and feet still attached. Fake trees that light up on the main streets at night. Dancers named Jasmine at the 'Pink Lady Hotel' - an elaborate front for prostitution. Buy her a pink flower and she'll sing for you. Buy her a purple one, take her home. Go upstairs into the "massage parlour" and choose a girl, sitting pretty in her glass box. It's like putting a coin in a vending machine and choosing your 'happy ending' - no sunsets and white horses here though folks, underwater murals and handjobs perhaps.

The best in your mind. In downtown of Hatyai

From Hatyai to Koh Phangan for Bevan's birthday.

georgetown - penang, malaysia

Bangkok without the smell and the overwhelming bustle and the street vendors and the prostitutes. We found ourselves here as the result of needing to renew our temporary visas. Quite a painless process really. The only snag we encountered was arriving on a Saturday and therefore having to stay an extra day due to the fact that no one works on a Sunday. Global day of rest. Am slightly surprised that a two-month so-called "tourist visa" is so easy to aquire, but I'm not complaining! Georgetown is a very interesting place, the inner (or old) city being a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was founded in 1786 by Captain Francis Light, a trader for the British East India Company, as base for the company in the Malay States. He obtained the island of Penang from the Sultan of Kedah for this purpose. As a result of it's interesting history (which I won't delve into too much), Georgetown has a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia, one that I would decribe as 'crumbling colonial'. Very beautiful. The demography is also quite interesting. I was expecting the majority of the people there to be Malay and Muslim, but it turns out that Penang's population of ethnic Chinese is larger than the Malay population, whilst 10% of the demography is occupied by ethinc Indian people. All this cultural-mixing results in really amazing food!

Summary of my Malaysian experience: hairless dogs; taxi-drivers named Alex with a good grasp of English and a humorous inclination towards extended metaphors; grungy hotels full of amazing photo opportunities and ghosts, chipped folding card tables, red plastic chairs and faded posters; incredible Indian cuisine and 10%vol. beer; 'Little India', full of music and colour and pretty little bindi's and roadside stalls selling delicious samoosas; snake temples and five venomous vipers; 12%vol. beer. And then a long bus-ride back to Hatyai.

realisation

Something Thailand has made me realise is that we're so extravagant in our Western ways. We waste paper and water and electricity and other resources to such unnecessary extremes. There is no such thing as 3-ply toilet paper in Thailand, nor are there many flushing toilets, much less showers. Why do we need 15 litres of water to flush away our excrement, or up to 40 litres to wash ourselves with? This type of excess is symptomatic of a type of so-called civilised behaviour that, I've come to realise, is superfluous to out existence as a species. Not that I'm going to give away all my worldly possessions, stop shaving my armpits and live the rest of my life in a hammock surviving off the land or anything, but I'm sure to make an effort to be kinder to the environment in future and be critical about the difference between 'need' and 'want'.

koh lipe

The island life is chilled to the max - or perhaps to the 'min', as it were. We have been the first customers at Lek's Boomerang, a rustic and charming shack that is a bar on Sunrise Beach the opened on the 14th of Feb. It's interesting to watch the place literally being built around us by a team of enterprising, creative and friendly locals. We were treated like a part of the family by Lek, Chai and Tong and it felt good to be a part of, what I believe, are great beginnings. We all ate dinner together the one night around one big table by candlelight...

No bungalows as of yet (although it's purely my own speculation that there will ever be) so the four of us shared a cheerful blue and orange tent. This was fun for 5 nights, but Vin and I splurged a little for a bungalow on the sixth. Princess = me. So the tent was less than comfortable to say the least, but the atmosphere made it all worth it and, at 75B p/n each, it was the ultimate in budget traveller's accommodation.

Having arrived on Koh Lipe at the onset of Chinese New year accommodation was virtually impossible to find. Mental note: chart the local holidays before making travel plans! The "Maldives of Thailand" (as Lipe is known) are an awfully popular tourist destination and prices were rather inflated. Luxury resorts are snapping up beachfront property at a rapid rate (right next door to us at Lek's loomed the laney "Idyllic Resort") which has resulted in overused water supplies, stressed sewerage systems and a lot of litter. Lipe used to be a part of the same national park that Taraotau belongs to but, as a result of the above-mentioned money hungry industry, it had prostituted itself to tourism and lost its marine reserve status.

What appears to have once been a teeming and abundant coral life population has been damaged, broken up and partially destroyed by long-tail boats and ignorant "pharangs" (Thai for white tourist) with no regard for the fact that what they're trampling over are not plants, but in fact living creatures. This made me feel really frustrated and sad and I think volunteering for coral reef restoration just jumped a few places on my list of jobs to consider.

Speaking of jobs, absolute inactivity has been our main activity, immobility our mode of transportation. Excluding an epic swim to a nearby island that Vin and I undertook, a few walks and some sandcastle building, we really didn't do anything on Lipe. Inactivity on such a grand scale is really beginning to get to me. I'm craving intellectual and creative stimulation and I think moving north towards Chaing Mai and finding some form of employment is high on my list at the moment.

tarotau - serenity exemplified

Quiet solitude in the isolation of Ao Molae - long stretch of sandy beach and the sea so smooth it may as well be a clear turquoise coloured swimming pool. Enjoyed the luxuries of a shower separate from the rest of the bathroom, a flushing toilet and a large white-linened bed, although we had to share it between the three (and then four when Bevan arrived) of us. Vin made the error one night of rolling over and snuggling up to Nick instead of me. Classic.

Bevan was lost to us for the first two nights due to the necessity of a visa run to Malaysia.

History lesson: Koh Tarotau is found in the Andaman sea, near the border to Malaysia. In 1938, Tarotau became an exile island for common prisoners and high-profile political prisoners at Talo Wao and Talo Udang prisons respectively. Fear of sharks and saltwater crocodiles in the surrounding waters ensured that few escaped. During WWII, supplies to the island were cut short and the desperate prisoners and prison guards teamed up and looted a passing ship. This proved to be such a lucrative ventures that the group became pirates - the most feared of the Andaman sea! In 1974 Tarotau and the 51 surrounding islands were declared a national park.

Where we stayed there was one tiny rustic restaurant which was closed between 2pm and 6pm. Electricity is out of order during the day as well and is really sporadic otherwise. We had lights one night we were there. This proved beneficial, though, for viewing the stars and the incredible phosphorescence in the sea at night, which provided us all with childlike delight. After-dinner skinny dipping became routine, resulting in shrieks of laughter and magical light shows put on for one another. An incredible phenomenon I'll never forget.

Nightswimming in the phosphorent sea,
giggling like children,
Nick, Vincent and me.
Swirling limbs surrounded
by bright points of light,
unable to grasp them
before they fade from our sight.
Never before have we seen such a luminous night.

The mosquito populations were drastically reduced in Taraotau when compared to Tonsai. Mosquitoes were replaced however by a a number of other strange insects that bite and a troupe of particularly cheeky monkeys. The former resulted in a 4cm x 4cm lump on my inner thigh which progressed from burning pain, to stinging pain to inconceivable itching and has now resulted in a purplish off-colour spot. The latter was lead by one mischievous looking male with big sad eyes, which I imagine allowed his to con tourists into feeding him quite often.

Had the feeling that I was existing within a dream or a movie, still struggling a bit to find the edges of normality and realism. I'm anticipating a rather dramatic crash-landing back to earth at some stage as money seems to be flowing evermore freely, and, although I wish it would, it's not going to last forever...

koh mak to bangkok to krabi to tonsai

Everywhere is anywhere under the cover of darkness. With only a dull wedge of moon in the sky to light it almost any landscape can resemble that of home. Whilst on the bus to Krabi, I was overwhelmed by a wave of homesickness which stirred within me feelings of nostalgia and pessimistic musings with regard to freedom.

"Free" is defined by my particularly useeless, though amusing, Collins COBUILD English Dict. as such:
(adj.)1. if something is free you can ahve it without paying for it
2. something that is free is not controlled/limited
3. someone who is free is no longer a prisoner
(verb)1. if you free someone/thing that is trapped, you release them

This particularly useless dictionary neglects to mention more bohemian ideas regarding freedom, stating only that if you have freedom to do something, you are allowed to do it. What of being free from conformity and responsibility and the capitalist system? What of freedom of movement and true happiness resulting from a freedom of self? I feel somewhat disillusioned by 'freedom' as such. Perhaps it as naieve of me to expect a certain kind of freedom, involving an expansion of the mind and a new outlook with regard to my sense of self and my interaction with the world. I still feel very much confined within the limitations of my mind and body, not to mention the limits of my capital. The world is turning out to be an expensive place - financially as well as physically and emotionally.

Spent 7 days in Tonsai, which was wonderful. Had some good parties, met some cool people. Did some kayaking and some snorkelling, a lot of swimming in the bath-temperature water and otherwise general lazing about. Ate well and was in good company. Explorewd that little patch of paradise thouroughly and did no rock-climbing. Tonsai is reknowned for its exquitsite rock formations and sheer cliffs and, as a result, there were a lot of buff-looking humand walking around who made me feel very soft and lazy.

koh mak

Pure tropical paradise. For less than R50 p.n. each we have been residing in beach frot huts with matresses on the floor, billowing mosquito nets and a toilet. Luxury. Spent a night at Island Huts, which is as tranquil as the name suggests. One steps directly from the small palm-thatched wodden shack onto the beach. Although this proved itself to be highly conducive for sandy bedsheets, it did wonders for my inner wellbeing. The whole day that we were there was spent in contemplative silence, reading books whilst listening to the soft lapping of the sea on the shore, which was no more than 2 or 3 metres away.

The water is crystal clear and the colour of turquoise. It's also amazingly warm! Warmer than I'd choose to have a shower.

Went snorkeling for the first time the other day in the waters surrounding one of the nearby islands. It was such a surreal experience to be surrounded by noisy tourists, but then as soon as my head was below the water, I was completely lost in another world. To dive down and swim amongst the incredibley colourful fish and giant coral formations was to be immersed in a world so silent and beautiful that, at times, I felt that I might be in a dream.

Was a pity to leave Koh Mak and return to the bustle and stink of Bangkok, but we have aquired a number of new travel buddies. Nick arrived on Wednesday with a German named Tim, and we met up with Bevan as well. Visted the Grand Palace, which was quite spectacular, but so so hot! We were required to cover up, meaning a heavy cotton shirt and long skirt for me. It was probably about 32 degrees! At least. Proceded to jump straight onto a bus to Krabi, and then on to Tonsai, where we are now. Very long, sweaty trip. 15hrs on the bus and about an hour on a longtail boat. But it is beautiful here. Some of the famous 'floating mountains' are here. Very dramatic landscape, and the sea is even warmer! Have also met a guy from Oregon, USA, named Tristan. Seems cool enough. Brings our ravelling party total to 6, me being the only girl. Love, love, love to all back home! x

the amazing land of thai

Bangkok. One word, Overwhelming. A cultural melting pot and a beautiful blend of old and new/modern and traditional. Was almost brought to tears whilst watching two Thai cowboys sing renditions of Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan at a small bar, located on the street parallel to Khaosan Rd. where we're staying. Might have had something to do with the beers and famous "bucket" (half-jack of rice rum, Thai redbull and Coke), but the sentiment was genuine - I really fucking love Thailand so far!

Khaosan Rd. is mental. A crazy hive of activity. Good times city that never sleeps. Have been offered 3 ping-pong shows already, in one evening! Don't worry Bevan, we'll wait for you. Whole street packed with bars and restaurants and street vendors and tattoo parlours and silver jewellery shops and hotels eyc. etc. etc... It is at a hotel named Dang Derm that me and Vincent have been residing. For 1100bht (equivalent of R275) for the both of us, including breakfast, we are staying in a luxurious room with a rare and coveted en suite. Amazing.

Things are insanely cheap here, but the extravagance needs to be curbed! Have decided to toss quite a lot of my things, especially toiletries and shoes. Although I thought I had brought so little with me, it still turns out I have too much. As Vin says, I need to learn how to "rough it"... goodbye make-up! On that note, I am saying a small prayer of thanks for every toilet I have used to far. Goodbye Bangkok, goodbye tourist mecca, goodbye porcelain throne... you will be missed!

Have seen my first ladyboy as well. I repeat - I fucking LOVE Thailand so far!

Some words I've learnt:
Egypt:
* ahlan - hello
* shokraan - thank you
* mashy - okay

Thailand:
* sa wah di ka - hello (feminine)
* sa badi mai - how are you?
* sa badi - fine
* mai pen rai - no problem/worries
* ka koon ka - thank you (fem.)

...and so it begins

Has been a mad few days! Left Johannesburg for Cairo on Saturday night. First international flight - long. Egypt Air's flight attendants are all male, with an unusual manner of service - very entertaining though! Juice spilt on a Chinese passenger resulted in laughter (from both Vincent & I & the attendant) and very little sympathy. All I can say, is be thankful it wasn't coffee!

Have discovered that international travel involves a LOT of waiting.

Cairo: ancient, magnificent. The most amazing place I've ever seen (not to discredit Egypt, but I have the feeling I'll be saying this quite often over the course of this year). Ended up in quite a swanky hotel for the day, which was included in our ticket price. Had a guided tour through the city, courtesy of our cab driver, Muhammed, on our way to visit the Giza pyrimads, which were, quite simply put, absolutely mindblowing. Seeing the structures for the first time, rising above the crumbling skyline of Cairo was quite an emotional experience. After having seen so many images of the pyramids throughout my life, it was rather overwhelming toacknowledge that the pyramids actually exist.

A "bollywood star" (or so Vincent and I chose to dub him), Zha, and his girlfriend, Zain, accompanied us on our epic voyage. Group photography and friendly banter followed. Upon arrival we were harangued by camel and horse owners alike with promises of rides into the desert from where one might view all nine pyramids and the Sphinx in all their glory. Granted, it may have been an awesome photo opportunity, but we were much more keen to walk it. The heckling was incessant! Every guy we walked past wanted to offer us the same ride or sell us souvenirs, and were not prepared to be put down lightly. Vincent met a "friendly" fellow who kindly offered to take our picture, bestowing us with props which were proposed to be presents. Turns out it almost cost us 200 Egyptian pounds (which he sneakily managed to swipe from us) - little skelem!

All in all, absolutely epic day. Well worth every penny. Thanks Egypt, Muhammed, Vincent, Zha and Zain xxx

today (adv.) - on or in the course of this present day

This is my farewell message to all those I'm leaving behind, and my hello message to all those (ie: Bevan) awaiting me where I'm going. Flight time: 21h45 departing from OR Tambo International airport, arriving in Cairo, Egypt, at 05h40 tomorrow morning. Then off to Bangkok baby! Have been instructed to wait for certain persons to arrive back in the smelly city before witnessing my first "ping-pong" show... should be interesting! Updates soon to follow (perhaps even pictures *gasp*)!

The land of Thai... Thought I would slap this image on here so everyone who may be interested can see where I'm going to be at any given time. UPDATE: The date is the 11th of January 2010. The time is 17h44CAT. And the countdown begins: 12 days 'til blast-off. To all the merry and wonderful people belonging to my current world, happy happy 2010. To all those who I have yet to meet in the new world, prepare yourselves, I'm coming!