This trip has been 5 years in the making.
I am 40 years old, and the idea was first conceived when I was 35. I wanted to try traveling by myself and see what kind of takeaways I’ll get from the experience.
It didn’t happen at 35 though, I went on a solo staycation instead and then the whole solo travel concept was shelved for a bit.
But actually I’m glad that it didn’t happen then. Because I think at 40, I’m now a much better companion for myself. I find my own company more enjoyable now compared to my younger years, when I may still have thought that being alone means being lonely.
At 35, I plan my itineraries efficiently and effectively. I try to maximize the time that I have and make sure the points of interest are arranged in a way that no unnecessary time is wasted on inefficient traveling.
At 40, I still plan my itineraries, but I leave it open to changes according to how I feel. I don’t stipulate the time I should wake up. As long I enjoyed myself, it doesn’t matter if I didn’t complete the itinerary. I can always go back again for what I’d missed.
There was this show on TV that I saw by chance – it was a Mediacorp production and I think it was a traveling program. I’m not sure. But in the snippets that I happened to watch I remembered seeing Felicia Chin roaming down a street that sold plenty of artistic creations and handmade goods. There was also a weekend market of some sorts and insta-worthy cafes.
I’m sure it was in Taiwan and I think it might have been in Taichung. I have no idea where that street is.
But ever since then I’d been wanting to go there (or the likes of there, since I have no idea where ‘there’ is). In my mind I pictured myself going to art exhibitions, listening to street buskers and chilling in cafes, blogging my whole experience.
That was why this travel journal was created. 🙂
I’m no longer as good a writer as I used to be, but I still hope to capture this valuable experience and all the thoughts and feelings that I have along the way. And the photos! Especially the photos. I hope to take my time and capture some good ones. It’s been a while since I took photos for the sake of taking photos. These days it’s all about capturing memories with the phone, which isn’t a bad thing, but I do enjoy a good session of intentional photography too.
4 days left to my trip!
I hope he’s going to be fine without me though!