I waited in line at immigration at Haneda airport, my shoulders aching with the weight of my backpack and feeling sweat dripping down my back due the the 5 layers of clothes I was wearing. When it was my turn I shuffled to the desk, sorted out the formalities and was handed a residents…
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‘Miss Stephanie, Miss Stephanie. Border time. Get off!’. I woke up from my deep sleep, still tired from the 5am wake up call. Dazed I made my way to the back of the mini bus and heaved my heavy backpack on to my shoulders. The border was swarming with people selling strong smelling food and…
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Before my big trip I always had such a romantic view of Malaysia, the name itself conjured up images of an exotic country, the pearl of Asia and one where I would feel like I was a million miles away from the Western world. I couldn’t have been more wrong if I tried…. As…
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My tenth and final month of travel was spent in beautiful New Zealand. After feeling thoroughly underwhelmed by Australia, a country I had initially dreamed of emigrating to I had no idea what to expect of Australia’s quiet neighbor. I had nothing to worry about, I soon fell in love with the natural beauty and…
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My ninth month of travel was mostly spent in Australia, I place I have mixed feelings about. I don’t think that I ever really got over my reverse culture shock whilst I was there. After a few days in the chilled out town of Coolangatta which is right on the border of New…
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When I arrived in Singapore I was a little bit burnt out from travelling around Sri Lanka. Although I loved the country it was not an easy country to travel in as a newbie traveller and I was frequently overwhelmed by the sighs, sounds and different cultural practices. I breathed a sigh of relief as…
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Month eight was the month where I had to say goodbye to my beloved Asia in Exchange for a new country and a new continent, Australia on the other side of the world! I started my month in Koh Phi Phi after a last minute decision less than 2 hours before the night boat departed….
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During my time in Hikkaduwa I visited Galle three times. Galle is very different to Hikkaduwa, in parts it feels very European because it was colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch and The British. This actually made me feel a little homesick for Europe! Galle is a large busy city and is filled with beggars and…
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As I got off the plane I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew that Sri Lanka is a developing country but also breathtakingly beautiful. The airport was civilised and calm. Little did I know that the chaos would begin when I got outside…. As soon as I stepped outside men swarmed around…
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As I stepped off the plane after a long night flight I was transported in to another world. What fascinated me most was the men wearing kanduras and kaffiyehs . The long white robes and head-dresses that Emirati men wear. I knew then that I was in a place with a completely different culture than…
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