Well for those of you that don’t know I finished off my short visit back home and flew into Vietnam today!

I’m travelling with a buddy from uni for 20 days, starting in Hanoi (current location) and finishing in Ho Chi Mihn. After he leaves I’ll likely be backtracking a bit and do some kite surfing for a couple weeks before headed into Cambodia! I’m pretty psyched!

The flight from Toronto to Hong Kong today was also really neat because we basically flew north over Hudson’s Bay, Greenland and the North Pole of the Arctic before headed back south again toward China. Tons of cool glaciers and ice flows to see from the windows.

Neither Scott or I have slept more than a couple hours too so we’re pretty tired but we still managed to get out for some food and Hanoi beer (delicious) for $3.50 each which makes this my kind of place hahah our hotel is $10 a night each for an air conned room with lots of free stuff!

All I can say is, so far so good, Vietnam!

(Last update: Sept 12, 2010)

A buddy of mine that’s going to be doing some traveling and asked me for any tips/advice I had learned, so I wrote this up for him and figured may as well post it on here for anyone else that might use it!

Pack:
You will likely fill what you have.  If you can manage with a 50-55L, take that. I had a MEC Ibex 65+ for my travels thus far and found it a bit too large and bulky, but the space was useful at times and it’s actually a great backpack too! Just picked up an Arc’teryx Axios 50.  Brand new model this year with some really nice features and a nice slim form.  AFter 4 months of use it’s still a great pack! doesn’t fit as comfortably as my old Ibex, but that’s b/c it has a lot less padding to save weight.  A reasonable trade-off in my books.

Day Pack:
Either get a waterproof/resistant day-pack or try and get one that can fit under your waterproof jacket when you’re wearing it. I just bought a Black Diamond BBEE Day-pack at MEC. Having one that you can easily roll up / compress to stuff into your main pack is useful which is why I went with this one.

Waterproofing Packs:
Most people just have pack covers. I’ve met one person that bought a bunch of drysacs (waterproof bags) and put everything in those inside his bag for organization and then didn’t need a cover. I personally like the pack cover (ensure it has a wrap around mid-strap or some way of fully securing both the top and bottom of the cover otherwise wind will just rip it off) as it also is useful for air transport (keeping all the outside straps contained and not getting tangled/ripped off), for buses where the hold is really dirty and it just gets the cover muddy instead of the pack, and for sketchy pick pocket places to prevent access to your zippers.

Waterproofing Yourself:
Quickdry pants and underwear, light waterproof jacket shell and waterproof shoes are all good things.

Clothing Inventory and Layering for warmth:
Layering your clothes for warmth is key. Here’s what clothing I have:
- 3x Socks for warm weather (WrightSock Double Layer Cool Max)
- 1x Socks for cold weather (WrightSock Double Layer Warmth)
- 2x quick dry boxers ($10 per and worth every penny)
- 2x quick dry underwear for hiking/running
- 1x thermal long underwear (merino wool stuff…icebreaker 200 is what i have i think)
- 2x long pants (I’m not a fan of jeans, I just have some gray ultra tough cargos, Prana Stretch climbing pants, that are amazing and dry very quickly and then another pair of really light Royal Robbinn’s khakis that are backups, but almost never wear)
- 1x shorts
- 1x swim shorts
- 4x tshirts (might want to get one or two quickdry easily sink washable ones. Picked up a Nike Dri-fit tanktop in Vietnam, and lets just say i’ve worn it pretty much every day since.  Worth every penny!)
- 2x collared shirt (one long sleeve, one short)
- 1x front zip sweatshirt (patagonia better sweater…i have this, not worth the money but still nice lol)
- 1x ultra compressible synthetic fill jacket (Arc’teryx ATom Lt for $200, just got this and it’s great! Got to try at the top of a mountain)
- 1x waterproof jacket shell (Marmot Precip, not a bad jacket, but not the best out there by any stretch)
- 1x gloves and tuke (not necessary, but i keep these anyways for any really cold nights)
- 1x thermal long sleeve top (I don’t have one of these, but would have been useful a few times, if you’re getting the merino wool icebreaker line, again make sure you get at least the 200 and up warmth level)

So for me the thermals and warm socks came out when it got really cold (nights in NZ) and the synthetic jacket is a great addition too. It’s not a ton of extra weight to carry for any cold evenings you might run into and it’s nice security to have.

Footwear:
Waterproof boots are key. However, if they’re waterproofed and breathable (highly recommended), it will lose the waterproofing after about 2 months and require re-spraying. I had the Merrell Moab Gore-Tex XCR Trail Shoes. Great low-cut hikers, and not terrible for warm weather. You’ll run across many other Canadian guys with these hikers! Also had some Teva Sandals as well.

However, as I like to run, for this next part of the trip I’m actually just switching to only some running shoes and going to buy some flip-flops. They won’t be waterproof but I think my wanting to go for runs outweighs that. You might want to take some club-acceptable shoes if you plan on going to nice nightclubs and stuff, but that’s your call, I don’t as it’s just more weight and I shouldn’t be spending that much money on drinks!

I’ve been wearing some Havaiana flip-flops for about 3 months now and they’re worth every penny. The foam barely compresses and they’re still in great shape!

Cell Phone:
If you have a quad-band cell phone, take it.  Really useful for meeting up with people via text and making calls.  You can also get some awesome long distance plans with the pay-as-you-go sim cards around the world. (Was paying $0.03/min to Canada from Oz)

Zip Lock Bags:
These are your best friend. Make sure to pick up some of these and have them in your pack, great for waterproofing any electronics or important documents.  Don’t have a binder or crap with all your travel papers/passport in it, just throw them into a zip-lock and you’re good to go, and it takes up the minimum amount of space possible.

Sleeping bag vs liner:
Never had a use for a sleeping bag except when I was overnight camping in NZ. Waste of space otherwise. Silk liner came in handy on a few occasions, so I found worth it as it takes up next to no space.

Sleeping Pad:
I have a small 3/4 thermarest that I have in my pack. Came in handy a few times for hostels (brutal beds and sleeping on the floor) and all the time while camping. I’ll be bringing mine along for the rest of my travels again. Not essential by any means, but a nice to have if you have the space. A lot of people have the foam pads, they are massively bulky but also dirt cheap.

Bug Spray:
Always have some deet handy hahah…

Guide Books:
Usually useful, but a lot of hostels have them, so not really necessary to buy and carry around for every country. I got into the habbit of just writing down what people told me about and would do that. Would usually spend a couple hours in the hostel going over them if they were available. Having said that, I have electronic versions of A LOT of countries. If you’re interested in access send me an e-mail. Also, wikitravel.org has decent information about countries and cities that I’ve found useful for getting quick overviews about places. I usually keep these downloaded on my iPod for offline viewing.

Music:
Travel speakers are amazing and are great for hostel rooms, long journeys, days at the beach and any other time! I have the iHome IHM9 ($15 at walmart i believe) and they last forever on a set of batteries. 4xAA’s, half decent sound, and bulletproof. Battery life is crucial for speakers, and I’ve found these speakers literally go like 100+hours before you need to change them (you’ll hear bass distortion with high volume when the batteries are running low).

Also, make some good playlists to share with others you meet too!

Misc:
- First aid kit with lots of advil, band-aids, gravol, iodine disinfectant wipe packets and pepto bismal chewables
- Headlamp is definitely useful. Just got a Petzl Tikka XP 2 Headlamp, it’s awesome! Has some really cool features (redlight, lens diffuser) and is tiny.
- Leatherman multitool knife also useful, just remember to keep it in checked luggage….*shakes fist at Amsterdam Airport security*
- Soap holder with a string to put around shower heads is probably the most useful item I got that I didn’t realize would be hahah
- do not carry extras of any toiletries…you can get everything on the road
- mini-tripod with bendy legs to wrap around stuff (gorilla tripod) is great for self shots when no one’s around, just get one of the tiny non-bulky ones
- Also only take clothes you really like, otherwise you’ll probably never want to wear them (my brown mec sweater hahah…)
- Spare passport picture may come in handy
- Toilet paper in a ziplock in your day bag and more in your main pack is always handy…trust me hahah
- Wash your clothes with shampoo instead of soap. It doesn’t leave soap scum and makes your clothes smell pretty after (Thanks Scott for that one!)

So there you have it! My thoughts thus far.  I’ ll probably have some more advice as I continue on this next portion of my trip and learn more from really extended traveling =D

Had a bit of time now to go through the pictures from Australia now that I’m home so thought I’d post some of them!

Enjoy =D

Australia Click me for the facebook link Click me for the non-facebook link

“What is your passion?” she asks next as we sit there talking on the front of the boat. “I don’t know really, I can’t say sports or something like that because they’re really not my passion. Hmmm, I guess…life!” I reply with a grin, thinking at first I was taking an easy way out of the question.  “I love to learn, I’m always trying to keep up to date on the latest research across all the different scientific fields to understand the world just a bit more. There’s so much to learn and it’s all just so incredible and amazing!” She smiles at me, inhales on her cigarette and goes back to her writing.

Later as I’m lying there staring at the clouds change from one shape to another I wonder, is it true? Do I really believe that this is my passion? I start to think about my answer.

I love learning about our world because it allows me to appreciate everything I see for the majesty and beauty contained within it. A thunder cloud isn’t something that makes you pissed off for having forgotten your umbrella, but rather it’s an amazing display of dust particles captured in tiny water droplets which have been travelling through incredibly powerful wind currents over thousands of kilometers, finally coming to a perfect moment where temperature, pressure and density causes it to cease floating in the heavens above and submit to the force of gravity, barrelling down through the atmosphere to finally land in an outstretched hand.

It’s trying to learn how to turn any moment into something positive by finding something in it to appreciate, to get your mind in a positive state, to create your own persistent euphoric utopia…

It’s chasing and creating a life with ever more and more perfect moments. Each adding just a few more notes to our staccato illusion of time.

My passion is to have done the best I could with the life I had, for myself and those around me. Bringing smiles to the faces of others, sharing and creating those euphoric moments of life’s perfection with them.

Contemplating our fragile mortality is frightening and it’s difficult not to allow that fear control my actions in life, but I’ve realized the moment you allow that…you cease to live.

I want to turn even the reality of my eventual death from something terrible to one of those moments. That even facing it, I’ll smile, and appreciate the microcosm of a life I had to appreciate the microcosm of my life…

Well, it’s that time! I’m sitting in the Brisbane airport waiting for my flight to LA, then LA to Chicago and then Chicago to Toronto! All in all 17.5hrs of flight time, 24.5hrs of travel time and it doesn’t bother me a bit hahah jolly good!

I’ve had a blast this past 4.5 months.  I’ve met incredible people, done fantastic things and learned so much about myself, the world and life. I know I’m a different person than when I left (hopefully for the better hahah) and can’t wait to see what life will continue to send my way!

Oh, and I have my flight booked out to Vietnam for June 9th =)

…you’re in a place you just never want to leave…

I’m lying outside on a 40′ catermeran, staring up at a midnight overcast gray sky. The full moon fades in and out of view, its light illuminating the cracks of the clouds, creating a heavenly landscape of rivers and lakes above me. The gentle Australian breeze whispers by as the boat drifts back and forth with the light rocking of a calm ocean.

The captian, couchsurfing host John Naylor, and fellow couchsurfer, Jackie from Germany, have gone to sleep in their their cabins. I decide to lay out here on the deck just a little longer to think about the day.

A person I had only emailed a few days prior invited me on to his boat as a member of the couchsurfing community, a global network of travelers looking for friendly local places to stay for a little while and good company to share. Sometimes you sleep on a couch, other times a bed, this time it was the aft cabin on the port side pontoon of a catermeran.

The three of us had spent the day sailing, snorkling, and chatting in the Great Barrier Reef islands of the Whitsundays. As the day passed and the evening progressed upon us the smells from cooking a delicious seafood curry filled the air of the cabin, a bottle of wine was opened and more stories and thoughts were shared. With dinner finished we moved out to the deck onto matresses to finish off the wine as we layed under the brilliantly glowing full moon. We talked the night away until our body’s call for sleep could be ignored no more.

I stave mine off to enjoy the peaceful serendipity of it all just a little longer. However, soon I too can wait no more and get up to head down to my cabin. It’s just then I remember something Jackie told me today and smile, “Tomorrow is a mystery, yesterday is history, but today friends, is a present, which is why they called it so.”

Well been in Australia for a little over two weeks now and had a blast! Ridiculously expensive, but mainly due to the cost of alcohol which is ultimately my own fault hahah

Stayed with good friends in Sydney (great city!) and felt like I got to see a lot of it and really get to know the city well.  Some fantastic partying and delicious food!

I then moved on to Cairns, where I’ve done a jungle tour/bike/canoe in the tablelands just west of Cairns with the On The Wallaby tour company.  Great fun, people and cool creatures (saw a platypus!).  Then jumped out of a plane at 14,000 feet with a big burley man strapped to my back hahah was pretty incredible and dropping through the clouds at terminal velocity then popping the chute on the other side was definitely an experience I won’t forget anytime soon =D

I also did a bit of snorkling here at the Great Barrier Reef too on a little 20 person catermeran tour company that was a blast.  Went with my friend from home and a new American guy we met at the hostel.  All great fun so thought I’d share some of those reef pictures.  Enjoy!

	Great Barrier Reef Click me for the facebook link Click me for the non-facebook link
	Great Barrier Reef – Shark Swimming Oh…and here’s a video of me trying to chase the sharks for a bit hehehe Click me for the YouTube link

50 000 000
Number of possums in NZ that love to kill the native bird population.  Viewed as a serious pest and actively trapped and killed to try and control the population.

42 000 000
Number of sheep in NZ!

7738
Kilometers added to rental car during 7 week road trip. Hoah!

371
Kilometers hiked on official NZ trails

150
Dollars made from working at the hostel doing renovations and painting for 4 days (but also got food, accommodations and a sweet $90 meal at a really nice restaurant)

68
Number of peanut butter-nutella-banana sandwiches I had during the 7 weeks with the car

36
Grams of protein in Tomato & Basil flavoured cans of tuna which are the best thing in the world after a hard days hike (usually accompanied with instant noodle or just devoured right out of the can)

28
Longest number of days I went without a real shower hahah

13
Is a prime number!

10
The smallest cent piece they have.  Yet they still mark stuff for $6.99 and such but just don’t give you the change…if they’re going to use proven psychological capitalistic tricks on my brain the least they can do is give me that 1cent back!

8
Minimum hours of sleep a night I got the entire NZ trip pretty much!

7
How many times I was really thankful for not being able to smell myself!

5
Number of overnight hiking trips I did

4.5
The time in the morning returning home from partying in Auckland upon arrival

4
Weeks it took me to finally consistently look right instead of left before crossing the street

3
How many times the hairdresser washed my hair before giving me a haircut at the end of my trip…lol

1.89
Average dollar cost for a litre of gasoline

1
How many people j-walk in Auckland (including me!)

0.621
The exact proportion of nutella to peanut butter in a tortilla combined with sliced banana on top that is confirmed to be heaven (in a tortilla)

0
- Booger count throughout time in NZ (presumably from the incredibly clean air resulting in a lack of particulates to be trapped). Quite disturbing to those nose pickers and booger eaters out there…not that I’d know anything about that…

The remaining pictures from the South Island!

	Part 2: Pictures from Queenstown to Te Anau. - Reese-Dart trek - WWOOFing job - Kepler trek - Random stuff between! Click me for the facebook link Click me for the non-facebook link
	Part 3: Pictures from Milford Sound to the Abel Tasman! Click me for the facebook link Click me for the non-facebook link