WANDERWORLDLUST

Your cool mixed with warm breeze. Daunting but inviting buildings. High into the blue sky and narrow enough to squeeze through. Colourful. Pebbled. Cobbled but neat streets. Fresh air. Crisp. Bitter coffee mornings. Sun shining. Clean bright blue sky. Waves crippling. Homemade bakery smell. Quirky architecture.  Warm greetings of bonjour from all. Getting lost and found in the narrow streets of the old town. Melting sunsets. Roman ruins. Ships and yachts sailing by. Peace. Calm. Nature. Palm trees. Church bells in the morning. Peaceful and exquisite Catholic Cathedral.   Art. Smell of fresh flowers. Friendship. Seagulls. A warm Christmas spirit. Nutella.   Merci. Nice 💛

Too often we are so focused on the end goal that we forget to appreciate the beauty of the journey. Too often we are so focused on the end goal that we forget to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the journey. This can be related to many different situations; large and small, minor and significant. For example, I have not long arrived to Nice and have been exploring. I was recommended by the hostel to go up some hills, that there is a  beautiful, 360 view of Nice at the top; that there was. However, as wonderful as it was to see Nice from the top, it was all the wonderful nature, pathways, ancient ruins and the views along the way that I loved the most. Do you ever find that you are on a hike, trek or hill walk... and you are so determined to get to the top you sort of forget to endure the journey along the way? And then in some, but not all, cases the top wasn’t even that amazing anyway. I’ve learned to take my time. Find a nice spot on the floor, a bench, a rock... and just take ...

Become friends with people who aren't your age. Hang out with people whose first language isn't the same as yours. Get to know someone who doesn't come from your social class. This is how you see the world. This is how you grow. This quote has stayed with me ever since I read it. It literally describes my journey and adventures so perfectly. It was the Spring Festival (Jan/Feb) in China 2016 and I was embarking on my six and half week trip around South East Asia. I'd been living in Shanghai, China for about five months already so technically my solo venture had already began. But it wasn't until this trip that I really felt the exhilarating sensation of touring the world completely ALONE... but not really alone. Originally I was travelling with a friend; but we quickly learned we were different people and had different interests. So, I was faced with a challenge. I was now going to continue my journey from Bangkok-Lao...