Nowhere in Particular

My mother recently visited us on our travels and asked us what items we have not used; and what items we have found to be essential. She was with us in Johannesburg when we left for this round-the-world trip and saw us straining under the weight of our ridiculously heavy bags, so this was an appropriate question. As we got going on our journey, we quickly noticed that all the other travellers with backpacks had far smaller bags than we did and we saw the potential error in our ways. However, still in a vague state of denial we have lugged these bags and their contents around for close to 150 days – it is tough letting go of the last few items you own in the world. When we arrive in a city and are likely to be wondering around rather disorientated until we get our bearings, we treat ourselves and catch a taxi to our lodgings. Public transport can wait until you are 18 - 25kgs lighter. This rule we put in place when we arrived at our first destination in Hanoi and kept being directe...

When you are away from home and constantly on the move, it is rare to meet the same people again and can thus be somewhat lonely. Even if you only shared recent travel experiences on a brief airport transfer, or exchanged a few words regarding your home country and family with a guide or driver, bumping into someone familiar is such a great feeling. Slaps on backs, sometimes hugs and usually vigorous handshaking follow the smiles and waves in recognition of someone your path has crossed before. You are normally familiar with what the person was planning to get up to when you last saw each other, and exchange excited stories about the resulting adventure. The warm fuzzy feeling of some level of camaraderie is wonderfully pleasant, and you find yourself over-eagerly engaging with your new, even if temporary, friend. So if you bump into someone for the second time, don't be surprised if the travellers behave like you are a long lost companion. Enjoy the company, share a ...

We had not originally planned to visit Sicily, but when we realized how close we were simply needing to catch a 30minute ferry and the way our friends in Italy were raving about it, the choice seemed obvious. We arrived in Messina, Sicily via the ferry from Villa San Giovanni. This was our very first ferry journey where we had taken a car on board and to make it more exciting, the weather was quite dramatic. As we crossed, we could see areas of bright sunshine right next to the dark skies of a menacing storm. As advised, we had timed our journey so that we would be able to catch the famous ringing of the tower’s bells at the Duomo of Santa Maria Assunta. View from the ferry to Messina Still not 100% confident while driving on the right-hand side of the road, simple things for locals like figuring out where to get tickets for the ferry journey and how to pay for the toll roads, all became part of the Sicilian adventure. Google maps on these winding roads can be tricky to foll...