Where
We began our journey in Hong Kong in the SAR (Special Administrative Region) of China on August 16, 2010 and explored this metropolis for a few days before flying to Manila. A couple days later we booked an overnight ferry taking us to Cebu City and from there we found did some beach hopping in the Philippines: Bohol, Siquijor, Negros & the tiny, secluded Apo Island. We then flew to Kota Kinabalu on Malaysian Borneo before heading to Singapore. Indonesia was next on the agenda, including Bali and Java, before ending in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After two months of travel in S.E. Asia, we decided to head to Europe for the autumn.
We stayed in London, England for a little over a week, and then met up with our friends who live in Basel, Switzerland. We were fortunate to see a large portion of Switzerland; Bern, Zurich, Interlaken and other beautiful natural sights before heading into France. After a month or so in France, including Bayeux, Courseulles sur Mer, Lisieux, Paris and Nice, we meandered into Italy: Milan, Naples and Rome were the major stops.
Despite our steady southward trajectory, we saw snow in late November when we were passing through Genoa, Italy. It was time to reevaluate our plans, as we didn't have the gear or the clothing for cold temperatures. We booked a flight from Rome back to Kuala Lumpur, which is where we'd left off in Asia.
At the time of writing (mid-December), the general plan is to continue through the mainland of S.E. Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam) before heading home sometime in the Spring of 2011. Sadly, it looks as though we might be foiled in our plans to travel to India on this trip. The Indian government has just changed the Visa rules: these must now be obtained in one's own home country only. So we're batting around some other ideas of where we might also end up, such as Sri Lanka, China or Korea, but who knows? More research would need to be done.
Why
Well, why not?
We want to live with no regrets. Travel has been a back-burner dream of ours for a long time. Opportunity has knocked, and if we don't answer it will move to a more receptive "door". And sometimes, as Blaise Pascal said, "The heart has its reasons which reason does not know".
We want to redesign our lives to live more deliberately. We've started taking a good hard look at what we're exchanging our time & precious life energy for. Honestly viewing the reality of our lives & measuring our choices against the classic economic test of "diminishing returns". Does perfectionistic striving bring value or leach joy? Do we need all this stuff? Do the trappings of a successful life make for happiness? We suspect that our travels will serve as a springboard to launch a new & different framework for our lives.
The idea of extended travel was first introduced by a family member. We almost dismissed it without further consideration as too unorthodox. However, the thought, once acknowledged, was persistent & began to bloom into intense desire. Tentative questions & musings eventually gave way to full-out brainstorming sessions as to the more practical & financial considerations.
We both had a gut feeling that this was the right move for us. And now that we've taken the leap of faith, we've found ourselves in the midst of our own Great Adventure! As Helen Keller famously said: "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."