I see trees of green, red roses too,
I see them bloom for me and you,
And I think to myself, what a wonderful
world.
I see skies of blue and clouds of white,
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred
night,
And I think to myself, what a wonderful
world.
The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in
the sky,
Are also on the faces of people going by,
I see friends shaking hands saying how do
you do,
They’re really saying I love you.
I hear babies cry, I watch them grow,
They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know,
And I think to myself, what a wonderful
world.
Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful
world.
Just over seven months ago I picked up my bags off my nice comfortable
bedroom in my family home in Norwich.
The house was warm but outside it was a typical wet Sunday in
November. My nerves were awkward. Was I really about to do this? Am I really going to be travelling around
this world of ours? It didn’t seem
real. I felt as though I was just going
on a weekend away and would be back in a couple of days. Now I’m sitting on Singapore’s Esplanade
staring across the water at the city scape.
The day was quickly turning into night and lights over the city were
flicking on creating bright reflections across the marina. My heart was beating strangely and I breathed
deeply with a variety of emotions running through my veins. I did it.
I travelled overland from Estonia to Singapore. An epic 24,000 kilometre journey which took
me through the vast Siberian plain on the iconic Trans-Siberian Railway, taking
a right onto the Trans-Mongolian line which was built by the Russians to create
a trade route between Russia and China where I experienced the -40 degree
Mongolian wilderness. I finished my
first stint of rail journeys in China where I sampled dog in weird and wonderful
China as I made my way to survive many Vietnamese motorcycle journeys and
agonising bus experiences through Cambodia and Laos. I found relief in Thailand and went elephant
trekking in the northern mountains of Thailand and marvelled at the marine life
of Malaysia.
Marina Sands |
Over the last seven and a half months I have met so many people and
seen some unbelievable things. Now my
mind is jumping into the future with more than an ounce of apprehension. The road and rail have become my
friends. Although sometimes agonising, I
have become addicted to the constant onward movement onto new places with new
people, an addiction I can only relate to Stockholm Syndrome. There’s nothing like the feeling of arriving
in a completely new city not knowing who you will meet, what you will be doing
and where the next destination will be.
People often ask me whether travelling alone is hard. The short answer is no as you are never alone
if you don’t want to be. Admittedly
there were a couple of times where I was ready to pack it in and go home but
instead of dwelling on that depressive feeling, I picked my bags up and simply
moved onto the next town. I can count on
my hands the amount of days I was completely alone. Travelling alone truly gives you the freedom
to explore the world. I met and
travelled with many wonderful people who I can now call friends.
Memories flash through my mind and I feel my facial expression change
as I laugh, smile and nostalgically frown as I remember those companions I had
met, got to know well and bid farewell. Such
a torrent of memories sometimes becomes incomprehensible to distinguish without
exceptional concentration as one memory leads onto another and another and
another. All my memories of the past
seven months are valuable and will always comfort me in my most desperate
moments. Standing upon a snow capped
mountain in the middle of the Terelj National Park in Outer Mongolia was where
I felt most freedom. Silence and miles
of nothing spread out before me. The
road has literally come to an end at the southernmost point of the Eurasian
land mass just 85 miles north of the equator.
There was nowhere else to go as I unfortunately had no money to continue
through Indonesia so the day after tomorrow I will make my way to Singapore
Airport where I will board an aircraft bound for Perth, Australia.
My thoughts turn to the future.
Following months of travelling through Asia, I was soon going to be
thrust back into the Western world. Apprehension
flooded my mind with so many questions. How
will it feel? Will I find a job before
my money completely dries up? There were
no answers to these questions and I am sure I will find out soon enough.
What a wonderful world.
My sentiment and self-congratulatory mood subsides a little as darkness
finally engulfs Singapore and the sound / light / fire show begins in the
bay. This is a magnificent show which is
performed in an intriguing way. Jets of
water spray up into the air creating a fluid canvas for the projected film to
appear. Music blasts into life with an
apt version of What a Wonderful World whilst the images depict a human’s life
from birth to magnificence. This nightly
show certainly beats that of Hong Kong’s comparatively meaningless light and
music show. The rain began to fall shortly
after the show finished and people took cover in the astounding Marina Sands
complex which hosts a shopping centre, casino, theatre and hotel which stands
prominently opposite Singapore’s central business district and become an iconic
piece of architecture. The shopping
centre beneath is, as I can only compare, an indoor Venice complete with
canals, bridges and waterfalls.
Singapore has come a long way since Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed
on the sparsely populated island in 1819.
It now has 5 million inhabitants and has the fourth biggest economy in
the world. Singapore is an excellent
city which provides a diverse cultural experience that no other country
has. The mixture of Chinese, Malay,
Indian, English and other nationalities has surely placed strong influences in
art, architecture and food. Raffles certainly
started something magnificent. The
highlight of the city for me is the stunning Esplanade Theatres on the Bay
whose architect was influenced by the Durian fruit. Inside it’s just as awesome and most of my
time in Singapore was spent there enjoying the free concerts in the foyer out
of the rain.
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP… BEEP-BEEP-BEEP… The
day had arrived. At 7:10 this evening
the pilot will push the throttles to full and the aircraft will leave the
ground. It feels strange knowing that
this was my last day in Asia. When I booked
the flight back in Phuket, it seemed trivial as though it was never going to
happen. But reality was staring me
directly in the eyes as the lady behind the reception at Footprints Hostel
handed me my boarding passes she had just printed off for me. There was nothing for it but to enjoy my last
meal and grab the MTR to the airport. I
spent a couple of hours in the hostel foyer writing and watching some Big Bang
Theory which I had only recently discovered thanks to Jay in Langkawi.
I stepped out of the hostel’s front door and as usual was hit by the humidity. I have learnt it’s not worth complaining
about the climate as it doesn’t change anything. I embrace the humidity as my thoughts are
focused on flying into the Australian winter.
I received an email from my Auntie Marilyn just yesterday telling me
that the parcel I sent from Saigon had finally arrived. This was good news as it’s all of my warm
clothes which I will need. It will be
brilliant! As the hostel is in Little
India, I feel it’s only right to enjoy a freshly made curry from the local
restaurant before I make my way to the airport.
With the curry sitting heavy in my stomach and a tingling tongue from
the spices, I grab my bag from the hostel reception and make the walk to the
MTR station. This will be my last open
air walk until I reach Australia. The
metro system in Singapore is one of the best in the world; fast, efficient and
clean. I step onto the train with a
smile. The apprehension I was feeling
has given way to excitement. The first
leg of Andy’s Epic Voyage is coming to a close and a whole new chapter is about
to begin.