What sort of traveller are you?

I think by now, after reading 1,000+ of my blog posts, you may notice that I don’t keep female friends like those bunch of giggly young girls or pack of housewives or bunch of busload of grannies. Unlike my four IBS sisters-in-laws, I don’t travel with my own two sisters. My four sils can go for overseas holidays together.

(some church in Italy, I can’t even remember which province, what more the name of the church)

I don’t know why but I just cannot bear travelling with women. They are too fussy, worry too much when travelling, get down to too much details, bringing panadol, medicated oil (hide from mslenglui’s slippers), bird’s eye chillies (I swear, I got one ex-colleague who do that! Bring chillies to Australia) and in short, they are just pain in the ass. Have you seen women who packed three suits just for one day? Casual, pyjamas and a dress? Three pairs of shoes, slipper, heels and walking shoes? Urggh…don’t you just hate the fuss?

(pigeons along some sidewalk in Paris)

Some even told me to bring maggi mee and a hot plate plus a pot to Europe! And also asked me to bring Milo.

If I can turn back the clock, I would very much like to go globe-trotting, back packing. ALONE. The closest I got to back-packing was travelling from France to all parts of Italy, with two kids in tow and 2 luggages. Cheating on buses by pretending not to understand the rules and not paying our fares, taking extra croissants given free at breakfast for our lunch, sleeping on little bunk beds, trapped in tiny trains etc etc. Heck, I love being poor (but rich enough for an airticket la). I love travelling light. I love not knowing where I will end up tomorrow and the day after. I love pouring over travel books and maps and chart our journey.

(count down on the Eiffel Tower towards Olympic or is it World Cup, in 1998)

Too bad that those will probably remains my dreams. Well, if I calculate correctly, I probably can leave my 3 yrs old toddler home alone when he is 16 years old. That will be another 13 years, I am 42 yrs now, 42+13 = I will be 55 years old. *sigh* At 55 years old, if I travel alone, I will be too old to chase after planes, ships, buses, trains…..I will too old to remember which country I am in. If at 55 years old and I still backpack, my peers will look at me with sympathy because they probably will be sailing on the QE2.

(heh, this one in Wuching’s country)

Then, again….who knows, God may have a purpose for me. I probably may travel across the globe, serving God. Wheee…Brazil, South Africa, Tibet, Egypt…..Hmmm….who knows, right? *imagine Lilian in a nun habit* (but ermm…I cannot be a nun anymore because I am not a virgin, you know?) Spreading Christianity like a Christian missionary.

Eh, enuff of day-dreaming. Who knows where this kukuchiao (pecker) rock is? Which country? (all the photos are old-old ones. I just use macro shot and took a digital photo of those old photos)

Happy Wesak Day to all Buddhists! (If you are coming to Penang, watch out for big jams ‘cos some Hindu festival is going on too and people are going to carry kavadis and walking side-by-side with the Wesak procession. Total chaos , I tell ya.)

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24 thoughts on “What sort of traveller are you?”

  1. I’ve never backpack before, but i m not not thaose ‘careful’type of person when it comes to travelling. i definitely dun bring sambal along with me like my aunties! 😛 i m those cincai type, take things as it comes.

    this is my first time reading ur blog. not yet of ur 1000+ posts :p but i like it.

    very nice . have a gd weekend!

  2. I’m an occasional backpacker but all I wear is one pair of sneakers and flip flops for the communal bathroom. Yes, men do pack lighter but some women are just simple as well (which I presume you and me are under the same category).

    I think taking medicated oil or chillies is not that bad. The worst are those who pay the price for a hostel and keep whining about how expensive they pay and yet the facilities are lousy, the toilets, the beds, the everything! Not only that, they go under the sun and they complain how hot, cold, windy, leg pain etc. Those type of women..argh!

    55 years old is not too old. I’ve met an old man (age 63) and he was backpacking in Hungary with his wife. As long as you’re game for travelling, I don’t think anything can stop your backpacking spirit, unless you have no time or money.

    Oh, I think the last picture is from Chengde in China.

  3. Looks like I’m the exact opposite type of traveller as you. I am more of the kind who needs to know where I’m going next, what I’m going to see and such.

  4. I’m a light traveller. I do carry the necessities such as paracetamol, travel sickness pills and plasters in a small quantity, but don’t bother with chillies, sambal, Milo, maggi and what not. I certainly don’t pack 3 change of clothes for a day and I hate heels.

  6. I totally agree with u! I don’t even like going shopping or for that matter, going out with any girlfriends! so leceh one.. and the amount of time the spend in the ladies room just amazes me!

  7. Hey.. Lilian,
    You wouldn’t wanna travel with me.. then.. 😉
    I’m am the “kiasu” type of traveller… hhaha!

  8. Loved your idea of aheading off on a holiday to anywhere like the world is at your doorstep, just step out and enjoy the time where ever you are and end up else where you have not planned, yep, I really share tat feeling as well 🙂 Have not try backpacking but have gotten myself purposely lost in Paris just to experience the surprises install…. Cheers!

  9. i did my back pack in VN and travel by motorbike that cost me USD80 a month. best way to travel is back pack but now i cant do it….wife dont like back pack….what to do

  11. On the bright side, if you’re back packing at 55, you will be spared getting gang raped. **quickly hide behind bullet-proof shield*

    Those ang-moh countries are very civic conscious one… if u r 55, they will probably treat u like VIP… wheel chair and all! Think about it!! Pssst, maybe I can join u. lol

  12. i like to travel alot too, i think im considered lucky for my age and my living standard to have covered many places. I hope to go more places in the future, need not be high end travel style =)

    the last photo is in Koh Samui, Thailand, that’s the grandpa rock and another is called the grandma rock, correct ?

  13. Frankly, i dun quite like the packing and unpacking associated with travelling. Even packing up for a trip to KL gives me a major headache. That’s why i tend to pack light and buy whatever i need upon arrival.

    But, if given the choice, i’d prefer to travel in comfort, meaning, comfortable clothing meant for walking and sans immaculate hairdo and makeup. Not that i’m the fussy type. But, i’d prefer to enjoy my trip than ponder over what to wear the next day, lol.

  15. So far all my travels are self tours/backpacking. Tiring but nice. Can’t imagine myself joining a tour. I travel light. Sigh…I really wish I coulMy husband and I are planning to go NZ but don’t know when.

    Btw, the number on the Eiffel tower is countdown to the millenium.

  16. Just realized that we were in Paris at almost the same time. I was there 10 days earlier before you arrived. Just checked my photo… I was there 932 days and 579 days before millenium.

  17. Reminds me of before we had Tia, all it takes was my FED-UP-OF-EVERYTHING attitude and a few hundered Euros (enuff to last for petrol+ferry+food) and off Me & the Darling to Europe, Destination Unknown.

    Or our weekly weekend shopping in Paris,Brussels,Luxemburg cos the ferry ticket was so cheap (£10 return for 24hrs car+5pax) so we get the best deals,Breakfast in Paris,Lunch in Luxemburg, Pa’ela for supper in Brussels (and escargos my favorite) before we head off to catch the midnite ferry back home.

    We don’t even mind sleeping in the car to get to where we want.

    You should take some time off with the kids, Drive+Explore trips. But now with fuel so expensive….forget it lah.

    Now, we just take BUDGET AIRLINES, so flipping cheap than to drive. Reach airport, rent-a-car. Cost to rent is cheaper than to fill the tank up. (compliments of EasyJet)

    Those were the days, and we now explore locally.Anything that can include wake up morning and reach home late. (Or it’s an overnight stay at the nearest Travel Inn)

  18. hi aunty lilian, your first sentence is so true. never travel with galfren who has boy baggage and needs to call/sms every night. and then later go bitch about you type. sigh, ain’t travelling supposed to be a fun, care free and gungho-to-try everything time?

    oh, and yah, shouldn’t even have these kind of friends in the first place! haha…. aunt lilian gives good life lessons. really.

  20. hey hey!! is there something wrong with my eyes of have u not posted in TWO days???? it’s 14/5 today n this post is 12/5….*scratches head furiously until snow flakes all flying abt*

  22. My wife likes to bring everything…and then she’ll go “mabuk-shopping” and will squeeze everything into the giant suitcase till it’s on the verge of exploding…and guess who’s the one who has to carry that huge thing? Me!!! And she doesn’t like goiing overseas…can’t find her homemade pounded chilli and she misses her Chinese dramas on Astro! Sigh! Women! Can’t live with them, can’t live without them!

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