My Round the World Trip

[pupuce]

travelling alone for over a year ... salute :thumbsup:
bookmark this thread and am going to read slowly to enjoy your story and pictures

Take your time sweeper... I am about 30% into my journey
stay tuned for more stories!

Wow I have truly truly enjoyed everything that you have shared here. Thank you so much.

Puyi81, you are more than welcome and hope the photos along with the limited words can bring to you the picture I hope to portray

 

[pupuce]

#21 is sublime. The colour of the sky is simply awesome. I wish I could die there, just watching the sun go down

Also the football field in the mountains. Very nice view and wonderfully captured.

And you have my respect for surviving the iron-ore train. Several years ago, a friend of mine travelled on that train with his wife and on that adventure his parents had tagged along too (it seems they told him, they would never dare to go on their own :bsmilie:, so they joined him and his wife). Apparently, they had several "misadventures" on it. When I heard his story, I had tears in my eyes.

Thanks for sharing all these memories. This thread sure is addictive :bsmilie:

Thanks asterixsg.. to be honest, it is the only one time that I saw a football field nestled in the mountains. Guess football is everywhere in the world.. (almost)

i have to say "salute" to your friend's parents.. it is not an easy journey and Maritania is like a forsaken piece of land. His parents are truly adventurous...I want to be like them when i am older! haha
I am really curious about their story and what caused such emotions in you.
I didnt have any misadventures on this part of the journey except we met an African suffering tremendous toothache in our carriage and we had to search through our medicine bag to pass him some pain -killers and more for him to keep with him. I understand that tooth problems are common in africa due to inadequate care. On the other side of the story (which i found out later after more time in Africa), many of them feigned illness or pain in order to get medicine from us, which they would sell off later.. i was a tad jaded when I was done with africa but I also understad that it is the survival instinct which make them do what they have to to make life a little more easy for themselves. and by easy, it is still damn tough in comparison to what we have

#21, Morocco -It was surreal for me when I was sitting there enjoying the sundown. silence all around, just me and the sunset.
Dusk shows the softer side of the desert but its a different story for the rest of the day. It makes me break out in cold sweat just thinking i could be lost in there, dying of thirst and nobody finding my remains till ions years later...During my trip in maritania desert, a few times, i was worried about that..
the vast desert just makes me feels so small, so insignificant..

 

[pupuce]

#5 Maritiana - Sahara desert , Nonsense!
The italian guy is an artist.In a small town, he searched high and low for a local woodsupplier to make the alphabets for him and thereafter he wants to plant them in the desert when our 4x4 bring us through to the desert oasis. The sun was about 45 degrees celuis and the sand, unbearably hot and burns the sole of my feet. It was a torture for me as i was wearing flip flops.. in the end, I wrapped plastic bags around my feet as i helped them put up NONSENSE!
It was so hot that I was imagining the plastic melting and disfiguring my well trodden heels.
Though i cant understand his artistic display, I had fun and know that this experience is one and only. No one else will have NONSENSE experience in the desert like I did!​

 

[zeunice]

Hi pupuce,
I was reading the entire thread for almost 3hours but i was managed to 10 pages only.
Truely Inspiring..
Beautiful pictures...:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Thanks for sharing.

 

[galmen]

Keep the story and pics coming....

 

[pupuce]

#6 Maritania -
I thought my bus rides were uncomfortable ..look at these poor goats
(taken when I myself were squashed in a mini bus from Kaedi)​

 

[pupuce]

Hi pupuce,
I was reading the entire thread for almost 3hours but i was managed to 10 pages only. Truely Inspiring..
Beautiful pictures...:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: Thanks for sharing.

Keep the story and pics coming....

Its been a while. Thanks for keeping the thread alive.. I was down and out for a few weeks due to heavy work committments. You guys' comments keep me motivated and I will continue sharing the beautiful memories with all.
@zeunice -Glad you all enjoyed it.. I will go slow with the photos sharing so you can catch up on the rest of the photos )

 

[pupuce]

#7 Maritania - Kaedi, African Wedding
As I was stuck in Maritania because of a Coup d'etat, I was invited to another town, Kaedi for an African wedding. Kaedi hardly sees any travellers, the villagers both young and old were intrigued by me.. the kids followed me everywhere and surrounded me to have a better look. At that time, I didnt find it amusing as the weather was extremely hot and dry (about 47degrees celuis) and flies were landing on my exposed skin every other second. I was flapping my hands around in the air all the time.
In a room, where 10-15 guests were beautifully dressed in their best (men wearing Bobos-like butterfly wings customes) we gathered, waiting to be served the food cooked in the "open air kitchen" I tensed up each time whenever someone comes/leaves the room as the movements caused the hundreds of flies to fly and buzz around me.. eeerrrgh... that frustration is hard to fathom by anyone else​

 

[pupuce]

NEW SERIES - MALI​

#1 - Mali - Djenne
Taking buses after buses from Senegal to Mali, ploughing though sinking mud to the customs office and fighting off corrupted customs police officers, I finally made it across to Mali, the 3rd poorest country in the world. I've lost track of the number of hours that I have been on the bus but no less than 50hours non-stop.
From Bamako, I took another bus heading in the direction of Djenne and hoping to make it there for the Monday market. Arriving at the town's bus station at about 730pm, I had to rushed for the last mini-truck to catch a barge to cross the river to Djenne -a World Heritage town sitting on an island in the Bani River It has an ethnically diverse population of about 33,000 (in 2009). ​

To read more? its here
http://busytravelbee.wordpress.com/...42-48-hours-non-stop-bus-rides-my-bums-hurts/​

 

[mrleech]

This is most inspiring. Putting everything down to travel.

I too want to explore the world at least once before I depart. Your adventures has shown us alot.

1. It can be done. You do not have to be super duper rich to do it.
2. Even with a humble DSLR like D80, you have managed to capture wonderful pictures.
3. The various stories you shared would help us if we want to travel in similiar style.

If you need contacts to a publishing house, I can link you up.

 

[pupuce]

#2 Djenne Mud Mosque, Monday Market
The walls of the Great Mosque are made of sun-baked mud bricks (called ferey), a mud based mortar, and are coated with a mud plaster which gives the building its smooth, sculpted look.The entire community of Djenné takes an active role in the mosque's maintenance via a unique annual festival. This includes music and food, but has the primary objective of repairing the damage inflicted on the mosque in the past year and especially after the rainy season. In the days leading up to the festival, the plaster is prepared in pits It requires several days to cure but needs to be periodically stirred, which the task usually fall on the young boys who played in it. Men climb onto the mosque's built-in scaffolding( those wood sticking out from the building) and re-mud the facade. We'd hoped to wander around the market and the town "unguided" but the young boys followed us everywhere, interrupting our conversation with explanations which wasnt required and which I wouldnt pay for. I raised my voice hoping to chase them off but they persisted and I end up feeling frustrated, upset and ashame of myself.
Soon, the boys dwinded to a handful and only one left.. he didnt give up and I end up having him as a
"guide".if not anything else, I have to admire his persistence​

 

[Lucrezia]

bookmarked! great job pupuce! jia you for your journey!

 

[MRSAMO]

Pupuce, that is a great way to log your travels and share them with everyone. You may need to answer a lot of questions about your trip of each places so logging your thoughts along the way for each picture and collating them into a photoblog is not such a bad idea (time consuming though!).

Oh and don't worry about critique too much, there are too many people who thinks they're Simon Cowell and will put you off your shots so forget about that, this is your moment worth capturing!

 

[asterixsg]

Nice read about the mud mosque. Thanks for sharing these places with us. Most of us won't even get an opportunity to travel there...

 

[wish4me]

My budget was 40K for the 12 months but managed to extend to 15 months without inccuring extra cost. This amount include my RTW ticket, sightseeing, bus/train/car/extra flights, food, neccessities and studying spanish

Some countries cost less and some cost more. especially if you going for specific sightseeing.The bulk of my expenses was the following -

I did safari in 4 african countries (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Tanzania) which cost me about USD 1500
Diving in Mozambique which cost USD60 per dive x3
Gorilla trekking permit in Uganda which cost USD500. (excluding the driver and 4x4 to get there)
Trip to Antartica costing me USD4000
My round the world ticket costing me S$7600.
1 1/2 months in Belgium, Paris, Italy (Milan, Genova, Bologna, Florence, Rome) incurred about Euro800.
After netting out, I have about $25000 expenses

I travel very very very cheaply.. sleeping in the cheap room available in hostels, on roof tops in Morocco because it only cost USD3 per night, sleeping with african family and hosts in Europe. friends of mine who ask their friends to host me if I am in their city.
I often meet up with other travellers to cross borders or share car rentals as it will lower the cost for me and them.
I eat street food or do local market shopping and cook dinner in hostel kitchen,and occasionally treat myself in restaurants
In Central America, on some days I was only spending USD15 per day including accomodation, food and lots of free sightseeing like trekking and hiking without guide.

One note - The faster you travel, the more it will cost you

Lastly, I also didnt have 15 months of annual leave although I did ask for a 12 months sabbitical from my company which i have been with for 10 years, they turned me down and so I say good bye to my job

que sera sera... No one could asnwer the question about my future at that time so I make plans for the worst scenario - I might have to wait on tables or served at starbucks upon my return but I calculated the risk and decided to take it.:devil:

:thumbsup: u work for sos ? or u own isis with dog ? just happen to have friend who went for long leave, wondering if u r her

 

[electron]

Pupuce,

Did you 'back up' your photos during your 15 months of travel? Or just store on your Laptop? Extra portable hard disk? Upload to an online backup server (mozy, carbonite, etc)?

How many photos total did you take (approx)?

 

[Six-GHz]

I also didnt have 15 months of annual leave although I did ask for a 12 months sabbitical from my company which i have been with for 10 years, they turned me down and so I say good bye to my job

Just stumbled to your thread. I'm still on Page 1 and this sentence strucks me.

A job gives us security. But in turn, this becomes our insecurity that restricts us from breaking free. How many times have we thought about leaving it all behind and just follow our hearts but fear of the unknown binds us like a chained straitjacket.

Your decision to break free to follow where your heart may roam is inspiring. Indisputably inspirational. What moved me is not the photographs you took but your step out to make photographs. :cheergal:

I'm so book-marking this thread! I hope I can read as fast as you post!

 

[pupuce]

bookmarked! great job pupuce! jia you for your journey!

Nice read about the mud mosque. Thanks for sharing these places with us. Most of us won't even get an opportunity to travel there...

Thank you everyone!
I spent a few minutes trying to locate my thread today as I have not been in for a while. Will keep at it and hope you all will enjoy it. Cheers

 

[pupuce]

Just stumbled to your thread. I'm still on Page 1 and this sentence strucks me. A job gives us security. But in turn, this becomes our insecurity that restricts us from breaking free. How many times have we thought about leaving it all behind and just follow our hearts but fear of the unknown binds us like a chained straitjacket. Your decision to break free to follow where your heart may roam is inspiring. Indisputably inspirational. What moved me is not the photographs you took but your step out to make photographs. :cheergal:I'm so book-marking this thread! I hope I can read as fast as you post!

It was a difficult decision, no doubt about it. I was just as hesitant as any sane person considering this option. I think my decision was sealed in when I discovered a colleage who at 62 years old was diagnose with cancer. He said to me this " live your life, pursue your dream... because we always believe we have time, we will travel the world , do this and that after we make more money, when we retire, when our kids grow up.. but we never really know when our time will ran out"
At that time, my heart says one thing, my brain says the other. I was anxious, frustrated, excited and a million other emotions. I had no idea what to do. I asked for guidance in making my decision and I took this as a sign for me.

 

[pupuce]

Pupuce,
Did you 'back up' your photos during your 15 months of travel? Or just store on your Laptop? Extra portable hard disk? Upload to an online backup server (mozy, carbonite, etc)? How many photos total did you take (approx)?

Hey electron,
I brought with me a 320GBHDD (brand name - Vosonic)which has card reader and a screen. I transfer my photos there and occasionally I will backed them up on a CD and sent it home. Alas, I got complacant after the 5th month and didnt back them on CD..on my 8th month, my HDD was stolen in Chile and I lost my photos.. I cried my eyes out and blame myself. I have now whatever thats left and those taken after the loss.

It was hard to store them online because in Africa (especially east and west africa) internet speed is sooooooo slow that it is impossible even to just read your email, much less reply or post our heavy duty photos.
I think I took about 20,000-25,000 photos..thats why I had to sent my D80 for major servicing when I came back to singapore. Hahah!