So I am home, safe and sound even if it we had a few frights along the way. First of all I have to say that writing this blog during my trip has been so much fun. I am so glad for all the comments and kind words you guys have given to me. I wasn’t really sure if anybody was going to read it that much at all to start off with. So thank you!

 

I also would like to give a huge thank you to my family and friends that have been really helpful and supporting. Especially before the trip when I was worrying about all the possible things I could worry about. Thanks for preventing me having a heart attack! Mum, Dad and James, you guys are the best!

 

Thanks to all the great travelers and locals I have met on the road. The trip wouldn’t have been the same without you and I hope I will see you again! My door in always open.

 

Thank you Malin at the Kilroy Travel office in Stockholm for answering about a thousand questions for me! Yes, leaving for your first backpacking trip is scary!

 

So with that said I guess it is time to wrap this up and hopefully for not too long give this travel blog a break.

 

Until next time Jodie leaves home

Trekking through the rice paddys and villages of Sapa, Vietnam



Halong Bay, Vietnam



Luang Prabang with its nightmarket, temples and waterfalls. Laos



The sunsets, bikerides and hammocks from Don Det, Four Thousand Islands, Laos



Ankor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia



Big Blue Diving, Koh Tao, Thailand. Great place. Great People. Great diving.



New Years Eve, Sidney, Australia



Mojosurf camp, Australia



Frasier Island and Rainbow Beach, Australia



Three day liveaboard dive trip. Great Barrier Reef, Australia.



Cape Rienga, most nothern point of New Zealand



Mojosurf Camp, Raglan, New Zealand. (Full moon)



Hiking Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand



15.000 ft Skydive over Lake Taupo, New Zealand



Horseriding at Rangatukia, New Zealand. The first place in the world to see the sun rise.



Canoe trip in Lake Wanaka to Ruby Island, New Zealand



Nevis swing, highest swing in the worls, Queenstown, New Zealand.




Swimming with Duskey Dolphins, Kaikoura, New Zealand



Spending time surfing, feeding stingrays and chilling out at Tatapouri, Gisbourne, New Zealand

Maybe some of you remember one of my earliest posts before I even left Oslo. It was about what to pack. I read so many lists online over essential items a backpacker should have and things that are unnecessary. What type of shoes should I bring? What kind of daypack should I buy? By the end I was so worked up about it I even spent time thinking about if I had packed too many pairs of socks, silly right.

I think if I had repacked my backpack today I would have left with half the weight, probably a lot less gadgets and clothes. For example when I came back I found pegs in one of my backpacks pockets. Just in case I needed to hang my clothes after washing. This didn’t happen once. If you find that you need something during the trip, buy it then.

A few things that should have stayed at home:
Calculator: At the time I thought this was very clever to bring so I could calculate the Asian prices into Swedish as in most of the countries I was a millionaire with many zeros to keep track on. This was totally unnecessary. After a day in each country you figured it out and could instead brush of the old math skills and use you own brain.

Travel laundry powder: Didn’t really do any hand washing at all. In Asia the price of getting your clothes washed, dried and ironed is so low that the thought of doing it yourself flies out the window. Just check with the laundry if it gets machine washed or hand washed as some of our clothes did come back dirtier and with holes after been scrubbed. In Australia and New Zeeland a few of us would always wash together at the hostels and either tumble-dried or decorated our dorm with the wet clothing. But if you have a tight budget here would be the place to wash yourself. Normally a wash and dry would be about 4 $ each.

Mosquito net: I was actually given a net with the backpack I bought. I carried it with me all through Asia and didn’t use it once. Mostly because all the guesthouses we stayed at already had nets over the beds. Also a reason was that the net was made to fit in a tent. So without something over the bed to hang it on it was unusable. I left it in Thailand somewhere.

A few of my favorite things:
Earplugs: I don’t know what I would do without them. Snoozing away on planes, night buses and boats. Or trying to get some sleep in busy hostels, cutting out the noise of slamming doors and partying neighbors. Just popped them in and you’re in your own little peaceful bubble. Perfect.

Head torch: Yes, I was made fun of a few times wearing my head torch and looking like I was about to climb down a mine of something. But it turned out to be one of the things I used the most. It was perfect for finding the way back to your bungalow in a dark Laos (also for finding your toilet in a dark Laos!). Good for finding things in your backpack if you arrive to a dorm room after people have gone to sleep or for reading your guidebook during the long rides on night buses.

Shawl: My shawl was good for many things. Protection from the sun while trekking in Vietnam, beach towel, sundress for the hot days, wrapped around my neck for the cold and even as a blanket on buses. Takes next to no space at all, dries quickly and weighs nothing!

The shawl! From beach and trekking to Opera house and Glaciar!

After coming home I have been asked a lot of questions about my trip, one being what it was like to travel alone. Lots of people were first surprised when I told them that I was heading out by myself. Some also got pretty worried about it, mostly my mother! I guess I was pretty nervous myself, never been backpacking before. I have planned countless numbers of trips with the same number of friends during the last couple of years. But as it easily does, something comes up like a new job or studies and the once excitingly discussed plans fade away as the guidebooks for them collect dust on my shelf.

So I figured that if I wanted to go, I should just go. There are so many people travelling alone nowadays, and with all the help and information you can find online I felt up for the challenge! After I started deciding which countries I wanted to visit and planning the route I found out that an old friend of mine was studying in Vietnam.

Elin had been given a scholarship and thought we should met up and travel together for a few weeks. So I was lucky enough to start the trip off in Ho Chi Minh City with someone a friend, with somewhere to stay and with somebody that knew the city. Lucky me having such a soft start!

After that it all sort of just rolled on quite nicely. We met people that I then continued travelling with most of my time in Asia. By the time I arrived to Australia I was so used to being around other travelers and making contact. Just by taking a step into your first dorm room with a smile and a hello you would find yourself with new friends. Most people are travelling the same route and you tend to bump into each other several times during the way. I met some guys from Israel in Laos and then randomly bumped into them again in Australia and New Zealand, small world.   

If you’re nervous about going by yourself I found that many of the group activities such as surf camp and the diving course helped me find people to travel with. While travelling with a bus company like Kiwi Experience in New Zealand you aren’t really ever on your own. Even when you some days would like to be!

I think this was the best option for me. To have the freedom to go and do whatever I felt like doing without having to consider if my travel partner had the same interest. Also be able to have a day to myself now and then or just change my plans in the last minute if I felt like it. I had to put myself out there to make contact and meet all the amazing people I have met. That was probably the easiest part considering that I am quite the chatterbox. Plus that most travelers are in the same boat, out to meet new people and share travel stories and tips.

I hope this long post has answered the question. I do get a little carried away sometimes writing (as I’ve been told by several readers that now only tend to look at my pictures, ha-ha). So to shorten the answer, travelling on my own is one of the most exciting things I have ever done and I don’t regret a day of it! If you want to go, then just go!

I have been at home in Sweden just over a week now.  I must say that it feels strange. I am so happy to see my family and friends again, have really missed them. But a part of me also feels almost a little empty. For over a year this travel has in some way been with me. All the planning, booking flights, worrying if I have saved enough money, am I going to be ok travelling on my own? And so on. Then actually leaving and having the time of my life, seeing new places and different cultures, getting to know myself on a whole different level, both good and bad sides, and meeting so many amazing people. Now it is over. And it has left me with a hole.

I guess it takes a little time to get back into my normal way of living. This week I have kept myself busy. As if I have to do something all the time which of course in the end results in me being exhausted. Think it is time to take a breath, relax and slowly take in all the amazing things I have been up to the last 7 months.

 

 

 

Congratulations Norway!

17th of May is probably the most celebrated day in Norway, a day when the whole nation comes together. In Oslo the streets are filled with parades and marching bands passing the Royal palace where you can see the crown prince waving to the crowd. My favorite thing about Norway’s National day is all the people that dress up in “bunad”. Bunad is the name of the Norwegian traditional outfit. I can be different styles and colours depending on where in the country you are from. I think they are so beautiful and it is nice that everybody from little children to old grandpas get dressed up. I have heard from Norwegian friends that the price for a proper dress can range over 40.000 NOK! Which is somewhere around 4000 pounds! Yikes!

The reason for celebrating the 17th of May is that in 1814 King Christian Fredrik signed the Constitution of Norway which declared Norway to be an independent nation. With that it became Norway’s national day.

 

The two years I actually lived and worked in Oslo I always had to work on the big day. Almost the whole country is off work which means that the restaurants are packed. As I worked as a waitress it was a day of running around like a crazy robot making sure everybody got what they ordered and had a good time, exhausting but still fun. But this year I got to take a part of the celebrations.
A fun place to go to is the Cuba Park in Oslo. The park was packed with people! It is said that last year around 15.000 came together to celebrate. People were lying everywhere in the sun, having barbeques and enjoying a few (or a few too many) beers. Bands seemed to be playing all day and several food stalls were around. To be honest for many young Swedish people in Oslo the 17th of May is just another reason to have a party and it seems like the Cuba Park is the place for it!

I myself had a pretty relaxed 17th of May strolling around town, people watching and having dinner with friends. Had a little too much of the good stuff the night before at Emma and Cecilia’s house party so chilling out suited my condition pretty well, ha-ha. Thanks girls! Had a really good time!

Do not miss the Fairtrade festival!

Starting at 7.am tonight to late Saturday with concerts, food, art and much more. All this is taking place at Storgatan 36B, next to the Fair Trade store right here in Oslo. Check it out! I know I am going to!

I am sitting on the bus towards St Hanshaugen, on my bus towards my neighbourhood in Oslo. There's my bus stop, my old apartment, my park, my supermarket and there is where I work, Colletts Cafe. Except it's not mine anymore.

Even though it was only seven months ago I lived here it feels like years have passed. Like it was another lifetime ago I spent two years in this exciting city. At the same time it feels like coming back home.
 

Good times and happy memories but now it is time to land in Borås for a while. Actually take in and process all the amazing things I have done on this trip and enjoy the Swedish summer with people I love. What happens after August is a mystery, might find a new place to call home for a while. Just haven't figured out where that would be yet.


Oslo, summer of 2010

I am now at Skurups folkhögskola in the south of Sweden. I have tried to explain the word "folkhögskola" before in English and I think the best way is adult education collage. Please correct me if I am wrong. This is where my brother James studies jazz music and where I have applied for journalism starting in late August. Fingers crossed!

Yesterday I visited Malmö for the first time. Malmö is Sweden’s third largest city with about 300,000 inhabitants and only a 30 minute train ride from Skurup. A few of Skurup’s students including James had a gig at “Victoria Teatern” (Theatre). The city seems like a nice place. Something that struck me was all the people on bikes. I was then told that Malmö is one of Sweden’s bike friendliest cities. Not surprised considering how flat it is in the south of Sweden. Also ate a falafel in the sun. Apparently Malmö is also famous for their good falafels. You learn new things every day. The gig was great and they all played really well at “Victoria teatern”. I am glad I got to come, not very often I get to listen to music like that.     

At this very moment I am listening to James practice with some of the other students in their music house. It sounds really good, but I have to say that jazz is a little over my head. I don’t really understand how complicated the things they play are, it’s more just a big mixture of sounds to me. Sometimes it sounds so chaotic that I don’t see how they can know what they are up to. I guess that might be a good sign if you are playing advanced music. I am really proud of James and what he had achieved, keep up the good work bro!

Sorry about the quality. This is taken with my computer as my camera seems to think it has done enough. After 6 mounts on the road it has decided to no longer cooperate and is instead on a strike.

The trip here was long but trouble free. I got up early in the morning to catch the train to London, to then get off at Reading and switch to the train going to Gatwick airport. Flew to Copenhagen, and then got on "Öresundståget", the train that goes over the bridge between Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden. I then got on the last train journey that took me to Skurup. As I said it all went smoothly until I started to talk on the phone on the last train with my friend Linnea. As it had been a while since we last chatted I guess my voice was a little loud and excited. What I didn't know was that I had sat down in a quiet carriage with a no phone policy. This made an older lady very angry and after she stood up and given me her opinion on what I had just done I quickly hang up. Slightly embarrassing but I do think her shouting disturbed more passengers than my phone call.    

It’s really great to see my brother James again! Feels a little strange being back in Sweden and that my journey is soon at its end. I do have Oslo left so I reckon that I am still on holiday a little longer. Then it is back to reality and back to working. I think this summer in Borås is going to be really good, a nice little breather before figuring out which step to take next.

Something that I have always loved about Swansea is the parks. Not that they are any more special than other cities parks. I guess that they are just filled with childhood memories. So when my new friend Luke and I met up for an afternoon, Singleton Park is where we went.


Singleton Park is the largest urban park in Swansea. Every year it holds many different events and fairs. One I have been to is “Party in the Park” which is held each summer by the local radio station “The Wave”. A day filled with pop bands, fair rides and games. The park also has a botanical garden and a lake with pedal boats shaped as swans available.  

My favorite place in the park is a small area of gathered trees and bushes. Like a miniature forest where all the squirrels live. As a kid we used to buy nuts to feed them with. At that time they were so used to being feed that they would come up to your hand, grab a nut and then dash off and burry it for later. You can imagine how exciting that was in the eyes of a little girl.

So with these memories in my head I picked up a handful of the seeds I had brought and kneeled down. I am not sure if it was the squirrels or I that have changed. I think it is my patience to be honest. In my maybe slightly "changed over the years" early memories the squirrels ran up in joy as soon as I tried to feed them. You could even feed the ones hanging from the trees. This did not happen now. They more or less just ran off. After laying on the grass and having a beer in the sun most of the seeds instead relocated to our bellies. A nice day spent with nice company.

-Is that the sun or the moon?
-I'm not sure. I'm from Port Talbot

There are many jokes like this about Port Talbot, all referring to the smoke and gas that pour out of the industries, wrapping the town in a thick grey cloak. In the early 1950s Abbey Works made Port Talbot home of one of Europe’s largest steelworks. This followed in the 1960s by a chemical plant by BP. Today the town holds about 50,000 habitants. This is also the town where Sir Anthony Hopkins, the singer Paul Potts, Richard Burton and my father has lived in.

Only a short 30 minute car ride along the coast from Swansea our first stop was the Port Talbot suburb, Baglan. Past the church and down a small, small lane a white house appeared tucked in by the surrounding green nature. Dad pointed out the nearby stream full of trout and the sound of birds singing, it all felt really peaceful and sort of untouched and hidden away. We were looking at the house where my father grew up.

After having that nice moment at the house he carried on pointing out all the places in Baglan he had been naughty. This is where we jumped down the stream, hiding from Grandma Nancy when we skipped school. Apparently she jumped down herself and found them. This is the farm I used to work at as a kid. That's the barn we used to have secret parties in. Those are the hills we would sneak the tractors up at night and chase the cows. That's the spooky little house a group of us climbed into for a séance. Even as we went to the local supermarket he pointed out fading white words and drawings on a brick wall. We did that dad grinned, 1971.

It is always nice to get a better picture of how and where your parents grew up, especially after hearing all of my dad's funny stories. But the main reason for our visit to Port Talbot was of a different kind, to lay down flowers on my Grandparents grave.

After not being there for a long time it did mean a lot to me. Thanks again dad for taking me on our little trip.

Mr. naughty himself.



Information about Port Talbot found at wikipedia.

Connecting the world through music.

Have you ever felt that joy that music can bring. How you at a concert share it with all the strangers around you, bodies swaying to the rhythm and people that don't even understand the same language come together. I have. That is what Playing for change is all about. To inspire, connect and bring peace to the world through music.


Said by Playing for change:
"The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race"





Today Playing for change foundation has built several music and dancing schools around the World including Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa and Mali. Musicians from all over the world participate performing in benefit concerts and the "playing for change" band has been touring the world. This organisation has really inspires me. It touched my heart and I want to be a part of it. There are many ways to get involved. Give a donation, volunteer or even host your own concert or event. Check out the website for more information and for more amazing songs recorded from all over the world.

Playing for change. Peace through music.

This is the view from the house. It's not as clear on photo but do you guys react on the sea level? Seeing it is really weird. Like the sea is above us, especially when large boats pass by, like you are looking up at them.