A joke: What does the slug say to the snail? Big Issue. Get it? Well, it’s just not funny when you have to explain it. The slug has no shell and is therefore homeless.
Perhaps more hobo-like, but far from being homeless, our existence consists of lugging a shell from place to place in the hope of finding a base from which we can explore the local landscape. It can sometimes be challenging and, believe it or not, stressful. And we can have good days and bad, just like at home. It is easy for us to think in relative terms and moan about endlessly sweating in the heat and humidity. Or what a nightmare it can be finding a place to sleep and trying to stave off the inevitable shoulder and backache whilst lugging around our oversize rucksacks. Or relentlessly having to consciously think about the security of our belongings. Nevertheless, because we are so far removed from home in terms of time and mileage, it can be easy to forget all of you at home putting up with the monotony of work. Getting up when it is dark, cold and damp and coming home in the same conditions is no fun. Or having to put up with the changes in weather as the winter rolls in. These things are always relative to the situation in which one finds themselves, which is why it sometimes makes it harder for us to take into account what life is like at home. The choice of what we would rather be doing or where we would rather be is, of course, a no-brainer. We are doing something that will undoubtedly enrich our lives and, who knows, send us down a different path. Nonetheless, the numerous positive comments we receive about the photos we have taken reiterate this fact to us when they can momentarily become blurred. We appreciate this no end. But there are other things that randomly happen to aid us in realising how fortunate we are to be doing this.
Like I said, sometimes we can have bad days. Often these days can involve much travelling, and therefore time-wasting, and can often test our resolve. On one particular day in Indonesia we had travelled from Padangbai to Lembar by boat and was then immediately picked up by bus from Lembar to Sengiggi. This part was fairly straightforward, although the process takes longer than you can ever imagine. Once in Sengiggi it took the best part of two hours to find accommodation, during which time we hauled two bags each up and down the main strip trying to get the best price. Nobody wanted to budge on price for a room that just did not seem worth it. It was getting late and we were hungry and tired and it was the kind of day that just makes you say, screw the price, I’ll take the room! Consequently we ended up with a mediocre room at more than we should have paid (although in reality it still wasn’t that expensive). Next task was to find somewhere to eat. The main strip was obviously laid out for tourists and, hence, so were the prices. We were struggling to find something within the budget when we happened upon the beach, with which we were not that impressed. At one end of the beach a woman was selling noodles from a portable cart, which amounted to nothing more than super-noodles topped with a fried egg and tossed with soy sauce and pak choy for good measure and a little iron. We promptly ordered the house special as our hunger overruled any indecision we had. The time was edging towards 6pm and dusk had settled in. As we waited for our noodles, various touts selling goods from jewellery to t-shirts followed the Western beacon flashing above our heads and came over to present their wares. Politely, we declined offers of a ‘cheap price’ and, despite their best efforts in continuing the sales pitch, we indulged them in conversation and banter. Our noodles arrived just as the sun was setting. We sat eating them on the beach whilst sitting with the locals and enjoying the sunset. It was a golden moment that could not have been better planned, and one that surely seldom happens. It was almost as if fate had intervened to ensure that we did not leave with a negative impression of a place that did not deserve it.
We have had so many experiences already, all of them unique, that it is impossible to document them all. But as much as we can we will try to share them with you. Despite how many times we have heard how lucky we are to be travelling like this, we do not see it that way. We are the ones who created this opportunity, planned and saved for two years and sacrificed many things to be make it possible. It is the many experiences and moments that occur along the way that make us lucky.
Perhaps more hobo-like, but far from being homeless, our existence consists of lugging a shell from place to place in the hope of finding a base from which we can explore the local landscape. It can sometimes be challenging and, believe it or not, stressful. And we can have good days and bad, just like at home. It is easy for us to think in relative terms and moan about endlessly sweating in the heat and humidity. Or what a nightmare it can be finding a place to sleep and trying to stave off the inevitable shoulder and backache whilst lugging around our oversize rucksacks. Or relentlessly having to consciously think about the security of our belongings. Nevertheless, because we are so far removed from home in terms of time and mileage, it can be easy to forget all of you at home putting up with the monotony of work. Getting up when it is dark, cold and damp and coming home in the same conditions is no fun. Or having to put up with the changes in weather as the winter rolls in. These things are always relative to the situation in which one finds themselves, which is why it sometimes makes it harder for us to take into account what life is like at home. The choice of what we would rather be doing or where we would rather be is, of course, a no-brainer. We are doing something that will undoubtedly enrich our lives and, who knows, send us down a different path. Nonetheless, the numerous positive comments we receive about the photos we have taken reiterate this fact to us when they can momentarily become blurred. We appreciate this no end. But there are other things that randomly happen to aid us in realising how fortunate we are to be doing this.
Like I said, sometimes we can have bad days. Often these days can involve much travelling, and therefore time-wasting, and can often test our resolve. On one particular day in Indonesia we had travelled from Padangbai to Lembar by boat and was then immediately picked up by bus from Lembar to Sengiggi. This part was fairly straightforward, although the process takes longer than you can ever imagine. Once in Sengiggi it took the best part of two hours to find accommodation, during which time we hauled two bags each up and down the main strip trying to get the best price. Nobody wanted to budge on price for a room that just did not seem worth it. It was getting late and we were hungry and tired and it was the kind of day that just makes you say, screw the price, I’ll take the room! Consequently we ended up with a mediocre room at more than we should have paid (although in reality it still wasn’t that expensive). Next task was to find somewhere to eat. The main strip was obviously laid out for tourists and, hence, so were the prices. We were struggling to find something within the budget when we happened upon the beach, with which we were not that impressed. At one end of the beach a woman was selling noodles from a portable cart, which amounted to nothing more than super-noodles topped with a fried egg and tossed with soy sauce and pak choy for good measure and a little iron. We promptly ordered the house special as our hunger overruled any indecision we had. The time was edging towards 6pm and dusk had settled in. As we waited for our noodles, various touts selling goods from jewellery to t-shirts followed the Western beacon flashing above our heads and came over to present their wares. Politely, we declined offers of a ‘cheap price’ and, despite their best efforts in continuing the sales pitch, we indulged them in conversation and banter. Our noodles arrived just as the sun was setting. We sat eating them on the beach whilst sitting with the locals and enjoying the sunset. It was a golden moment that could not have been better planned, and one that surely seldom happens. It was almost as if fate had intervened to ensure that we did not leave with a negative impression of a place that did not deserve it.
We have had so many experiences already, all of them unique, that it is impossible to document them all. But as much as we can we will try to share them with you. Despite how many times we have heard how lucky we are to be travelling like this, we do not see it that way. We are the ones who created this opportunity, planned and saved for two years and sacrificed many things to be make it possible. It is the many experiences and moments that occur along the way that make us lucky.
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