The First Step

I've been thinking of putting up a travel blog for some time now. I finally took some action and here it is. The blog's still a work in progress...but if I keep on focusing on improving its look, I may not start writing at all! So here I go with my first blog!

I thought about how and why I got interested in travel. When I was a kid, my family would take a trip every year, usually to Hong Kong. At that time, travel for me meant vacation – a chance to eat hotel food everyday (believe me, for a kid like me, it was a treat), visit theme parks and other touristy places and go shopping.

Nowadays, travelling is more than just a vacation. I still visit touristy places, especially if it’s my first time to visit a certain country. (I’m cheesy that way.) But at the same time, I spend more time observing how locals live and what makes the town or the city tick. I love hearing stories and learning about the history and culture of the people I’m visiting.  

I also began solo traveling two years ago when I was assigned to work in Taiwan for a few months. Every weekend, I would hie off to a nearby town and explore its nooks and crannies. I didn’t join any tour group --- God forbid! Just the thought of joining a crowd of strangers with a crammed schedule, taking pictures at famous spots and then quickly shuttling off to the next location, made me cringe. Instead, I did my research and took the public transport, pretending to be one of the locals who were off on their usual weekend jaunts. I ate in simple stalls where I spotted long lines of Taiwanese patiently waiting for their turn to be served. And when my feet grew tired, I sat in coffee shops or tea houses, reading my book and watching people pass by. 

I didn’t know it then, but I was getting hooked. The travel bug has bitten.