Day 0: The Beginning
A few days ago I tore down the art I had pasted on all of the walls in my apartment, gave my pet fish to a friend and moved out of flat 16-54. Seven months ago I moved into HDB Block 739 in Singapore and, until yesterday, called flat #54 home.
The location of my flat
A gallery of images of and from my room.
A few weeks ago my employment ended; the startup I was working at ran out of money and we went our separate ways. In legal speak “in light of an unhealthy financial position Insect Feed Technologies and Nathan Laurnez have mutually consented to part ways”. This opened up a lot of time in my schedule and I have decided to go backpacking around Southeast Asia.
I attempted to make a timeline of my time in Singapore; unfortunately, I am not skilled at graphic design:
Timeline
Timeline take 2
The Gear
Backpackers travel light, all of my items need to fit into a 58-litre backpack. Specifically the Berghaus Verden 45 + 8. [I chose this one because it was cheap 2nd hand, but not inexpensive enough for me to be concerned about the quality]
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Clothes
1 T-shirt
3 button down short sleeve shirts
1 button down long sleeve dress shirt
1 pair of shorts
1 pair of pyjama shorts
1 pair 3/4th length pants
1 pair of black dress pants
1 black belt (not the karate kind, the kind to fit with the dress pants)
1 swimsuit
7 pair of underwear
5 pair socks
A towel
Electronics + Pleasure
Cannon 7D camera and gear
Laowa 100 mm 2x ultra macro lens (this is wrapped in the above towel)
20-55 landscape lens
small tripod
extra batter
flash
extra memory card
battery
charger
upload cards
A laptop
and carrying case
My phone
An old phone that still works, just in case
Flashlight
Headlamp
Notebook
and 5 pens
Portable speaker
Book (currently I’m reading the jungle book, I’ll have to swap with someone when I finish it)
Deck of cards
A couple of power cords + converters
Toiletries
Toothpaste and brush
3 razors and a small shaving cream can
Zit cream
5 hairbands
1 stretchy hair bandana
10 pair of contacts (this sounds like a lot, but they are to be replaced daily, so it is actually very few. Soon I will need to find more contacts)
Prescription sunglasses (I lost my prescription non-sunglasses in a hostel in Quebec so sunglasses are the backup to my contacts)
Ibuprofen
Paracetamol
Covid at-home test
Earplugs (for sleeping and clubbing)
Sleep mask
Deodorant
A bar of soap
A small kit of tweezers, a needle, a fingernail & a toenail clippers
5 ziplock bags
4 rubber bands
5 carabiners
Bug spray (update airport security confiscated this)
Important bits
Leather shoulder-sling day pack
Passport
Wallet
Now defunct, Singapore work ID
US drivers license
two credit cards
Cash (in 7 currencies)
The list looks long, but that is everything in my possession and my only items for the next three months.
The Plan
I am starting my travels in a city in northern Thailand called Chiang Mai. From here I will do a two-week motorcycle trip around northern Thailand before heading west to Laos, then further west to Hanoi in northern Vietnam.
Landing in Chiang Mai
Then I’d like to go south to Cambodia and round out my trip in the islands of southern Thailand. I also have the budget for a few flights so I may buzz off to Cebu in the Philippines or Bali in Indonesia at some point.
My planned route: another example of my great graphic design skills
I have very little planned on what to do in each location and no definitive timeline on when I’m headed to each place. I expect my trip to take about 3 months, but it may be stretched a bit in either direction.
I will try to write a blog post every week or two. This is for a few reasons: my own memory, to practice writing, and so my friends and family can follow along on my trip. Wish me luck as I trek across Southeast Asia!
