I can remember walking into the branch of STA and being handed a map of the world and asked 'So, where do you fancy going then?'. I think my reply was a rather glazed look, coupled with a shrug and a 'dunno really'. By some slight miracle things started taking shape and it's around a week and a half before I jet off to my first location, Singapore, South East Asia. Hurrah! The plan goes something along the lines of; First stop: Singapore (arriving 27/04). After a few days to aclimatise and disgrace myself with the excessive consumption of Singapore Slings, my tour starts and begins to move into Malaysia. Passing through Kuala Lumpur, I'll then spend a few days dodging mosquitoes in the Cameron Highlands. Then onto the Island of Penang, the last stop before... Thailand. A few days on the 'idyllic' (not my own words but I'm sure I'll quickly agree) island of Koh Pha Ngan, it's onto the somewhat psychotic city of Bangkok. With any luck, I'll meet my (previous) housemate Phil, having spent a few days in Thailand himself, and we'll journey onto..... Cambodia (15/05). If we're lucky enough to dodge the monsoons, our passage along the roads will be considerably faster and less muddy, and we'll pass on through to Siem Reap. From this base we'll be able to see the ruins of Angkor. As for the rest of our time here...well, that's what this site is for! Leaving Cambodia will take us nicely into.... Vietnam. I don't have long here but I intend to absorb as much of the country as possible seen as the visa cost me a small fortune! If I manage to survive it, I'll leave South East Asia from Ho Chi Ming City (Saigon). Next on the route is... Australia (28/05). The land of all things oversized, scaley and poisonous, and I'm not just talking about the locals...! (Apologies, terribly bad joke I know!). I touch down in Darwin, then head South to Alice Springs through various National Parks and the dry desolate, yet facinating 'bush'. I'll go westwards to see the sun set over Uluru (Ayres Rock) before taking an overland flight to Cairns. Here I hope to do some WOOFING for around 2 weeks (http://www.wwoof.com.au/), before meeting Jo (other previous housemate). Together we'll amble down the East coast to Sydney. That's our final location before.... New Zealand (02/08). Arriving in Christchurch we'll Kiwi Experience it anti-clockwise around the South Island. I think I'll feel quite at home here surrounded by sheep, hills and rain.... The North Island is as yet undecided, but leaving from Auckland on 27/08 is one certainty. Jo will make her way back home and I have a week on the Island of... Fiji. Darn. After this period of sure hardship I take a horribly long flight to.... L.A (USA) 03/09..or do I have to start writing 09/03? Tough. I have some cousins who live not far from L.A in a place called Los Osos. I hope to spend some time catching up with them and being acquainted with the new arrival..! I'm sure I'll do some of the touristy things back in the City, then it's onto the final destination.... Vancouver, Canada (17/09). Hopefully, this will be the start of an extended stay in this fascinating city. My Uncle and his family live here and it's only fair that I get the chance to go and see them all as everyone else (in my family) it seems has already been! I've just sorted a work visa through BUNAC which allows me to stay out for a maximum of 12 months. I'll probably do a mixture of seasonal jobs, getting to know that place and it's people as best I can. So why am I doing this? Well seven years of high school and three years of University is a long time without a proper break. It's not that I can't go and get a job but I have such a strong urge to live unpredictably for a while before I settle down to routine and grown up life. I'm pretty aware of everything that could and may go wrong when I'm away but quite honestly that scares me less than waking up when I'm 40 and realising that the weekly Sainsburys shop and whether my savings are accumulating the best level of interest is the most important objective to me. There's a world out there and I intend to see a bit of it. Maybe it's the Psychologist in me but I can't wait to see how other people live their lives and if at all possible help them along with it all. I'm sure that what I receive in return will be pretty priceless as experiences go.