T-2... Fingers crossed for Saudi visa approval - Singapore, Singapore
Singapore, Singapore
Where I stayed
Geylang
So here it is, probably the most inconsequential and irrelevant first post in travel blog history. However, it should set the right mood for the subsequent posts :)
Big updates
It's Monday 9am now, and I have 2 working days to go before leaving my job and starting my trip
I'm holding my fingers crossed as I submitted my documents to get my visa for Saudi Arabia (one of the toughest to get) and I'm waiting for an answer by today, or tomorrow latest
I bought my first ticket out of Singapore, to leave on Wednesday morning to Hanoi, Vietnam
Kabsa to laksa means what exactly?
The name of two popular dishes that happen to rhyme: kabsa, a rice dish original from Saudi Arabia (with Indian cuisine elements), and laksa from Singapore/Malaysia (different versions avaialble but generally a spicy coconut soup noodle dish). It's a small homage and my way to say thank you to two regions and countries that have given me so many meaningful and life lasting memories and experiences.
So what is this trip and blog about?
I'm leaving my job and will travel for 7 weeks around a bunch of different places, some of them I have never been to before. I would like to my trips documented and share with family and friends, and the eventual passer by.
Beyond my current trip 7 weeks trip, I would like to use this blog as a basis I have traveled extensively in the last 5 years but failed to document my travels, apart from my blog about life in Saudi Arabia (where I lived from 2009 - 2011) that can be visited here (word of caution: the blog is in Spanish).
My traveling experience in numbers
So some statistics on my trips (I'm an analytic person and maths geek, so figures is my bread and butter):
My first overseas trip was probably when I was 6 years old, to Orlando, Florida, with my parents and little brother at the time. I was very excited as the tooth mouse (Mexican equivalent to tooth fairy) left a 5 dollar bill under my pillow in the hotel in Orlando. It happens that when one goes to Disney World, the tooth mouse is Mickey Mouse himself
Throughout my childhood, most of my trips in Mexico were to two main destinations: Acuitzio del Canje, Michoacan, and Acapulco, Guerrero... I'll go back there soon and share with you a glimpse of these two beautiful paradises that mean so much to me
My first experience living overseas was in Canada, in 2004, when I studied an exchange term in McGill University, Montreal
I started travelling more extensively when finishing university and started working. At that point of time (2006) I had visited 3 countries: US, Canada, and Mexico. At the end of 2007 I had visited around 14, in North America, South America, Caribbean, and Europe
At the end of 2008 I had taken approximately 200 flights in my life, half of them within Mexico, and the other half to the US. Most of them for work, as I worked as a consultant for a couple of years
In 2009 I pursued my MBA (one year program) and lived in 3 different countries: Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and France. I visited 24 countries within that year, covering America, North Africa, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe, and bringing my net country count close to 30
In 2010 - 2011 I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia, flying to Dubai and other destinations in the world every week. At the end of 2011 my flight count had exceeded 450, and the number of countries visited reaching somewhere around 32 to 33
In 2012 I moved to Singapore, and since then the country count hasn't grown that much (except for Vietnam), but I have traveled extensively across Southeast Asia, but mostly Vietnam (embarking on my 10th trip this coming Wednesday). As we speak, my net country list is 34 (I need to revise and get back to you), and flights taken exceeds 500 (nearly 300 for personal reasons rather than work)
In summary, I have lived (or spent considerable amount of time) in 7 different countries: Mexico, USA, Canada, France, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and United Arab Emirates, taken more than 500 flights across 4 continents (still missing Australia and Antarctica), and visited 34 countries
What to expect over the coming 7 weeks?
I will try to visit at least 10 of the following list of countries (* for those I never been to before): Vietnam, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia (*), Slovenia (*), Serbia (*), Romania (*), Bulgaria(*), Croatia(*), Turkey, Georgia(*), Azerbaijan(*), Iran(*), Saudi Arabia
One of these will become my country #40, at which point I'll do a little celebration and special post, and will do my best to keep you posted along the way
Hasta la proxima,
V