things i learned while travelling alone

its been a week and a half since i got back, and i finally sat down and calculated the cost of my recent 14 day escapade. i may have missed out on certain things, but seems like my expenditure isn't that huge after all, some way below my budgeted amount.

so with such a big expense, what did i learn from it?

i take care of myself much better when im travelling alone that back in singapore:
I actually take special care to watch my diet such as eating vegetables and fruits during meals and drinking enough water. i even came close to buying fruits from the supermarket but in the end, i thought it was easier to just drink fruit juices and smoothies.

i can keep myself entertained
very much like how easily a child can keep himself entertained with little things. all it takes is some imagination, a silly brain, and many interactive displays with levers and buttons. i barely had to take out my book to read, not that i dont like reading.

i do not torture my stomach
i dont eat expensive stuff, but i wont save money by skipping meals.

i enjoyed the freedom
the freedom to decide what time to wake up, what time and what to eat, when to take a break, what to see. no need for endless discussion, or people not being able to make up their minds.

i dont like not knowing
i like knowing that i have a roof over my head every night, i dont like not knowing whether i get  a seat on the train or not, i like knowing that im walking in the right direction (and not being a stereotypical guy and instead ask for directions as soon as i sense that i might not be walking in the right direction)

Roomies

So today marked the end of my hostel stays, had roommates from all over the world..

British..
My first night at Edinburgh, I ended up sharing a 4 bed room with a British girl. It is so weird sharing a room with just one person of the opposite gender. Didn't get much chance to talk to her, being still jet lagged and going to bed pretty early. It turned out that she talks in her sleep!

Brazilian..
The next few nights on Skye was spent with David, carol and a Brazilian named evandro. He flew all the way from brazil to learn English at a school in Edinburgh. Thought he was rather weird at first but turned out he's pretty alright.

Romanians..
Only met them late in the evening when I returned to Edinburgh. By the time I got back from the queen's concert screening, they were asleep and woke up at 2am to catch a flight

Swiss..
This two fellows were so funny. They bought a stack of postcards (like 60) and spent the whole evening writing back to their family and friends about their experience in Scotland. In this age, it is rare to see people still writing post cards, and enjoyed so much at doing so.

Pakistani..
Turned out my newcastle roommate was doing his phd in Cardiff and dropped by Newcastle university for research. Found out he has a 14 month old baby back in Pakistan. Must be very hard to be away from the family, and he still has 2 more years in uk..

All in all. It was a good experience, meeting people from all walks of life, but for now, it's time to enjoy having a bathroom for myself :)

Inside the common room

Sitting at the common room, with a cup of half priced Starbucks frap (they are having a half price promotion! We need this in Singapore too!), surrounded by fellow tourists lazing around playing pool, using the free wifi, reading a book, I finally found myself doing what I thought backpackers do on their travels. Scotland has been amazing! The 3 days spent in the highlands, surrounding myself with food mountains, glens (valleys) and lochs, the scenery is just amazing. Makes one wonder, only God has the ability to create something so wonderful. Although we spent a little too much time in the bus than I like, I get to see the little things, like the thousands of sheep we drove past, with their little ewes in tow and the little rivers that meanders towards the lochs. Edinburgh itself is pretty too, though somehow I don't find it as picturesque as I thought it would be. The castle (I always had a soft spot for castles) is pretty cool too, completed with cannons, prison cells and towers. And I am quite thankful that I chose to come during this weekend, during the queen's diamond jubilee. Even though most of the excitement is in London, edinburgh, being the capital of Scotland had some events that went in too. There was this live viewing of the concert at a palace, whereby they were giving out free flags, crowns and face painting to make the atmosphere even better. It's really a good experience being part of it. My 4 and a half days stint in Scotland is almost up. England here I come!

Day 1,2

So here marks my first flight.. And technically the first time I flew on SIA.. The 45 mins from kl when I was p4 doesn't count of course.. Anyway, the a380 was nice and spacious, and I'm quite thankful for it cause the lady beside me totally has no boundaries, kept spilling over to my side.. Like way over.. And she wasn't big size or anything.. But seeing how she seems unwell throughout the flight, I kept quiet about it. The flight itself was uneventful, nice food, can't sleep as usual. 4 movies, 5 episodes of the new girl and the next thing I know, I arrived at London! The journey to Carol's place from the airport took a while, but it was pretty straight forward. Turned out she stays at a nice looking apartment near her workplace.. Today marks my first full solo day.. Waking up at an unearthly hour of 7am, I couldn't go back to sleep! Stupid jet lag.. And my first stressful part during the train ride to Edinburgh.. Holding a railways, I wasn't assigned a seat like most others, and I forgot to ask the information where I was allowed to sit.. So when I board the train, I realised the seats I saw are all reserved.. I started to panick a little, grab all my stuff and went off the train to find a carriage that has empty seats... I finally got one, and then I realised I couldn't find my train ticket!!! Well, after digging for a few minutes and wondering if I left it at a previous carriage, I finally found it in another part of my bag.. Phew! So after today, I realised I can travel alone. It is quite nice not needing discussions over where to go and what to do.. But it is quite scary having to make decisions yourself, like whether you are getting on the right train, going the right place... Think I still prefer travelling with ppl... But there's still time for that preference to change right?