Possibilities!

I've been meaning to write another blog for quite a while now though I've never really found the time. Unfortunately it seems like it will be both a positive and negative affair.

Firstly, it seems all too normal to be living here now, it feels like home and I don't feel like it should change - at least for the short term. It's become routine, the always crampt rooms at Maze, uncomfortable temperatures and constant lack of clean clothes - but I like it. The varied amount of characters you meet is what makes it all worth it.

We recently met a Spanish guy called Miguel - without a doubt the most interesting and friendliest person I've ever met. In what I'd like to guess as being his mid 40's, he's travelled all over the world and has a bounty of knowledge and wisdom to share. His idea of life is to constantly experience new things, travel to new places and to ensure you do it frequently enough so life never becomes stale. It's opened my mind to the actual possibilities we have. You don't need to be tied down, you CAN go anywhere you want - dive into the deep end and challenge yourself to new experiences. One of the places he has been to many times is Japan, a place I intend to visit mid July. To put it simply, I have a wealth of knowledge at my disposal thanks to him and I plan to use all of it.

I don't want to skimp out, I want to ensure I see everything I can and do it properly. Hell, I've even decided to work there for a couple of months if I can. What better way to experience another country than to join in on everyday life? This also means I'll get to go to Taiji - a place I've been fascinated to see since watching The Cove. No, I'm not going to go there to tie myself to a pole in protest - I want to see what the town is like, what happens around it all. It's quite far out so I'd never considered it but there really is no reason not to and I'll regret it if I don't.

As mentioned in a previous blog, I've given up on properly planning trips out as you simply never know what can happen when you are on your travels as a backpacker, it can change so quickly and you'll never know where you end up. If I can work in a country I visit, I'll try my hardest to do it. It makes travelling cheaper, more interesting and keeps you on the road for longer. I'm very grateful to have met such an awesome person over the likes of stocktaking a hardware store. Thank you Hardware & General.

Another character I've met was a guy called Stu, a Scotsman that stayed and ran the breakfasts at our hostel. He was a very prominent character over the time he was at Maze - you become so used to having the same people in your daily life that you never really realise it until they have left.

Not so long ago he departed to Vietnam. Unfortunately, I found out he passed away along with 11 others on a junker that sunk out in Ha Long Bay. It's with this news that I really realised the point above, it REALLY hits home when someone who becomes part of your daily routine leaves, no matter how big or small of a part of it they were. All I can say is that at least it happened undertaking one of the biggest experiences of your life, not at home in some freak accident. I think it's affected everybody that stayed at Maze whilst he was there and it's extremely sad to hear of this tragedy, I'm sure I'll be thinking of it when I'm in Ha Long Bay. We will most definitely drink to you tonight. Rest in peace mate, you'll be missed.

As an end note, a more positive one - I'm really looking forward to this year. Opportunities seem to keep popping up on every corner, opportunities I either never considered or didn't realise were there in the first place. I'm sure this is the same for others.

Screw Blink 182, 23 is going to be a fucking good year.