Take off again
ENI will leave again. At the end of June, I fly again to the Orient. It was enough to receive the e-ticket on my mailbox to feel myself growing wings.
At 540€ for a round trip Paris-Kuala Lumpur, on KLM, I fell for it. I will never find a better price for Asia...
The mere prospect of a new start, made concrete by the purchase of this ticket, plunges me into an abyss of bliss. Leaving, coming back, leaving again. The very flavor of existence seems to me to be suspended in this pendulum movement. Am I normal?
Because of the crisis, the majority of people prefer not to leave. Or do not go far.
With the crisis, I am overjoyed when I manage to go back to the other side of the world despite everything. Aiming at places where the standard of living allows me to last for long weeks without spending too much money. Is it indecent?
I spend entire nights on the internet juggling schedules, fares and airline connections. I dive with delight into the blogs of travelers who are like me. Those who are not afraid to leave a little room for improvisation, for chance, who rely on their lucky stars, who have confidence. For them, for me, being elsewhere is always exhilarating. By what miracle?
By dint of leaving, I tell myself that one day I might not come back. All these "parentheses from elsewhere" put together for so many years make up a small piece of existence that sometimes seems so much more precious than everything else... Does this make sense?
I do not know exactly where I'm going to hang out my flip flops in July from Kuala Lumpur. Preparations, but not too much! Only certainty, I'm going to return soaking my fins to Sipadanoff the coast of Borneo, accessible in a single flight with Air Asia. After... I am still at the stage where everything is possible.
It's so good to have the certainty of leaving again, soon.
🤗
I envy you, I'd love to go away with my man and my two little boys. No money right now, but that'll come later. It's not just the crisis, but you're right to take advantage of it. I'll keep dreaming by looking at your blog.
My only regret is that ....this time I won't be able to read your blog because....I too will be gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YES!!!!!!
We are lucky anyway !!!!!
A tip for Sipadan: don't forget your helmet, as head-on collisions with turtles are the most common risk in the area 😆
In Borneo, apart from the area around KK, I did Miri where the diving isn't great, but the surrounding parks are nice (Gunung Mulu, Lambir hills...) although very well developed and with fewer bugs than in Papua.
@Cathy: Yes, it's not easy to move around with four people. For me, of course, it's easier: no family constraints. I just have to manage to save the cost of the ticket. Once I'm in Asia, I spend much less on food and accommodation than if I stayed in France... In any case, thank you for your little note, it always means a lot to me to know that I'm managing to share a bit of my dream through this blog.
🙂
@ Helen: Yes, I know how lucky we are, both of us, to be able to travel to the other side of the world for our own pleasure. I think you should still be able to find a bike or two during your journey to connect, give and take news ... Good preparations!
8)
@Alimata: Ah, I can't wait to meet up with my turtle friends who haunt these fabulous waters! On Borneo, I have a vague plan to cross the Indonesian border and head for Derawan... (Last I heard, the mantas are back around Sangalaki, 😈 )
Then I'd do a hop over to Alor, passing through Bali on the way back... But I need to study this ambitious project more closely (budget/time/relationships).
As for the rest, I'm not a big fan of impenetrable jungles full of bugs. I'm fine with “landscaped” parks. But we'll see.
I feel like I could have written the same feeling (only less well expressed!)... it's weird to read your own thoughts written by someone else...
My N°1 budget: travel and diving... find good deals... places where you can enjoy life with a smile for very little... and go!
The rest is accessory... and it doesn't matter, I don't like going to restaurants, I love pasta, I don't need fancy furniture, a nice car or a big house... in short, all these material aspects don't matter to me, just like saving for an unknown future or for a retirement that might only be illusory... what if tomorrow we decided to settle somewhere else? I've already done it for a few years... the hardest part isn't leaving... it's coming back... what if one day we don't come back?
In the meantime, I leave and I come back with a smile, because I'm sure to leave again for new discoveries, adventures and encounters.
I know I'm lucky enough to be able to make this choice and share it with my partner.
The crisis? Life is one day at a time, with what we have... If we have to cut back on our travel budget, it will go down... but I don't envisage one day not dreaming of leaving again!
Don't worry. You're normal. This pendulum that sets the pace of your life is healthy. You're enriched by your travels, and if one day you come back less, it's because you've made the choice. I know people who have come and gone, gone and come again, and ended up hardly ever coming back. They have a rich life. It would be a shame for you to hold back. I'm off to India in August. In June, I'm going to see the Pyramids, it's about time I visited these wonders, in case they get bogged down... To each his own. 🙄
Derawan... diving here is quite expensive on the budget. But if you go that far, you absolutely must do the jellyfish dive on the islet of Kakaban! Indescribable...
For me, it's off to the Maldives next week... 8)
I can't wait for the mantas!...
@ Manta: You express very well what I feel too. We have the same philosophy about material things ...
🙂
@ Nono: Ah, I don't think I'm going to slow down! But I'm reassured. I'm normal! By the way, you go away a lot too.
😀
@ Marie-Ange (A world elsewhere): Yes, I remember well your account of the expedition to Kakaban... Count on me, if I go there, to try this unusual experience.
As far as accommodation is concerned, there seem to be cheap losmen in Derawan. For the dives themselves, I've been given a contact. I'll probably have to join up with other divers to share the boat's fuel costs... We'll see. I'm going to take a closer look at the question over the next few days, and send out a few e-mails. If outings are expensive, I'll do less, that's all!
In the meantime, I wish you wonderful dives in the Maldives. And I must admit, I envy you. (But I'll go too, one day!) I'm sure the mantas will be there! Enjoy them.
8)
I too agree with 500 % and believe that one day I won't be going home! We'll be on the same side of the globe at the same time. Until then, enjoy your blog! Sonia
@Sonia: 500%, how are you doing! Another one who has the virus of the trip ... Good trip in Asia, then!
😉
540 euros? That's not normal 😉
«I'm still at the stage where anything is possible. I like to think that anything can happen on a trip, especially the best.
As for the rest, need I add that I totally understand the state you're in 🙂
@ Marie-Julie: I'd be surprised if you didn't understand the state of mind I'm in right now... 😉
I've finally got a few days' rest ahead of me, so I'll have a bit of time to imagine the stages of this new journey.
Hi Corinne!
Well, if you're visiting the Perhentians at the end of June, I should be there until the 29th!
As I speak, we are 1 month, 6days, 14hours, and 32 minutes from departure!!!! It's great these wordpress widgets !!! All this to say that it's too hard to wait !!! How do you do it every time??? 😡
Ah yes... we beat you... we got them at 530 euros... aaaaaaahhhh it's good crisis !!!! 😆
See you soon ! 8)
@Anthony: Ah... I don't think I'll be going through the Perhentians again, and then I'm taking off from Paris on June 29, so it might be hard to bump into each other... 😉
In fact, I still haven't finalized my plans for this next trip. I'm going to start looking into it, and I'll be back to talk about it in a while 😀
One month and six days? Ah there, you hold the good end !!! 8)
I've just discovered your blog thanks to a friend on facebook and I love your style, I'll be following your projects regularly and watching your videos. I'm content with a few hours of freediving and only shoot with a Gopro (I'm more of a “land” photographer), but I'm desperate to see the coral dying out on the surface in Thailand and Malaysia...
@Stéphane: welcome to my Petites Bulles d'Ailleurs! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! 🙂
Yes, I've also noticed that the coral is no longer in very good shape in Thailand and Malaysia, alas... I'll soon be heading back to Indonesia, where some of the most beautiful seabeds are still to be found. But until when?
Good continuation !