My traveling bonanza

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Phase 1: Conquest of New Zealand

Free to move about the country, I will attempt some serious multi-day tramps, kayaking, and generally exploring, essentially covering whatever I could not during the semester. Expect to see photos of mountains, glaciers, valleys, plains, grasslands, lakes, fjords, waterfalls, and if it works out, whales and other forms of New Zealand fauna.

Phase 2: That penal colony, I mean, Australia

Before I head off for bigger and badder adventures, I will be spending anywhere from a few days to two weeks in and around Syndey, enjoying the spring/summer weather (late November/early December). Expect photos of crowded beaches, kualas, and kangaroos, and (hopefully not) dorsal fins of not-to-be-named creatures from the sea.

Phase 3: Welcome to the Jungle – Malaysia

This is where I will learn, through trial and error, the ways of the backpacker. Beginning with the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur (KL) – home of the Petronas towers. From there, I will head to Penang, to enjoy the world renowned cuisine – available from even the most humble stalls. Then, on to the Langkawi islands, for a taste of tropical paradise with beautiful beaches, reefs and lush wilderness.

Phase 4: No Hartals please – Bangladesh

A friend from Tufts, Adnan, has graciously offered to show some of us around his country. First, we will acclimatize to Dhaka and enjoy the festival of Eid ul-Adha, which commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael (whereas the Judeo-Christian tradition hold that Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac). The festival centers on an animal sacrifice (with most of the meat given to the poor) and we hope to make our own sacrifice as well. After touring Dhaka, we will gradually make our way to Cox’s Bazaar and back, stopping at different locales along the way.

Phase 5: Recess is almost over! – Hong Kong via KL and Singapore

Flying back to KL, I will ride the train down to Singapore, hopefully do a little bit of sightseeing before another flight to bring me to my next study-abroad semester – Tufts in Hong Kong.

And there you have it: 8 weeks, 5-6 countries, 2 continents and enough flights to last a lifetime.

Part II: China

Phase 6: Happy New Years! Chinese, that is.

Over Chinese New Years, our Tufts-in-Hong-Kong group will be heading to Shanghai and some other cities in the region.

Phase 7: ???? Where are you, big brother?

Over “reading week,” I should be able to venture into the Middle Kingdom Mainland, wherever my brother happens to be, should he be so sedentary as to make plans several weeks in advance – most likely candidates are Korla, Xian or Urumqi.

Phase 8:Getting ready for center stage – Beijing
Tufts is also paying for us to visit Beijing for just a weekend, but I’m grateful to see it nonetheless.

Phase 9: Homeward bound – Tok-yo!

Courtesy of Continental Airlines, I may be able to stop-over for a few days along with some other Tufts guys on the way back to the good ole’ USA.