A Beary Good Hostel indeed

Maybe it was just chance that I stumbled across a really decent one, but after my Singapore trip, I’m convinced now that hostels are the way to go especially if you’re traveling alone.

By far the best reason is the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, convening at one point at one time. Threads of fate crossing each other then going their separate ways. A couple from Italy, a Chinese girl schooled in Canada and working in her native Vietnam, a father-daughter combo from the Philippines, a girl from Brunei (it DOES exist), a Japanese girl from beer heaven Sapporo.

Of these, the most inspiring was this dude from Germany I talked to in the living room one of the nights. I found out he was doing an Asia tour but he started off in Australia, where he worked part-time for about six months. Apparently he spent the first three months doing some bartending, which he said made decent money but the living expense in the cities are too brutal so he couldn’t save much. He therefore decided to take a job working as a farmhand out in the fricken boonies. Hearing him describe it, it sounded like hell. Miles away from civilization, no phone, no internet, no running water, a tent to sleep under but no bed to lie on…

He worked for 3 months straight, everyday waking up at 5AM, picking fruits and vegetables under sweltering heat until 5PM. The upshot was that with all the money he was earning there was absolutely no opportunity to spend it where he was, and so it piled up… Once he decided it was enough he proceeded to buy plane tickets to travel all over Asia.

Everywhere he goes now, it just feels that much better when compared to life at the farm. I was simply impressed by his attitude towards travel and life. I would say I was inspired too, but then I found out he isn’t even college yet. In Europe students out of high school have a gap year, and this is how he chose to spend it. When he goes back he said he’ll likely study medicine. I didn’t even have much words of advice for him, just told him to keep doing what he’s doing. Where was I at his age?

Added to their guestbook

Without even mentioning the sights, this was a good trip.

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You are now free to travel

This is coming in really late, but yours truly is officially exempt from military service. YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BOI. Ahem.

That was a cry of elation, a long-waited victory. My confinement in Taiwan is over. I am fully a citizen of the two places I call home. I have access to really great health care. I have to pay taxes twice. <pause> Shit.

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Backpacking

Completely on a whim, I decided to make a last-minute trip to Singapore not too long ago- in my nearly two years in Taiwan I have not so much as stepped foot in another country (going home doesn’t count) so it was high time for me to go out and explore.
Part of the reason I haven’t travelled was because I was more or less confined in Taiwan for a year as I was getting the whole army bullshit straightened out. But, after an eternity of toil, I’m now armed with an exemption certificate and free to fly as I goddamn please. And what better way to celebrate with a week to myself before starting my new job?
Why Singapore? Originally I wanted to go to Hong Kong, but after mulling it over I decided against it since I can go there any time for a weekend trip because it’s so close by. Singapore is similarly highly developed, transportation is convenient, and the government is really anal about orderliness and safety. I believe you get fined and can even receive a lashing for spitting in public (not sure about the latter part). Plus, I figured exploring a city by myself would be better than hitting up, say, a resort area alone.
Of course, the winning factor was that I had a couple of contacts there that might be able to show me around. One was a friend of a friend, the other a fellow student I met when I was at MTC, which just highlights the benefits of attending that school aside from just learning the Chinese.
Thus I booked the cheapest flight I could find and found a hostel the day before my flight for about 20 bucks USD a night. Sure, it was a good deal, but honestly who’s gonna refuse a place called “A Beary Good Hostel”?

More on the trip and my first time staying at a hostel coming later!

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