Travel Diary 0.0, 8th Feb 2017
This trip is quite important for me and I decided to make a diary so that I can write all the things I see and feel on the trip. First let me explain why this trip is important. I am lost. I do not know what I want to be in my life. Actually I have been lost for past three or four years. But thanks to my mom, I happened to attend the University and study for Management. So these three years had been quite busy for me as I was trying to graduate in three year time. But I do know that I have been lost. Finally I graduated and this is the reason that this trip is going to happen. I have not mentioned yet why this trip is important. I realize myself that there aren't anything that I want to accomplish in my life so I decided to become a Buddhist monk a year after this trip. You may wonder why???
I wonder myself too. Is it because I was born as a Buddhist? It was my upbringing issues? Actually I did not have any upbringing issues. I had a normal childhood. I do not know why exactly. What's gotten into me? What changed me? I feel and I know that I changed. Last time, before I graduated from poly, I have had wants and desires. I had fought for it and tried to achieve and fulfil those as much as I can. But now I have changed, I still have wants and desires like last time but the motivation and passion to achieve those has been lost. My motivation has been lost and I am no longer feeling as lively as before. The only time I feel lively is when I am getting drunk and being high. I cannot trace back the real cause for the change. I accept idea that life is supposed to be moving forward either in a good way or a bad way until death. So trying to find out the reason or cause of the change is seemed that I am wasting my life. In Buddhism, human life is so precious and short that I am not willing to waste it. I will move forward my life as a monk. Why monk? Can't you be a businessman or a manager of some sorts? I can't because there is no end in becoming someone or having something that you want. New things and desires will come again and again one after another. You may say that it's not what's supposed to be of moving life forward. Yes, I agree but I cannot continue to entertain myself with those wants and desires. Most people said family is important and I am very thankful for my family for everything that I have done and have been able to do. My life is quite meaningless without them. This trip is important also because I have been working for 12hrs a day, six days a week for six months to have enough savings to make this trip happens. It is a lot of money for Myanmar and I will continue to work for another year after coming back from trip to save some money for my parents. I do not want my parents to worry about money.
Let's get started about the trip. I have planned and bought all the major tickets involved in my long break. My break will start on 1st of March until 23rd of March. On 24th of March, I will resume working as a technician in Dyson. I have to thanks Dyson for being a favourable environment to finish my studies and to earn money. My journeys so far as I have planned is like this - SG-YGN-Somewhere-YGN-SG-LDN-BATH-LDN-EDINB-LDN-SG-YGN-Somewhere-YGN-SG. On 1st March I will start leaving from Singapore to Yangon. One of my poly friends will arrange a trip from Yangon to somewhere in Myanmar which he does not confirm yet. On 5th March, me and my parents will leave from Yangon to Singapore. On 6th March, we will leave from Singapore to London. On 8th, London to Bath and back to London on the same day. On 9th, London to Edinburgh and back to London on 10th at 2 am. On 12th London to Singapore. On 18th Singapore to Yangon. One of my childhood friends will arrange a trip from Yangon to somewhere in Myanmar which he does not confirm yet. On 23rd Yangon to Singapore. I am so excited and ready for this once-in-a-lifetime trip and try to add more details about it before, along and after the trip.
I have already bought all the airplane tickets that will be needed throughout the trip. I have bought the day tour package for Bath. I have bought the return virgin train tickets to Edinburgh. I have ordered oyster cards to be used for public transportation in London. Now I am researching what things to do for six hours in Edinburgh. I like to see sunset at Arthur's seat and Stonehenge. Arthur's seat is in Edinburgh and I hope I can see sunset there. For Stonehenge, I tried to book for it but the dates are not suitable for us because I only have 6days in UK. One day, 7th March is gone for my graduation. Another one day, 9th is gone for Edinburgh. I want to go as many places as I can in London also. So I decided not to plan any tour outside London after 9th so that I can explore London for 3 days,10,11&12. So I am left with 8th to plan for Stonehenge trip. The normal viewing, not sunset viewing, is a available on that date. Actually LDN-Bath is not just only Bath. It includes Stonehenge as well. And then, I like to go a day tour to Paris also but I need to apply for Schengen visa. At first, I was trying to plan to go to Dingle in Ireland but it does not work out due to time and money constraints. So I gave up about it and decided just to stay in London only. When I was starting to buy a day tour package for Stonehenge, Bath trip, they also got a day tour package to Paris as well. Paris is just nearby and only a 2-hr plus train ride from St Pancras international train station in London. But now it's too late to apply for Schengen visa. I contacted the French Embassy in Singapore via website and they replied some applications take up to six weeks and now I got left with 3 weeks before 1st of March. So if you plan to go to London and you got UK visa only, in order to enter France, Paris, you need Schengen visa and you can apply only in the country of residence. I also contacted the French consulate in London about whether I can apply for Schengen visa in London and the processing time can be shortened. They said I cannot do so and I must apply in my county of residence. I guess the processing time is the same everywhere because getting a Schengen visa allowed you to travel not just for a country but also for all Schengen countries, it includes Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
I wonder myself too. Is it because I was born as a Buddhist? It was my upbringing issues? Actually I did not have any upbringing issues. I had a normal childhood. I do not know why exactly. What's gotten into me? What changed me? I feel and I know that I changed. Last time, before I graduated from poly, I have had wants and desires. I had fought for it and tried to achieve and fulfil those as much as I can. But now I have changed, I still have wants and desires like last time but the motivation and passion to achieve those has been lost. My motivation has been lost and I am no longer feeling as lively as before. The only time I feel lively is when I am getting drunk and being high. I cannot trace back the real cause for the change. I accept idea that life is supposed to be moving forward either in a good way or a bad way until death. So trying to find out the reason or cause of the change is seemed that I am wasting my life. In Buddhism, human life is so precious and short that I am not willing to waste it. I will move forward my life as a monk. Why monk? Can't you be a businessman or a manager of some sorts? I can't because there is no end in becoming someone or having something that you want. New things and desires will come again and again one after another. You may say that it's not what's supposed to be of moving life forward. Yes, I agree but I cannot continue to entertain myself with those wants and desires. Most people said family is important and I am very thankful for my family for everything that I have done and have been able to do. My life is quite meaningless without them. This trip is important also because I have been working for 12hrs a day, six days a week for six months to have enough savings to make this trip happens. It is a lot of money for Myanmar and I will continue to work for another year after coming back from trip to save some money for my parents. I do not want my parents to worry about money.
Let's get started about the trip. I have planned and bought all the major tickets involved in my long break. My break will start on 1st of March until 23rd of March. On 24th of March, I will resume working as a technician in Dyson. I have to thanks Dyson for being a favourable environment to finish my studies and to earn money. My journeys so far as I have planned is like this - SG-YGN-Somewhere-YGN-SG-LDN-BATH-LDN-EDINB-LDN-SG-YGN-Somewhere-YGN-SG. On 1st March I will start leaving from Singapore to Yangon. One of my poly friends will arrange a trip from Yangon to somewhere in Myanmar which he does not confirm yet. On 5th March, me and my parents will leave from Yangon to Singapore. On 6th March, we will leave from Singapore to London. On 8th, London to Bath and back to London on the same day. On 9th, London to Edinburgh and back to London on 10th at 2 am. On 12th London to Singapore. On 18th Singapore to Yangon. One of my childhood friends will arrange a trip from Yangon to somewhere in Myanmar which he does not confirm yet. On 23rd Yangon to Singapore. I am so excited and ready for this once-in-a-lifetime trip and try to add more details about it before, along and after the trip.
I have already bought all the airplane tickets that will be needed throughout the trip. I have bought the day tour package for Bath. I have bought the return virgin train tickets to Edinburgh. I have ordered oyster cards to be used for public transportation in London. Now I am researching what things to do for six hours in Edinburgh. I like to see sunset at Arthur's seat and Stonehenge. Arthur's seat is in Edinburgh and I hope I can see sunset there. For Stonehenge, I tried to book for it but the dates are not suitable for us because I only have 6days in UK. One day, 7th March is gone for my graduation. Another one day, 9th is gone for Edinburgh. I want to go as many places as I can in London also. So I decided not to plan any tour outside London after 9th so that I can explore London for 3 days,10,11&12. So I am left with 8th to plan for Stonehenge trip. The normal viewing, not sunset viewing, is a available on that date. Actually LDN-Bath is not just only Bath. It includes Stonehenge as well. And then, I like to go a day tour to Paris also but I need to apply for Schengen visa. At first, I was trying to plan to go to Dingle in Ireland but it does not work out due to time and money constraints. So I gave up about it and decided just to stay in London only. When I was starting to buy a day tour package for Stonehenge, Bath trip, they also got a day tour package to Paris as well. Paris is just nearby and only a 2-hr plus train ride from St Pancras international train station in London. But now it's too late to apply for Schengen visa. I contacted the French Embassy in Singapore via website and they replied some applications take up to six weeks and now I got left with 3 weeks before 1st of March. So if you plan to go to London and you got UK visa only, in order to enter France, Paris, you need Schengen visa and you can apply only in the country of residence. I also contacted the French consulate in London about whether I can apply for Schengen visa in London and the processing time can be shortened. They said I cannot do so and I must apply in my county of residence. I guess the processing time is the same everywhere because getting a Schengen visa allowed you to travel not just for a country but also for all Schengen countries, it includes Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
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