The Year of Living Differently

By: Trisha Sng

It’s great to be a little unnerved by new countries, new experiences, new currencies, new languages, new food, new ways of doing the same things… I love it.

From Singapore, I shall be heading north to China, across to Mongolia and Russia. I journey to Western Europe to meet up with some friends.

I fly to Brazil next, before overlanding to Bolivia or Peru. Then, I shall wander down the length of Chile and U-turn, or rather V-turn, back up to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

To cut across the Pacific Ocean, I have to go via Cancun in Mexico, Los Angeles in USA before heading down to the French Polynesian Islands. Then, it’s off to Australia and home.

Cheap Flights to Mexico
Flights to Australia

Latest Update
29: From Here to Eternity
Trisha has finally completed her RTW trip, but it is not the end, merely the beginning.

28: There’s Something About Money
Trisha realised the power of money in the Cuban economy, and also discovered that Che Guevara was one spooky dude without his beard.

Catch Up On The Journey
27: Next Stop: I-Wonder-Where-Land
With the help of some Singaporean friends living in Mexico City, Trisha was able to ease some of her cravings for food from home.

26: Farewell, My Amigos
The altiplano is no place for smelly shoes in an overnight bus. Up here, fresh air is rare. Trisha suffered an attack of the Shoeless Ninja.

25: Mission Inca-Kola
Trisha crossed over into Peru thinking of the violent robbery from her last visit. And paying attention to her instinct protected her from a similar, or worse, situation this time.

24: Run Llama Run
Visiting Quebrada de Los Conchas in the late afternoon was one of the best things Trisha had done in Argentina. But she also got excited by all the llamas she saw.

23: Planet of the Asados
Only the Argentinians know how how to make a real asado and Trisha enjoyed several with the locals on her return to Argentina.

22: Trish vs. the Volcano
Trisha learns the first rule of mountaineering on the slopes of Volcano Villarrica: Never walk alone.

21: (Nearly) Gone With the Wind
Trisha wonders if Torres del Paine was a mis-print. It should have been Torres del PAIN after the rain, slippery rocks and incessant wind took their toll.

20: Where the Penguins Roam
After being off the backpackers’ circuit, Trisha had to get used to the different types of traveller again, including the The List-Builder and The Waiting to Exhale.

19: The Great Stain Robbery
Trisha and her friends fell victim to the famous stain-and-distract trick. She lost her camera and felt like she should walk around with a STUPID sign on her forehead.

18: Much Ado About Buenos Aires
Exploring BA, Trisha wandered through colorful neighborhoods, ate 1 meter ice creams, stepped around dog poo and wondered why so many Argentinians visited psychologists.

17: Tango and Not Enough Cash
After travelling for six months, Trisha felt a need to stay longer in a place, get to know it better. She signed up for Spanish lessons in Buenos Aires.

16: Crouching Caymans Hidden Piranhas
A three day trek into the Pantanal brought Trisha very close to Brazilian wildlife, but it was the incredible Igaucu Falls that left her speechless.

15: Babes in Bikini-Land
As the saying goes, ‘When in Rome…’ Trisha went and bought herself a bikini in Brazil. And the perfect place to wear it was Ilha do Mel.

14: One Long Bus-Ride Too Many
Over and over again, Trisha was impressed by the friendliness of the Brazilian people she met. Now if they could just do something about the long bus rides…

13: Empire of the Sun-Tanned
Trisha was on her third continent and halfway across the world from where she started. Brazil was a wonderful mix of beauty, beaches, waterfalls and bikinis.

12: Book, Cod and Two Smoky Bars
Trisha had a few quintessential English experiences while in London: fish’n'chips in the pub, a Shakespeare play in the The Globe, and visiting a museum for free.

11: For Butter or Wurst
While her Europe trip was not turning out terribly exciting, Trisha was happy to be able to catch up in person with friends she’d met on the road.

10: The Rainy Horror Picture Show
After Russia, Warsaw looked modern, civilised, efficient and smart. The streets looked clean, the trams looked new, the atmosphere felt friendlier. And then Trisha went and sprained her ankle on one of those cobble-stoned streets.

9: The Nyet
You know you are in Russia when the cafes serve complimentary vodka. Trisha was also very impressed by the Armoury inside the Kremlin.

8: Train-Shopping
The Trans-Mongolian Railway meant many days on the train with its interesting Mogol traders. It also meant crossing into a new continent and a new city at the end, Moscow.

7: Mong-Struck
Trisha has some of her best experiences on this trip so far with a Mongolian family in their ger. However, her travel companions have a bad time of it with pick-pockets.

6: From Beijing with Love
Beijing turned out quite wonderful for Trisha, largely due to the people she met in her hostel. The same cannot be said, however, for the crooks who tried to smuggle her across the border into Mongolia.

5: Dial M for Mutton
Trisha is ready to start smelling like an Uyghur if it means she gets to eat more of their Shish kebabs. And Kashgar’s famous Sunday Bazaar was perfect for what Trisha likes best – people-watching.

4: Desperately Seeking Shade
Shade is a luxury in Turpan where temps can reach 50°C. Trisha is doing her best to see important sights, but the prices keep going up as she goes along.

3: Of Monks and Yak-Men
More bus woes with long journeys and bogus bus insurance, but Trisha is enjoying visitng the monasteries and lusting after the hunky and handsome Tibetan monks.

2: Horses, Trains & Muddy Public Buses
Trisha’s using varied forms of transport to get her around China. A 13 hour hard seat train, a 4 day horse trek and a bumpy 7 hour bus ride to the remote town of Zoige.

1: Return of the Backpack
Trisha’s trip didn’t get off to a great start as her backpack failed to arrive with her. After tracking it down she spent some time in the cultural towns of Dali and Lijiang in China.

The Plan
Trisha’s plan, including her route, visas she needed, travel insurance and shots she got before she left.