Balance

This week I'll be doing something a little different from what I'm use to or even my normal travel adventures. I would consider myself a bit of a party'er. Nothing too crazy at least not anymore. But as most who know me, I like to enjoy beer :) And I definitely have or plan to party during my travels (I already have done some here in Australia and plan to in Thailand). But I'm all about balance and experiencing all sides.

So this week I'll be volunteering at a Kadampa Buddhist Center. Its just outside Melbourne. I'm not entirely sure what work I'll be doing but it sounds like outside yard, lawn work. And in exchange I get free accommodation and meals. Work is Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm with a hour lunch break. I'm free to attend meditation classes outside work and Saturday they have some special retreat I'm free to participate in.
I must follow their rules: no lying, stealing or killing of any creature. And also no tv or music.
I'm not quite sure what to expect. The work should be simple enough. It'll be interesting to see how the monks live. Ideally I would be in Tibet doing this but that's not really feasible so this will have to do :)

I'll write up a post report next weekend with the experience. And in true American fashion, I'm glad it'll be over with before the Superbowl lol (which is Monday morning here in Melbourne)

How I planned this adventure

I wanted to be flexible in my travels with a rough itinerary and list of countries I'd like to visit but with no concrete plan or set of dates to live by.  But that doesn't mean I haven't researched and read like crazy up to this point.  Since the idea bore inception, I've read up on backpacking hungrily.  That was 4 years ago.

This post is for two reasons: a bookmark for myself for resources I've used (and actually I have a dropbox folder for that), and to show everyone how much research I've done and possibly get them interested in doing it. And to help put my parents at ease :)

The documentary, A Map for Saturday, initially gave me the idea to do this trip and what inspired me.  I believe it's only available for purchase (no Netflix, unfortunately).  I'll be happy to lend you my copy (well maybe, assuming I get my copy back from a certain someone :) ).  Either way, I highly recommend watching it.  The movie will basically be my life for the next 5 months.

A list of countries I'm planning on visiting before coming back in June. It's pretty close to being in order. The latter ones being more tentative since they're further out.

• Australia
• Malaysia
• Cambodia
• Thailand
• Nepal
• India
• Maldives
• an Eastern European/Asian country (Turkey, Croatia, Jordan)

Countries I cutout officially for now. I was kinda planning these but with my summer plans changing, I had to cut them out. Of course I want to visit many other Asian countries (China, Japan, South Korea, Myanmar) but this is my preference.

• New Zealand (I want to do 1-2 months here and rent a campervan)
• Vietnam
• Laos
• Indonesia

Oh and official disclaimer:
I did my research only during my lunch break at work :)

List of books I've read:
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (reads more as an inspiration to go travel)
The Rough Guide First-Time Around The World (very practical guide to backpacking. A lot of helpful info here)
The Beach
Seven Years in Tibet
Trekking in the Everest Region, 5th: includes Kathmandu City Guide
Let's Go Australia 10th Edition

Online resources (a mix of blogs, resources, guides, articles)
BootsnAll Indie Travel
Art of Backpacking: Backpacking Independent International Traveler
Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog
Help Exchange: free volunteer work exchange abroad Australia New Zealand Canada Europe
Visa and embassy information for all countries - Projectvisa.com
The Professional Hobo
How to Travel Full-Time for $17,000 a Year (or Less!)
Would You Be Able To Ditch The Desk Early?
Maximize frequent flyer miles, credit card points and hotel points - The Points Guy
Everest base camp info
Proof of onward travel (some countries require this which can be a problem if you're traveling with only oneway flights and no set itinerary)
Ghetto Gourmet
Stay with locals
A great travel blog from a couple
Trekking Asia

Those are the ones that I can find in my dropbox and bookmarks folder but I know I've read many more blogs and online articles.  So yeah, I think I'm ready.  But I fully expect to get pretty sick while on the road, get money and/or belongings stolen, get lost, become super frustrated/sad/angry with being in an area I don't understand.  All a part of the experience :)