Planning my first trip outside of Europe

I’m so excited, because I am planning my first big trip.
I have done some trips before, but always within Europe. I have been to Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, … This time I want to explore another continent.

My dream destination is Australia, but this is a really expensive trip. I am prepared to put this dream aside for a while and start with a destination that’s a liiittle less expensive, but still on my very long TO DO list. Thailand was my second best choice and I am really looking forward to it. The land of smiles is quite cheap for such a tropical destination and therefore a perfect trial-trip.
I am not a girl-‘backpacking’-scout and I have the biggest arachnophobia you have ever seen, so this is all new to me. I dream about the places I will visit, the food I will eat, the people I’ll meet, but there are fears and other things I need to overcome! But I want to accept this personal challenge and I am (almost) sure I will be fine back there. I love Asian food, I love smiley people, so what on earth can possibly go wrong besides wiping my ass with the wrong hand?
A friend on Facebook (who’s not your friend on Facebook?) recently went to Thailand and came back with amazing pictures and stories about elephants, friendly people, great food and panoramic views.
My choice for this country became more obvious and I immediately started looking up some information. I went to the library and got me some travel guides.
I am currently listing our sightseeing stops, then I will plan a route and the final step… Booking! We’re hoping to take flight somewhere about March 2013.

TOP STOPS

1. Tiger Kingdom
   A bit controversial. Meany people who have been here were not so sure if the tigers were fully conscious. Whispers are going around that they’re drugged, but I have to go there! I have to see this with my own eyes to have an opinion.
   My biggest wish before I die is to have pet a big kitty (not a fat one, but a REAL big one. A tiger for example), so this is my chance.. 
2. Island hopping
   White beaches, blue lagoons, waterfalls, …
   I allow myself a little bit of de-stress time at the end of my backpack adventure and before I start working again. 
3. Chiang Mai Evening Market
   Lots and lots of food and lots of souvenirs for friends, family and myself.

New blog in town: Out of the comfort zone and exploring my short life

I woke up one day and thought, why not start a blog?
Yet another blog, you think. Well, I don’t care. The reason I want to write is the following:

I have to start enjoying life. It’s too short. This year, four people in my direct environment died, three in one month. My grandpa, two friends and the sister of a really good friend left a lot of people behind. I didn’t know some of these people very well, but they all left a great impression on me. I could have learned so much from them. How they lived their lives, how they were looking at life, what they still wanted to do, …
This all really gave me a scare and it took me a while to get my head around things and overcome the loss of my grandfather. After a pause of a couple of years I started writing in my diary again. All my darkest thoughts bundled together. Of course these are private conversations with myself, but sometimes there are things I want to shout out to the world. Sometimes these are big things. But most of the time I walk around and see little things that make me soooo happy, but I don’t want to bother other people with my story. Like when I ate the last piece of cake or see a kitty safely crossing the street.  That’s why I came up with the idea to start a blog. To remind myself that everyday people, animals or other things can make my shitty day a whole lot better.
I want to try new things, step out of my comfort and moody zone and tell the world my ‘adventures’ and my opinions online. I want to share the food I eat, the trips I make, the pain I hate, the dress I would really really want to wear but make my knees look fat. I want to tell you the things I live up to, my disappointments, things I look forward to, ...

I am a very negative person (ask my boyfriend) and I am really moody in the morning, so sometimes there will be posts where the sunshine is far gone. So my challenge is to find the silver lining in my day with this blog. Hope you join me too..