Goodbye Southeast Asia...

It's been almost two months since I left home and today is my last day in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

I'm so tanned...
...and I have so many mosquito bite scars.
...and I'm so hairy, haha.

I can't say that I've always been independent, but I've been alone for most of my life...from the time I hated it, and then got used to it and until the day I started embracing it. Although this is not the first time I go far away alone, I'm just reminded that travelling alone is definitely one of the more rewarding decision I've made.

I rested enough, drank enough, ate enough, slept enough and had enough fun in Bali...Now, I'm ready for a new adventure!

Tomorrow, I will fly to Beijing, which is my starting point for my next journey. I will board the train from there and travel the silk road to Turkey.

Why did I choose the silk road over the Trans Mongolian, Trans Siberian,Trans Manchurian, etc? Mainly because I'm interested in seeing the ethnic minorities in China, and the silk road has more route options. Ideally, I would go to Europe as well, but my time is limited and even if I had next time, I would probably choose Alaska or Africa. I'll leave Europe for when I get older, mainly because I think Europe is almost like a typical vacation spot, and there is a lot to see, but not enough to do...

I'm still young, I don't want to be on vacation; I want some adventure, and explore the unknown. The silk road is like a myth to me; a road that permitted the diffusion of ideas, trading of goods, discovery of the new world and revolutionary wars.

I can't wait to eat some Beijing duck and climb the Great Walls, yay!