Hello.

What I Did This Summer

Celebrating every birthdays since I was a teenager until my early 20s in a new place certainly did not start out intentionally. I spent my childhood in a few different places, thus many foreign places that I had been. Starting in my nineteenth birthday, I spent the day in Cairo with my first year medical school friends, thousand miles away from home. Fast forward two years, and I'd broken up with my high school boyfriend, quit my depressions over the unfortunate situation, waited for winter/summer breaks and purchased plane tickets to various places.

Since I was little, travelling has been a tradition, in the midst of writing journals and building a life around hospitals. I turned twenty in the midst of chaos in Jakarta and 21 while exploring the global city-state of Singapore. I was stranded in the middle of unknown places while en route to Kotor from Croatia to celebrate my 22nd, roadtripped around Europe up to Ibiza in 23 and watched the sun rise from a hot-air balloon in Cappadocia to begin as 24 year-old.

Originally, for my 24th birthday, I chose Sarajevo as my little sister wanted to be in Bosnia to visit the War Tunnel. But our schedule got messed up with overland reservations and we ended up going to Bosnia few days later. Between exams and classes and other obligations that seem to weigh, I had less time to get away this time.

Cappadocia lies in an area in central Turkey surrounded by inactive volcanoes. Volcanic activity over the ages has left humongous deposits that is easily shaped by wind and rain. The final result is the exquisite landscape with secret caves and chimneys.

Ancient Christian communities vastly settled in this part of Turkey, the evidences of their presence lies everywhere : in churches, monasteries and also cities. But, they have a long history of persecution, so the churches, monasteries and cities were built in hidden places mostly.

Noted for many surreal surroundings and beautiful panoramic views, it was forty-three degrees celsius outside and the scorching sun burned through our clothes, quite a hot summer indeed. I had been in Cappadocia few summers back, the weather was not that hot.

Unlike the rest of my previous birthdays- where I made new friends along the way or I brought along some of my girlfriends to join me- I decided to celebrate my 24th with my sister. There's a sense of pleasure that I get through travel with my sister or my brother that I just don't get with others. We love to wake up early and take a long walk on the sandy roads. We like to read when we get into the moods, completely immersed in the stories. My siblings and I prefers to wander around a new neighbourhood, turning down some foreign alleys while photographing the memories and peeking into new surroundings.

In Cappadocia, that's exactly what we did (my little brother didn't came along on this trip) in four excitable days. We tore through Haruki Murakami novels, we got a superb tan each, captured as many photographs that our cameras permitted, we hiked many hills overlooking the valleys, et cetera. We treated ourselves with great selection of food and two mango smoothies in hands.

What I love the most about my resolution to celebrate birthdays in a new country is that it ensures the palpable excitements that I will experience. I was really lucky for being able to travel to lots of places that the world has to offer. Whether it was a good or bad adventure, it was another proud, self-satisfying accomplishment for me. Then, the journey itself is the most perfect birthday gift to myself.

We left a piece of our hearts in Cappadocia for sure. I've never be able to describe the place in exact details when my friends asked me.

"You have to go there and experience the adventure for yourself. It was really amazing."

Ciao

09:30
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Bienvenue a Paris

Backpacking

"How many hours from Dover to Calais, Mira?"

"Two hours, maybe. I don't quite remember."

That was amongst my first attempt of bringing friends to explore Europe after being a lone wolf for so long. I only brought my sibling and Kak Mira before on my journey, I didn't know well on how to react when Farah and Dheeno asked me to bring them to Paris. Before, it was Brussels, then Paris.

On February 1st, three of us travelled from Kent to Dover and finally to Calais.

We met Rachel, a fellow traveller that was going to Amsterdam by bus. We spent few hours together while waiting for our buses to come. It was a very windy night by the sea, so freaking cold.

The clock struck at midnight, indicating a new day has begun. Almost an hour later, our bus to Paris came and to our surprise, we were the last to board because the bus kept collecting the passengers all the way from London.

We settled in our seats, waving small hello to a German friend sitting beside me. Moments later, we went into a big ferry, headed for Calais, France.

I was lucky enough to visit Paris a handful of times, and immediately fell in love with the chocolates and croissants, the Disney store in Champs Elysee, and the thrill of being in a place where everyone magically spoke in entirely foreign language. And everyone loves the Disneyland.

I was pretty sure that I had seen and experienced the best the city had to offer.

Eiffel Tower? Obvious check.

The Lourve? Of course. Who hadn't.

Notre Dame de Paris? Moulin Rouge? Arc de Triomphe? Check, check and check.

But, as I discovered on my recent trip to the City of Light, there is so much more to the city than those mainstays of Paris tourism. This time around, I aimed with intention to staying off the boulevards and out of the parks, and finding places that visitors wasn't normally visited.

Unfortunately we didn't have a luxury of time. I ended up brought them to typical tourist places. But we found hidden corners to explore, charming streets to wander around and also nooks and crannies from which you can see the world go by.

It's around seven in the morning and a little chilly out. The weather was windy, a mild one. There's something quite remarkable about a city before it fully wakes, and Paris is no exception. Walking through the Lourve around the pyramids and throwing glances to Tuileries Garden, I'm reminded that in just a few hours, these places will be swamped with tourists, cameras firmly secured around their necks, some with children in tow, all full with the steely determination of people that wanted to make the most of the time in Paris.

Starting our day early on the banks of the river has left us full of energy and enthusiasm about exploring the city. We first went to a small little cafe alongside one of those quintessentially Paris parks complete with rows of trees and artfully placed benches, the cafe was a little wonder.

My first impression of Paris, many years ago, was one of a complete urban centre. Stunning architectures and cobble stones found me craving a little of the mix in between.

We headed to the Pont de Bir-Hakeim. Many would recognized that it's a beautiful walk towards the left bank with a remarkable view of Eiffel Tower.

After a day adjusting to each other's quirks and desires : it was a fantastic trip. Farah, Dheeno and I enjoyed each other companies and we got to hang out in one of my favourite city.

My friends once said, you can never really go wrong with Paris. Exquisite murals and excellent street art abound and sit comfortably in same neighbourhoods that house precious artworks. Colours can be found anywhere, the beauty is truly amazing.

"Maybe you can bring me to Germany next? You've been there a few times, right?" Farah asked me suddenly.

I turned around, nodded. "Of course. As soon as we're done here. Or maybe on the next summer break."

"Deal."

17:17
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Past, Present & Future

Backpacking

The weirdest thing was the weather.

For two weeks, I had been in colder temperature: building snowmen as we were singing a song out of Frozen, side-stepping heavy snows on the stony stairs and icy roads, pressing my boots into the snow. Sipping piping hot black coffee before the drive to Tbilisi International Airport and flight to Istanbul and Cairo was an eerie reminder of thinner coats and slightly warmer weather that awaited my arrival.

I had spent the previous fortnight on an adventure in northeast Turkey and Georgia, from the night train to hitch-hiking, we did all that without any worry.

It wasn't the perfect weeks, or even the most carefree of vacations. We (Kak Mira & yours truly) came down with food poisoning from some traditional Turkish cuisine that clearly were not agreeing with our stomachs on that time. Kak Mira injured her ankle exploring the higher-up of Erzurum and I was down with fever while waiting for our bus or dolmus from Sarp to Batumi (The other side of Georgia-Turkey Border)

I spent the days thinking about my life at current home, then trying not to think about my homesickness of Malaysia. I've been thinking about what I wanted to change and about what I've missed and about how I wished that I could just shed all responsibilities and rent payments and sandstorms; thinking about things that I loved about my life in Cairo. There was a lot of very sober, uninterrupted time to think it through.

Kak Mira turned to me with a smile and asked, "Do you feel different now? Are you happy?"

The answer, as I thought it over, was yes. I'd broken out my fourth or fifth sweat while hiking up the mountain to get to the ski resort and my bag was dragging me down, but deep inside, I was actually happy. I loved my life.

Yet, as I basked in the early morning sunlight on the peaceful ride to Tbilisi International Airport, I realized that I hadn't exactly released the past or shed the anxiety despite all of that inner-searching in the middle of our epic adventure. I wasn't returning to Cairo a brand-new girl.

But I was adding the two weeks of carefree, winter boots adventure into my own personal identity: fourteen days of our body struggling with constant movements, the mind do some thinking and listening some more, waking up to sunrise hoping for a brand new journey and finding each other company was the ultimate comfort that you could have.

Even if I wasn't ready to let go of the past, I could make it as positive part of my present and create a better future, I hope.

Goodbye Turkey and Georgia.