Travel Diary: So long America, it was fun :(

I wanted to find an image that represents the USA in differing ways for this post, I decided on this picture taken in Austin, TX.

The famous yellow taxi. Glass highrises dwarfing the one storey eateries lining the grid traffic systems. Right lane driving. These all stand out to me as a British traveller.

My home city of Durham bans building over two storeys high in some areas to prevent obscuring any views of the cathedral, or so I was taught on a geography trip back in school. Grid systems would be ideal, sadly this is impossible when our city was built when horses were the main mode of transport. It was also important to build in an area that was difficult to conquer, common throughout Europe. It is a city that has always taken my breath away, not just because of the views but the effort needed to walk up to the market place. You can see why the centre is pedestrianised, and how this spot was perfect for the building of a castle and cathedral.

Credit: Van Rhijn Aerial Photography

But this post is about the New World. Today, I received notification that my US visa expired. It isn’t something that I have looked to renew as I have spent the years since 2010 in Malaysia, Brazil and short breaks in Europe. A lot happens in this space of time. I lost my father and uncle in recent years which of course took the wind out of my sails. I had no ambition to travel at all but thanks to great friends and amazing family, I got back on my feet. I would love to have went back the States and it feels weird that I haven’t, I made great friends and still keep in touch.

Sometimes we don’t get upset that something is over until it is over. I haven’t thought much about the visa still being valid but now I see it isn’t, I slumped a bit. If anything it is a reminder that I need to visit this great nation once again, one so vast that one image alone cannot portray the United States of America accurately. I miss the food, the friendly people, the numbered streets and alphabetised avenues and people thinking I’m Irish or Australian.

My visa expiring has inspired me to visit again one day!

FYIWDWYTM

Malaysia, my first time in South-East Asia. My first time in Asia at all, in fact. Stepping foot in Kuala Lumpur for the first time I wanted to explore and receive some great recommendations from locals, even more so in Langkawi as I felt I would have limited contact with people on the small Island. Using Tinder as my local guide, (that’s right, Tinder) I found some great spots… it isn’t simply an app for casual sex and overly optimistic romantics looking for love. I love using the app when I am abroad, there is no quicker way to chat to people in a certain area. Who else in history has had this opportunity?!

Do religious people use Tinder? I don’t know. There is a beauty in finding alternate uses for such things, a more innocent use if you will. A life hack that my parents couldn’t have had access to, my grandparents would have read about it in science fiction. One place I was recommended by a pretty Malaysian girl that I didn’t ever meet (I didn’t meet anyone on Tinder during the trip, just for the record) was the Ruang Bar. I had no idea where it was until I sat on a bench facing a makeshift bar made out of wooden crates. It was only when my friend and I placed our cocktails onto the drinks menu that I realised where I was. The bar I was told about! A very fun night unfolded.

Some people avoid alcohol not because of health reasons, not because they dislike it either, but because they have been told to avoid it in preparation for judgement in an afterlife.

Thank goodness I am not one of those people.