Covid-19 and the travel writer!

What to do, what to do!

How can I be a travel writer and stay at home? What will you do? (NZ goes into shutdown in 2 days)

Well, the first few days in, and all is well.  In fact, I have just made a coffee date for in a few days – my neighbour and I will make our own coffee, sit on our respective balconies, and talk over the fence.  I’m sure we can make that a regular occurrence.

‘Have a coffee with me’ an old man indicates – I do. Muscat fish market, Oman,

However, a trip to China – a river cruise on the Yangtze River has been cancelled, and the Rainforest World Music Festival which I love to attend (in Kuching Borneo) has been postponed until further notice.

adventure in Sarawak after the RWMF

So, what is a travel writer to do, well, actually what I can do is go over all my old notebooks and photos and tell you about some of my past travels -actually, some of which I haven’t even written.  Others I would have written about parts of it, but there is still way more – so, lots of virtual travel still coming your way from me :-).

So a few more stories from my last travels and Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Siam Reap cultural show

Are there any topics about travel, in general, you would like me to cover?  I’ve been travelling solo for a long time and specifically since 1995 so have a lot to share.

In the meantime, I have to adjust to being mainly confined to my apartment.  Luckily, I have a big view and a balcony where I grow flowers and veg. I have lots of gratitude :):):)

veiw from my couch

great veiw

growing veg

from the balcony

I’m also sprouting beans, creating nice dishes for my dinner, keeping in contact with friends via the Internet and phone and not living all day and my PJ’s – I’ve already been caught once on a video call!

I’ve also decided to use my travel medication boxes on a weekly basis, as without my normal routine I think I could very easily forget them.

Of course, I will also be reading copiously, and maybe even lying down and be ‘read’ audiobooks 😊

If you need some e-books perhaps you’d like to check these free books (below) out while most of us are confined at home.

“A Love Letter to Malaysian Borneo.”
“Surviving Suicide”
“Naked in Budapest”   

For now the physical world is reduced to my map in the kitchen

My blog topics to come

Here are just some of the stories I will be blogging about over the next few months – these are about my recent 5 weeks travelling in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Taiwan, but there will also be other blogs about New Zealand and travel tips too.

are you leaving me again?

In no particular order here are some of my planned blogs:

• Water puppets in Hanoi
• Angkor Wat for my 2^nd time
• the Lantern Village
• my fav noodle stand in  Taipei
• staying in a mansion that many locals will not go near
• travel and food
• what does Visa on arrival really mean?
• Hong Kong and protests (FIRST ONE – in a day or two – as current)
• travelling by train
• a circus in Siam Reap
• a train is scarily close
• health issues when travelling
• postcards and post offices are alive and well in parts of the world
• money and borders
• . . .  and many more 🙂

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If you want to follow along on my travels here are your choices if how to.

• My travel stories blog www.kiwitravelwriter.wordpress.com  ) sign-up to get an email when I publish a blog – it’s auto-send only so no spam or any other notice – ever!
• Travel photos #unedited   https://www.instagram.com/kiwitravelwriter/
• Regular updates about my travels (past, present and future ) https://www.facebook.com/TheTravellingWriter/

 

#Follow me for new photos from Mongolia, Malaysian Borneo, and Penang

It’s only one week until I leave on my next big adventure to Mongolia and Malaysian Borneo! (and the mainland too) I have written a short blog about Mongolia, (see here) a country I’ve never been to, and I plan on posting a photo a day on my kiwi travel writer Instagram and Facebook pages – so #follow me. My blogs will follow once I return to New Zealand after my 5 weeks exploring.

While I have been to many parts of Malaysian Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak) and I’m looking forward to revisiting the Rainforest World Music Festival and Bako National Park, I also expect to discover new things in Kuching – including the fishing village of Kampong Buntal – and which is very close to where I’m staying at Damai Beach Resort during the festival. So, watch this space!

I’m of course hoping to see orangutans, proboscis monkeys, wild pigs, and possibly a crocodile or two. My must-eat food list is too long – and once again I’m hopeful my bathroom scales do not show a huge upward number when I return home. Malaysia has such wonderful food and Malaysians are all foodies, and who will always entice you to try this and that and yet another thing.

I’m spending about five days in Penang, which is considered the food capital of Malaysia, and as it’s been a long time since I was there I’m wondering if some of my favourite places will still exist. Feel free to give me advice about your favourites in the comments at the end of this blog.

In Sabah, the northern region of Malaysian Borneo, I will be snorkelling in new areas -Mabul island, and also Gaya island where I will visit the Marine eco-research Centre. Another new place will be the Sabah Tea garden after a short hike and Kinabalu Park – one of Malaysia’s world heritage sites.

Check out blogs I have already written about Malaysia (use the search button on this blog site) and make sure you follow me for five weeks of daily photos – as many of you will know, Malaysia is my favourite Asian country – and who knows, Mongolia – which is a blank canvas for me – could end up on my favourites list too.

Hope I get to see Richie again – he’s a big boy!

Damai Beach Resort beside the Sarawak Cultural Village and the RWMF

Sarawak .. music and orang-utans

Sarawak Laksa has local pepper in it!

Heather helps plant mangroves

 

The kiwitravelwriter, arrives on Talang-Taland Island, Sarawak,  photo by Gustino – Sarawak Tourism Board

A fisherman uses a net on Batang Ai, Sabah. Malaysian Borneo

proboscis monkey – more endangered than orangutan

Pulua Perhentians, Malaysia

Blue Mansion, Penang, Malaysia

off to check on the lessor adjutant storks

Moon cake … Johor, Malaysia

Asam Pedas for breakfast: Parit Jawa, Malaysia

 

How to be a good social media friend. It’s easy peasy – and helpful!

 Here’s a simple message from yet another writer sitting alone in a room: they’re tips on how to be a good Facebook friend, and blog, or another social media, follower. It’s easy peasy and helpful. Firstly, the basics: bloggers love readers who  . ..

 

• leave a comment
• click ‘like’
• award a star or some such thing
• assign a rating great, poor, fun, informative
• sign-up to be sent new blogs by email
• send our blog link to Facebook or Twitter etc
• answer a question we may have posed
• recommend the blog to others

It’s often called ‘netiquette’ BUT really is just being a good social networking friend to both the person blogging, or posting on Facebook, and to your other friends too. It’s rare to just ignore something someone says to us – so, me posting on my blogs is me saying something to you.

So how to be that good friend?

Just like all those funny, or cat video clips we watch and repost, it’s really helpful to your writing friend, or photographer, or artist, to repost their work too. Artists and writers need people to read their work or consider the artwork whether this is by pencil, paint or camera, or keyboard.

Another helpful way is to comment on the piece, ask a question, or tag a friend telling them, “hey Pat you will enjoy this” or “how about we go here on our next weekend break Peter”. Your friends will value the fact you were thinking of them, and are introducing them to artists, writers, or bloggers they too can follow, events they could attend, books they may like to read.

So see, it is really easy to be a good friend to your writing friend, your favourite photographer, or local artist – and that tiny commitment will make a huge difference to them, us, me!

Sitting at home – creating without any feedback is difficult, and for travel writers like me, it’s often the interaction I have with my followers that shows tourist destinations or activities that yes, this is a person we should invite to our city, country, or event. The more they can see that people follow me or enjoy my writing the more likely I am to get invitations or commissions to write more for you to read.J

One word of warning though, if you are anything like me, you need to do this instantly you see the blog or Facebook post or it will be gone forever, lost in all our other daily activity and busy minds! This doesn’t have to be a big chore, once a day would be wonderful, or even weekly! Monthly?

And, if you do repost my blog links (or posts) to my pages on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media like StumbleUpon or Instagram I’d be really grateful: so, ‘thank you’ in advance.

And, just for you, here are my social media links – which are you on and I’ll follow you.  Webpage  Facebook  Twitter  Google+ Tumblr  Pinterest  Instagram