Why do I rarely travel blog these days?

Recently, a friend asked “are you Vasco Pyjama or Mr Curly?”

Apparently, there’s a comic series by Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig, the most famous being The Adventures of Vasco Pyjama. Through my mate’s interpretation, Vasco Pyjama (a pun on the name of real-life Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama) is an adventurer who likes to see a plethora of places, which Mr Curly choses the depth of knowledge over the superficial peep.

So am I Vasco Pyjama or Mr Curly?

Of course most of us are neither of the extremes, but I guess I’ve shifted from being Vasco Pyjama to Curly Flat over the years. I took my first solo trip in 2007 on impulsive to Thailand for half a week. Soon, my confidence & greed increase and in 2009, I spent a month+ in the United States, and another month in Vietnam. That was also the point in my life where I realized return tickets were financially insensible, because I always decide to stay that little bit longer. My mom also quickly recognized that the only reasons I came home was financial or visa related. In 2010, after my second month long trip in Vietnam, I bought a 3 month return ticket to Canberra, and threw the return flight straight into the bin. Of course, my 2011 one-way trip to Melbourne, was meant to be a month long adventure but well, I’m still here…

Not exactly Mr Curly in the sense of staying still in one spot, but I’ve learnt that local culture is a huge part of the traveling experience. For those who know me personally, you’ll know that I love analyzing human behavior be it from a psychoanalysis, artistic or business analysis standpoint. Living in Melbourne for an entire year, not only allowed me to understand the geography in terms of suburb (Where are the Arty spots? What’s the difference between the north side Arts scene VS the south side Arts scene? Where’s the REAL Chinatown? Clue: Not the CBD, nor Boxhill), the subcultures (I lived in a Fitzroy warehouse with the indie artists, stayed in a caravan with the carnis, party with grammar school alumnus, lived with country raised Australians, etc), the education system, value systems of various social economic groups, and heaps more!

So why do I rarely travel blog these days?

I guess when you’re living a local life, you see your city in a different light. The Flinders station for example, ceased to a tourist attraction. It is merely the station I get off in order to meet my mates for a drink at Fed Square, and on occasions, the view I have while working on my laptop by the river (above picture). Also, my travel patterns change, because the Old Melbourne Gaol will always be there (yes, I have yet to visit) but I’ll jump at a day trip to Ballarat with my mates, simply because I don’t drive, and the country is always a refreshing change from city life.

Most importantly, I’ve taking some time out from my cameras (my Cannon EOS is still in Singapore & I no longer carry my TX1 around as a daily essential) in order to stop experiencing life’s beauty through the viewfinder. Really, even the best photography can’t do justice to many of the beautiful sights I’ve experienced, because nothing beats living in the moment. The sounds, the smell, the emotions, the winds, the excitement…

However, I have recently started instagramming, and going shutter happy on my iPhone, so who knows, I might just start travel blogging again.

Meanwhile, rain or shine, winter or spring, here’s a piece of my current home, Melbourne.

Love,
Jesz

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All photos from this post, except for the book cover, has been shot either using an iPhone 3 or iPhone 4s.