The excitement is not always about the destination but the adventure of how you get there!

1 off the Bucket List of Travel: Africa (Nairobi, Kenya)

carolepng — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 00:19:00 GMT

Even today 2 weeks later, I still can not believe that I have travelled to the other side of the world from where I am typing from. I never thought I'd ever see the other side, let alone a continent that is so close to heart as it is also known as 'our mama land'.

And it is all thanks to the internet and the wonderful, endless opportunities that await people to just seize!

Many times people get told about opportunities butt then think - hmm.. i don't think I can do this or that - or maybe I'll tell someone else about it.

I've been down that track many times but many a time I find that sometimes people you tell and think that they will go for that opportunity have that same thought and so we go about missing so many opportunities.

And it was all to do with blogging - blogging? what's blogging? I knew the word but never really dived into it, fear of the unknown - what if.

So when this opportunity of a competition to win some couple of EUROS come up - I thought - well it wouldn't help but try.

Well I didn't win the EUROS, or be in the finalists (http://yobloco.info) but I got to travel to Nairobi, Kenya to attend the prize giving ceremony as one of the few competition participants in the region (Pacific) and as an 'encouragement' to keep blogging.

You can read about it on my blog - which I created specifically for this competition and now it has become a regular part of my 'online' life.

http://agriculture.caitservicespng.com/category/fin4ag-2014/

This category talks about the Conference in Nairobi and also my experiences travelling from Papua New Guinea all the way to Kenya, through Asia and the Middle East - transiting at two different terminals for a couple of hours.

The whole travelling in itself was a great adventure!

After this trip -- definitely all things are possible - and I can go anywhere in the world as long as I put my mind to it!

Oh - one thing - I never got to see the lions, giraffe, hippo -- my kids were abit disappointed - yes we love the Madagscar Movies and Lion King. it was either the trip to the park or I miss my flight back home. But thinking about it - I could've still made it.

Oh the best part -well one of the best parts - I got to travel in the matatu! The public bus transport in Kenya - that itself was another adventure. I learnt some other words in Swahili - my favourite - Habari Ya Asubuhi (Good Morning) and Karibu Kenya (Welcome to Kenya)

Oh I got to dance with the Kenyan dancers also, and take photos with the Kenya volleyball team.

I still want to go back - it was very brief and well the conference itself was an 'eye opener' and a great inspiring motivating factor for me to do more for my country in terms of ICT for Development.

I've been back for 2 weeks and already many doors have opened! Oh and I made so many great friends from across Africa and even the Caribbean! Thank goodness for internet and social media- we can all keep in touch and the world is really amazing and getting smaller by the second.

Thank you for reading till the end.

Appreciated - Carole

Papua New Guinea

Photos: carolepng

carolepng — Sun, 11 May 2014 03:59:00 GMT

The Excitement of an Impulse, Unknown Journey

carolepng — Sun, 11 May 2014 03:48:17 GMT

I'll never forget the day that I hopped on a plane, an international flight without my family, children and the person I was going to visit knowing, all except my closest friend - only because I needed someone to drop me off at the airport.
I come from Papua New Guinea (PNG). I don't travel out of the country much, but 2010 would have been my international jet setting year ( for what seems like decades).
My boyfriend, at the time, was pursuing further studies at a Uni in a place called Orange, New South Wales, Australia. I never knew such a place existed, until he said he was going there. I later found out it is renown for its apples.
My impulse journey was to Orange - it was more a peace offering surprise visit. He had come back to PNG for a field study research for his course, at the same time I was just about to leave on a 3-week Pacific Leadership Program which took me to Tonga and Samoa with country hopping in between to Australia, New Zealand (Auckland) and Fiji to get there. Such an exciting time! I collected souvenir magnets at each stop!
He wasn't too happy about that as we only spent a week and by the time I got back, he was back in Australia.
He was very, very upset - that I didn't cancel the trip for him.

It was one of those spur-light-bulb moments that got me onto Google and searching on how to get to Orange from PNG at low costs.
In a couple of hours, I had purchased my air plane ticket from PNG to Brisbane, a domestic ticket from Brisbane to Sydney, and a coach ticket all online! It was the first time ever that I've done online travel and it just amazed me even more how much information is online AND how handy a VISA card can be!
I had also printed out maps, read up on information for my different stops and travel modes from plane, to another plane, train, another train, coach, car to get to his residence also the varied temperatures from hot to warm to cold. Orange is a very 11d cold place.
I had only a transit visa which allowed me to be in Australia for 72hours and the times between the travel were very tight. If I missed one leg of the journey, my whole trip and plan would be a total bust. It was make it! or break it!
I made it! Just!
Mission was definitely accomplished - the look on his face when I knocked on the door. Surprise!
I'll always remember that travel! Getting there and then the return trip, well, let's say it is another story to tell as I missed my flight, my visa expired BUT I did get back legally and not deported :D