I’m in Bahrain, and it has been wonderful. For two weeks I have been mooching about my family home, doing a little work, running, and seeing friends. I’ve been swimming, and watching Doctor Who with my brother, and it’s all been lovely.
I remain here over the next month, and on Thursday 7th January, I fly to Colombo. I will have the weekend in Sri Lanka’s capital before embarking on a bit of an odyssey in order to reach an estate in the rainforest. There, I’ll be volunteering for three weeks. My skills in language practise, writing and organisation (don’t laugh) will come in handy, and it is an excellent opportunity for me to learn about organic farming and building eco-friendly accommodation.
Following this, after a brief sojourn to Colombo to extend my visa, I’m looking forward to exploring the north. Having only recently opened up to tourism, there are paths unbeaten.
Duncan will join me and we will be beach bums for around a month, hopefully I will finally be able to stand up on a surfboard, and he will have a brilliant time tackling Sri Lanka’s waves.
When Duncan goes back to work in the North Sea, my journey takes me to Malaysia. I had originally hoped to visit Vietnam, but there seems to be just not enough time to enjoy it properly. Instead, I will explore some of Malaysia: jungle treks, visits to George Town and Melaka, the Cameron Highlands – suggestions and recommendations welcome.
Following this, I am excited to head to Cambodia. I’m unsure about how I will go about my time there, whether to fly to Phnom Penh and end in Siem Reap, or some other itinerary. I do think I’ll spend longer in Cambodia than Malaysia, but I have quite a lot of flexibility here.
13th- 15th April is Song Kran, the water festival. I’ve chosen to spend it in Chiang Mai, one of my favourite cities on the planet. From here, I fly to Krabi, and travel on to Koh Lanta for eight days of beach running, snorkelling, and sundowners.
Two more nights in Kuala Lumpur, and I fly back to Scotland via London to run the Hoka Highland Fling, where I will see my husband and all my running buddies.
My plans continue to come together, and I’m very open to recommendations. If there’s anything you think I shouldn’t miss, or even if any friends are going to be in any of these areas around the same time, please do get in touch.
Jemma Beedie 