First post! And it's just a short intro for those of you who might not know me or the purpose of this site:
Me and my bike, somewhere in Fraser Hill, Malaysia.
My name is Gabriel Chin, i'm a 22 year old Singaporean, born 29/06/85. I studied at Bukit Panjang Primary, Chua Chu Kang Secondary and took a diploma in Information Technology in Ngee Ann Polytechnic before serving my National Service. My ORD was just 2 months ago (June 8th) and i'm flying to Japan next Thursday (August 16th) to begin a cycling trip starting from Fukuoka (Kyushu) towards Hokkaido.
My trip's duration is planned for 3 months and i am cycling ALONE. I have never been to Japan before and i do not speak Japanese (i have taken 1 semester of Basic Japanese in Ngee Ann Polytechnic though, though besides that fact no other memory of that class remains). Put it down to foolishness or maybe a bit of over-confidence on my part, but any factors that stack up against me completing my trip will only make my journey more challenging and exciting.
Why Japan? Since about 5 years ago i picked up this interest in anything Japanese; anime, music and J-dramas etc and i've always wanted to make a trip over to see the country. Of course anybody can just fly to Japan and have a nice and proper holiday, so to make my trip more memorable and meaningful, i will be doing a cycling tour by myself instead.
This will be a massive learning experience for me as well. I would be lying if i said i'm well-prepared in terms of route, accomodations etc but since i'm not hindered by budget or time-constraint i intend to make plans as i go along. So besides booking a place for my first night stay upon arriving in Fukuoka, everything else will be 'ad-libbed'. Only time will tell (and God-willing) whether my confidence in my abilities will translate to a successful trip.
The purpose of this blog is to record whatever experiences i encounter during my trip. My plan is to blog daily (or when i can find Internet access) and post pictures whenever possible as i progress. Hopefully i will have good memories and experiences on my trip to look back on when i get back.
In case you were wondering, this is the bike i will be using on my trip. And it weighs a ton even without a full load in the bags:
This picture was taken quite a few months ago when i first bought it. I'll post pics of my trusty steed after i pack and gear it up.
7 comments:
hey~ looking forward to your journal :) Good luck on your trip!
thanks! i appreciate the support!
U R MY HERO GAB!!!!!!! I ADORE U SO MUCH I SWEAR!~!~!~!
i love u gab....take care n do rem to stay in touch!!!! times of emergency call me. i will call SWAT force there to save u!!!
jia you ! please update daily !
it's really brave of you to be there all alone,wanting to attain such a challenging goal given the constraints. All the best dude and good luck for your trip. Safety first always. Take care!
Chong Ji
Sasha:You are an inspiration to your uncle Bernard who is training to do the marathon end of the year.looks like he will push himself to complete it because of you.yatou yatou...i mean jiayou jiayou!!! Gambatte ne!!!
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