One backpack, One sleeping bag: 2010

Day 99: It's done

1 trip, 10 countries, 40 cities, 4000 photos

Finally im back home.
And im not gonna leave again until i become someone in this beloved city.
Yes there are many things better out there, more beautiful, seducing, and makes u wanna stay there for more than a while.

But
---There's always a "but" when u argue with nonsense and try to stay with your own point---

It's my home. It's not gonna change forever, and there's nowhere else that can beat it.
Nowhere.

If there's really one, be it paradise.

- Jack @Hong Kong

It is done

1:20 PM 0 Comments

It is done.

Time to go home :)

Thank you for sharing this travel madness, Jack.

Go forth, gentlemen, to Barcelona!

-fook-

That place

1:18 AM 0 Comments

I thought I know myself, but the truth is, I don't.

I only know part of myself. There are areas deep inside and never reveal unless you make a trip there.

My thought on how to know a place is:

1, Forget what people say about that place

2, Know nothing about that place

3, Go there with a empty mind and let the place fill in the blanks.

I thought Switzerland is suppose to be dazzlingly stunning with those cliff and grass are green like they came straight from a tube of paint; I thought Prague has something to do with the plague; I thought Munich buildings are black and white....

I thought I know myself. and I made a mistake. the truth is,

I know nothing about myself.

Yes. You never truly know that place until you make a trip there.

How to know a place in your heart:

1, Forget anything people say about yourself.

2, Know nothing about yourself.

3, Go there with a empty mind and let yourself fill in the blanks.

think I'm getting to know myself. :)

-fook-

It doesnt matter where you go

7:00 PM 0 Comments

What really matters is who you have been with.

With the one you love, be it as far as the Land's End,

it still feels like home

Tribute to my lovely host Siuyau

jack@London

GB-6410

12:10 AM 0 Comments

3 weeks left, and it's done.

i've visited so many places that i couldn't recall now....

i've seen so many things that my mind can barely comprehend....

i've met generous people who i will remember for the rest of my life...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finished France, it's actually a wonderful place, although the weather is quite unstable, but thank God it didn't ruin the entire trip. we went to Nice, they have nothing but a beautiful and longgggg beaches. a very energetic and city full of enthusiasm! local tourists were everywhere and i just love the atmosphere!

Cannes, we went there the second day and believe it or not, we met the Cannes Film Festivals!! people all dressed up handsome and pretty all around the city. I didn't really know who's who or if this or that person with her beautiful dress is attending the red carpet. A day was easily spent in this glamorous place!

Monaco was our third day, it's a very small country i should say, second smallest country after Vatican. we walked the Grand Prix tracks, which i think they have they set up permanently. we didn't do much but visit to its famous Ocean museum which we think it's just ok....

what they all have in common, besides they all have beaches, they all have ports. i guess these places are for people with extra dead president. So the ports are pretty much stocked up with expensive ships and yachts.

Upon finished with Provence, we headed to Bordeaux and I'm gonna skip it coz this city is only famous for its wine, that's all. but we still managed to drink some of the finest in the world, bought from supermarket thou..haha

I love the untouchable Sarlat!! Time seemed pass by this 14th century old town. everything here has remain untouched by the modern world; stone buildings and very narrow streets, not too crowded, local markets..etc...it's pure history! me and my friend both think it really worth the trip to this place! We did cannoning and cycling and saw spectacular castles along the route! really stunning! and we met new people and made some friends with local people. it here that made me think, "perhaps i should learn French".

Fanny and her brother joined us in our Northern France trip. I enjoyed every single moment of it until the city started to rain...it did washed away a few drops of my enthusiasm. But personally, be able to have my girlfriend joining is more that what i asked for. and we are talking about Paris here...you know, all the romance and stuff :) i can be a rather romantic guy! 4 of us had a really great time traveling Paris, Mont St-Michel, St Malo and Dinan.

now, here in UK, our last 3 weeks. it had a good start so far. we took a 7 hours bus from Paris and arrived at Jack's friend's house and soon will be doing some more traveling around, not only London but outside of it. so that is exciting, hopefully the weather will stay clear.

I am rejuvenated in these 3 months and I'm ready to rock. see you in June 24th.

Sometimes, we do have GooD food

4:10 PM 0 Comments

Our trip has a high variety on quality & price. One meal can be as low as <1euro or high as 25euro

The above pics are once-and-for-all meal that we had once only.

I find that i hv slowly become a food addict during the trip and its my highest pleasure to share my entries on food...

I know its 3 in a row, so i will write sth else next time

You know, sometimes, food is the only fun u may find in a city, especially during rainy days where the scenes are doomed which also turned down your mood

And u find comfort through FOOD. A sip of hot choc in a cold day, an ice cream under the sun, or just an ordinary pizza after a tired day can change your mood

jack@St Malo, France

Some DIY food we have had

2:51 AM 0 Comments

Most of them are done by Fook, I will only do the trivial like frying eggs and yes the breads are mine
This is part of the collection and we take photos of our meals only when time&place allows. Actually we had more spaghetti than cooked rice, and we have porridge and all kinds of breads everyday.
This is basically how we survive and save $ while maintaining healthy.
They actually look pretty delicious isnt it? And they in fact taste good

jack@Sarlat, France

Some food we generally have when we eat out

10:59 AM 1 Comments

We usually have our meals to-go so i say "general" means like everyday.

We have devoured countless flour, most of them baked and some cooked...

For steam rice, we had it 2 times, one on the 27th April and one on 8th May.

Yes, i can be this precise coz we literally took photo on the taste-like-heaven little steamed rice

On 13th May, we had our 1st Japanese style sushi lunch, i can write a 1000+ words commentary abt it

jack@Metz, France

Day 46: Reminder of the day

4:29 PM 0 Comments

"For what it's worth: it's never too late...

to be whoever you want to be.

There's no time limit,

stop whenever you want.

You can change or stay the same,

there are no rules to this thing.

We can make the best or the worst of it.

I hope you make the best of it.

And I hope you see things that startle you.

I hope you feel things you never felt before.

I hope you meet people with a different point of view.

I hope you live a life you're proud of.

If you find that you're not,

I hope you have the strength to start all over again. "

--- Benjamin Button

I need always to remind myself that

I dont need to remind myself of anything

I want to be simple

I want to flow with the flow

It's not too late to start all over again

It's never too late for anything

I know

I just need a little more strength

to start all over again

-jack@Prague, Czech

She was sad, and i was sad.

3:34 PM 1 Comments

She has always been the one i admire of.

Her elegance, manners, and the neutrality from her huge, demanding neighbors.

She is an elite, but friendly enough to welcome a normal class like me.

So im being with her for about a week, but none of it has her being happy.

She's sad all the way, as if it's impossible for even a tiny giggle.

But indeed she's still beautiful, from here and there im able to see her elegance of being the top of Europe; however, isnt it inevitable of feeling despair for an admirer to watch a beauty being in her bad mood?

So i left.

But i know i will come again and be certain of seeing her at the top.

Im just a little disappointed to my dear Switzerland, that's all.

-jack@Munich, Germany

let it rain, let it rain

1:55 PM 0 Comments

view from one of the waterfall.

our tent

Time flies, we have been traveling for a little more than a month already! we sorta get used to being a travelers. Was having a conversation with Jack the other day about how outdated we are from Hong Kong. it seems far away from us somehow. we even thought of living in one of the hostel in Hong Kong the first night we back.

so far we've seen a lot of natural sceneries which Hong Kong can never offer. We've seen the wide open ocean and the strikingly beautiful sunset of Santorini, Greece; we paid our tribute to the ancient world of Rome and spent time imagining what the old times were like; the quiet old town of Florence and Venice all gave us a alternative of what Italy looks like....lots and lots..

and we enjoyed the Italian Gelati, A LOT! :D and I cook everyday to stay on budget. we have white oak and bread for breakfast, bread for lunch and Risotti, can veggies and Sardin for dinner. we do have fruit occasionally. so we are still considering be to healthy.

It's already the beginning of May; the beginning of summer...which is the raining season....

last couple days here in Switzerland wasn't what we expected. we camped on the first day and the next day we found our tent were basically soaked in water. plus the temp keeps dropping so we've decided to changed into a hostel and enjoy a dry night..

next, Germany. Please, give us a good day.

Some laughs while waiting for train

5:29 PM 0 Comments

Waiting is part of our journey.

There are countless times that we miss a bus. Luckily we have yet to miss a train.

Outside Archaelogical Museum in Athens, Greece

5:48 PM 0 Comments

The video shown is the largest museum in Greece, we spent like 3-4hrs there just to observe the history of Minoan (ard 1500BC) until the recent years.

So we stayed until the museum is closed at about 6pm, and saw this incredible scene of street football.

I was thinking to join for a while, but well. we got our schedule and...the ground is ultra slippery. I scare i will get PK and affect my later trip, so i gave up the impulse-thought.

-jack @Zurich, Switzerland

p.s. i know the video is old compare to where we are now, i know . I just cant help to share it thru blog when i revise the vd

Milan sadness

3:19 AM 0 Comments

Being at the place where Leonardo painted the Last Supper and not able to see it in person, a drop of tear fall from my eyes. It was really sad I left Milan without seeing the Last Supper.

- fook

第10000張相

5:30 PM 2 Comments

手執450D自08年底至今已年多，終於我按了第10000次快門。

冥冥中自有天意，我的第10000張相是在St. Peter's Basilica
照的，宏偉的座堂，堪稱世界最重要的建築之一。

而圖中為禮堂的正中最深處，是殿堂級建築師Bernini的Cathedra Petri, 即第一代教皇Apostle Peter的地位。

那是別具意義的一幀相片，這就是朝聖的定義。

Bernini, Borromini, Michelangelo, Raphael, Da Vinci, Caravaggio, 還有很多我聽說過但從來不清楚也沒能力清楚的偉大artists, 藉福的口述我窺見了藝術堂奧的一角；

當知道至今為止我最拜服的Michelangelo的Pieta是在他24才時完成時，我不得不借postcard去質問自己究竟24才的我幹過什麼或將會幹什麼。

更直接地：「我係度做乜x野?!」

頂。

-jack @Vienna, Austria

Ciao Ciao

2:17 PM 0 Comments

So here we are, in Rome, to paid our respect to this ancient empire. I would say it was really not that hard exploring the city as every corner you turn, there would be a monuments, church or museum sitting there, waiting for you. Which was awesome. I had a very good and rewarding time here, although it was a busy and crowded with tourists. I did managed to set some time to paints and shot some nice pictures along the way.

The city is truly magical.

painting Florence in the morning. Look closer and what do you see? Yes, I'm wearing my IMAGI jacket!

Shot at the bridge.

The reflection is just awesome.

This street is basically what you see in Florence, they are everywhere.

On our way to Florence

Castel St' Angelo. It was used as a prison and now it is a museum.

St. Peter's interior. look at the people and you get the idea how huge is it.

St. Peter basilica. We literally spent the entire day there.

So tomorrow we will leave Florence and will soar up to Milan as my friend is very excited to see the football game. I'm happy for him coz he was reallyyyyy worry we can't make it on time to Milan.

I know the pictures are in reversed order. I know that :P

黑

8:34 PM 3 Comments

前幾日在雅典metro俾人好pro地圍堵並偷左銀包，損失50euro同埋張未activate既credit card。而家都未suspend張卡，大安旨意條友用唔到張卡，有冇人可以肯定張卡係用唔到的？

之後諗住上機寫低事發經過，誰知黑到連筆都漏墨。

個日阿福都唔好得去邊，支洗頭水在backpack度fing頭，而家佢d野洗完都仲係好鬼香，不過都冇事喇。

圖中caption: 「最後一天在希臘，好黑」寫完個「黑」字就爆墨了

-jack @Tuscano, Italy

Next Destination

4:12 PM 3 Comments

Pictured in Hania - Crete, Greece

Day 17 - Say Goodbye to the Greek islands

3:22 PM 1 Comments

兩星期被海包圍，感覺剛好。

由起先對「無敵」日落的驚豔到後來習慣以海辨別方向...然後再對落日失去眷戀，黃昏時間更留意的是掠起了的衣服乾透了沒有，不然今晚沒有長袖衣服穿。

再美好的東西，習慣了便有種「噢，是挺美啊」然後便繼續生活，不再願意抵著海風沉溺耽美。

但每逢看見希臘人悠閒望海的眼神，那怕只是短暫數秒，我總會卻步駐足與他遙距作伴；因為我知道，美麗的海可以在很多地方尋見，而我想烙在底板上的，是那杯泛著輕煙的咖啡、石像般的姿勢，還有那對時間流逝的安然隱逸。

-jack

1st CouchSurf experience in Life

5:54 AM 0 Comments

CouchSurfing basically means living in a local home in a foreign country. It's designed for adventurous people who dunno-why believing in a total stranger and have experience living together for a period of time.

Konstantinos, a Greek surfer in Heraklion, happens to become our 1st host in our trip, and very likely to be the best one.

4 days living with him is a breeze. He drives us, taking us to the best local restaurants (unlikely to be those expensive ones), and have us in his own house with all things that we need.

I wish there are Konstatinos all over Europe. And yes. The video shown explains the possibility that im visiting Crete again in the future. Just. For. The. White. Chocolate.

Konstantinos gave us unique greek cuisine experience that couldnt be find in ANY tourist guides, Probably the most relax days of our trip. I cant stop thinking about the fooooood that we had these days.

-Jack

I've never thought of travelling in such a in depth way. Living with local people, spent time with them, talk to them in such close-distance and personal way, know their customs and daily philosophy more personally. It was surely exceptional. I don't think I'll be doing this kind of travelling later on in my life. Therefore, I'll treasure what I'm experiencing in these 3 months.

Greece, 4 more days and we're done here. It was really a pause for people like us who used to live in a big city. During these 2 weeks, we didn't see people hurrying to work, we don't see traffic jam, we don't hear noisy music, no buses and people waiting in lines for ATM. We hear ocean, we feel the breezing wind, we see people sitting out in the cafe just chatting, we lose the sense of time.

upcoming will be a whole new experience, Rome. I'm excited to visit all the old masters' works, paying tribute to their foot steps.

I didn't paint as much as I expected, unfortunately. But I'll sure do so for Italy and others countries.

-Fook

旅行的意義

11:28 AM 0 Comments

一切才剛開始，剛開始。

我想用雙眼去紀錄，筆杆去證明，

我在這段時間裡用盡氣力去活出還屬於自己的人生。

"For what it's worth, it's never too late" --- Benjamin Button

"Live an infection" - 2003 by me