25 – My plans for 2012

This is my post 25, that mean I am 25% or “a quarter” of my adventure. This is also my last post for 2011. After this I’ll take my first break of the 4 I allow my slef (see rules of the game). Next post will be on line next Thursday, January 5th.

Even if in the last seasons I spent them in the tropics or in the Summer of the South Hemisphere, these days that in the North “Christian” Emisphere mark not only Christmas Time and New Calendar Year, but also the beginning of Winter, to me are always kind of depressing. My biological watch push me in hibernation mode instead of looking with enthusiasm of what the New Year can reserve to me.

Nevertheless this planning exercise is good also to help me rest well, before effectively turning on to a new era of adventures. As usual, I love making plans as much as I love breaking them, following the changes in the wind and ready to catch whatever opportunity will surface on my way.

On January 10th I will leave Cali, after being based here for more than eight months. I will travel for two weeks in the Colombian and Venezuelan Caribbean coast, before taking my flight back to Europe on the 24th from the island of Curaçao. I plan being based in Milan until my Mom birthday, that happen on March 4th.

While in Milan I’ll check the possibility to donate my sperm to a clinic in Ticino, since in Italy, thanks to the criminal gang who runs Vatican City and the still too great influx it has on italians laws, it is forbidden. If this will be no possible I would like to do a short trip in a European country I haven’t been so far, with Ireland my probable first choice.

And I want to reach a “enough to not be completely lost in translation” level of Japanese, before the middle of the March, when I am going to… Japan. Since I have the goal of not exceed 3.000€ passive for all 2012 and I can’t rely in finding a job soon, to keep travelling I need to find a way to cutting costs, especially in an expensive country like Japan.

Find a job in Japan, especially without ever been in the country before and not knowing the language is a pipe dream. So the way to reduce expenses at minimum will be mainly Woofing and Hospitality Clubs, like Couchsurfing. I plan to spend the entire three months in Japan doing two months Woofing and the third month trekking the Nakasendo trail.

The Nakasendo trail is a more than 500 km long old Samurai route from Tokyo to Kyoto. There are people who made it in only 13 days, but I plan to do in at least double of the time, because there is no need to rush and walking on average of 25km a day and adding the occasional day off here and there, it seems to me a more enjoyable plan. This is an idea I develop only few days ago, and I am really looking forward to it.

I considered also travelling by bicycle. The thought of travelling in this way, hiking or biking for great distances and long time it is very tempting, but before embark me in big projects I need to test me for a shorter period. I already traveled in both ways, but in group, never solo. I see this not only a way to renew my passion for travelling doing it in a different way, but also a good way to keep me in a good shape.

In June I will take a ferry from Fukuoka to South Korea. I may stay in Korea just a few days and come back to Japan if there will be appealing conditions to come back. Or just the time to arrange my Russian Visa and finally do the Transiberian Journey that I start planning years ago, possibly with a couple of weeks detour in Mongolia or a much longer one in -Stan Countries. Or just wondering around Korea, or came back in Europe for the summer. I have my options very open at this point. June is sooo far.

I envision myself being for a while in a eco-farm community where I can learn about permaculture, practicing yoga and maybe make some cash with massages. Another project I am pursuing since many years is the Hostel: I have been very close, also very recently to run one, but so far it didn’t happen. Working or volunteering in any tourism centre, it is not only a way to stay in my very tight budget for 2012, but also very useful to gaining insight experience until I will finally have my own hostel.

Wherever I will be, I have this blog to take care until the end of September, and my Travel blog. During the year I will launch another blog or website with commercial purpose. I have been reluctant so far to venture in “on line” businesses, because I spend already too much time on the computer for my liking, but for my lifestyle and considering the opportunities with this economic situation, I don’t see many viable alternatives at the moment. The ideas I have are just in the embryonic stages, so no more details to add.

Finally, I can’t forget the world is going to end on 21th December 2012, so why I am wasting time on making plans? Just kidding, we will just enter a new era where there will be a general shift of consciousness and finally humans will leave in harmony with Mother Earth. You may say I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one.