Tonight, the Imaginary Interviewer (II) will be speaking to YiLin to find out more about this fantastic journey that she and Dannie are about to embark upon. As Dannie and his trusty Vader Lightsaber are out having good clean non-alcoholic fun at Dempsey Hill with his pals from work, his imaginary interview will be featured sometime later.

II: You guys have been talking about doing this trip for a really long time. So when are you really going to walk the talk huh?

YL: We’re booked to fly this coming Saturday morning. Why pick 28 Mar? It’s really quite simplistic – if we left on a weekday, no one would be able to send us off!

II: Is this a Round-The-World trip? It is over one year after all.

YL: We would have loved it to be RTW but we are just traveling the Americas i.e. North, South, Central America and the Caribbean. One year may sound long, but it’s barely enough time to even cover this region. It’s certainly possible to try to see the world in a year but there’s not much value in rushing to see everything and not fully experiencing the unique culture, physical beauty and way of life in each place. Oh yeah, we’ll be visiting Hong Kong too (which I’ve never been to – shocking for a Singaporean, isn’t it?) simply cos it’s included in the price of our Cathay Pacific air ticket.

II: Why the Americas and not Europe or Asia? You like Mickey Mouse ah?

YL: It has always been my dream to visit South and Central America for their natural beauty, historic places and rich culture. The rest is based on very practical considerations, really. It’s cheaper in the long-run to travel the countries in the continent at one go instead of making impossibly expensive 2-week vacations from Singapore every few years or so. For North America, the beauty of the national parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone, and the coastal shorelines beckon, as well as key cities like San Francisco and New York. By the way, I’ve already met the Mouse and have no desire to see him again, or any of his cutesy friends.

II: Okay, no visits to overly-cute cartoon animals (you DO look like someone who would kill Hello Kitty in one evil blink.) So what made you want to do this trip?

YL: Well, I can’t imagine living my life NOT doing this. Everyone says life’s too short, you only live once, carpe diem, yadda yadda… the usual clichés. But few people actually do something about it. On the other hand, if you were to live for 90 years, wouldn’t life be too long to be spent halfheartedly going through the motions day after day and postponing what you really wish to be doing? I felt that I was slowly but surely rolling down a straight path all laid out before me - career, marriage, kids – and the further I went, the more speed I would pick up and soon I would be hurtling on a highway into the future so fast that any attempt to brake and change my path would cause collateral damage to people I would have picked up along the way. Know what I mean?

II: Any sources of inspiration that got you going? Care to share?

YL: Hmm, the ‘Lonely Planet Story’ by founders Tony and Maurice Wheeler was one. I was amazed at how they accomplished so much with hardly any money to start with and eventually built an empire out of their travel experiences. I find Paulo Coelho’s writing very insightful and enlightening with regards to life and dreams – I’ll probably share some meaningful quotes in this blog. My all-time favourite is this one by Mark Twain:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Pity it was too long to be inscribed onto my iPod.

II: Any apprehensions about the trip? Besides the budget issue, which you’ve already whined about in your first entry.

YL: That I wouldn’t want to come back. That I would get addicted to living like a nomad. That I would be selfish in not wanting to keep my end of the promise that one year is all we would allow ourselves at this point of time. I read about this guy who did a trip so that he could get the urge to travel out of his system and return in peace to his daily life. But he couldn’t – and he’s still traveling.

II: What about apprehensions about traveling as a couple?

YL: Well, yes and no. Constant traveling is going to wear us out, patience will wear thin, good moods will falter, people (i.e. ME) will get snappish and might say mean things. But marriage doesn’t give us a licence to be mean and rude to each other. We never let these get to us and we will humbly make an apology when it’s called for. That’s one of the ways that being with Dan has made me a better person. (My siblings can vouch that I would have rather eaten my pencil case than say a word of sorry to them when we were younger.) Dan didn’t quit his job just so we could argue in Chile or Argentina instead of Bishan.

II: What would be the main thing that you would want to have accomplished from this journey?

YL: To have inspired others enough for them to make the first step in realising their own dreams.

“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” – Helen Keller
(This is what’s inscribed onto my iPod.)

written by  DanYilin on March 26, 2009 from Singapore, Singapore
from the travel blog: go.
Send a Compliment

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Have a GREAT trip!! :) We'll miss ya and please come back after the one year. Be safe and you'll be in my prayers. Please update this blog with beautiful pictures.

written by  Shirley Wong on March 26, 2009

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Babe, what an exciting year ahead of you! Super inspiring! I'm sure you and Dan will have a fantastic time. Be safe and God bless!

written by  Honyi on March 27, 2009

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