Personal Archives - Travel Journal of David D. Tan

Self portrait Blue house Perth [David Tan]

Like Home

After a little less than a month, it was time to say goodbye to my close friends from Perth and leave for a new adventure. Saying goodbye while travelling is never easy and it is even harder when a place feels like home.

356 days later

Done, I have been travelling for one year.

Actually, not really. This Summer, I settled down for a bit in Taiwan to study Mandarin and to embrace laziness. I stopped exploring, taking pictures and creating. Dropped my bag for a few months and focused on eating and studying. I also met extraordinary people and spent more time with my family. Another reason to see the world: live and experience the daily life and not just passing through places. Getting a new routine, finding my way without using Google Map and spending time with new friends.

Geneva, I like you but

It is true, there isn’t much to do in Geneva. Most of the tourists only stop there to go skiing in a French ski resort and don’t even stay. Geneva, I like you but you are boring.

Au revoir Genève

Cher Genève,

Je t’écris aujourd’hui pour te dire que je te quitte. Tu m’as vu naitre, grandir, apprendre et quoique je fasse, toujours soutenu. Bien sûr, comme toute personne ayant vécu avec toi, je t’ai critiqué, détesté et même haï parfois mais en réalité, tu m’as apporté bien plus que je ne l’aurais imaginé. Quand je pensais avoir tout vu, tu as réussi à me surprendre et me montrer de nouvelles choses. En toi se cache une ville fantastique et pleines de mystères.

Bye London

Dear London,

I’m writing today to let you know that I’m leaving you. We met a couple of times, the first ones were short but always intense and passionate. Obviously, I didn’t know much about you but I fell in love. In love with your bustling streets, your incredible little cafés and your aptitude to always surprise me with your unexpected inhabitants. That are some of the reasons I wanted to be with you.