Aaron Gone Travelling

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Aaron Gone Travelling

A student travel blog that talks about a medical student that's madly inlove with his backpack and the food around the world. That's why this website is here.

I am Aaron from Miri, Malaysia but now residing in Melbourne, Australia. I first caught the travel bug back in 2015, when I went to Thailand for the first time. Since then, I know my heart is made to travel. However, travelling as a student has a lot of limitations. Financial, holiday dates, workload, you name it. This website is not only a travel blog for my own reflection, it also features trave

l tips, ways to save money, travel inspiration, destination ideas, travel inspirations, budgeting tips, itinerary planning, all aim to ease your planning for your next dream trip. See, if I can make travelling affordable for a student like me myself, I have faith in you too!

26/07/2024

Now some rustic Greek food!

During our stay in Greece, my Greek diet consists of +++ seafood and a healthy daily dose of Lukumades.

Take me back to Greece.

17/07/2024

Third time's a charm.

The first post was cropped inappropriately.

The second post was grainy.

Let's see how this one turns out.

11/06/2020

Hola beautiful people! How's it going? So I have recently created a YouTube channel which mainly talks about travels, food and languages!

My last video is all about cost of living in Paris. I knew that Paris is expensive but I just didn't know how expensive it was! This video aims to give a full breakdown of the cost of living in Paris!

But it's not only that, if you are planning to travel to Paris (after restrictions are lifted and travelling is a bit more relaxed), this video will give you a quick overview of how much things are gonna cost in Paris!

I hope that you enjoy this video just like how I enjoy making it.

Please like and subscribe. It would mean a lot to me! Thank you!

Watch this at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKnB-D_EL7U

19/03/2020

Misadventure #6⠀
This time, it happened in the country that I loved the most - Iran. ⠀
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After a few weeks of travelling in the country in Iran, I was total in love with the country. The food, the people, the hospitality, the culture, the monuments... Everything was perfect.⠀
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Before heading to Shiraz, which is one of the highlights of my trip, I wanted to meet up with some locals. I posted on Couchsurfing about my trip to Shiraz.⠀
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Almost immediately, I received many, many requests to meet up with my mum and me. ⠀
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As our visit to Shiraz was short, I decided to choose who was the most interesting to hang out with. One of the couchsurfers decided to invite us to her house to stay and eat. ⠀
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We have already booked a hotel room so we declined the offer to stay with her but said it'd be great to have lunch together. ⠀
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She said her mum is a great cook. We bought some specialities from Yazd to give it to their family and some sweets. ⠀
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Went back to our hotel to wait for her at 12:30pm as told. She said she will arrive at 1:30pm. We waited till 1:30pm and she told us that she will be another hour late. At this rate I was telling my mum let's just go eat something else as there were many fantastic restaurants nearby. ⠀
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Well, mum wanted to be polite and didn't wanna show up being full. She normally has lunch at 12pm. At that point, she was very hungry. I was like enough of this BS we are going somewhere else.⠀
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So I called her and said we won't be joining for lunch. We apologised. She hung up.⠀
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And then she messaged us and insulted us by saying that we were freeloaders. That we weren't worth it. And other very, VERY mean racist comments.⠀
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Well, we could have gone out for a meal together (which was the original plan) and we were gonna pay for it. After all, we just wanted to meet Iranians in Shiraz. ⠀
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She was the one who offered to cook for us instead! ⠀
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And then she proceeded and said, "well, why didn't you offer to pay when I said my mum will cook for you?" ⠀
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The audacity.⠀
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Don't get me wrong - I had the most wonderful time in Iran. It takes a lot to say that Iran is my favourite country for travelling. Wishing the best for Iran right now.

09/03/2020

So here comes my 5th misadventure.⠀
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I am a budget traveller. I think every single cell of my body shouts that. Flying with budget airlines, staying in hostels, eating cheap... these things are almost second nature to me when I travel.⠀
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As I am a cheapo, I flew with AirAsia from Melbourne to Cambodia, with a pretty long layover in Kuala Lumpur - the flight ticket was almost free, so the long layover was easily justified.⠀
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However, my body was in shambles when I arrived in Phnom Penh. It was an exhausting flight so I wanted to get to my accommodation asap. ⠀
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I normally pre-book 1-2 nights of accommodation before arriving just in case I get questioned at immigration about where I'd stay. ⠀
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I prebooked my accommodation in a rush as I forgot to do it. I didn't really check the reviews, but I just saw that it has a rating of more than 8/10 and it was just 5 USD. It was called Happy Hostel.⠀
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It was not a happy hostel.⠀
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I arrived at a dimly lit establishment. I checked in and went straight to my room. ⠀
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It was a dorm with 8 people. I was placed on a lower bunk, and I was genuinely scared for my life: the bed is so fragile I was so scared that it'd break and the guy on my top bunk would be the last person I saw in my life. ⠀
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I went to have a shower so that I could wash all my sorrows away, only to add more sorrows to my sorrow. The shower head was broken, the tiles were broken (and there were sharp edges lying on the floor), the light was broken, the tap was broken, my heart was also broken.⠀
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That was the quickest shower I had in my life, like 30 seconds. I couldn't stand the hair on the floor so I had to use the hydropower from the shower to push it away - that was so hard because there was no showerhead.⠀
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I think you sorta have a good idea of how bad that hostel was.⠀
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As a traveller who has stayed in many, MANY hostels, IT WAS THE WORST HOSTEL THAT I HAVE EVER BEEN TO. ⠀
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I left the next day and apologised to my mental health and my body for the filth that I had brought into my life. ⠀
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PS: that's me in Angkor Wat, what you don't see is a tired soul dragging a soulless body under a 40C sun.

20/01/2020

My experience of staying with monks in an Eastern Orthodox Monastery in Bulgaria:

The short answer is: It was a tranquiliser to my pace of life.

The long answer is: By the time I reach Bulgaria, I was travelling for around 2 months + already. I was slightly tired because my senses were constantly bombarded with new information. New food, new culture, new tradition, new alcohol, new alcohol, new alcohol.

After I learnt that I could stay with the monks in Rila Monastery, I decided to ditch my hiking plan in Bulgaria and see how this goes.

I was 1 of the 2 tourists that arrived that day. And the other person turns out to be the greatest encounters that I have had during my Europe trip.

He is Bulgarian but has relocated to London. He tries to take time off each year to make this pilgrimage to Rila Monastery.

I asked why. He said it's because it calms his heart down, and w**d out all the unimportant things in his life during his weeklong stay here so he can have a slower pace in life, focus on the things he truly loves, even though that might mean that he will have FOMO in the things that he w**ded out.

He also said many other things but that was the main thing I got from him. W**d out the unimportant things in life.

19/01/2020

Still wondering how would my future beach house look like. The orange, the yellow or the red?

Since Sydney is always a weekend trip for me, I always take advantage of the super cheap fare on Sunday by taking the ferries to wherever I want to. That means 2.80$ and I get to take these ferry trips and be in awe of the amazing coastal scenery from the sea!

If you are in Sydney on a Sunday, make sure you exploit the $2.80 by going on as many trips as you like! Bus, trams, trains, ferries... all included! The only thing is just the wait might be long.

18/01/2020

Last I went to The Grounds, Kevin Bacon the pig is not there anymore!! T.T

But still, visiting the Grounds of Alexandria is one of my Sydney routines. No matter how touristy it is.

Yes, I am a tourist. But some places are called "ATTRACTIONS" for a reason. It's beautiful!

Maybe fighting through the crowds is not your thing (well is it anyone's things really) but you have to come to see it at least once!

"The Grounds of Alexandria is a landmark cafe, restaurant & bar, garden, bakery & patisserie, coffee roastery, animal farm, florist, markets and more."

13/01/2020

Hitched a ride from Queenstown to Wanaka. The German guy who took me said he was gonna do this hike in Wanaka but he has got no one to do it with.

The only reason that I'd stop at Wanaka is also because of Roy's Peak.

So I think it's fate. And also his kindness to pick me up.

We met more and more people along the way. A 7-hour hike became slightly longer because I am a chatterbox (I mean duh I am an extrovert gotta absorb my energy from somewhere!)

Super proud when I finally reach the top. Like the top top.

You can see from one of the pictures, there are actually 2 tiny humans and the remaining route that was left for them (picture taken when we were coming down).

If you come to Wanaka, highly recommend Roy's Peak. Just pack enough food, water and a lot of tears.

12/01/2020

So I hitchhiked in New Zealand.

There's this time when I couldn't get a ride back from Glenorchy to Queenstown, I decided to just walk to the nearest national park from Glenorchy and started hiking.

I arrived at Whakaari Conservation area and thought that it's an absolute gorge (just like all the other mountains in NZ). So I decided to go for a spontaneous hike.

I have 2 muesli bars, 1 bottle of water and no clear plan in mind. I don't even have a proper route map. The guy who was coming out from the hike told me it's just 1-way really.

But he never told me how long the hike was.

Let's just say that I ended the day with 2 legs that couldn't lift off the floor and a camera full of gorgeous photos, and still managed to hitchhike back to Queenstown after sunset! Oh and a stupid mountain goat which appeared out of nowhere and started chasing me. Lucky it gave up after less than 1 minute or so. Gosh, I legit thought that New Zealand was where I will see my final mountains!

11/01/2020

Queenstown Airport in New Zealand is probably the most picturesque airport that I have landed in in my life.

TBH I was really lucky. I was so deeply asleep dreaming probably dreaming about some churros in Spain when I heard people going "WOW" for 2 million times.

So I could literally say - I woke up to this!

07/11/2019

I am now in Manali, India and it's snowing as we speak!

My first day in Manali was a chill one because I had a 15-hour bus ride from Delhi. The very reason I came here is to escape the smog that's engulfing Delhi, even though it's clearing up now.

I got to my accommodation and my jaw dropped. The view from the highest floor of my hostel is mesmerising!! I could watch the snow-capped mountains for a long long time.

It's pretty cold for days to come so I thought I would take a walk to the old town to see what it has to offer. I have to walk past a river every day and it's just so soothing to hear the splashes of water.

Omg, it just stopped snowing/raining imma head out. Stay tuned for more snow-capped mountains!!

30/09/2019

About my stay with the monks in Rila Monastery:

Remember the Bulgarian that asked me about his anxiety symptoms? Check out my last post for the 1st part of the story if you don't.

He asked me to go observe the rituals that the monks typically perform in an Eastern Orthodox church. As I am staying overnight with the monks, there is nothing else to do. It's super cold outside but I reasoned that as there's no wifi and I didn't bring a book... It's either I go observe the ritual or I rot in my room.

I went to the ritual. It was pretty interesting for the first half-hour when the monks ring the bells and burn some incense. After a while it gets repetitive or I swear the incense has got some sleeping properties to it.

Anyways, I didn't want to be rude so I left the chamber. The Bulgarian was still praying in there and I didn't want to impose. So I left quietly with the back door.

I didn't get to say goodbye to him and I never saw him the next day! Hope his symptoms get better!

28/09/2019

Ice skating in an open rink with a huge castle as a backdrop? Tick.

Hiked up to the city hills to have a quick glance of the world 3rd largest Parliament building? Tick.

An obligatory bath experience at the traditional Turkish bathhouse in Hungary? Tick.

A langosh for breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper/when drunk/hangover? Tick tick tick tick tick.

Well, I was supposed to have some photos for Szimpla, the ruin bar, as well but I was too tipsy/drunk in there to take a legitimate photo so consider that a tick.

I love Budapest too much. Check out what to do in Budapest for 2 days at https://aarongonetravel.com/europe/hungary/what-to-do-in-budapest-in-2-days/

27/09/2019

I visited my close friend in Veneto, Italy. It's a huge region with lots to do.

While she was busy preparing the itinerary day by day, I was more interested in knowing what's on sale in the supermarket and what can I eat. So much variety of pasta, cured meat, cheeses, pastries, bread and other unbelievable beauties sitting invitingly on the shelf, teasing you to buy them all and be broke and fat.

Buying a few blocks of cheese and finishing it in 2 days and going back to buy more cured meat and cheese... That's basically my travel stories in Italy.

26/09/2019

I am not a connoisseur when it comes to coffee, even though I might be from Melbourne where the coffee culture is deeply rooted.

I simply don't drink coffee because it gives me palpitations if I drink it too quickly. This is a really tragic story. I know.

So in 2019, I decided to make my body know who's the boss. I wanted to make myself tolerant because honestly, it'd be amazing to be able to experience coffee in the cities that I travel to! Without getting palpitations!

Prishtina has a huge coffee culture with quality coffee shops everywhere. That's when I know it's time to train up that tolerance. I had coffee every day after lunch in Prishtina as that was what locals were doing.

Glad to say that I don't have palpitations after drink coffee anymore! (just don't give me a double shot)

25/09/2019

Did you know that there's a small country called Kosovo in Europe? Neither did I!

You know, just a casual day looking at flight tickets in Europe got me realised that there's a country on the map that I don't know. Kosovo is a very new country. With an interesting clash of cultures (Greek, Balkan, Arabic and Russian), I realised that I have to come to Kosovo!

After learning that Pristina is the capital of Kosovo, I quickly searched for what's the best way to get to this city.

And fortunately, it's just another 10-euro ticket from Budapest. All hail King Ryan.

24/09/2019

I love Valencia!

I am so glad to have taken that spontaneous trip from Barcelona to Valencia to see my friends!

My friend just happened to stumble upon my stories when I was travelling in Barcelona. He immediately asked me if I would like to see him and his girlfriend in Valencia, which is just 3 hours away from Barcelona.

I mean why not? It's a new city. I don't know what to expect. Let's go! It turns out to be one of the greatest parts of my Spanish adventure!

If you are going to Spain, make sure you pay Valencia a visit! Check out my in-depth free itinerary + self walking tour at https://aarongonetravel.com/europe/spain/valencia-self-guided-walking-tour/

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Videos

I have been learning German for the past 3 months as I moved to Berlin 3 months ago. Full Video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu6YEnJ5SDA Learning German has been one of my main goals for myself this year. It requires a lot of discipline to sit down and study properly. Learning the German language is not as straightforward compared to Spanish as I already speak another Latin language. As a language lover, I see living in Berlin as a great opportunity for me to master the German language. Life in Germany will definitely be a lot easier if you have the German language. People have been saying that German is harsh and doesn't sound nice. I beg to disagree. German has its own charm to it. There are so many witty sayings and funny expressions. Because I am surrounded by people who speak German, I realised that German speakers are actually really patient with you when they see that you're putting in a lot of effort to learn German. If you are a German speaker, you will notice that many grammatical mistakes and things might not make sense. I mean, sometimes what I'm saying in German doesn't even make sense to me. If you are an English speaker, there will be on-screen English subtitles. It is definitely easier to learn German if you already speak English as it uses the same alphabet. You only have to learn some funky and cool alphabets (ä, ö, ü, ß). I will talk about some language learning tips that I have used while learning German but the key is, you need to be disciplined! At the 6 month mark, I will be sharing all the materials that I used to learn German. Please subscribe and stay tuned!

Philippines - Cinematic Travel Film

Watch it on HD and turn your speaker on! Please share it out! Hello beautiful people! I am back with a second video and you've guessed it right! It's the Philippines! And it's more fun in the Philippines! Honestly, beaches and islands in the Philippines are otherworldly and I am proud to say that of all the beaches I have been to in different South East Asian countries, Philippines has the best beaches! Cerulean waters, LOTS OF SUNSHINE (I got so tan here), not too many tourists, not painful-to-walk sandy beaches, cheap island-hopping tours, it's really more fun in the Philippines! AND EVERYONE SPEAKS ENGLISH. It feels so good to be able to connect with the locals! You know what? Even the officials in the Philippines are not exactly sure how many islands they have in the Philippines! Besides the beaches and islands that lure millions of beach bums to sunbathe on its golden sand every single year, Philippines has so much more to offer! After going to the Philippines, I feel like it might be the most not Southeast-Asian-like countries in SEA! Strongly influenced by the historical presence of the Spaniards, Chinese and Americans, you'll feel like as if you're in an entirely different country in just a train ride away! Places that you will see in this video include El Nido, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Cebu City, Moalboal, Makati, Intramuros and Manila. I hope you enjoy this video and please share it out! This video is shot entirely by my Canon G7x Mark ii.

Seoul Travel - Cinematic film by Aaron Gone Travel

For a better experience, please watch it on HD and turn on your speaker. And share it out! So, here it is! Seoul is definitely one of the highlights of 2017 for me! Looking back, it's pretty dumb of me not wanting to come to South Korea in the first place; I couldn't find enough reason to come to South Korea back then and nope, I'm not a K-Pop nor K-drama fan. But AirAsia brought me here with their super cheap flights! See what cheap flights can do to your mind (and your wallet). And I am super glad that I came to South Korea! With its tantalising restaurants, glimmering Christmas lights, sunrise-shuttering nightlife, mouthwatering food and not to forget the warmest South Koreans, Seoul is definitely the best place to wrap up 2017 for me! Enjoy the video! PS: These clips were shot with Canon G7x Mark ii and this is my first time working with videos. I used Adobe Premiere Pro for the whole project and it was easy to navigate through the workspace. I am still learning and hopefully, I will improve over time! The possibility of Adobe Premiere Pro is overwhelming!

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