Tag: Travel in Asia

Nomad Vagabond – Genghis Khan

Posted on by admin

This is an excerpt from my book “Vagabonds: Sometimes Getting Lost is the Point” . It’s available as an ebook for kindle or ebook readers. Over the next several months we will be exploring some of these amazing vagabond characters from the past (and present).

 

Traveling round the world doesn’t usually involve conquest of foreign lands but for Temujin, also known as Genghis Khan, conquest was probably just a means of travel. Starting with nothing as an exile and prisoner means he was certainly an extraordinary vagabond.

Genghis Khan was a nomad, in other words he was a world traveler of sort. Genghis Khan’s real name in his childhood was Temujin. When his brother poisoned his father Temujin killed his brother and in punishment he was thrown into forest, he was held in prison by his former friends after that. vagobond genghis khanAfter few years, Temujin rose up as a powerful leader and united the tribes of the Mongol people. With this goal accomplished, he and his Mongol hordes targeted many and far lands. From the time of his unification of the Mongol tribes, the Mongols called him Genghis Khan.

Genghis Khan first attacked the Tangut tribes to the west of the Mongol homeland. His first important foreign venture was not an easy one, but he brought the tribes of Tangut to their knees by 1209, which was the beginning of his empire. Genghis targeted east and south after that, this was the land ruled by Jin Dynasty of China. Genghis Khan captured Beijing, bringing the pressure to the Jin emperor and managing to restrain the complete northern half of the kingdom.

Kara-Khitan which is called “Xinjiang” today by the Chinese government was the next battleground of Genghis Khan. With just 20,000 soldiers, the Mongols brought the surrender of Kara-Khitan by 1218. Now Genghis Khan’s empire extended from shores of China in the east to Kazakhstan in west.

genghis khan mapThis was not enough and Genghis Khan desired more. He set his eyes on his new neighbor, the Khwarezmid Empire. It stretched from Kazakhstan to the banks of Persian Gulf, surrounding most of Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and half of Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. At first Genghis Khan tried to establish a booming trade partnership with Khwarezmids, but the leader of Khwarezmid attacked his 500 man caravan. After this, he foolishly refused to pay compensation for his act. Genghis Khan later sent his group of ambassadors to the Shah of Khwarezmid in a hope to have some kind of political trade relationship. But the Shah refused his proposal, Genghis Khan invaded Khwarezmid and executed the Shah. After this horrible conquest of Khwarezmid Empire, he headed across Afghanistan and northern India.

By the end of his life, Temujin had conquered everything from Asia all the way to Europe’s doorstep. Most of modern Turkey, parts of Greece, and even portions of Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia were his domain.

As a world traveler, he spilled a lot more blood than most, but the fact is he controlled the largest contiguous empire in history and saw more of the world than most people ever will.

The Lessons Adults Learn When Travelling Asia

Posted on by Vagobond

Asia is one of the most travelled continents on the planet. Some places are like British colonies, that’s how many backpackers and tourists visit them yearly! As a result, it may feel as if it doesn’t have the culture and experiences that you’re searching for. If it’s full of Brits, it’s like being at home only hotter.

Pexels – CC0 Licence

 

However, this attitude fails to recognise the variety of such a spectacular region. Whether you’re in Thailand, Malaysia, or Singapore, you’ll see and do things that you didn’t know existed. It’s not rare for travellers to return home and change their lifestyle because of the lessons they learned in Asia. And that’s why it has to be on everyone’s bucket list.

 

What will you learn from your trip? Everybody is different, so the experiences aren’t the same. But, there are a few that seem to hit everyone hard. Continue reading to find out more about them.

 

Sweat The Small Stuff

 

As westerners do, it’s tempting to think of Europe and the US as the centres of civilisation. These continents dictate everything from politics to technology, which is why they are in front. Even if that is true, which it isn’t, it’s wrong to say that a region’s way of life is superior to another.

This is strikingly obvious in Asia, where the lifestyle is the polar opposite of the one you have in the UK. Instead of working all day and drinking and eating in expensive restaurants at night, Southeast Asians love to chill out and relax. It sounds boring to foreigners, yet when you get there and get used to the laid back atmosphere, you realise that they have cracked it!

The ability to sweat the small stuff, such as eating as a family and spending time with friends, is a feature of Asian life that everyone can benefit from since it promotes healthy morals.

 

The Best Experiences Aren’t Obvious

 

Once you book your flights and your adventure is slated for a specific time and day, your imagination will think about the incredible sights and activities. From Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap and the Taj Mahal in Agra, there are many things to do that belong on your bucket list.

The crazy part is, this isn’t the stuff you remember when the journey is over. Instead, you’ll think about the time you spent twenty-four-hours on a bus without any food, or the moment a tiny tuk-tuk took on a fifty-tonne lorry and won. You’ll remember the local dishes you hadn’t heard of that blew your mind and the small villages off the beaten track.

In short, you’ll learn that the best experiences aren’t the ones you expect, encouraging you to say yes to the stuff you may have previously rejected.

 

You’ll Never Want To Leave

 

Asia is addictive. From the food to the weather and the people, you’ll dread the fact that you have to leave one day. Lots of tourists track SIBOR rate to see if they can afford a holiday home and stay in the region forever!

Of course, it’s probably not feasible, not with your family and friends at home. Still, there’s a lesson – you should never judge a book by its cover. People love to wax lyrical about golden sandy beaches and ice-blue water – Asia has all of these features – and they end up pigeon-holing places as a result.

In reality, it’s not the stuff you see on a TV advert or Instagram story that makes you fall in love. It’s the whole package, from stunning coastline to bustling night markets that sell insects as food. Hopefully, you catch the bug and indulge your love of travel as it’s an unforgettable experience. 

Pixabay – CC0 Licence

 

Time Is Limited

 

Asia is the biggest continent in the world, with hundreds of countries making up its borders. Clearly, you won’t be able to fit in all your activities in one go. Apart from having to come back for round two, you recognise that time is limited. Therefore, you’ve got to prioritise the things that grab you.

Learning how to rank tasks is an essential part of life as people won’t make decisions for you, and if they do, they won’t be in your best interests. Therefore, you’ve got to stick to your guns, whether that means travelling solo or as a couple, or breaking off from your group to experience a once-in-a-lifetime activity.

There are only so many hours in a day, and it’s essential that you use them wisely and don’t waste them.

 

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