I'm on holiday!

I am currently on my long-awaited holiday! It has been a long year and - yes I know this is such a privileged thing to say- I am thankful that I am able to take some time off.

Truth be told, China was never on my list of countries that I wanted to visit. My early twenties self simply didn't have an interest and I was more excited about visiting the USA and "Europe". But when I was learning about Mongolia (as part of my pre-trip preparations), I became intrigued about China. Specifically the western half - Xinjiang- and its historical importance during the Silk Road.

Even a few years ago, there were some political issues that made me feel a little hesitant to visit. And there was also a part of me that was quite nervous about visiting alone. Fast forward a few years and that unease haven't dissipated. Nonetheless, as I began to educate myself on the country I became more enthralled with the culture and history.


I have loaded my Kindle with quite a few books; it's always good to have lots of options. This is actually my "new" Kindle as I thought I lost my other Kindle*. Instead of purchasing a brand new Kindle and to save some money, I took the plunge and purchased a second-hand Kindle from eBay. There are a few scratches on the bezel (which pains my soul), but apart from that, it's been great! I was initially tossing up between a Kindle Paperwhite or a Kobo Clara; a Kobo is compatible with Overdrive, therefore, I wouldn't need to read library ebooks on my phone anymore. But alas, I thought it was a bit pricey and the power button felt so flimsy! Here's hoping that Kindles outside of the US can use Overdrive one day...

* I actually found my old Kindle, oddly enough in my box where I store my travel gear. I will need to sell one of them as I don't need two. I have absolutely no idea how that Kindle ended up in that box ...