Chasing a missed flight with a gut full of curry mee, queueing at an airport service desk drenched in sweat and panic; a life of travel is far from glamorous. My past week has been tiring both physically and emotionally. Travelling alone, overnight train journeys and budget accommodation. I covered thousands of miles, witnessed awesome scenes at Thaipusam in Penang and started work on a new website in Kuala Lumpur. I also won Wanderlust Travel Blog of the Year Award.
No Time to Celebrate
After missing the plane I find a later flight to Langkawi. I arrive late in the evening only to pack and leave again early this morning. I now sit on a boat crossing the border between Langkawi, Malaysia and Satun, Thailand. I scribble words on my wasted e-ticket my previous night’s flight. Local kids stare at me and try force-feed me stinky fish snacks. Tomorrow I will be back home in Bangkok with my girlfriend and cat with plans to celebrate the award.
Winning the Award
A blogging buddy messaged the winner of ‘Most Popular Travel Blog’ (Kellie Netherwood, Destination Unknown). I thought the awards were complete, tweeted congrats to the winner then went eating on Kuala Lumpur’s Jalan Alor. When I return to the hotel I find emails, tweets and blog comments congratulating me on my award. Confusing. Turns out I did win an award. Wanderlust Travel Blog of the Year judged by the experts… **** Me. I immediately brag, Skype back to congratulate Fanfan on her contribution and Skype the parents. I then walk to the streets of Kuala Lumpur, sit with beer and night time traffic and try get my head round what had happened.
Wanderlust Travel Blog of the Year 2013
If someone told me last year I would be an award winning travel blogger I’d have coughed up my sticky rice. I am very new to travel blogging starting less than a year ago when studying Tourism Marketing. Learning a bit about blogging I give it a go myself. As a hobby photographer I begin to put writing to my photography. I soon find myself putting photography to my writing. Writing is a very unlikely profession for me. When reading I have the attention span of a squirrel. I was amazed to find the opposite with writing. I become immersed and relax when writing. I wouldn’t say I am a good writer. I am certainly not an experienced writer. It is my enthusiasm and depth of information which impressed the judges on my Bangkok food blog.
My Better Half
I won’t take full credit for the award winning blog on Bangkok Street Food. Much of the knowledge comes from my partner Fanfan a resident Bangkokian. Without her knowledge my blog would be no more than food photos with scribbled descriptions. This goes the same for our blog ‘Live Less Ordinary by Allan Wilson and Fanfan Narach’. While I do the writing it is Fanfan who brings the necessary local knowledge. Live Less Ordinary is our lifestyle blog documenting our life of food and travel in Thailand and Southeast Asia. I couldn’t ask for a better life or better partner.
