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skatzcatz   
it takes a moment to loose a life and a moment to change it, the moment i nearly lost mine i changed it


Real Name: Rod Shepherd
Lives In: Darwin, AU
Birth Date: March 19, 1971
Member Since: Sep 25, 2003
Last Login: Jun 19, 2009   06:57 UTC
Member's Time: Jul 05, 2009   14:29 CST
VT Rank: 1438
Deals Rank: Unranked
External Page:www.earthboyrod.com
Travel Interests: Historical Travel, Diving and Snorkeling, Hiking and Walking, Backpacking, Trains

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Page Views: 6,535            

even rocks can learn how to roll

by skatzcatz - last update: Apr 20, 2009

My Trips so far
THE SMALLEST OF STEPS SOMETIMES LEADS TO THE GREATEST ADVENTURE.....

in Australia i feel so restless, while Vanuatu i felt free, New Caladonia opened my eyes for the first time and Fiji was the beginning of a journey for me.

Japan is always a contradiction, America completely fullon, Canada a land of such delights and South Africa the first and last place i was ever ripped off.

Kenya is with me forever, Tanzania very close behind, Zimbabwe reminded me of sadness, Botswana and Zambia full of life.

England a place of parties, France two suitcases blown in my mind, Dominica Republic refreshed me and New Zealand reminds me of home.

Chile hit me with a difference, Argentina reawakened me to travel, Bolivia crippled me with illness and Peru opened my eyes to the Inca's.

Cuba reminded me of a Vanuatu long past, Morroco grew with me as time past, Spain shocked me by a pick pocket and Finland amazed me with its Colour.

Hong Kong was clean and Organised, Singapore's temperature was like home.


every plane an adventure, every day a new journey
windows of opportunity, snapshots of a life
new strangers, new people, friendships often fleeting
wonderful moments, the highlights of my life?



6 PLACES I WANT TO SEE

* Timor Leste

* more and more and more and more of Africa (i love this continent)

* more of New Zealand

* more of Australia (although i've seen alot already)

* journey from China to the former soviet countries

* Vanuatu to try more croissants

I seem to spend 1/3 of my time travelling, 1/3 of my time dreaming of it and 1/3 of my time talking to fellow travellers. My goal in life is to spend 3/3 of my time travelling and 1/3 of this time talking to fellow travellers. Now all that is left is for me to figure out how to convert 1/3 travelling to 3/3 travelling.....
travel the world leaving only footprints

The Journey so far

1971 - Sydney (New South Wales - Australia)

1976 - 1977 (Sydney)

1978 - 1979 Melbourne (Victoria -(Australia)
1978 - 1979 Victorian trips, Wilsons Prommentory National Park

1980 - 1982 Perth (Western Australia - Australia)
1980 - 1982 South of Western Australia including Mount Barker where my grandparents lived, Merriden, Bunbury, Busselton and Geraldton

1983 - 1984 Efate and Port Vila Vanuatu
1984 Sydney, Noumea (New Caledonia) Santo (Vanuatu) and Suva (Fiji)

1985 - 1997 Sydney

1985 - 1997 New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland
1988 Tasmania - 2 weeks
1994 New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia - 9 weeks
1997 Port Vila Vanuatu - 2 week

1997 drove to Darwin Northern Territory through Queensland - 1 week
1997 - 2004 Darwin

1997 - 2003 Topend of Northern Territory and the Kimberley region (Western Australia)

2003 Japan (Tokyo), Central USA and Montreal (Canada) - 4 weeks

2003 Mandurah (Western Australia) - 1 week

2004 Sydney, Africa, London (England), Paris (France), Dominican Republic, USA, Canada, Auckland (New Zealand) - 3 months

2004 Sydney,Newcastle, Wollongong, Nelson Bay

2005 Western Australia - Perth & Sydney

2006 - 2007 Around the World Again
Chile - ,Santiago,Puerto Varas, Argentina - Buenos Aires, Bariloche,La Paz (Bolivia),Lake Titicaca,Cuzco,Lima, Los Angeles,Chicago,New York,Quebec,Toronto,Havana(Cuba),Vinales,Trinidad(Cuba),Madrid(Spain),London,Paris,Helsinki(Finland),Rovaneimi, Sydney

2008 Singapore, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea

2009 Turkey, Bratislava, Croatia, Slovenia, Venice, Malta, Dubai, Singapore

the habits of travel

i'm beginning to understand myself better through my travels and the experiences i gain from them. And personally its interesting coming to terms with these little quirks i know i have.

* pack my bag too many times and yet still misplace things.

* of the 900 photo's i took on my 3 month trip, about 5 i would say i was happy with.

* i seem to have this thing for loosing shoes.

* there is a 40% chance i will loose something i buy within the first 30 minutes of buying it, then the chances diminishes greatly.

* i've developed the skill of knowing every time zone on this planet

* 'sorry policeman i thought 60 miles was the same as 60 kilometres' - thats my excuse and i'm sticking to it.
17/07/2004 mytred R.I.P my last ever car ??
McDonalds are everywhere on this rock

My odd collections from the world


* cloth patches from places i visit

* McDonald placemats from overseas destinations

* weird overseas bottle tops

* foreign coins

* odd words i am incorporating into my own language

* pictures that grab me

DESTINATION AFRICA (with a few detours in between)

wt2 has now come and gone and now my eyes are looking towards the sites of singapore, hong kong and papua new guinea. Also a little further off are the following ideas:

Now its destination Scandanavia, planned for July 2009
Maldives in the next couple of years
6 foot track (blue mountains)
Overland track (Tasmania)
Rabaul (PNG) with Kokoda in 2008
road trip across america
bicycle riding in china
Camino trail in Spain
Vietnam
a monkey of diani beach
the reason i take a breath

My Poetry

i've always been able to put my thoughts and life into words, but its only through sites such as VT that i've decided to rather then just write for a once only reading to continually save my work here and hope to gain an understanding of myself through the ever growing nature of my work. Mostly about love or the lack of it, i'm also finding an affinity with innate often not thought about objects. Time will tell if my words are swept away and forgotten or somewhere someone will remember and enjoy my words....

2003 - the healing year
2004 - the learning year
2005 > the living years

if you want to continue reading my poetry its now found on a page linked to my website www.earthboyrod.blogspot.com

the list of stuff
walk the kokoda trail - July 2008
scuba dive - qualified 21/12/2004
cycle around a country (any will do)
learn to ballroom dance
see the places in my dreams
look at My Everest

words i want to say and where i want to say them

Jamaica - 'I'm in Jamaica, Man'.
a darwin sunset
microlighting across africa

Books and Authors who inspire me

Christina Dodwell - Travels with Pegasus

Lonely Planet, Rough & Eyewitness Trave Guides

Anything on Africa, I've now read more than a dozen books on the continent

skatzcatz's Albums
Title [Click to view]Travel YearPictures
Food, Food, Glorious Food- 8
Nameless Faces - 1 and my excuses for poetry- 8
Nameless Faces - 2 and more of my poetry- 7
Strange Signs of the world - and more poetry- 7
PhoTOG|24pH|c Th|eVe|2y & poetry- 4

Comments for skatzcatz
Arkeolog Thu Mar 19, 2009 20:00 UTC
 happy birthday from Turkey :)
a2lopes Thu Mar 19, 2009 19:26 UTC
 Happy birthday Rod and many happy returns of the day. Greetings from the other side of the world. Keep walking
kiwigal_1 Wed Mar 18, 2009 13:01 UTC
 Happy Birthday Rod! May the year bring you many new adventures.
aussirose Fri Jan 9, 2009 05:28 UTC
 Hey Rod. That trip sounds great! Beware, Dubai will be hot hot hot! :o) Hey we'll be up your way again end of August. Will you be back by then? Perhaps we can catch up for a few drinks then :o) Cheers.
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