GAME: #1 LEARNING CHESS

It was Friday night that I found myself sitting in a pub opposite an 8-year-old smart arse and a chess board.

I don’t recall being this confident, this well-mannered, or this wily at any point in my dear 24 years. I wish it was just the remote setting that has allowed this little genius to think further than the computer box set, but it’s more than that, how did he learn chess? His Mum, as it happens. I asked if someone could teach me chess and here he is: the pieces, the rules and now the game. It’s a game that makes you think strategically and right now I’m embarrassingly slow, but someone’s in the room that can teach me a signature trick: 4 moves and a win (his Mum). Given that I have 3 months in the remote ranking of Australia and time is clocked with increasing heat – this is how and where I’ll be practising this tricky game. I actually tried playing against myself the other day and the black team won both times, how odd is that?

GAME: THE LIST

To put yourself in the most remote of situations can lead you to a different kind of people. Surroundings certainly shape your character and outback Australia is the type of place where having a car to drive to the nearest town is vital for your mental stability as well as your superstore convenience. As a result I’ve weaned myself from the online world and this has offered a fresh insight into learning new things that have been long forgotten or  hobbies that help pass the quiet time. This is how the list was formed.

This is the list of things I shall be learning over the next 3 months, my personal challenges are…

1. Learn how to play chess
2. Plant a tree
3. Learn how to milk a cow
4. Learn how to bake
5. Ride a tractor
6. Get over your fear of animals – stop being so jumpy around them!
7. Get good at making cocktails
8. Get creative with cooking
9. Read more
10. Get a photo of a real, live kangaroo

*please note this list may well change or grow in 3 months time!

GAME: What kind of games do you play at the airport?

One which has become a favourite of mine is scanning the board of places and gate numbers: the rule is I have to choose a place that instinctively stands out, if I had to go there right that second, for some reason a lot of the European cities sounded quiet tempting: Athens, Greece, was my choice this time round.

Then there are the others, the ones I have no idea about: take Entebbe, where the hell is that? It turns out it’s a central town in Uganda. There was also Riyadh, the Capital of Saudi Arabia (shame on me) and Abuja, Capital city of Nigeria (did you know that?).

Out of the three unknown destinations I actually chose Riyadh, perhaps one day I’ll have a bit more cash in my pocket and trial this game fully – book a flight to one of these desirable known or unknown spots.

Anyone fancy joining me?

The Brazilian Butt Lift –Get toned before and during travel

From Google Images

In between returning home and booking my next, swift exit out of Hampshire I made a point of setting myself the following goal: to get stronger!

This goal has been influenced by travelling solo, meaning that you have to rely on your own physical strength. From a pidderly girl in the country:  thank-you for wheels on suitcases and that extra backpack strap – oh, and that lovely man who helped a struggling weakling. 

Counterparts will agree that my physical strength has upped dramatically in the last few months…OK, so I’ve only really put this idea into motion ever so recently, with departure getting closer jogging is becoming an everyday event and every-other- day I try this new fitness programme, BBL – the Brazil Butt Lift.

BRAZIL BUTT LIFT DVD

There are various programmes to choose from, depending on the area you’d like to shape up: lose weight, gain stamina, tone up a few squeegee bits or regain upper physical strength. I have personally been using the ‘sculpt’ session, which focusses on upper arm strength. It’s taken a few weeks to learn the routine but it’s slowly coming together, the biggest challenge not being the programme itself but starting it. Motivation? Please.

The Brazilian Butt Lift programme surveys a group that pop their hips like Shakira and manage to hold the plank ten minutes too long – while the trainer constantly shouts:

“Love your moves!”

I can’t wait until the sweat crystallises into a breezey-easy-peasey-work out.

The sessions last about 40 minutes and can be downloaded onto your computer/hard drive for portable use, so that when you travel you can keep tip-toned-up! That is of course if you have decided to indulge in the luxurious item of a laptop whilst  travelling, something people only seem to consider if they’re going for long periods of time, although the I-pad is rapidly replacing the lightweight laptop.

If carrying around your treasured technical goods isn’t an option then an alternative could be to memorise the routine for the road. I often find that swimming is a more tempting option when abroad anyhow and this tends to keep me fit when my diet will fluctuate with food and drink consumption rising and falling with budget and effort.

I’ll let you know how I get on maintaining this programme…

What fitness tips do you have before/during travel?