The Gregorian New Year has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean that the celebrations are over. The Luna New Year has just gone by, an important time of the year for China. It’s the worlds largest exodus of people, and a time to think about the year ahead.
For the New Year I did a retrospective on everything I did over the last year. So for this holiday I’ve decided to do the opposite and look ahead at the many adventures I have planned. I may not complete them all, but it’s nice to have goals.
Antipode
At the time of writing I am travelling the South Island in New Zealand. I’m on my way to Papatowai to spend some time camping and hiking. While it isn’t the antipode of my birthplace – that place is around 950km out to sea from there – it is the furthest point on land from where I was born. So, after this weekend I will be able to say I’ve literally travelled to the opposite side of the world.
Well, almost.
Lampu
After New Zealand I’m heading to Bali to participate in another Regional Burn. Lampu is the unofficial regional in Ubud, and I know very little about it. Of course, I’m excited to see another Burn and discover how they interpret the Principles of Burning Man.
Dragon Burn
After Bali, it’s back to China to participate in Dragon Burn, the Burn that started me on this journey. We’ll be heading to Anji for the eighth Burn ever to be run in the mainland. It’s going to be a good time, catching up with old friends and seeing if we can recapture that spark we had all the way back in 2014.
Tajikistan
One of the most enjoyable video game projects I’ve ever worked on was Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising with Codemasters. It was set in Tajikistan, and I’ve always wanted to visit the country and see how well we portrayed the place (apparently not very well). That and it’s a beautiful country with lots of opportunities for hiking.
Turkmenistan
The Door to Hell has always fascinated me, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to see. It’s also one of the “Stans”, one of the central Asian countries I wanted to visit last year.
Asian Burns
After this my plans start to get a little fuzzy. I may go back to India for Portal 91 again, and there’s a good chance I may go to Burning Japan. I may even try to find other Burns in Asia to get involved in. Then again, as Monty Python might say, it may be time for something completely different.
Christmas
Christmas will be a return to home, as always. It’s my chance for a yearly catch up with my family, but I might spend some time exploring Europe a bit more. Hell, I might actually get around to climbing Carrauntoohil in Ireland.
Kiwiburn, Again
This year’s Kiwiburn was smaller since Ignition was running around the same time. Since Ignition only runs every other year, I’m planning to visit Kiwiburn again and see how different it is when it gets busier. That will lead right into the next Chinese New Year, so I’m going to wait until then before I think about the future again!
So those are my rough plans for the year. Follow some of my social media accounts if you want to see how it goes, but for now I’ll just say:
