Well I’ve been here for 5 days now, spent two of them in bed hungover (old habits die hard) and have still managed to accomplish a couple of things in the meantime.

I’ve bought a cell phone for 500RMB ($71) with a sim card. It is cheap and crappy looking and I’m sure I could have bargained them a bi tlower but I had an employee of the hostel helping me and I felt stupid bargaining through a translator.

I haven’t been out doing the tourist thing much but I have figured out the subway system after taking a trip out to Wudaokou, the university area. I had originally planned to live out there so wanted to scope it out a bit and see what connections into the city were like. The subway is pretty good but seems to be packed at all times and I’m starting to realise why foreigners tend to cab it everywhere.

As for the apartment hunt, this sounds dodgy, but I met some American dude in a bar the other night and got chatting to him. He needed a roomie sharpish, I needed a place to stay, we chatted some more, I went to look at it and now I’m sitting in the lounge room typing away. My room is huge, the apartment is massive, it’s nice, pretty central in the Guomao area and at 2,300RMB ($330) a month it’s a lot cheaper than what I was expecting to have to pay for my own place. Plus I can stay for six months, he’s ok with me having people stay for the Olympics, he’s been here a while and has lots of connections, speaks a bit of Chinese and is a generally laid back kind of guy. Should be good.

Today’s goal was to suss out the language school scene. There’s a place up the road from me that has a class starting next Monday for $530 for four weeks. I am pretty keen to get started somewhere but this place is four hours per day starting at an agonising 8:30am five days a week. Gadzooks. I’m not sure I want to put myself through that but it’s near to my house, the price seems ok, and if I don’t have a reason to get up in the mornings I can see myself wasting all my time here. Still thinking about it…

I’m also on the hunt for a gym to join and apperently there are quite a few in this area. It’s funny wandering around here because I have no decent maps, can’t read the street names even if there were any, and I don’t even know what to tell a taxi driver if I were to get lost and need to take a cab home. It’s pretty exciting but daunting at the same time.

I’m up for a challenge though so we’ll see how it goes!

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For me, the best thing about this whole earning a living online thing is that it really doesn’t take much time to maintain existing sites and to retain a consistent level of income. If I put in a few hours a week, it’s likely that I’ll keep earning the same amount. True, the more work I put in, the more I’m likely to earn, but to stay the same doesn’t require a lot of time.

So… I see this as a huge opportunity to attempt to accomplish a few things I’ve always been meaning to do. I’ll still put in as much work on my sites as possible, but will have lots of free time to get other things done as well.

Here are a few of my goals:

• Learn Mandarin - I’ve always wanted to learn a language that nobody would ever expect me to be able to speak and I think Mandarin is it. I’m under no illusions that in six months I’ll be anywhere close to good at it, but I want to put in a good effort. I’ve been in touch with a language school so will head out to chat with them tomorrow. It’ll be nice to get my brain cells working again.
• Take guitar lessons - I’ve always wanted to learn an instrument. I’m not sure I have a musical bone in my body but if I don’t have a crack at it, I’ll never know. I guess the main issue will be finding a willing, English speaking teacher here.
• Learn PHP - I’m constantly frustrated at not knowing how all those PHP related things work and think if I could learn a bit I’d be able to do some pretty cool things on my sites. I’m hoping I can learn a bit of PHP with some reading, online tutorials and a lot of trial and error.
• Get fit - I love going to the gym but I hate going after a long day at work and a hellish commute. Without these two things forcing me home to laziness, I’m hoping to join a gym and actually go. I want to cycle across a country at some point and am thinking Myanmar or Laos at the end of the year could both be good options. To do that without killing myself I’ll have to ge tmy arse in gear.

I think it would be a waste to have so much free time and not fill it with lessons or things that are productive. If the internet implodes one day and I find myself back in the office you can bet I’ll be kicking myself for not taking advantage of such a great opportunity.

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If you ever find yourself at the airport in Hong Kong with the intention of getting some serious work done I have a bit of advice. If you find a power point, cling to it like your life depends on it. This place is devoid of all power. So while there’s a free wifi connection floating around, it’s not much use if you’ve arrived with a dead battery.

The only one I managed to find is in Terminal 1 and it was sweet. It was behind a coffee place and next to a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream place. Oh ya! Comfy chairs, nice quiet place to work because it’s tucked away and there was a table to spread out on. Only one power point in there though so if someone else is there then you’re out of luck. I had to evacuate to use the toilet and then decided to check in and head into the rest of the airport assuming there would be other places to plug in. Nope. I should have stayed at my secret little ice cream and power point hideaway for longer.

Gotta go. Power… running… out…

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I don’t usually like these link tagging type things but I’m feeling a bit lazy at the moment and in need of an easy post, so why not? Lissie over at Continuing Adventures tagged me in her post so here goes…

The rules are following:

1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share four things in these themes.
4. Tag four new blogs at the end by linking to them and leaving a comment on their website.

Four Jobs I’ve Had

• Fruit Picker
• Office Monkey
• Cook on a Sheep Station
• Retail Slave

Four Places I’ve Lived

• Galway, Ireland
• London, England
• Australia
• New Zealand

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over

• Team America: World Police
• Spaceballs

Four TV Shows I Love

• Amazing Race
• The Apprentice
• Hell’s Kitchen

Four Places I’ve Been on Holiday

• Egypt
• Turkey
• The Philippines
• Italy

Four of My Favourite Dishes

• Thai green curry
• chicken quesedillas
• lasagne
• chocolate ice cream

Four Websites I Visit Daily

• Google Adsense Stats
• Google Analytics
• Facebook
• Yahoo Mail

Four Places I Would Rather Be Now

• China! (going tomorrow)

Four Bloggers I Am Tagging

• Working Nomad
• The Lost Globe
• Ubertramp
• The Poverty Jetset

So now you know some very random, somewhat useless things about me! I spent mos tof today in a Hong Kong coffee shop that has this wicked iced chocolate drink that I may or may not have had three of. And a piece of chocolate cake. I’ve been catching up on emails and writing hostel reviews for my Wanderstruck site but still have a load of work to do over there. I’m really excited about the prospects of having an apartment to settle into in the coming weeks… especially after spending a few nights in the shittiest hostel ever here in HK (review coming soon!)

Speak to you next time from Beijing… sweet.

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I’m not that big a fan of Starbucks. Actually, that’s not true. I like to think I don’t like Starbucks and globalisation and blah blah blah but the reality of it is that I love frappuccinos too much to ever turn my back on the big ‘Bucks. Now I love their wifi too. I’m a lost cause and I don’t even drink coffee! Oh the shame.

I felt like I was starting to look like too much of a nerd at the hostel, always sitting in the lobby, laptop perched on my lap and looking all busy and stuff. So I decided to take my nerdy escapades on the road and am now sitting in a Starbucks in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

I’ve got a comfy chair, corner location, spacious table and the holy grail of mobile workers - a power point next to me. There are yummy smells swirling around me, chilled out tunes blaring out of the speakers, other nerds all around to detract from my own nerdiness, and access to the finest of all icy beverages, the delightful but expensive mocha frappuccino.

With all these distractions I never would have expected to be able to get much done but it turns out that I’m being pretty productive. I’ve booked some hostels, written a few blog posts, eaten a banana muffin, altered a few images, drank a frappuccino, emailed my mum, read a few blogs, and have even managed to fix some tricky coding type things.

I think I’ll stick around for awhile longer. There’s something about the background noise and hustle bustle of the other customers that makes working here pretty easy. I think I’ll settle in for another couple of hours and see what else I can accomplish.

I suppose I should buy something else at some point. Damn you Starbucks, why do I love you so?

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Malaysia doesn’t feel like Asia to me. What Asia is supposed to feel like, I do not know, but Malaysia seems too modern and organised to be a part of the chaos that can be found elsewhere on the continent. I’ve only been to three places this time around and from what I’ve seen so far, Malaysia is a very good spot for mobile working.

Pros

• Wireless internet widely available - Whenever I turn on my computer, wherever I am, there always seems to be at least a couple of wireless connections floating through the air. Hostels seem clued up to the fact that people are travelling with laptops these days and many have wifi, even outside of Kuala Lumpur.
• Internet everywhere - Anywhere without wireless will still have some kind ofnet connection available. I was on an island that only had electricity on for half the day and even they had the internet.
• Mobile connection of your own is possible - I don’t know the details because my crappy Bangladeshi phone busted just as I was leaving the country, but I think it’s possible to set something similar up in Malaysia where you can get a connection through a mobile phone. As mobile coverage here is excellent, that means a connection anywhere you may go.
• Great location for travelling in Asia - Malaysia is in a great spot if you want to get a lot of Asian travel in. KL is a hub for a few airlines including budget Air Asia and travelling from here is cheap and there are lots of great places nearby.
• Friendly people - I really like Malaysians! The ones I’ve met have been very fun loving and friendly on a level that seems more genuine to me than in other places in Asia.
• Access to perks from home - You can find pretty much anything you want from home in KL. It’s a big, modern city with all the perks that come with it so if you’re afraid of missing out on Western goodies while being in Asia then Malaysia will be a good choice.
• Lots of settings to choose from - If you want to work from the beach, you can. If you’d rather an apartment in KL, no problem. Or if you prefer a jungle setting then Malaysia has that as well. The country is varied enough to having something for everyone.

Cons

• Relatively more expensive that other Asian countries - This is me stretching to find a con because Malaysia is still a cheap place to live when compared to the UK (isn’t everywhere?) but it’s not quite as cheap as the Bangladesh and Cambodia’s of the world.
• Too much like home - I feel like KL could be any city in Canada or the UK and driving between towns in peninsular Malaysia feels the same as at home. It’s obviously a very culturally diverse place but if you’re wanting a challenge or a really big change from home then you might want to look elsewhere or try to get off the beaten path.

I’ve only spent about 10 days total in Malaysia visiting KL, the Cameron Highlands and the Perhentian Islands but I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far and could see myself spending some time kicking back on an island here getting some work done. It’s comfortable, connecting and well located and I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up back here in the future for longer than just a few days.

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I had dinner with some friends the other night and met a guy a who horrified me and reminded me why, after graduating university with a business degree, I really had no interest in ever pursuing a career in business. There are lots of things I love about the business world but the one thing that has always puzzled me is how people can become so passionate about whichever widget their company sells.

In this case, the passion was tires. This guy was obsessed with them and our conversation over dinner often led back to these apparently fascinating wonders of the rubber world. We got the history of the rubber industry in Asia along with accounts of sales targets and other juicy tidbits. He refered to his company as ‘we’ when listing off things they’d invented and proudly told us about his 14 hour work days.

Everything he told us was with a freaky, intense passion that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to understand. It seems to me that he’s sold himself on the idea of tire sales and spending all of his time working to better the company is something he genuinly wants to do. It’s an added bonus that he gets to do the expat thing in KL but when all of his time is spent at work, it doesn’t sem to me that it really matters where he is.

So more power to this guy! He seems happy, he’s found his calling and that’s great but I will never understand how people can become so passionate about things like tires. But I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who can’t comprehend being passionate about computers and the internet.

I guess the difference is that I don’t bore people at dinner parties with my Adsense stats!

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When I think of earning a living online I imagine my work day will involve sitting on a beach with my laptop sipping strawberry daiquiris listening to waves crashing all around me. I don’t image being holed up in a hotel room drinking tea and listening to the call to prayer but that doesn’t mean it might not be an interesting way to work. I doubt Bangladesh makes anyone’s list as a dream destination for the mobile worker but if you’re up for something different then it might be worth a look.

Pros

• Low cost of living - Everything in Bangladesh is cheap. I think you could live comfortably in Dhaka on well under $500 and cheaper in smaller cities and ridiculously cheap (under $200) if you get away from the cities altogether.
• Internet is cheap and easy to set up - Setting up your internet connection is as easy as buying a mobile phone for about $100, a data cable, and heading into a Grameen store to set up a monthly connection. If you’ve already got a compatible phone, even better.
• Interesting setting - Anyone up for a cultural experience will love Bangladesh. Pretty much everything will be different to what you’re used to and you’ll be amazed by something new each day you spend here.
• Friendly people - The people I met in Bangladesh are among the kindest and most generous I’ve met anywhere. You will have an instant best friend forever in almost everyone you meet and you’ll never be lonely here. In fact i think it’s probably impossible.

Cons 

• Internet can be slow - The net connection, while cheap and reliable, can be pretty slow at times. I’m not sure of the technical stuff but things can slow down to a North American dial-up pace circa 1999 so if you have a need for speed then a cell phone connection probably won’t do it.
• Unpredictable weather - Bangladesh gets battered by cyclones and flooding so if you’re planning a stay in the country it might be a good idea to avoid the rainy season. If you want to stay longer term then you will probably have to weather a few serious storms.
• Constant staring - Bangladeshis have no shame about staring at you for long periods of time and in large groups. This takes some getting used to and, while for the mos t part harmless, it can get annoying constantly being the centre of attention anytime you venture outside.
• Few perks from home - If you arrive and find that you’re not a fan of the food and goods found in Bangladesh you will be in for a rough time because there are very few Western foods and goods around except in the Gulshan area of Dhaka.
• Those few perks are relatively expensive - When I said everything is cheap I meant everything except for Western goods so if you can’t live without Cadbury’s or KFC then your time here will end up costing a lot more.
• No alcohol - Muslims aren’t supposed to drink and since Bangladesh is a Muslim country, there’s no drinking. Well, there’s not supposed to be. It can be found if you know where to look but going down to the pub for a pint is out of the question.
• Women’s issues - Bangladesh is a conservative Muslim country and for women that means you have to dress modestly, can’t get into certain places (mosques at prayer time etc.) and probably lots of other things that didn’t really have an effect on me.

I really loved my time in Bangladesh. It’s a country that is totally outside of my comfort zone but I managed to adapt and feel like a learned a lot living there. Am I in any rush to return? Hell no. But I had a blast there and think that it has a lot to offer any mobile worker who wants a break from beach life and normality and wants to shake things up.

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I’ve had a couple of comments lately saying they would like to hear more about my travels so I thought I’d make a quick post pointing you all to my travel blog. I try to stick to web working related things on Nerdy Nomad but I’ve got a full blown travel blog over at Wanderstruck with all the gory details of my time spent in each place.

Also, the people at Hands On, the organisation I’ve been volunteering with in Bangladesh, have finally set up a Paypal account. I have links available on my volunteering page over at Wanderstruck for a donation of $25 each. I think a couple of you were waiting for Paypal so if you still want a link, pop over to their site, click on the Paypal ‘Donate’ link in the left hand column (the ‘Please Give’ link on the upper right is still for creditcard donations only), make the donation (put that the donation is on behalf of me, Kirsty Henderson) and then forward on your donation confirmation along with your link details and I’ll put it up as soon as I can. If you want more than one link or want to give more, feel free! Donations are tax deductible but only for Americans I think.

Enjoy my travel blog and thanks to anyone who makes a donation, it’s a great cause!

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After a relaxing boat trip I’m back in noisy, smelly Dhaka and have baracaded myself into my hotel room. My goal for today is to order lots of room service and get all those things done that I didn’t have time for when I was volunteering. First on my agenda, an update on how much I’ve spent versus how much I’ve earned since leaving Canada for The Philippines back on January 10th, 2008.

I’ve decided to do this by looking directly at my bank and Paypal balances rather than at what I’ve earned. Money earned can sometimes take up to a month to get deposited so it makes things easier and probably more accurate to report what I’ve actually got at the moment instead of including money that I might not see for a while.

So here it is… drum roll… I’m in the black by $755!

In the three months I’ve been away I’ve earned $755 more than I’ve spent which is pretty wicked. My goal when I left was to spend around the same as I was earning so coming out ahead is a real boost.

I went on a bit of a spending frenzy in The Philippines, flying everywhere, boozing every night and doing some shopping. The thing that has saved me is the time I’ve spent in Bangladesh. In two months here I’ve spent about $600. This included spending nearly $200 in my first two days on a mobile phone and a relatively expensive guesthouse in Dhaka. Plus I treated myself later on to a $210 trip through the Sunderbans National Park. Spending time volunteering in rural Bangladesh is very good for the budget, especially when food and accommodation are taken care of.

The true test will start when I hit Malaysia in a couple of days and get back on the backpacker trail. I wasn’t very good at setting a budget in The Phlippines but I’m going to attempt to stick to one from here on in. My earnings have fallen since January as well which is motivation to get to work and reel in my spending a bit.

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