My Story…

A sailor. A dreamer. A drifter. An intrepid traveller and adventurer. I’m all of these in equal measure, and then I’m some more. I’ve dabbled in a myriad of activities – rock climbing, public speaking, running marathons, ice skating, yoga, learning Spanish, triathlons, mountaineering – all (with the exception of running) in passing, and all with utmost pleasure. Yet, I’ve never pursued any of these avenues any further than I needed to…which indicates my restlessness to move on and experience something new. On the flip side, it also portrays my inability to steer a straight course in life, which most people would think to be a bad thing indeed!

After two decades of working at sea, I migrated to Australia and I settled ashore. I still have a day job and work full time. But my heart and soul has always craved for an alternate lifestyle. With a penchant for exploring the great outdoors, you’d find me rambling in the woods aimlessly, and think that I fit the scenery perfectly. I love to live my life with a large latitude, and I’ve spent many a day unashamedly lazing in the day, whilst my peers chased higher goals and achieved commendable milestones. Those aimless days, I’m glad to note, were not wasted, as those restful moments set me on a path of self-exploration and introspection: a journey which, I’ve realised transcends time and space.

While travelling has always been my first and only true calling, writing is a skill set which I’ve come to realise resonates quite strongly with me as well.

I’ve always been a voracious reader and enjoy most genres without much distinction. However, not surprisingly, I am more attracted towards travel and self-help books; my dog eared and tattered collection of Walden (H.D. Thoreau), Awaken the Giant and Unlimited Power (Tony Robbins), Kon Tiki (Thor Heyerdahl) and Siddhartha (Herman Hesse) are testimony to this fact.

As a natural progression, I’ve found immense happiness when jotting down my thoughts and feelings, most which have not been shared anywhere, but some which have turned up on my blog or on Facebook posts. Most of the topics relate to self help and personal growth, and are aimed at myself as much as they are aimed for the reader.

I created the Evolving Backpacker in 2006 when I was already a hardened backpacker. My blog posts back then revolved around the places I visited and travel tips aimed to assist the intrepid traveller. My writing was sporadic and quite dry, at best.

In 2013, I found the love of my life who turned my life around and converted a self-confessed bachelor and vagabond into a homely person who was more grounded than I’d ever been. She eventually turned out to be the catalyst for all future manifestations which occurred in my life, including migrating to Australia.

Since then, I’ve been blessed with two beautiful children and I live a life of abundance and joy – largely, just the way I’ve imagined.

I’ve established myself as a writer on two platforms: Migrant Ninja – A platform created to help migrants settle in Australia, and where I’ve written and self-published several books in this series.