As I lie here on Legian Beach, Bali, nearing the end of my journey, I find myself writing the introduction to the Erratic Ramblings. All around me are constant distractions, ahead of me are crashing waves overtaking each other to greet the beach first, countless surfers performing acrobatic manoeuvres, bikini clad women pass by me like time itself, and on top of all that, I have to endure the pestering locals who try to sell me bracelets and other items every 5 minutes. All of this is worlds apart from the life I left behind some 228 days ago.
Over the period of my travels I have endeavoured to write every single day about my experiences. It started out as something I just did for myself, so I could one day look back and remember fondly what I’d done, but it became a whole other beast entirely when the blog developed a following. I then felt obliged to continue. There are a total of 228 posts which I have both enjoyed and loathed writing in equal amounts. There were times when posts went missing, no thanks to certain apps I was using, that I almost stopped writing all together.
If you chose to continue reading on after this introduction you will learn how a small town boy, who spent 8 years of his life inside a paper factory, elevated himself from the dead end situation and explored the world and its many unique and wonderful ways. Each post has been written to be both informative and entertaining at the same time. I have learned so much since leaving England, no thanks to all the great people I’ve met along the way. I now have lifelong bonds with people in Australia, America, Canada, South America, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, and every nook and cranny of Europe. This whole journey has been more than I could’ve ever dreamed for, and I’d like to take this moment to thank everyone who has helped me along the way, especially my girlfriend Sarah. Without her putting a boot up my backside to leave England, I’d still be in the factory to this day.
If you’re just discovering this blog for the first time, I thank you sincerely for the time you took to read this. If you carry on reading I hope you find each post as exciting to read as it was to experience. Who knows, there may even be something in here that inspires you to do the same with your lives. I know this is cliche, but life truly is too short, you have take ahold of it and squeeze ever single droplet out before it’s too late.
My name is Benjamin James Norris, and this is my journey…
The Erratic Ramblings of an Uneducated Daydreamer 