Recent Trekking Across Asia

June 26th, 2009 | Best places I've been, General, Traveling tips I use

Well I left Byron Bay on January 15th 2009 for what I expected to be 5-6 week trip across Asia working with our youth venture capital fund www.YSEI.org and this year’s 10 fellows. I started out in Malaysia and have been working with projects in Thailand (way up north near the Laos border), Sarawak and the Philippines (north and south).

5 weeks has turned into 5 months and I’m now in the Southern Philippines, on a small island, in the middle of a big typhoon with no power and a flood roaring past the front door. I’ve got two broken ribs from a little surfing mishap on a big wave but otherwise in one piece and rolling. These things happen.

Every trip away I seem to learn some new tips and tricks of working remotely and efficiently. This one has been no exception. I’ve been having a crash course in global broadband internet, satellite phones and connectivity and it’s opened my eyes to different ways of connecting into international trade and business networks like never before.

Only a few days ago we broadcast a newsletter to our current clients and colleagues from a very remote island called Siargao in the Southern Philippines. The broadcast went out to over 100 businesses and institutions in 3 countries and resulted in 4 orders valued at over AUD$16,000.

Now sure, we had websites up and running with the services we offer tested and staff in place for support, but the simple fact of the matter was that with the assistance of a global broadband internet connection, a satellite phone and a Panasonic Toughbook (these notebook seriously are tough) we were able to run an online promotion that was highly successful with minimum of effort and cost.

We were even able to take and place calls to our clients for that extra personal touch with no problems at all. Most importantly we were pulling into a world class surf break called Rock Island roughly 2 hours after the broadcast and eating freshly caught fish over a huge BBQ that night. Awesome!!

Anyway next week I’m heading to the office in Cagayan De Oro in Northern Mindanao and then onto my new place where I’ll be based from in Boracay. My girlfriend is pregnant and expecting in December so time to get things organised.