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THE GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME
After 353 days on the road, 27 countries from start to finish, 2 massive truck journeys, 32 flights and God only knows how many bus, boat, bike, train and tuk-tuk rides we are finally HOME!
After a mad-dash through Brisbane airport we just made our connecting flight to Wellington and had a very pleasant final flight over the Tasman right up until the landing which was in true windy Wellington style - lurch bump lurch bump lurch plonk on to the runway! Walking out of customs we got a lovely surprise; our nephew and niece, Noah and Maia, waiting to welcome us home which was very special! It's pretty chilly in the Hutt Valley, the wood-burners are lit and heavy rains are forecast for the next week or so but nevertheless we are here with our families and there is no place in the world we would rather be right now!
The past year has been extraordinary, humbling, challenging, unpredictable and unforgettable! It really is too hard to sum up in just one paragraph so instead here are some of the 'bests', 'worsts' and 'most memorables' of our trip:
Tastiest Food: Warthog at Boma Restaurant, Zimbabwe, Makkai Bharvaan Tamatar and Dum Aloo Kashmiri curry dishes in India, Som Tam salad in Thailand, Roti Canai in Malaysia and Sasantu's cooking in Sri Lanka!
Scariest Activity: Bridge Swing, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Never Again!
Most Picturesque: The Himalayas, Nepal.
Most Shocking: The 'Octopus' Lady on the streets of Bangkok!
Favourite Tuk-Tuk Ride: A tie between the Tea Plantations near Adam's Peak, Sri Lanka and the crazy tuk-tuk convoys throughout India.
Most Expensive: Singapore - Hideously pricey!
Weirdest Meal: A breakfast of cornflakes and milk topped with grated carrot and cucumber while camping in Bandipur, Nepal. Surprisingly tasty!
Most Delicious Drink: Chocolate Mint Frappe in Leopold's, Mumbai, India!
Worst Accommodation: A tie between a grubby back-backer dive in Istanbul made even worse after meeting the arrogant and terribly racist hostel owner and the atrocious, mould-filled, bug-infested dump we were driven to at midnight in Mt Bromo, Indonesia.
Favourite Campsite: Two favourites: Antelope Park, Zimbabwe where we woke up to elephants wandering around our tents and Spitzkoppe, Namibia where we slept on rocky mountains under the stars!
Most Potent Drink: A three-way tie between Ethiopian Honey Wine in Lalibella, Banana Beer in Marangu, Tanzania and Lao-Lao in Vang Vieng, Laos.
Best Street-Food: Stonetown's Night Market, Zanzibar, Tanzania and the Night Market in Luang Prabang, Laos.
Biggest Regret: Attempting a ramp-jump while sand-boarding in Namibia and bailing on my back - have been suffering the consequences ever since!
Most Terrifying Journey: Another three-way tie between flying in and out of Lukla Airport, the hurtling bus ride from Kandy to Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka and the suicidal shuttle-driver coming back from Dahab, Egypt.
Most Peculiar Person: Ohh there's been a few but the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" rapping, stalker woman in Harare probably takes the cake!
"Postcard" Moment: Stepping through the archway and seeing the majesty of the Taj Mahal right in front of us!
Best 'WOW' Moment: It's hard to choose just one of these as we have seen so many things that have just taken our breath away. The Pyramids of Giza, Abu Simbel in Aswan and Karnak Temple in Luxor, The Great Wall of China, The Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibella, Ellora Caves in India, Cambodia's Angkor Wat, Borobodur in Indonesia … the list goes on. The common denominator here is the feeling of absolute awe you have when you look up at these incredible structures, realise you've been holding your breath, exhale and stammer the first word that comes to mind … "WOW"!
Best Bus-Ride: A tie between the amazing long distance buses in Turkey with free Wi-Fi and the awesome VIP bus we took to Singapore.
Worst Airport: Nairobi, Kenya - dirty and dodgy (although landing in a farmer's field in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia with a corrugated iron hut as the terminal may be considered by some as the worst…. personally I thought it was very quaint!)
Stinkiest: Here I was thinking India would win but China takes this one out with its markets full of gag-inducing 'Stinky Tofu'.
Most Distressing Sight: The horrendous, fatal truck accident in India!
Best Animal Encounter: Just too many to choose from: The Masai Mara and Serengeti were our most thrilling wild animal experiences. Being able to cuddle an enormous African elephant and walk alongside a beautiful lioness in Zimbabwe was unforgettable. Getting a hug from Diggie, the wild Namibian seal was pretty extraordinary. Diving with majestic manta-rays in Indonesia was breath-taking. Having cuddles with Maio-Maio the adorable panda-cub in China was a very special once in a lifetime experience! Being up close and personal with the enormous Bengal tigers in Thailand was a surreal moment!
Coolest Hostel: The Backpack Hostel, Cape Town - our final stop with our Oasis friends! The Matchbox Hostel in Singapore was pretty neat but it was so hot and stuffy that the novelty wore off pretty quickly.
"What The" Moment: A tie - #1. Standing on the gats of the River Ganges beside an Indian lady who decided that squatting down to poo right next to me was okay and #2. Walking past a naked lady sitting on a roundabout with a plastic bag on her head in Lilongwe, Malawi.
Cheapest Place for Backpackers: Easily India (although Hanoi had the cheapest beer at 25c a pint).
Most Embarrassing: Having a coffee break on stupidly small plastic furniture in Hue, Vietnam when I leant over, broke the chair leg, tumbled onto the ground and threw my coffee all over my Mum!
Proudest Moment: Reaching Everest Base Camp!
Friendliest People: The people from Myanmar - genuine and kind with no hidden agenda! Very refreshing to be able to meet people like this!
Best Lesson: From Egypt to Ethiopia, Namibia to Nepal, India to Indonesia we have seen happy barefoot children running around outside playing with their most cherished toy, a stick and old bicycle tire! A subtle reminder of how materialistic we are in the West.
"We travel initially to lose ourselves; and we travel next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe where riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again - to slow time down and get taken in, and to fall in love once more." - Pico Iyer, Why We Travel
THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING ALONG WITH US ON OUR JOURNEY!
- comments
David Excellent summary. I am disappointed that the trip is over. The destination is never the goal, the trip is the experience and goal. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
Gem Very cool way to finish your Blog domes your trip up nicely xxx
sandra goedhart I wait for the next one to start so please keep us informed as to where and what you are doing next