I've been thinking about writing my final blog of this trip for the last 2 weeks. How on Earth am i meant to summarise 10 and a half months travelling and working my way through 3 continents? Seeing hundreds of sights, trying dozens of varieties of food, using countless modes of transport, meeting so many different people. Basically a sensory overload which i think is impossible for most to take in.
Nothing really prepares you for coming home after having all of those experiences. Back to the safe normality of home, where everyone knows your name, where you can shower without wearing flipflops, venture outside without a map and have a proper cup of tea whilst sitting under a fleecy blanket on the couch. I spent 2 days of feeling extremely sorry for myself during the worst come down of my life which involved lots of tears. Thankfully my friends and family quickly picked me up from that with big hugs, plenty of alcohol, dancing and laughs.
I had a wee travel journal during my last trip to Europe and on the last page was a list of my bests & worsts so i have decided to do the same for this..since i feel i've spoken enough about them individually in my blog i don't want to write another screed, so here we go..
BESTS
CITY: Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) - Eclectic, good food, cool buildings & cheap markets
SIGHT: Temples of Angkor (Cambodia) - like stepping back in time by about 2000 years
HOTEL: Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas - 5 star luxury, well earned after some slums i'd been in
PURCHASE: my Nikon D3100 camera in Singapore
SUNSET: Koh Tao (Thailand), stunning sunsets over the sea with a Tiger beer every night
SUNRISE: Waya Lai Lai in Fiji, 5am hike to the top of the wobbly rock to watch the first sunrise of the world over the Pacific ocean.
WEATHER: Fraser Island (Australia), after it rained for a full week on my way down the East Coast it was even more appreciated to have blazing sun for 3 days.
DRINK: hmmm got to be Phi Phi's lethal buckets with Sangsom whisky & redbull & coke :D
FOOD: my Thai cooking course, Chiang Mai..green curry, mango & sticky rice, spring rolls. YUM
VIEW: i can't actually pick one, but i have to. In New Zealand my mouth was open most of the month looking at the mountains, lakes, sea, beaches etc. So it has to win! Even though Grand Canyon comes a very close second.
PEOPLE WATCHING: Venice Beach (LA), full of wahoos and street performers, best free entertainment EVER
HELPFUL PERSON: too many to mention, i'm not going to start.
WORSTS
CITY: Singapore, too clean
SIGHT: Christchurch, not because it wants to be that way and not that it stopped me having a fun 4 days there but you can't get away from the destruction that has been caused by Mother Nature. Also, wouldn't stop me going back again!
HOTEL: can't even remember the name of the shithole i stayed in Kuala Lumpur where i almost got raped by a wildebeast. Either that or the crack den in Tauranga (NZ North Island). There have been a few baddies unfortunately.
PURCHASE: buying black work trousers and shoes in Cairns, Australia was definitely a low point
SUNSET/SUNRISE: stupid question, don't think there's such a thing as a bad one.
WEATHER: driving down the Big Sur on California's coast, just a bit foggy!
DRINK: the evil GOON in Australia, boxed wine which contains fish eggs & damages your brain.
FOOD: i tried snails in Seville. Just like mushrooms, with eyes, and internal organs. Boak.
VIEW: Golden Gate Bridge, San Fran's iconic bridge which decided to cover itself in fog for the 3 days we were there.
HELPFUL PERSON: the owners at hotel Wildebeast in KL..hence the reason i moved out the next morning.
I'm sad that this is the last wee blog of my round the world trip, and just want to say thanks to everyone who has kept reading the whole way through my year. I'm contemplating another blog for when i start a new chapter of my life in Madrid come August so it might not be the last you hear from me!
