I look back at my photos of my travels and I cant believe how much I seen, done, and experienced, in the two years away from the UK. Many people have asked me in the last few weeks what has been the best part?, where did you enjoy the most? They are hard questions to answer, as all places have given me different experiences, and challenges. But Australia was probably the best, maybe because this was my first stop, and the enthusiasm and sense of adventure was truly pumping through my veins. Travelling in a camper van had as some of you are aware has always been one of my little dreams, so when I met Michael and we bought Camila, and set off, from Broome to discover the West coast of Oz and around to Melbourne, I was so happy, and free.
After again having the good fortune to meet someone to travel with in a camper, I travelled around NZ. Although the van we hired was pretty crap, check out the pic of me falling through the bed!!! It got us where we wanted to go. Later New Zealand brought the challenges, to work hard, for the NZ dollar. It was also difficult to meet the “backpacking community” whilst in Christchurch, but the time I later spent in Queenstown working and living made up for this, and I also managed to get in a little skiing.
Having earned all those dollars in NZ I left, travelling first to Thailand spent a little time in Bangkok, then joined a tour to Chang Mai travelling by overnight train, I really liked Chang Mai and wished I had more time. But we headed off on a hill trek to visit the hill tribes, got to ride elephants and after three days in the jungle we rafted out. We returned to Chang Mai wet, tired, and smelly! The next day after a Thai cooking course we got the overnight train back to Bangkok, a great experience with a brilliant group, and tour guide.
My next stop was India, somewhere I had always wanted to visit, this statement I re asked myself a number of times on the trip. “why? Mel why India ?” Usually this was when I had my head down the toilet throwing up or was when I, how do I put it. . . Was “shitting for England!!!” It’s the most frustrating country to travel everything is such hard work, you need a lot of determination and patience. Nothing prepares you for India, you just cant put it in to words, you cant convey the place. It shocks and stuns you on so many levels.
But it truly moved me, I never appreciated how poor the country really is. How stooped in culture and religion. How different things are from the western world, how thankful I am to be born into a family in the western world. I say this but the month long tour took me off the beaten track and to very remote villages, here the people looked happy, healthy and content with there lives, and free from the stress and strains that we westerners “suffer” so I don’t knock it, if you see what I trying to say!? But things in the cities are different. One in three Indians don’t have a toilet in their home/have access to one! 42% of the population lives below the poverty line!
The cultures, foods, religions and architecture are phenomenal and I loved just taking it all in. Varanasi was a superb place for this, the river Ganges is so mystical. I stayed in some very beautiful palaces, and former forts, and also some not so nice places!! The tour was great, as we got to travel by local means, buses, auto rickshaws, cycle rickshaws and trains, this gave us all a new appreciation of personal space! And a better understanding of how the locals travel about.
After a fill of palaces, forts, an array of India transports, sabji and curries, vomiting and diarrhoea I returned to the UK for a short 12hours! Washed my stuff and jumped back on the plane with my brother, sister in law, and nephews to Argentina. This was my third nights sleep on transport! hasten to say I was asleep before the plane had even left the runway!
We spent a short time in Buneos Aires before we headed up to La Cumbre to spend Christmas with my sister in law’s family. It was great to spend some time with them after being away for so long and experience an Argentina Christmas. Returning to BA together we got to see a lot of the vast city before they left me and returned home. I spent four days on my own, before I then return to the UK.
I hope your all well, and wish you all the best for 2009.
Mellissa x
P.S Check out Thailand, India, & Argentina photos
