Everyone loves a good awards ceremony at the end
of an epic journey. So in preparation for all these questions I have come up
with the following to sate your appetite. Photos are on FB as usual.
Favourites of The Big Adventure
Sight - seeing trees growing out of temples was cool at Angkor Wat but
what was jaw dropping was seeing the curl of cloud of the back of Mount
Everest. The top of the world really is awesome.
Cuteness – seeing a little boy in nappies playing in a huge bowl of rice
in a Laos market
City – Sarajevo. It’s a beautiful city with a
heart breaking recent past. The food, the people, the sunshine, the
environment, the religion and the peacefulness
Trek – Everest Base Camp – could it really be
any other. Pinnacle of a Lifetime in more ways than one.
Moment – being at Eden Park
when my All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup and reaching Base Camp of Mt Everest
share the tops of my list
Funniest Moment - having my bum pinched by a tribal Burmese girl
and the ensuing laughter of the group of woman and my reaction to slap the back
of her hand.
Country – Myanmar
Lake –
Lake Ohrid, Albania and Macedonia
Beach - Mariri Beach, Kerala - I saw a Dolphin. Tied with Riverton
Beach - I saw only my nephew and sister for miles and miles!
Experience - the entire Rugby World Cup tournament. From Opening game,
to Homestead stadium for my 30th with the family, to pool matches, quarters,
semis and the WINNING FINAL and the after party!
Sunset - Bagan with Ayesha on a horse and cart.
Sunrise - tough - probably in the haze of the RWC wandering around
with a bottle of wine and silly grins on our faces.
Watching a Buddha getting its teeth brushed and
face washed and with super hero sweet tea and then riding out to see fishermen
cast a line out under the world’s longest teak bridge. Serenity.
Food - tea leaf salad is my best find but Banana Lassi’s have
been my health companion. Since having one in every new environment I haven’t
been sick, its local probiotic. Take note!
Mode of Transport – Trains – I have had some of my best experiences and worst
experiences on a train – all because of the people on them and the fact you can
get up and walk around! So you don’t get a tv like an aeroplane but using cheap
airlines results in no tv’s anyway!
Best service – India Hotel, Lucknow.
They gave me two desserts. Easy score for me.
Most organised traveller - Ayesha wins this, mostly for her patience to let
me join her as she built her plan for Myanmar
Best hotel (homestays with friends and family top
this list naturally but the nights I paid for accomodation) Aquarius in Lake
Inle, Myanmar. I was given local medicine and had my back rubbed when I was
sick, then they gave me a gift when I left, perfect for my Christmas Tree
collection.
Fastest wifi connection - Bangkok - unfortunately not in my room but
excellent speed
Cheapest internet - Hyderabad at R15 (22p) per hour (in fairness I
rarely bought internet time travelling with my laptop
Best book on the road - Mama Tina by Christina Noble. The stories of
an Irish street child helping the street children of Vietnam. So true how
despite your background if you have white skin in the East they think you are
rich. And a smile and response to every person who says hello is the key to
humanity. Its worked wonders for my trip.
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| Harold the Harrods bear a symbol of my LOVE |
Most Surprising Moment – when I said goodbye to my niece she turned on her heel and said
“see you on skype” – where are the
sad tears?
Falling in Love - when my phone told me in a text message that I was an Aunt again....Harold was part of to become a short term travel companion
The Groan of The Big Adventure
Sight - Waynard caves in northern Kerala India which wasn't a cave but
took 2 hours to see. And all the missed opportunities that day with the
Wildlife Sanctuary being closed! Although I should say the poverty. But somehow
these people can still smile. I wasn't at 37 degrees and 100% humidity with a
couple of "innocent" American baby doctors. Does that make it an
experience and not a sight?
City - KL. I just wasn't in the mood. I wanted to be backpacking not in a
city!
Trek – The least safe was the walk in the North West of India from Manali
to Lake Bhrigu. Mostly due to the terrible guide, and lack of decent equipment
in the conditions.
Lake – I visited a lot of ponds on the premise of them being Lake. Water
soothes me so I have no complaint on the beauty of the ‘Lake’.
Moment - a Frenchman driving towards me head on, on the Haast Pass and
him not apologising after our collision. The support shown afterwards was kind.
I still universally hate the French. None of their countrymen have dispelled this
experience.
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| Thailand - looks pretty BORING! |
Country – Thailand. In a word - Soulless.
Beach - although I have seen prettier beaches than others I don't
have a least favourite. And for memories alone it might be Mission Bay,
Auckland. Go figure.
Experience – sitting on the Koh Phi Phi beach in Thailand on my own.
It’s a decidedly lonely place despite the fact it looks like paradise and is
overpopulated….I was looking for some culture and it has been completely
stripped of this due to tourism.
Sunset – not possible. The light for sunsets are always enchanting
– and if not its tea time!
Sunrise - don't have one. Sunrises are always a great way to start
the day...although I can only actually remember a few of them!
Food – Momo’s – after months searching for dumplings I thought I
had found my saviour with this Tibetan dish, but having it every day whilst
sick for the EBC trek has turned me right off. Such a shame!
Mode of Transport – Buses – I can manage them for 10 hours+
but I hate them. More than camels, donkeys, elephants and definitely worse than
walking. The reason I get through a 10hour+ journey is remembering that people
work this long in a day…and then I remember my desk and my computer and my
tired eyes and feel ALIVE!
Worst Service – Dunedin Car Rental aka Queenstown Car
Rental. Charged us for petrol after we wrote off their fully insured car and
had to hitch then pay for a cab 3 hours away from Queenstown. Worthy of a
letter to Fair Go!
Least Organised Traveller – me! Each day is a new day….
Worst Hotel – Greenfields Hotel, Hoi An, Vietnam. The
housekeeping staff stole around £200 in various currencies over the course of
the week. They put on ghastly sunset cocktails around a rather filthy pool. It
is the cheapest place in town but don’t stay there!!! Although I stayed in a horrid place in Split, Croatia.
Slowest Wifi/Internet – Myanmar. The country doesn’t have a mobile service
and the internet takes about 20minutes to load a single non-html page. PAINFUL….I’ll
say it again a very carefully managed military jaunta….no access to Blogger you
see. (in the cities the monks fill the internet cafes on facebook!). AND Melbourne Australia...impossible!
Most Expensive Internet – any international hotel
Worst Book on the Road – An Idiot Abroad, Karl Pilkington. The only good quality in
this book is its easy English and short sentences. I gifted it to a young monk
in Laos to help his language skills. Hideously embrassingly I gave as a gift to a friend last Christmas - humble apologies if I had known what a drone it was I would have never subjected you to this!
.JPG) |
| Arriving in riotous Kathmandu |
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