So thats it we are finally back in England.... although arriving a day and a half before Christmas may have been cutting it a little fine. Due to the changing time zones we both didn't sleep at all on the return flight from LA to London. Mike went straight out for his sisters birthday and I didn't go to bed until the evening. We were both exhausted and zonked out for days and it actually took us a good 3 weeks to get over our jetlag and finally return to normality.But its fair to say it's been the best 8 months of our life and a trip we will never forget. During that time we visited 10 countries taking 27 flights and countless; bus, boat, taxi, tuk tuk, train and rickshaw journeys.
Here are some of the highlights.....
- Sitting at over 4100 metres in the Himalayas at night in the snow in complete silence surrounded by mountains up to 8000m high and millions of stars
- Walking and hiding from rhinos while on foot in Chitwan National Park, Nepal
- The 3 Day camel safari in the searing 50 degree heat in the Indian desert. We had some sore behinds, but sleeping on the dunes under the stars was magical
- Watching the huge male Bengal Tiger in India rolling around in the leaves
- Snorkeling within metres of huge whale sharks in the Phillipines
- The live-aboard dive boat around Komodo - We dived with dolphins, sharks and turtles galore. The reefs and coral were some of the best we ever saw
- Me and katy spending over an hour watching a wild mother orangutan and baby feeding only metres away from us in Kutai National Park, Borneo
- The real life Robinson Crusoe island of Nabucco in Borneo - you could walk out your back door straight into the sea and float around the whole island within minutes
- Volunteering with the orphans at Bukit Harapan in Borneo. We definitely made some friends for life and put Borneo on the must list of countries to return to
- Diving the legendary Sipadan island in Borneo - sitting in the midst of hundreds of 1 metre barracudas or counting over 10 turtles on a dive
- Humpback whale watching in Perth, Australia. Seeing the huge whales jumping out of the water only metres from the boat
- Driving the straight unending road into the red centre from Darwin to central Australia and back!
- Both of us finally getting the hang of surfing (well a bit...) in New Zealand
- For Mike... Skydiving over Queenstown and then tackling New Zealands highest bungy
- Getting run over by a moped in the Phillipines and spending 3 weeks on crutches and a further three weeks waiting for my oozing wound, which did not want heal in the tropical humidity.
- Mike getting his kindle stolen on a bus in India by a plucky student....we still dont know how it happened?
- The dirt, dust and unending rubbish on the streets of India. With the cows feeding on plastic and general waste. It took us literally days to get our feet, ears and bodies clean after leaving
- For Katy....Trudging up the highest mountain in Borneo - Mount Kinabalu. 2 days of relentless pain and exhaustion!
- Long travelling days consisting of the only safe edible things being packs of crisps, biscuits and fizzy drinks. Leaving us feeling bloated and stodgy on top of a 12 hours bus journey
- Staying in the worst hostel in the world (probably?) in a nowhere town in Borneo. The it was like living in a dark and dusty cave with a soft, sweaty mattress to sleep on. At least it was cheap I suppose
A few of our favourite photos and moments....
