The Big Trip...

As I was walking around Beijing's Summer Palace yesterday, I started to get a bit reflective of the past 6 months and have decided to do a kind of 'summing up' entry about my trip:

A time which I won't forget was 2 and a half weeks ago. I sat with my friend Jo at Koh Samui airport (which is lovely btw...definately recommend travelling with Bangkok Air from this airport!) as we waited for our flight to Bangkok. I was heading to Hong Kong and Jo was heading back to the UK. Bored out of our minds as we had 3 hours to wait for our flight (due to Thailand's annoying boat timetables) we turned on Jo's Ipod (I borke mine in NZ - a bad day) to pass some time.

As Green Day's 'Time of Your Life' came on I turned to Jo with a look of sadness as my trip was coming to an end with only 2 weeks to go, and Jo had tears in her eyes.The words of this song summed up our travels brilliantly. I thought i'd share the lyrics with you:

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test and don't ask why.
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs and still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf, In good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial.
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while.

It's something unpredictable but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life.

So I sat there, trying to console Jo that it was good that she was upset because it meant that she had had the most amazing time ever..and that all good things must come to an end. When it comes down to it, travelling is not a reality..its merely a snapshot in time where you see amazing places, learn amazing things and meet amazing people.

So in this final blog entry I thought i'd do a general sum up of the most incredible, exciting, awe inspiring, adventurous, scary, thrilling and magical 6 months of my life:

Methods of Transport:I've travelled by plane, coach, the kiwi bus, the greyhound bus, metro, subway, car (few occasions, but wonderful every time), taxi, tuk tuk, motorbike, moped, back of a van, ferry, speed boat, water taxi, elephant, junk boat, bamboo raft, tube, train, helicopter, hydrofoil boat, ship, sleeper train, cable car and obviously...by foot.

Some of the Food I've tried:I've sampled pies; kangaroo; the obligatory backpcker food of spag bol and tuna pasta in hostels; far too much curry in Fiji; so much noodle soup i thought i'd turn into a bowl of it; rice soup for breakfast in Thailand; pineapple galore; mangosteen in asia; dorian friut once i got over the smell!; thai green curry; pad thai (its a must!); salted broad beans (the best thing the 7/11's stock at 5am); the must have chicken schnitzel sandwich at 5am in Koh pagnan; fresh baked good in Laos; street food; pumpkin soup in Vietnam, too much pizza in Koh Phi Phi; dumplings, banquets every night in China; chilli with EVERYTHING; 5 yuan packet noodles and of course, peking duck.

Drink:
far far far too much alcohol - VB, Carton Cold and Tooheys in oz, Tui and Speights in NZ, lots of snakebite, Beer Lao in Laos, Chang and Singha in Thailand, Ankor beer in Cambodia, TsingTao in China. And then there is goon (boxed wine that tastes vile), bundaberg run in OZ, too many Jagermeisters and Teapots in NZ and buckets of Samson in Thailand. But then i was sober as well - i had a mild green tea and ginger tea obsession, as well as bottles of Ice Tea.

Amazing Activities and Moments:Walking the sydney bridge, NY Eve, surfing, driving on Fraser Island, sailing the Whitsundays, scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef, jungle surfing, Australia DayWaiheke Island, dolphin swimming, digging hot water holes, the golw worm caves, skydiving, visiting the Maori village, thermal pools, te Pap Museam, wine tasting, kayaking and hiking at teh Able Tasman National Park, helicopter ride, hiking on Franz Josef Glacier, milford sound, scuab diving and snorkelling in Fiji, tuk tuk rides in bangkok, cooking class, Song Kran, elephant trekking, bamboo rafting, swimming in waterfalls, tubing down Vang Viengs river, Halong Bay, getting clothes made in Vietnam, Ankor Wat, fihsin at Ko Phi Phi, visitng 'The Beach', 1/2 moon party, full moon party, scuba diving thailand, Maui Thai fight, the terracotts warriers, the Pearl, Kung Fu show, acrobats show, Great Wall of China, learning fire poi

Journeys I wont forget:plane to sydney on day 1; overnioght bus to Byron Bay, every Kiwi EXp journey especially when teh badgs fell out of th bus onto the road and when the bus broke down as we were all in fancy dress; journey to Chiang Mi overnight; slow boat into Laos; Siem Riep journey over uneven road back to Bangkok; overnight trains in China and the 3 gorges boat trip.

People I won't forget:
Claire, Jo, Wenna, Nicole, Kate and Kate, Dean, KAren, BEn, Dani and Amy, Ben and Ben and Rod, Gemma and Rich, Oscar, Nick and Jem and Snoop, Justin, Nick and Jonno and Chris, Tim, Dave (Scot), Nick (Canada), Tom, Ben and Jake and Dave (room 212!), LJ, Dave (driver), Dave (Welsh), Ashley, Euan, Adam, Team America 1 and 2, Hannah, Stu and Tim, Martin (my dive buddy), Rob, Luke, Olga, Mike, Hans and Jolene, Chris and Sarah, Holly and SJ, Raphael, Sam and Tom (NZ), Team Portsmouth, Leo and Jake (Team Brazil 1), Paul and Anthony and Rob (Team Canada), Gabriel, Gustav, Bai, Ross and Ryan, Team Brasil 2 and 3, Megs, Richard, Sam and Steve...

Some of the Funny Things that Happened:Nicloe stamping her passport at the animal reserve place; vodka bottles strapped to our legs on NY's eve; stuck on Fraser Island; Ice box girl; River Valley; Fancy Dress night; boys waking us up in Phagnan; Jo cutting hair drunk; steve breaking the thai's fishing rod; mile long strw and bucket tournament; falling at railey; night at Ban TAi; bartering at silk street.

Favourite place:Sydney; Byron Bay, Lake Birabeen on Fraser; Queenstown, Able Tasman and the rest of the West Coast; South Sea Island on Fiji, Ko Phagnan; Hoi An; Luang Prabang; Shanghai

Songs that will always remind me of this trip:Mika- Grace Kelly; Detroit (I love this City); Green Day-Time of Your Life; Aladdin- A whole New World; We Are Your Friends; Bob MArley-dont worry bout a thing; The Beatles-Hey Jude; The Fray-How to Save a Life; Killers-Mr Brightside + All These Things I have done + This River is Wild; Pete Murray-So Beautiful; James Blunt-Cry; Gwen Stephani-Sweet; Free Falling; Fat Freddies; Oasis-Champagne Supernova +Halfway round the world + Stand by Me; Shakira-Hips don;t lie; Whitney-I want to Dance with Somebody (the dance version); Ben HArper-Steal My Kisses; Promise me you'll wait for me; gtting to know you, YMCA..and hundreds more that i can't think of right now!

So how do I sum up 6 fantastic months? Well i could try by stating that I've seen countless sun rises (eg over Ankor Wat) and even more sunsets (favourite being in Fiji); I've embraced local culture by eating with local families; I've take up new sports for example scuba diving and fire poi; I've partied till dawn and had lots of early nights (though you may be surprised); i've slept in beds, buses, trains, boats, on floors, in airports; i've lived out of a bag for 6 months and it hasn't bothered me one bit; i havent missed Tv but i have missed my Ipod; I've met hundreds of people and hopefully made a few very close friends; I've turned up in a new country with no accomodation booked and no idea where to go and have been fine with that...

Basically, when it comes down to it...i've had the time of my life.
Thanks for reading

Danielle xxxx