In conclusion

Ok, vi er hjemme igjen, og 7 mnd med herlig backpacking er over...helt utrolig at noe vi drømte om og planla i flere år, og ofret så mye for, nå er over...det virkelige livet må begynne igjen. Vi har opplevd og sett så vanvittig mye, inntrykkene er enorme, men vi er klare for et "normalt" liv igjen (helt til vi innser hvor fantastisk denne opplevelsen har vært, og er forbannet på oss selv for at vi ikke nøt det ENDA litt mer...;o))

Her er en oppsummering av høydepunkter på turen - på engelsk, siden Rory nekter å lage sin egen liste :o)

Here is a summary of the trip, and some of our favourite photos:

Best adventure: 4WD trip in Bolivia

Best "cultural" experience: Marti Gras Parade, Sydney

Most beautiful place: Samoa

Most beautiful city: Sydney

Craziest city: Hanoi, Vietnam

Best shopping: Local markets in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam + Singapore and New York

Most beautiful scenery: South Island in New Zealand, and Bolivia

Best party-city: Bangkok

Cheapest country: Laos

Most expensive country: Australia

Most commercialised tourism experience: Vietnam

Best sunrise: Salt Flats, Bolivia

Best sunset: Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam

Most nerve-wrecking experience: Boat trip on the Mekong River in Laos and taking an internal flight in Costa Rica

Most annoying experience: Not getting money out of the cashpoint when you have 3 dollars left to your name...and all the hagglers in Asia

Least touristified place: Bolivia

Best accommodation: Le Vasa Resort in Samoa

Best architecture: Cusco in Peru and Cuenca in Ecuador

A place that lived up to expectations: Machu Picchu in Peru

Best wildlife: Costa Rica

Ugliest city: Uyuni, Bolivia

Most memorable experiece: The proposal

Biggest reality-check: Our first day on the trip, walking around Hong Kong - thinking - "this is what we´re doing every day for the next 7 months..."

Best food: Malaysia and Singapore

Worst food: Costa Rica, Peru and Bolivia

Best hike: Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Craziest drivers: Vietnamese

Best beach: Lalomanu Beach in Samoa

Worst moment: Being hospitalised in Cambodia

Most laid-back place: Samoa

Least favorite place: Phnom Penh in Cambodia (Rory doesn’t agree!)

Poorest people: Cambodians and Bolivians

Worst transport ride: Night bus from Uyuni to La Paz in Bolivia + most roads in Costa Rica

Hottest places: Samoa, Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam, and the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica

Coldest place: The Salt Flats in Bolivia

Worst weather: South Queensland in Australia, and Ecuador

Best weather: South Island in New Zealand, and Vietnam

Best items in our backpack: Neck-pillow and Silk-sleeper

Biggest sunburn: Rory in Hoi An, Vietnam

Most shattering experience: Walking up and down the Andes to Machu Picchu

Nearest near-death experience: almost colliding front-to-front with another car, in Samoa

Best party: New Year´s party on Koh Phangan Island in Thailand

Will miss the most: Not knowing what´s around the next corner, "freedom", hot weather, and that everything is cheap

Will miss the least: Ants crawling in my bed, not being able to drink tap-water, cold showers and uncomfortable beds

Best countries: Hard to choose…but…Samoa, Vietnam and Bolivia