'Finally Home...'

25th Dec

Flight was pleasant over xmas day with Christmas Lunch, Mince pies, Air hostess with santa hats and crying children. There was even a round of applause and cheers on landing. Leaving the terminal, I see the damp evidence of rain on the pavement as a cold breeze chills through my jacket: im pretty sure im home!  Even so, i felt extremely joyful to be home and relieved to have got home safely.

So what have I learnt on this trip?

Well, its easily been the best thing ive ever done, and it has shown me that although im capable of travelling alone, I much prefer to go through experiences with others whether they be people I know or those whom i met along the way.  Ive most enjoyed meeting so many people, both locals and travellers alike, and sharing some inspiring life and travelling stories; so I thank everyone who has in some way made this experience so incredible. In many ways, interacting with others became just as important as fulfulling my initial aim of visiting sights, and the process became effortless once I allowed it to be so.

On a more tangible note, ive learnt to swim and snorkel, improved my sign language, learnt to get by on only a few foreign words, ride a motorbike taxi and certainly it will be a lot harder for anyone to try and rip me off now! Most importantly perhaps, ive now got a strong appreciation of just how damn lucky I am to be able to do trips such as this. Although interacting with the local people was fun for both sides, only one side had a better standard of living – economically and politically – to return to, whereas some of the poorest people ive met still have to struggle for survival and have no chance in this lifetime to leave let alone travel…if I get deep for a second: it's easy to forget how fortunate we are and get too easily frustrated/ unhappy by the unnecessarily high standards we live by… (some of the happiest people ive met have next to nothing :) Is patience + a dose of perspective the key to happiness?

Favourite place?

Clearly a difficult question, so I don’t have an answer, though I will say that I remember the time from when I was dumped alone in Bangkok to finally fend for myself right through to the end of my time in Cambodia most fondly.

Thank you’s

First, I should thank my family, who, supported me the whole way round (albeit after some convincing). My department for giving me the time off to do this. Thanks go to all those people I met during the trip who made it the amazing time it was and a shout to those travellers still going: best of luck, keep having the time of your life, and hope to see you sometime down the road! Finally, I would like to thank everybody who has stuck with reading the most long winded, disjointed and confusing piece of nonsense which this is, and look forward to continuing this drivel in person both photographically and aurally until you turn and say ‘Is he still talking about that damn trip?’

And finally to all those who want to travel but don’t see how its possible: the real truth, which me and fellow travellers have realised, is if you want to travel, there is nothing to stop you besides yourself…SO don’t dream about it – DO IT.