Almost impossible to select the highlights, but if forced, here are our top 5s:
Wend’s:
• Diving with Humpback whales in the Cook Islands. Those with a long memory will recall I chose that particular day to stay in my room reading a nice book.
• A moonlight swim at a lagoon near El Nido in the Philippines.
• Staring up at the Petronis Towers at midnight in Kuala Lumpar. “Big, aren’t they Dave?”
• Dawn at the Taj Mahal. “Nice, isn’t it Dave?”
• Dwarfed by mountains at Annapurna base camp. “Massive, aren’t they Dave?”
And mine:
• Picking up our little campervan in Christchurch with a 50 day hire and 7000 kilometres ahead of us.
• The trip up Palawan’s subterranean river in the Philippines. Even the Bat poo seemed exciting.
• Tubing down a lazy river in Laos. Mindless, pointless, endless fun.
• Visiting the temples at Angkor in Cambodia and the Taj in India. Sorry, can’t decide which made my jaw drop the furthest so I’m having both.
• Annapurna base camp. A Himalayan high to end on.
Of course, these are just things. Mightily impressive things, but things nevertheless, and ultimately it will be the people we encountered along the way who will live longest in the memory.
Characters like Daniel and Katrin who we met on the first week of the trip, who are travelling from Hamburg to help us celebrate our birthdays in two week’s time. Fabien and Cindy, who taught us how to yodel Swiss-style after one bottle of Pinot too many. Boon, the retired seaman from Singapore who drank like a fish and laughed like a drain. Lars, the Danish welder who had 2 philosophies on life: “Dave man, I’ve been” and “Dave man, I’m going”. Colm and Nicole, who kept us amused for the best part of a week in Cambodia with their Irish take on some seriously addictive Israeli card games.
Then there was Uwe, the German jeweller who works half the year, every year, so he can spend the other half visiting new countries, “I travel, because work is bullshit”. Matt, the Canadian who helped out at Air's Pad Thai stall on Tonsai beach, “I live in a cave, it’s cool and, like cool, at the same time”. Dubey, our delightfully deranged driver in Delhi. John, the Mike Gatting look-a-like who liked to point and hurl abuse at Himalayan rainclouds.
And so on, and so on.
What about all those Aussie's we kept bumping into wherever we went in Southeast Asia? not one of them mentioned the Ashes, and if I raised the painful topic, they invariably put a hand on my shoulder and ordered some more beer. Still can't work out if I was being patronised or placated, but cheers anyway - Rob, Dave, Rod, Sue, Dennis and Pru. Revenge will be sweet when we get your boys back to Lords, Headingly and Edgebaston.
Hanging out with old friends in New Zealand was a bit special too. John, Brandi and Jasmine in Wellington. Paul and Matt in Auckland. Steve, Dorota, Kaya and Zolly in Titirangi. It was an absolute pleasure drinking your wine, eating your food and borrowing your friends.
The Philippines leg of the trip was brightened immeasurably by the presence of Mr Jan Mintowt, who’d managed to wrangle a month off work to join us.
Jan: “I’d like four weeks off please boss”
Jan: “OK son, fine by me"
Having a beer with Grubby and his girlfriend Jo in Bangkok was a giggle. As was meeting Rich in the same town 2 months later when he was en route to Oz.
Then there was the Big Chill posse who dragged their bums all the way to Goa for what turned out to be a pretty shoddy festival. Dave, Juliette, Sarah and Steve; you were the difference between us merely liking India and bloody loving it.
Finally, a name-check to a couple of blokes in London who’ve been with us every step of the way. Stuey and Keith, who between them must have spent days poring over our digital snaps and inserting them wherever appropriate on the blog.
Thanks a billion chaps, you’ve brightened up many a dull entry. Beers and curry on us when we get back.
I suppose all that’s left to do now is start saving our pennies so we can do it all over again. So…if anyone requires the services of a highly attractive, vastly experienced, super efficient Senior Account Manager or a moderately competent Copywriter, our phones will be switched on from Wednesday.
Thanks for reading.
D & W xxx
