We've been back for around 8 weeks now and already the routine has set in. Johan has found and started a new job and I have already completed one month of Swedish lessons and have started a second.
Who knows what the future brings. Whatever happens, we do know that we were blessed with the opportunity to do what we did and that we managed to do it without any serious accident, incident or illness and we thank God for that.
Regrets?
So, in hindsight, what would we have done differently? Many people have asked us that and I'm sure that Johan will have a different list than me but here goes:
1. Take our time - we had a fixed date when we had to be in Jamaica by (Christmas) so it sometimes felt like we were rushing from one amazing site to another without giving ourselves enough time to just chill and absorb our surroundings. Maybe we should have gone around the world the other way? Who knows.
2. Learn Spanish - you can get by quite well everywhere in the world with just English except in Spanish speaking countries. I don't know why, but South America would have been enriched if either of us or both had been fluent in Spanish.
3. Appreciate the food in China - nowhere else in the world was good quality food available at such low prices and I confess that although we ate well, we often ordered the same thing that we recognised out of fear of trying something new. Who cares if you mistakenly eat dog or order the spiciest dish on the menu? It will be an experience to remember for the rest of your life. NB: Neither of us got ill from any food we ate however I would avoid swimming in any rivers if I were you!
4. Do a hike in New Zealand - this has got to be, by far, the most beautiful country in the world (though Sweden certainly is beautiful too), but there is no point in watching the scenery go by from comfort of your car. Get out there. There are many outstanding hikes in New Zealand and I would definitely go back just to do one of them.
5. Win the lottery - Although cheaper than you think, it isn't free to take off and go travelling like we did. If at all possible, try to organise winning a lottery before you go or at the very least, plan and budget like we did. We met too many people who had run out of money and had to call home for more, or cut their trip short just when it was getting interesting.
Best of?
Probably the most popular question that we've had since returning was - which place did you like the best? This is understandably a difficult question to answer because it presupposes that you can compare all places with equal criteria. Can you compare Chinese food with New Zealand lamb? Iguazu falls with Franz Josef glacier? The Amazon jungle with Kowloon harbour? We loved them all.
But, since you asked, I will let you know my thoughts of the best (and some of the worst) in the following categories:
1. Best place to stay
We stayed mostly in hostels with varying degrees of comfort however these two stand out from the crowd. I would have to say Muyuna Lodge in the Amazon jungle, Peru. A close second would be the Outside Inn in Yangshuo, China
2. Best food
A difficult one, much of China had really good food however there were some stonkers like the chili hot pot in Chongqing. The lodge in the Amazon had amazing jungle food, Japan had beautiful but expensive food and Argentina had lots and lots of meat. I think the best food was Christmas dinner back home in Jamaica, ahhh...
3. Best and worst transport
You have never travelled on an overnight bus until you have taken a suite-cama in Argentina. A start but true contrast to the buses we encountered in Bolivia which were among the worst ever. A low point of the trip was needing the loo at 2am on a bus in Bolivia and being told to use the side of the road when the bus stopped. In second place was the accident that we got into before even leaving the station at La Paz.
4. Most amazing landscape
If you've seen one beautiful rolling countryside you've seen them all but nothing on this earth that I've see so far compares to the vastness and beauty of the Salt Plains of Uyuni, Bolivia. It's worth the discomfort of the buses just to be there yourself. Worth a mention are :
- the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina
- Kings Canyon in Australia
- Lake Matheson in New Zealand
- Iguazu falls in Argentina/Brazil
My favourite activity was when we took the one day climb of Franz Josef glacier in New Zealand. We got the coolest (pun!) photos and walking on ice was not at all easy at first but you quickly got the hang of it. Afterwards we soaked in the natural hot springs nearby and warmed up. Nice.
So that's it, let me know if you have any other questions and maybe I'll write a post on them. But for now, jag måste prata mycket mer svenska!
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