What It Was Like...

Since I've been back I've found that there are two main questions most people want to know about my trip. The first is: what was it like?

So I thought I'd try and summarize "what it was like".

I think that, in hindsight, it feels like my trip was made up of four sections: South America, Australia, Asia (including China), and the Indian Subcontinent.

When I first started it was all very new and exciting. I'd been working some really long hours, and then suddenly it all stopped and I'd got two weeks to sort myself out before going away. It took a while for me to really start to relax - and to honest - I think I went into holiday mode (which for me is trying to see as much as possible). I covered a lot of ground in South America - but I don't really feel like I saw it - it felt more like passing through some how. I think a lot of that was to do with me being so motivated (those of you who know me will know exactly what I mean :-).

I was also having to adjust to being on a tight budget, and accommodation was the main place where I had to make some changes. As I really needed a break - I did start out staying in cheap hotels - but soon realized that it's so much harder to meet people - and way cheaper to stay in hostels. And there's an awesome hostel scene in South America...

But - I was happy to travel alone for periods - and it really helped as it allowed me some much needed thinking time. All those long bus journey's were the perfect time to listen to music and get a lot of things in perspective.

On reflection - while the round the world ticket was amazing value and was definitely worth buying - having a fixed flight date out of South America gave me a target to work towards - and I had a pre-worked out route (although it did change quite a bit from what I'd originally planned). Although South America was the big surprise of my trip - I'd never really thought of going there - and it turned out to be awesome - definitely on the list to go again...

But still - I had a fixed destination and I think that's why I really felt as if I passed through.

The second section of my trip - Australia - was totally different. A bit of a culture shock after South America. For me - it was more about seeing people and checking out cities to see which ones I thought I could live in. And it felt a bit more like normal life in a strange kind of way.

Sydney was awesome because I met some amazing people at the hostel, and then on to Brisbane where I caught up with people I'd been looking forward to seeing from the start of my trip.

Then things hit a bit of a low in Melbourne. I ended up staying in a hostel which was full of people who didn't want to do anything, and because the bush fires were on and there wasn't much happening (understandably) I did get a bit fed up. Which made me decide to blow the budget and do the road trip to Adelaide along the great ocean road - which was a real highlight of the trip.

Perth was another highlight - as I got to catch up with friends again...

At the time - I really felt like I didn't want to leave Australia. With the exception of Melbourne - it had been such a positive experience - and it was really the start of a pattern that was going to develop - more on that later.

And then it was on to the third section: Asia. Singapore was really amazing, as was Bangkok - both are such unique cities and with so much to offer. They're really amazing as stop overs - and to be fair they feel very comfortable. So I was really looking forward to leaving them behind and getting "out there".

Cambodia was truly amazing - although there were very few people (tourists or travelers) while I was there. Something to do with the financial crisis I think - but I had some crazy adventures, and as the locals in the tourist places spoke great English - I left feeling like I'd really got inside Cambodia. The trip to Prasat Prehear Vihear was a true highlight - and to stay and eat in a village where only one person speaks any English was a real experience.

Vietnam on the other hand felt like a bit of a disaster - as I really didn't like it. It's so touristy - and it really feels like the locals are only interested in getting money out of you. There's also a really sordid side to Vietnam which I didn't like. And there's not really much to see...everything it seems was blown up during the war...

While it is amazing to be travelling - there are some downsides - and I really started to see some of them while I was in Vietnam. At the end of the day - there's only so many times you can go to a market (read temple, palace, mausoleum) before you've seen it all. And while the guide book might big it up - it's only a market. And they mostly sell the same things. Just like any other market at home. And you start to realize - life is mostly the same where ever you go. It's just a slightly different flavor.

People have homes, religious buildings, shops, markets. We are - all the same - some have more money - some have less - but at the end - we're all human and have the same basic needs.

When the aim of your trip is to "see the world" and you start thinking you've seen it all before - then it does start to make you question what your doing. Although on an interesting side note - I didn't really enjoy any of the communist countries (except Cambodia) which also explains some of what was going on.

As I've said a number of times during my blog - I've met some amazing people along the way. And the same was true in Vietnam - it was the thing that kept me going. But I did start to notice another frustration - and that was meeting new people who I really liked and got on with - and would then have to say goodbye to and move on. The transience of it all did start to get to me.

Brock and I took the Myers Briggs personality test while we were in Colombo and spent some time reading up about the various personality types. And it turns out that someone with my personality profile likes to develop and maintain relationships with people. Which really explains why the transience issue was a problem.

And it was only going to get worse in China...

I'll be honest - I don't like communism. I went to China with an open mind - and I came away grateful that I don't live under a regime that doesn't allow it's people a voice. But China is a real contrast. The western bit is less "Han Chinese" than the eastern bit - although this is sadly something the Chinese Government are adamant about changing.

One thing I've discovered is that there's something incredible about Tibetan Buddhism and I loved every place where it's the prevailing culture - and as most of western China is predominantly Buddhist (for the time being) - it explains why that was a real highlight.

I also traveled for longer periods of time with groups of people - which was really amazing - although when everyone moved on I'd spend the next few days feeling quite deflated. I'd end up sitting on buses feeling pretty fed up at times...and really looking forward to getting to the next place so I could meet up with other travelers.

I got to Beijing at the half way point of my trip and went through a low patch of wanting to go home. The repression evident in Tibet (which is truly an incredible place) and then so heavily enforced in Beijing really started to grate, and I ended up phoning people back home quite a bit. Luckily, I did the trip to Mongolia which reminded me of why I was travelling, and then I met up with Adrian on the return to Beijing and we had some amazing trips out trying to find the most obscure places to eat where only locals went.

And it proved a bit of a watershed. I think at this point I'd fully gotten into the travelling life and the focus of my trip became more about the people I was meeting and a lot less about the places I was going to see. Sure - I was still doing the cultural stuff - but really it started to become more about hanging out with the people I was meeting along the way.

The trip to the Magao caves and the Xiencheng riots really added an element of adventure back into the trip that I think was missing - and pushed me on to want to get into Pakistan.

And Pakistan totally changed things. It is one of the most incredible places I've been. And I traveled most of the way with a great group of people. I loved the continuity of it all, and the fact that we'd all arrange to meet up as we traveled along the Karakorum Highway. It really worked out. And it was such a contrast to repressed China.

And while Islamabad did feel a bit scary at times - it really felt like I was on an adventure, and heading into India just added to it - because I was going to see things that I'd dreamed of going to see since I was young.

And then I got on the bus to Leh - and the balance shifted entirely. It became totally about people and a lot less about the things there were to see. Travelling with the same people for an extended period of time was exactly what I needed - and it absolutely made the end of my trip.

Brock and I were joking on my last day that despite having spent almost three weeks in Colombo we'd still not done any of the "you must do this in Colombo" stuff in the guide book. Which kind of says a lot. Sure I was happy to see some stuff - but the focus wasn't on trying to get here there and everywhere - it was about really enjoying it. No goals, no plan. Just get up and decide what to do.

Perhaps some of the best times were just sitting chatting at Coral Light watching the waves on the reef and the lightning over the sea at night. And we covered everything - from Philosophy to some truly retarded conversations.

I'm not really one for "life changing experiences" - they do happen - but so infrequently it's not worth hanging around waiting for them. But on reflection - I've learned a lot about myself this year - and it's really changed the way I look at things.

I know it's a cliche - but I've learned that it's not about where your going - but how you get there that counts. What's the point of achieving something but never having enjoyed achieving it. And it's really made me appreciate some of the things about my life - I've got a much clearer picture of how I want to live it from now on.

Would I do it again - absolutely.

Would I change anything - absolutely not - sometimes you learn more about yourself during the lows than during the highs.

But I think next time I'd find someone to travel with...and I'd ditch most of the planning and let it just happen. Overland to Afghanistan anyone? :-)