| Second Term Report Card | Posted: March 17, 2003 |
We can basically split our One Year, One World tour into three four-month "terms," the first covering parts of Europe and Africa, the second covering Asia, and the third term encompassing bits of Oceania and South America. Covered in this Second Term Report Card: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Bali (Indonesia). We entered India near the end of October, and will be leaving Bali in mid-March. It certainly seems like a long time has passed since we wrote our first report card four months ago. The fact that we've been continuously explaining to relatives that we've been on the road for eight months seems to be constantly reinforcing the fact that we are doing some very extended travel. Well, Asia has certainly not disappointed, as we have had some of our most memorable highlights in the last four months. It was pretty tough to come up with a "best-of" list for the Asian countries we've visited. We spent almost a month with relatives in Malaysia and Singapore and thus didn't do as many "tourist" activities then. However, I think we can safely say that we definitely got our biggest bang for our buck in Asia. We have had a few short periods of homesickness in the last four months, usually having something to do with our families or our cat. Again, the Internet and this website have proven to be the tools that have kept us connected. We have had to take care of a few business items at home, but thanks to our friend Scott and Jen's sister Evelyn, things have been handled quite smoothly. We've been somewhat surprised by all the feedback we've been getting from people around the world about our website; we never intended or expected to get much exposure outside our circle of friends and family. As the months go by, we have been picking up more and more visitors as people happen to find our site. It's pretty neat, but a bit weird at the same time. |
The Sony laptop getting busted in Nepal was the second big glitch in our equipment, after the fiasco with the 10D sensor cleaning incident. However, thanks to a whole gaggle of friends, we were able to get old/broken gear brought back to the States and new/fixed gear brought out to us with hardly a stitch. The new Panasonic laptop has been working fine so far, despite all the knocks and bangs that is has been getting through constant travel. Thanks to Scott, Rochelle, Stacy, Ray, Lisa, Simon, Evelyn, Ken, Gunga, and Paul! We haven't been on our own much at all during our travels around Asia. Three weeks in India, three days in Bhutan, and a week in Bali are the only countries that we haven't been with either friends or family. We joined Intrepid tours (we highly recommend them: www.intrepidtravel.com) in Nepal, Laos, and Vietnam, and made good friends on each tour. Gunga joined us through Cambodia, along with Keira and Marcus in Southern Thailand. traveling independently through India was uniquely challenging but extremely rewarding. Three weeks in India was enough to make us want to take a break, but after a short reprieve, we found ourselves keenly wanting to return. The food has again been a real highlight, and the result of eight months of eating very well are starting to show on our bodies. After Phuket, Thailand, neither of us has gotten sick in the last three months; either our stomachs are getting used to all the street food we've been consuming, or we've just been lucky. We felt like we were in good shape after all the walking and trekking in Nepal, but since then, it has all been pretty relaxing, so we're definitely putting on the pounds. There weren't any major changes to our itinerary in the last four months. We extended our stays in some towns, and skipped other places altogether. We will probably move around at the same pace for the last third of our journey in Oceania and South America. |
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The Best of Asia |
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BEST FOOD: Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; Bangkok, Thailand; Singapore BEST BEACH: Bamboo Island, South Thailand BEST NATURAL SCENERY: Nepal & Bali BEST DANCE: Kecak Dance, in Ubud, Bali BEST DIVING: Sipadan Island, Malaysia BEST SNORKELLING: Ko Rok, Thailand MOST EXPENSIVE MEAL: Lake Palace, Udaipur, India MOST EXOTIC MEAL: Grasshoppers and kangaroo, Saigon, Vietnam MOST DIFFICULT EXPERIENCE: Turning away countless numbers of vendors, beggars and homeless people in India BIGGEST VIOLATION: Having our packs broken into between Kathmandu and Bangkok (nothing stolen) MOST SOBERING MOMENTS: JEN HAS BEEN BITTEN BY: MOST MEMORABLE JOURNEYS: MOST INTERESTING CELEBRATIONS: MOST UNIQUE SLEEPING EXPERIENCES: |
BEST TEMPLES: BEST GUIDES: BEST SHOPPING: Hanoi & Hoi An, Vietnam; Bangkok, Thailand; Kathmandu, Nepal; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Singapore BEST HOSPITALITY: Our relatives in KL, KK, Labuan, and Singapore! BEST BANG FOR BUCK: Laos, Vietnam MOST PEACEFUL ACCOMODATION: Luang Prabang, Laos; Saren Indah Hotel, Ubud, Bali MOST INTERESTING PROPOSITION: Winston being offered a "special" massage in Phuket, Thailand BIGGEST INSECTS: Taman Negara National Park, Malaysia MOST SIMILAR TO HOME: Singapore LEAST SIMILAR TO HOME: India, Laos MOST EXOTIC CITY: Varanasi, India MOST UNIQUE COUNTRY: Bhutan SMELLIEST TOWN: Agra, India MOST COINCIDENTAL ENCOUNTER: Randomly bumping into Shani, a friend we met at Mt. Abu, India, while meeting up with Kevin and Sian in Bangkok, also friends we met at Mt. Abu. MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS: COUNTRIES WE WOULD MOST WANT TO VISIT AGAIN: Nepal, Bhutan, India, Laos |
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