Good night, Vietnam

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I'm laying crunched up on a bed, on a bus, from Hanoi to Hué. What the hell. How did I end up here?! 5 months ago today I was sat on the sofa sharing a moment with a well made bacon sandwich. 2 years ago I was contemplating returning to my job at Sainsbury's having lost faith with the career my degree had set me up for. Being 10,000 miles away from home was 10,000 miles from my mind. I'm staring out the window at the blackness flying by my eyes, interrupted by the occasional headlight glare of a freight truck. There's nothing important on my mind anymore. All I have to think about each day is what sight I'm visiting, or which beach/cafe/park I'm gonna relax in, and what's for dinner. The rest of my days are decided on the spot. Try doing that in suburban life! The last 5 months of my life have been truly incredible. I have seen things I thought I would never have the opportunity of setting my eyes upon. The Taj Mahal, the Final of the Indian IPL, the Terracotta Army, The Great Wall of China, Hong Kong's skyline, Halong Bay. I have slept and eaten in some of the most amazing cities on Earth. Delhi, Mumbai, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Hanoi; all completely different to each other. It's moments like laying on a bus ahead of a 14 hour trip that encourage contemplation and reminiscence. And best of all, I have the perfect companion. Without Rhian this voyage du monde would only have been a fraction as fun as it's been. The sights I've seen are amazing, but I soon realise they only become amazing when there's someone stood next to you for you to say 'wow' to. We would have to rely upon each other to get us across land and sea without any histrionics, and so far we've succeeded! There's no-one else here for us, we only have each other, and of course not every moment is perfect, but the good times easily outweigh them. I'll say it now so everyone doesn't ask when we get back; yes it is totally worth the effort and strife to see what the world can offer, how it functions, and then realise and appreciate what we have. It's so strange watching and hearing news from the UK, that world feels so alien now and it feels strange and in some ways distressing that we'll have to acclimatise back to the 'western way'. Getting up when you feel like it and wandering around the city every day probably won't cut it in the UK. I don't intend to be how I was before I left, I will use everything I have learnt in this time and adapt my life to how I want it to be. I am aware I haven't mentioned my two weeks of home comfort and western living with my Uncle Andy and Junaidy in Hong Kong (cue hypocrite jibes), I will. But this is what's on my mind right now, laying crunched up on a bed, on a bus, from Hanoi to Hué. Night.

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