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Published: January 2nd 2007
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Lily
Catching the sunlight on Koh Lanta, Thailand. Minutes, seconds, hours, days, weeks, months - time never stands still. It constantly flows, bringing both highs and lows. Every life is different but in some way connected. There is good and bad, take from it what you can. There is much too learn but try to give back.
We ended our world journey at the end of last November and this year has been so quick yet eternally long. So different from the last. 2005 was filled with discovery, new faces, places, sights, sounds and a pace of life that has ever changed us. It left a mark on how we process the world both in everyday life and aspirations for the future. It was a lifestyle that I grew too love and I would encounter the whole adventure again in a heartbeat. Too be so free from everyday routines was exhilerating. Having your world on your back and soaking in something, somewhere or someone new every day. To get up in the morning and deciding to head to somewhere new was intoxicating. Being unsure of where your head would rest that night was crazy. Seeing cultures so different from our own. Life stripped down to it's bare bones
Lanterns!!!
The skeleton of lanterns before they get their clothes put on - Hoi An, Vietnam. in countries where our backpacks held more than some families had altogether. How people could be happy with few possessions. Yet seeing the other side of the coin, poverty, squalor, the lack of education and progress.
Over the past year I have often called upon these memories as I've tried to adjust to normal, daily life again. Well, whatever normal life actually is - it's what each person make's it. We returned to find that life in Vancouver didn't stand still whilst we were gone. Nor it should. The pace that we we had grown accustomed too no longer existed. We returned to jobs, a routine of working, cooking again, buying our groceries, paying bills and doing banking, etc, etc. Friends had carried on with their lives. We're at the stage where many have gotten engaged, married, had children - growing up and settling down. Sometimes we've felt that we've sidestepped in a different direction from others, not quite reaching that stage yet. The hopes and aspirations taken from a year of travelling have not quite left and our brains not always wanting to accept that we no longer lived that way. I constantly remind myself how lucky I
Sand window
The Golden City of Jaisilmer in Rajasthan, India. am and all that I have. The most amazing year of my life with someone I love and all that I could every need and want in my daily life. We have made our own milestones throughout the year. Our love and friendship has grown from the adventures we shared. Experiencing so many wonders has bound us closer and that has continued as we've lived through the stages of returning to Vancouver and rebuilding life here. We made the decision to invest in our future and bought our first apartment together in August. The Vancouver market has been crazy for a number of years and we probably bought at one of the highest points. It's possible that our year away cost us thousands and thousands in the real estate market. Too us though, our trip was priceless. We now have our new place and we love it. So does Elli, she now has a garden to play in and is constantly battering the ear lugs of all the cats who stray into her territory.
When we landed back into Vancouver on November 25th 2005, it marked 10 years since my Dad passed away. It's now 11 years and I
Hut
A hut in the tribal villages near Sa Pa, Vietnam. think of him each and every day. I turn 30 on February 24th and we shared the same Birthday - he would have been 60. So a special Birthday means a special trip and we're heading home. I can't think of a better place to be than with my family and where my blood runs as thick as the whisky that flows through my veins. Woo hoo. As we can't get the travelling gene out our systems we're going to squeeze in side trips to Rome and Paris. Oh la la.
So in reflection, we have gained a lot and life is good. We had an amazing year away and then a year of growing and adjusting since we've returned. The future is always a present and it's up to us to fill it with wonder and excitement. Our travels are most definitey not finished and with dust now firmly embedded to the soles of our feet, who knows where they will lead us to in the future. We'll certainly have more blogs in 2007. Hurrah, I hear you say!!!
Since we came home I've gone through the three and a half thousand pictures that we took last
Wall painting
Seen in Mahabalipuram, India. year. We've not had the chance to share them so here we go. Many are from 2005 and there are some random ones from 2006.
Here's wishing you all the best for a wonderful 2007. Happy Hogmany.
Love Mike and Charlotte xxx
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Doug M.
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Inspiring
As you recount your big adventure, I am but days from starting mine. Off to Takoradi, Ghana (via Toronto, Frankfurt, Lagos, Nigeria) for a minimum nine months as a journalism trainer at a small TV station. I am taking a break from packing and sorting and figuring out what to leave behind. And in the back of my mind, I wonder how this adventure will affect me. It's great to be on the front end of something so mysterious and life changing. I can't wait! Back to your post: it echos what I feel from all my previous (though shorter) travels Central America and eastern Europe. We have so much, and until we see how the other world lives, we have no idea. Travel is the greatest school. I can't wait to get the lessons started! Cheers! Doug www.roadspill.blogspot.com