The (belated) Finale

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So now we're home, back in Sydney. Well and truly. Back in our apartment, settled back at work ... and almost another year has passed. We've enjoyed re-living the memories over the last 8-9 months and will savour the last few also. However, 2009 is almost over and it's time to let go. There are still more photos to be sorted and memories to be had at some stage.

However, one more blog is needed. A trip like we had (or its blog) can't just end. There are people to thank, and some highlights to record. Here are our closing thoughts on our adventure.

Some stats
• Countries - 19
• Airports - 36
• Flights - 43 (our carbon footprint isn't looking great)
• Different beds - 55 (at least - I got bored counting)
• Weddings - 3
• Blogs - 30 (including this one)

Best ofs ....

• Favourite saying:
"Me cago en la leche" (I shit on the milk = I'm annoyed in Spanish ... a saying children wouldn't be reprimanded for saying. There are worse things that you can "cago en" too!)

• Top 3 scariest cab rides:
(3) Buenos Aires, Argentina - no lanes and a lot of speed
(2) Split, Croatia - 120 in a 60 zone
(1) Mumbai, India - speed, driving through red lights, two guys in the cab we were convinced were going to fleece, if not, kill us

• Best bar concept:
Ojala, Madrid where the floor was covered in sand and we sat on cushions to drink mojitos and eat giant spears of meat and vegies

• Most unusual drinking experience:
Drinking from a howler monkey’s voicebox in Ecuador

• Best food discoveries and experiences:
- Gambas al ajillo (baby prawns cooked fresh in bubbling, garlicky oil) (Madrid, Spain)
- 1/4 of a lamb (Covarrubias, Spain)
- Bocadillos de calamares (Madrid, Spain)
- Bocadillos de tortilla (Madrid, Spain)
- Morcilla (when it’s oniony and good) (Madrid, Spain)
- Garlic soup with fried gorgonzola (Slovenia)
- Tortilla in tomato sauce a la Cristobal (Madrid, Spain)
- BBQ sardines (cooked by an Aussie in Portugal)
- Degustation dinner at La Broche (Madrid, Spain)
- Kadai Paneer (Mumbai, India)
- Guinea pig, confit style (Aquas Calientes, Peru)
- Provoleta (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Every steak in Argentina
- Home delivered gelato (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Fire and water at Casa Coupage (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Chacarero, traditional Chilean grilled steak sandwhich (Santiago, Chile)

... OK, we like to eat!

• Worst food discovery / experience:
- Pigs ears (Madrid, Spain) - don’t bother!
- Francesinha (Porto, Portugal)- urggh!

• Possibly the best milk(thick)shake in the world:
Vanilla malt from Stewarts in Pine Plains, NY

• Best flight:
Toss up between the flight over the Andes from Lima to Cuzco (Peru) and that in the small plane from Quito to Coca (Ecuador) ... followed by that first flight out of Sydney - ah the feeling of freedom!!!!!

Things I have learnt:
• I can survive without a hairdryer ... not that I would choose to again!
• Not to take flushing toilets for granted
• Casas rurales are awesome
• Guinea pig tastes gooood! .... as does alpaca, ?,?? .... but, pigs ears, not so great!

Answers to the most common questions from friends and colleagues:
• "How's your spanish? It must be awesome" - no, it's not, but it's OK. I have enough to get fed in restaurants and drunk in bars, buy clothes and shoes, get washing done, and have a basic conversation.
• "Are we coming back?" - We're home. There you go.
• "What was the best bit?" - it was all different, we had some sensational stand alone experiences, but it's living in Madrid that we miss the most

Things I'd probably be best to forget:
• In Spanish "advertir" means "to warn" - probably worth forgetting when advertising is kind of important in marketing 😊

Things that are great about being home (you can guess what's relevant to whom):
• "When I get home I'm going to have a bottle of pinot, vegemite turkish and a dozen Tooheys News" (David walking along a street in BA. We might need to consider a healthier diet but these are the things missed, and no, I didn't put him up to the last part!)
• Friends and family
• Cooking (with access to a pantry stocked with ingredients)
• Painting
• Going to the races
• Sleeping in our own bed (soooooo good)
• Regular injections of cash in the bank account

And last but by no means least, Thank you to everyone who opened their homes to us (chronological order-ish):
• Julie and Chris in London
• Kev, Mary, Ben and George in Dublin
• Pete and Nuria in Barcelona
• Leon and Caro in Paris
• Aurelie and Bish in Paris
• Chris and Carmen in Barcelona
• Luisa y Miguel en Sitges (muchas gracias por la cena fantastica!!!!)
• Yvette and Dom in London
• Craig in Chennai

and special mention to
• Sue and Miguel (all three homes in Switzerland) and Alex and Dan (Bahrain) who took time off from work and went all out with their hospitality
• Pete and Annie who had us staying with them for about 3 weeks!
• Manas' family, who put us in safe accomodation for the wedding weekend in Delhi

• Stephanie and Malte, and, Manas and Neha who got married and had us join them for their unique celebrations in Germany and India respectively

• All those who came to visit, and / or organised holidays to share some time with us while on tour

• Carmen and Rocio for welcoming us to Madrid, and Rocio and David for being such excellent tour guides to Toledo

• Alfredo and Mario for warmly welcoming us into their life in Madrid

• Aliya, previously a stranger, who so warmly welcomed us to NY with newspapers, informed conversation, restaurant recommendations, home delivery orders and discounted theatre tickets

• Bega and Michelle for lending me high heels on the two occasions I needed them

• Chris for the travel shower head that really raised the bar for "flashpacking".

• As much as the idea of returning to work was confronting, we have to thank LEK and LNA for welcoming us back (... and then promoting us!)

Sorry this has taken so long to publish (it was started on the 30th of March). We don't really like goodbyes, especially not to something this good.

This was one of the best, if not the best thing, we have ever done. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Have a very Merry Christmas and great 2010!

Anna and David xo

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Comments

[laura]

Thanks for giving me 5min of interesting reading while on Night Shift
Hi Anna & Dave, Had to laugh when I saw the link come through on my email to your last blog, knowing you are both well & truly back. But great to hear a recap & of course the usual feature on drinking & eating! But best of all at 2:41am in the morning with the packaging line humming in the background as we run Boags Premium (having a good run tonight - touch wood as about time!) was great to have something funny to read. Hope all in innovation is going well & look forward to a update sometime on how its going. Its funny feeling to not see anything on it anymore when i worried about it so much everyday - but now have new things to worry myself with. I am slowly settling in to tassie - finally found somewhere to live so should settle in much fast now I have my own bed back, i missed it after 6 weeks so admire the full year. Have a great christmas! Laura

[Bev (mum)]

Mixed Emotions
What a lovely surprise to see the email notification of another entry in your blog - even though the "finale" indication actually made me sad in one way although I am happy that you are back. Then after reading it I realised just how much you made us all part of your fabulous journey by taking the time to write of your adventures. Thank you too for showing Maree and I a Madrid that would have been totally different had we not been able to share it with you both. By the way I could be wrong but I thought my last meal in Madrid was Pigs Ears and I think I enjoyed them !! I have wonderful memories of Madrid, these are as diverse as Opera to a Bullfight, I think the only food I missed out on sampling was the churros, we were lucky that you had already done the research so you knew the best places to find the specialities. Thanks again!! XX