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Published: April 19th 2009
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Looking back and rounding up: a travel summary Sunday 19th April 2009
This is our final blog, number 85 (and 666 photos). We've had our "Pension Gap" so now we shall go back to Spain to retire and try to grow old gracefully; unless the feet start itching again!
Travel doesn’t just broaden the mind and stimulate the senses, it also nourishes the soul. Having spent eight months with the most basic meagre wardrobe and without make up, I feel surprisingly unconcerned about what I look like walking around town here in England, even although hiking boots, and faded tops are not highly fashionable. In other words, I feel very comfortable with myself, very content and self-confident. Travel is a vehicle for changing perspective. When one has spent nights on hard beds, or tried to relax on a plastic chair or wooden stools, home comforts, like a sofa, are truly luxurious. Things that might have caused some angst eight months ago now seem somewhat trivial. Travel brings about a peace of mind and inner calmness; wonder how long it lasts?
We have been looking back this week at the thousands of photos taken and the dozens of blogs written since we left home last August; it has been an enjoyable review of the trip. It has prompted us towards a fun bit of trivial summarisation, things like, how many different beds we’ve slept in, what different types of roof we’ve had over our heads (from rice thatch and tin to bamboo, wood, slate and tile) and the varied modes of transport employed to get us from A to Z and back home again to A. Some statistics as follows…
ACCOMMODATION:
Mainland USA 20 hotels/motels/hostels and1 tent
Hawaii 4 hostels/hotels
Fiji 8 hotels/hostels and 2 huts
New Zealand 1 self-catered apartment, 1 hostel and 1 campervan
Australia 6 hotels/hostels, 2 pubs and 2 campsite tin-roofed chalets
Indonesia 5 losman inns, 5 hotels/hostels and 3 huts
Singapore 1 hotel
Malaysia 7 hotels/hostels
Thailand 4 hotels/hostels, 2 huts, 1 bus and 1 brothel
Total number of different beds 72
ACCOMMODATION COSTS:
The country followed by the total costs, then the average per head per night in local currency and then in approximate pounds sterling:
Mainland USA 2,151 $ US, 35 $ US (17 pounds)
Hawaii 957 $ US, 32 $ US (16)
Fiji 2,816 $ FJ 40 $ FJ (12)
New Zealand (hotels) 883 $ NZ 63 $ NZ (21)
NZ (camp site fees) 856 $ NZ 30 $ NZ (10)
Australia 4,273 $ AUS 58 $ AUS (29)
Indonesia 6,695,000 Rupiahs 111,583 Rupiahs ( 7)
Singapore 450 $ SG 75 $ SG (25)
Malaysia 1,446 Ringitts 42 Ringitts ( 8)
Thailand 17,450 Baht 368 Baht ( 7)
ITEMS LOST:
Travel towel Waikiki, Hawaii Blew off a roof
Sunglasses Lovina, Fij Dropped in a stream
Sunglasses Devonport,NZ Fell off a ferry
Head torch Lombok, Indonesia Lost, mislaid, not sure?
Laptop case Darwin, Oz Left in the airport
DAMAGED & REPLACED:
Backpack Sydney, Oz
Mobile charger Sydney, Oz
FUEL COSTS:
USA 587 $ US 3.050 miles
New Zealand 649 $ NZ 3,732 kilometres
Australia 90 $ AUS 887 kilometres
MODES OF TRANSPORT: (working this out was the most fun)!
NB including our flight back to Spain on 24th April 2009
1 Ox cart
1 Bamboo raft
1 Kayak
1 Canoe
1 Campervan
2 Rental cars
2 Elephants
3 Jeeps/truck
8 Cable cars/trolleys
14 Trains
17 Aeroplanes
19 Ferries
20 Small boats
20 Tuk tuks/Bemos etc.
38 Taxis
94 Busses
…..and countless footsteps!
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