Summary of a Year's Travels

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Well, this is the final entry of our travel blog.

We thought the best way to sign off was with a couple of observations and a few statistics below.

Most importantly, everyone in all the countries we visited was generally very friendly and helpful. We had no real trouble anywhere, not a single item was stolen (apart from credit card details in India) and we survived without so much as a car accident, a feat in Asia. People really are the same wherever you go. So are the souvenir t-shirts and the beer, but the food can certainly be quite varied!

It was very interesting to see the differences in the world's emerging powers; China really booming with industrial activity and seemingly capitalistic, while India, although full of character, was further behind than we imagined it would be and outwardly struggling with its infrastructure. It was also sad to see that the recent global recession had taken a toll (if not enormous) in places like the Central Valley in California and importantly in our own pockets in Australia! Yet you quickly realise that the world is blessed with timeless landscapes, diverse wildlife, and millennia of history which all put things into perspective.

Many, many thanks to all our friends all over the world who put us up and/or entertained us. You really helped make things special and we hope we can return the favour at some point. Also thanks to our families for putting up with our junk and irritations (and for giving us Lionel who indeed made it into many pictures and completed the journey with us).

What a year!
Dave & Christina

Statistics
Countries visited : 22
Miles Flown : 70636 (113725 km)
Miles Driven : 11000 (18000 km)
Miles Cycled : 560 (900 km), expected to do lots more but held back by poor weather
Miles Walked : Felt like plenty, but probably nowhere near enough!
Carbon cost: 33000lbs / 15000Kg CO2 per person = USD200 (or 15 trees planted) per person to offset

Bests
Western country : France (countryside, cuisine and culture)
Exotic country : Thailand (food was amazing, the people friendly, and it was cheap!)
Gadget : Nokia N82 phone (with its Sat Nav, WiFi access, and a decent camera, it was completely invaluable)
Food : Mom and Pop food in Thailand
Roads : California (especially the route 101 coastal road)
Hotel Amenities : Lijiang in Guilin China (the building was a waterfall for starters)
Beach : Whitehaven beach (Whitsundays, Australia)
Snorkelling : Philippines
Time : Rope swinging and tubing in Laos
Tour Guide : Quin in Vietnam (though he cheated at knockout whist!)
Animal : Tiger in the wild (Bandhavgarh, India)

Worsts
Gadget : 12v Fan for the campervan... never used as it never got hot enough in Europe this summer
Food : Andoulliette (in France... locals must love smelly intestines, but not us)
Roads : India (you never know what might appear in the road)
Hotel Amenities : Homestay in Vietnam (dodge the barking dogs to use the bird poo covered toilet)
Time : Days of torrential rain in Czech republic; Getting sick at non-celebrated Christmas in India
Animal : Mosquitoes. Britain thankfully seems to be the only place that doesn't suffer from them.

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