Home Sweet Home: Reflections on Our Adventure

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We've been back home for a few days now, and I'm finally starting to get over the jet lag! I think it's harder adjusting to the time difference (15 hours) when you come east. Plus it's at the end of a whirlwind 26 day holiday instead of at the beginning.

Susan is back to work today and I go back tomorrow. I get to ease back into it since Friday is my day off, so I only have a 3 day week. It's going to be a bit of a shock going back to work I think. It was the same way when we came back from Turkey and London. Day after day of seeing wonderful sights, always something different, then suddenly you're sitting at your desk back in your office. What? Ah well, got to work to have the money to travel!

We had a good trip back home from Hong Kong. We took a quick cab from our hotel to the Kowloon Airport Express station, and the Airport Express train to the airport. We were able to check into our flight and check our luggage right at the Kowloon station, before we even got on the train. What an efficient system. We wandered around the airport for a bit and bought a few bottles at the duty free. We were really lucky on the flight as nobody was sitting in the window seat so I moved from the middle to the window seat and we could stretch out a bit. That makes all the difference on a long haul flight. I watched 3 movies and was able to sleep for a few hours. Susan watched 4 movies. Our neighbour Tuula was waiting at the airport for us and drove us home. It was wonderful to have her pick us up. After we got home we drove our cat sitter Niy downtown so it was close to 5 by the time we got back home. We unpacked and forced ourselves to stay up till 8. We slept till 2 pm the next day!

So, it has been an amazing trip. When I think back to Bangkok it seems a long time ago. We have seen so much and done so many different things. We ended up going to Southeast Asia basically because it was an affordable tour, and because the situation in Egypt is still a bit questionable. We both really wanted to see Angkor Wat, but beyond that we really hadn't thought a whole lot about the area. Well, it is an incredible part of the world and the trip exceeded both of our expectations.

First, Bangkok. What a bustling city, and a bit of a culture shock! From the moment we left the air conditioning of the airport, we knew we were in a different world. It was HOT! Rambuttri Road was crowded and exciting. Beautiful Wats and historical sights, delicious food, Chang beer, daily massages.

Then, Cambodia. A contrast between past glories and a more recent tragic past. A struggling country sorely in need of good government, deserving of so much more. Such wonderful, warm people. Stilt houses, green rice fields, skinny white cows, Angkor Wat at dawn, sunset ride in an ox-cart. Angkor beer, fish Amok. Cambodia has a special place in my heart.

An on to Vietnam. Suddenly, so many more people. First time in a sleeper train. Saigon and Hanoi, cities unlike anything we've ever experienced before. Motorbikes! Adventures in crossing the road. Conical hats and water buffalos. The unexpected beauty and peace of Hoi An. Small plastic chairs and draft beer. Amazing old quarter and street food of Hanoi. Chewing betel nut with hospitable villagers in Tho Ha. Smiling children calling "Hello!"

Then, abrupt transition to the unbelievable highrises of the very modern Hong Kong. Buildings that reach for the sky, smog, the unexpected beauty of the southern coast of Hong Kong Island, the crowds in the MTR stations, riding the Big Bus, students standing up to the monolith central government of Beijing. Good luck to them. Stay safe.

I'm so glad I've blogged this trip. It was a lot of work to do during the trip and led to some late nights as I typed away, but now we have a great record of our trip. I read through the blog last night and was reminded of a few things I had forgotten about. I know I will enjoy reliving our trip in the years to come. After I've made some corrections (a few times the title of the photos was replaced by the caption so I need to fix those) we will have the blog made into a book format and printed off. It also was a great way for our friends and family to experience our trip with us, in real time.

Thanks so much for reading the blog and for all your comments and emails. We really enjoyed getting the comments. It was very gratifying to me to know people were reading and enjoying our blog. I'd check email in the morning and was always so pleased to get the emails from the blog app telling me people had commented on my entries.

This is our last blog entry for this trip. I plan to blog future trips, and hopefully it won't be too long until the next one! Where to? Egypt, Europe, Peru ... who knows. So, it's the Waddads signing off on their Amazing South East Asia Adventure!

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Photos

Lori and Susan at HK airport
Selfie at the airport. Heading home!

Cleo
We missed our cats!

Ella
She's glad we're home.

View from our condo
Home sweet home!

Comments

[Derek]

I enjoyed all your blogs and have saved them to a Word file. When you finish your corrections can you drop me a quick note so I can update my file. A couple of my friends back east also enjoyed your trip through your blogs.Just remember t
hat if someone asks you what a temple is called don't say "wat" as they may think you don't understand the question.

[Dad (Don)]

Very well done, Lori and Susan. You had a wonderful trip and you will have great records to that will keep reminding you of that.. It's always a shock when you come home but it's also good to get home. Love, Dad (Dan)