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Published: November 15th 2006
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Back in Melbourne the jet-lag, dirt and tan have well and truly worn off. Travel or backpacking - whatever you want to call it, was so much more than a holiday. It was more eye-opening, challenging and personally rewarding than I ever expected. A few of you have asked what my highlights and challenges were ... so here goes!
Travelling can be hard work. Problems you encounter relate directly to your day to day survival. Certainly having your identity questioned at the Russian border or your coin purse pick pocketed in Barcelona or an enforced riot curfew in Nepal are frustrating, and compel you to summons your patience, strength and problem solving ability. Interacting daily with strangers who speak different languages and have different values and etiquete present a daily challenge when negotiating directions, food, accommodation, transport and other basics. Entire days can be wasted on admin - investigating how to get from A to B, studying the Thomas Cook Rail Guide, booking tickets, sorting out a new passport and getting money without an ATM card also made things interesting!
Mention the word 'holiday' and it conjures up images of lazing on a sunbed at a 5 star resort...
5.30am Sunrise
Ljubljana Train Station It does not conjure an image of a 12 bed mixed dorm room, unwashed clothes and a funky damp chamois towel, overnight buses and pasta again (to ensure the budget will stretch just that bit further). On this trip I stayed in over 20 cheap hotels or pensions, 24 hostels, had 3 camping trips, 14 nights on overnight ferry/train/bus/airport lounge and stayed in 10 different homes.
If it's not a holiday and it is so much hard work - why go? Learning, growing, understanding the world and therefore becoming a better person. My days were filled with victories, some small, some big. Every day the experience, the people, the scenery were different. I've learnt so much about war and conflict, about religion and tradition - surely the more people in the world that understand and respect these things, the better our futures will be?
People also ask why alone. Maybe you are one of the ones that said to me, 'I couldn't do it'. But have you tried? Only one person can ride on the back of a motorbike (unless perhaps you're in India or SE Asia!), only one little mattress can fit on the bedroom floor of
a Bosnian uni student's bedroom, only one person can slip unnoticed into a Swedish parliamentary function.
There are a few things I won't miss about this kind of travel. Fellow dorm mates who rustle plastic bags loudly and constantly in the early hours, push button showers, filthy toilets, wearing a money belt and having an opinion, but not the language to voice it. So what are the hardest things? The hardest thing is saying goodbye far too often and knowing that even though you swapped email addresses doesn't guarantee you'll ever meet again. The next hardest thing is knowing that the trip must come to and end.
What were the highlights?
Best, most impressive drop toilet Terelj National Park, Mongolia. It was a dark, cold night that was so literally freezing snow flakes were blowing through the gaps in the timber. I escaped from the warmth of my cosy ger, armed with a torch determined to make it quick. Discovered inadvertently when shining the torch down the hole the drop was a good five metres deep and what looked like a person standing in the hole was in fact a massive, frozen, shit stalagmite!
Best interrogation Trans Mongolian Railway
Chilling out in my cabin somewhere in Russia on the Trans Mongolian Railway. at an international Border
Mongolian-Russian border. Marched off the train by some serious looking guards in dull, grey, KGB inspired uniforms much to the shock and disbelief of my friends on the train. The guards were convinced I was an impostor and I was subjected to some of the old 'good guy, bad guy' style questioning to prove my identity. It seems my passport has been tampered with and they thought either me or the passport weren't genuine! In true Russian style they were scary and serious, but eventually I was let into Russia feeling a little like Schapelle Corby.
Best language barrier/misunderstanding First there was the case of young Dane, Johan's two pairs of dirty knickers he'd been wearing for 2 weeks unwashed. Completely horrified to hear about the state of his jocks, I suggested he throw them out and buy new ones. Turns out he meant his knickerbockers...
Sporting wear company 'Roots' Canada still extracts a giggle from most visiting Australians. See the
Aussie Slang Dictionary if you're unsure. "Roots Kids" their clothing range for children has always been suspect, "Roots Wildlife" is their latest range...
Best meal that resembled dog food A free meal dished out
Dorm Room, Tallinn
This dorm room was quite unique in that it doubled as a mini golf green! on the Trans-Mongolian somewhere approaching Ulaan Baatar that resembled Pal dogfood in both texture and odour!
Best Wedding of 2006 John and Linz Ogg, Canada ... a beautiful wedding and oh so much fun!
Best bargain 5 Rupee for a 'fresh' advertised on a toilet door in Udapair, India
Best dead body floating in a river River Ganges @ Varanasi, India
Best celeb experience Swapping stories of life on the road with the band members of Five for Fighting enroute to LA.
Best sporting moment Australia drawing to Croatia in the World Cup to move into the final against Italy.
Best Sunrise Taj Mahal, Agra.
Best Sunset Baltic Sea, somewhere past Stockholm, Sweden.
Best place for randomly bumping into people you know Hostel 99, Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Worst overnight bus Vilnius to Warsaw ... the roads were like corrugated iron, the seats ridiculously cramped, the driver could not find 3rd gear or the bus stop on arrival in Warsaw!
Best getting blogged on Tania from the moon - see June 21st, 2006.
Best worst shower Nothing beats the joys of showering with a bucket in India! Sweden had the best facilities.
Overnight Ferry - Croatia to Italy
We payed for deck tickets, but managed to sleep on the carpeted floor of the cafe. Best escape award From all reports the political situation in Kathmandu, Nepal was dire. I read an account of my time at the Kathmandu Guesthouse by a fellow traveller -
Ida - and it recalled the bombs, the shoot to kill order, the riots, the difficulty in 'getting out'. I just remember the boredom! On the way to the airport, the hotel taxi prominently displayed a sign indicating I was a tourist. We passed through military checkpoints, along empty streets littered with rocks, planks of wood and other hastily discarded weapons from the riots. After I left, a young Nepalese tourguide emailed me updates as the situation worsened and food and water shortages, threatened the city.
Best country My favourite countries are not necessarily the most picturesque, or the most touristed - the ones that made the biggest impression, are the ones where I felt truly embraced by the culture. My favourite countries were India, Italy, Ireland, Bosnia, Mongolia and Lithuania - all these countries have something in common - their people's passion for life, enthusiasm for hosting visitors and their love for a good party or banquet.
Best people This award goes to the locals who
have taken me into their homes or shown me their towns, including: Chandra - Udapair, India. Mary - Irkusk, Siberia. Sall - London, UK. Noreen - Dublin, Ireland. Houlihan Family - Tullow, Ireland. Ward Family - Ballinasloe, Ireland
Savarymoottoo Family - Sarajevo, Bosnia. The Peel Clan - Sumartin, Croatia. Kathy - Toronto, Canada. Kady - Brampton, Canada. Winfield Family - Gananoque, Canada. Bron and Pete - Montreal, Canada. Morris Family - Kincardine, Canada
In closing, the return home has been phenomenal. I was expecting a difficult time settling and whilst I'll readily admit I miss the excitement and adventure of travel - I'm loving the time back home enjoying the lead up to another Aussie Summer with family and friends. So just like the famous song ... there's no doubt I "still call Australia home".
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain
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Beverley
non-member comment
India...
Hi Ellen, After meeting and travelling with you in India I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all your journal updates. Well done to keep us so well informed. Sorry I missed seeing you in Melbourne, our time went really quick. Maybe next time we are down. BFN XXX