In all likeliness, neither of us will experience a trip like this again in our life. Work and general life committments will take over, and the next time we have this much spare time will be when we are quite a lot older, and the experience will be different.
I'm not lying when I say I think about the trip several times each and every day that goes by. I miss Asia. No doubt about it. If I was 5-10 years younger, and single, I'd probably pack up and move their for a bit. But where? So many choices!
Everyone asks the obvious question one the conversation gets rolling about our trip: "What was your favourite place?"
I can honestly say that it's too difficult to answer such a question, but what I can do is outline the main highlights. The places I always think about. The places I will return to one day. The special places.
Varanasi in India was the first truly special place we came across in India. We visited some pretty awesome places out in Rajasthan, but Varanasi is something else. Read the blog entry for a more detailed account of our experience there.
If there was one place which I could say, if forced to, was my overall favourite, it's Nepal. Almost perfect for a person like me. Walking amongst the highest mountains in the world is a truly humbling experience, and trekking Nepal again is top of my list of things to do before I get too old. Not a trekker? Then head to Kathmandu, a historic place with a charm all of it's own. Or Pokhara, the base town for trekking, but with plenty to do, all set beneath the most magnificent and awe-inspiring backdrop around (the Annapurna range). I can't recommend Nepal enough (provided you time your visit correctly - weather can get nasty at certain parts of the year).
Shanghai is a place I could live. Dynamic. Bustling. Cultured. Fantastic. Escaping the winter cold by eating in a small noodle house full of chatting Chinese, whilst slurping the best noodle soup in the entire Universe, was divine. The vibe... the ambiance... the general feel of the city - for some reason I loved it. And I hope I can make it back one day. Read the entire China blog post here.
Renting a motocycle and heading off to explore the countryside, anywhere in Vietnam or Cambodia, will give me some of the best memories of the trip. Getting out to where tourists are not seen, to meet people fascinated with the simple sight of a Westerner, enriches the travelling experience ten fold.
And when moto is not available to rent, as per is was to explore the temples of Angkor (legal reasons), then a bicycle is just a good. The bicycle must have been about half a century old, but it went like the wind, and was more comfortable than any bike I'd ridden before it. Cruising from temple to temple, at times without a tourist in sight, it could have been another time. Magical.
The above are the memories which constantly find themselves at the forefront of the reminiscing between Lise and I, and I suspect they'll stay that way forever, as nothing can change those memories.
What an amazing trip.
