travelling right, travelling light

A year ago, we were...

. . . celebrating a whole different kind of Independence by drinking German beer and eating strange-parts-of-the-body food (Hax'n!). If you need proof of the giddiness we were experiencing, check out the video of Jacquie enjoying her German beer on one of our original blog entries here.

Looking forward to escaping to many new and unfamiliar places, we started our journey in comfortable places, surrounded by both sides of our family. Leaving London and making a quick hop over to Germany, these first two stops were almost side-trips of nostalgia to places we had spent considerable time in our pasts, and yet to which we can always return easily.

Germany was a great place to set off from, with the many relatives, and an excuse to make it to my Mom's "Golden Re-Confirmation" - the 50-year celebration of her confirmation into the Lutheran church. It was special in a number of ways, especially as it was the same church in which I was baptized in 1971.

Mom (on the left) with the Pastor and my Godmother, Renate

We visited all the special places of my youth: Nuernberg, city of my birth; Geroldsgruen, a literal retreat for the my mother and her family; Munich, my old home-town.

Dad laughing at one of Jacquie's best jokes to date

On top of Peter-Paul Church overlooking Marienplatz downtown Munich

On the left: making a wish by spinning the brass ring in Nuernberg; On the right: reflections of Munich

You never know what you'll find when travelling; they happened to have the biggest all-brass orchestra playing a concert downtown Nuernberg the day we were visiting!

Meanwhile Back in the Real World (2008):

So how did we spend the July 4th weekend this year? Well, we first and foremost decided to finally catch up on the Thanksgiving Dinner we missed last year by enjoying it in lieu of our weekly Sunday Roast Dinner. Finding a whole turkey in July isn't as easy as it sounds, and I think staff in Safeway thought we were setting up some kind of Candid Camera hoax judging by the shock when we asked for one. But we finally found one at a smaller, independent grocer and we're fixing to have turkey and all the trimmings later on today.

A new tradition? Turkey-day in July!

But first, we did what we've been doing most weekends recently which is to search for our new home! We're pretty much ready to make an offer as soon as we find 'the one', but - despite the significantly larger inventories out there - it's not as easy as it sounds as we're trying to be as true to our 'wish list' as we possibly can. That includes: Lloyd's dream kitchen (or space to build it), Jacquie's dream bathroom (or space to build it), three bedrooms plus office (or four bedroom), at least two of the bedrooms en suite, and a spectacular view (either overlooking Silicon Valley or trees and/or ocean). 'It' needs to have a two car attached garage and preferably space for a piano.

Only $800 thousand . . .

Now, we know we'll end up comprimising on some of these things, but it doesn't hurt to know what you're looking for, right? Actually, we almost put an offer in on a place last week, a beautiful home just outside of Los Gatos with a great view overlooking the valley. Kitchen and Bathrooms needed upgrading, but the living area and family rooms were fabulous. We were all but ready to submit the mortgage application when we realized that bedrooms two and three were just tiny - we made that mistake once before with our Navajo Trail home and weren't about to do that again! Anyway, I'm sure that house-hunting will be a regular theme over the next several months, so watch this space!

We expected that coming back to real life would be hard.

And it was.

Happily, though, I started my new job - quite fittingly - a year to the day since I left my last one - on Wednesday, 18 June. A full twelve months out of the corporate world. A freedom that was all-but-forgotten within weeks of setting foot back in it. Of course, I had hopes that I'd come back a more balanced individual, but who was I kidding? I do genuinely enjoy working and given the choice of working or not, well, I'll pick gainful employment any day of the week. But working vs. travelling........? My bag is already packed in case Lloyd ever asks that fateful question again....

Anyway, as we approach the one year anniversary of our departure, we find ourselves pondering where we were one year ago today..... it gave us the idea of blogging something of a retrospective. We're telling ourselves that it's a good excuse to look back, post some more pictures and videos (which we've realized were quite light in the early days of our blog!), but in reality - I think - you should consider it a form of self-counselling. Bear with us over the next six months and you'll be contributing to our healing.

So! The first retrospective will be something that wasn't on the blog at all a year ago! Just before Lloyd and I set out from London, I spent a wonderful week cruising the Mediterannean with my Mum! For me, it was a great way to start the 'wind down' from working to travelling, but - most importantly - my Mum and I enjoyed some time together that we hadn't really ever had before.

Before we boarded "Splendour of the Seas", we overnighted in Venice - a wonderful time!

Our ports of call included Dubrovnik in Croatia, Santorini and Corfu in Greece, and Ephesus in Turkey. We were blessed with perfect weather everywhere, but I think my favourite place was Santorini overall. Mum and I scrambled through the windy, picturesque alleys and enjoyed wine spritzers and ice cream sundaes overlooking the cruiseships in the bay beneath us. Just a perfect, perfect day.

My favourite port of call, Santorini, with its famously white buildings with blue roofs....just gorgeous!

More piccies: our ship in port in Ephesus, Turkey. On the right: Mum and I on an excursion in Corfu.

Just as we settled into cruise life, we found ourselves celebrating our last night on board with a ridiculously lavish midnight buffet. Looking back, I'm not sure I was great company! I was rather tired from the pre-departure hustle and bustle and - if I have one regret - it's that my Mum and I didn't take the opportunity (final night midnight buffet aside) to check out the late-night-life on board! I'm sure we would have had some fun.

Midnight Buffet: the Most Food I've Ever Seen No One Eating.... And, on the right: keeping in touch on board - Lloyd video-conferencing from the US!

Regardless, we had a great time enjoying most of what Splendour-of-the-Seas had to offer. After a great week, and with a heavy heart, we sailed back into Venice, bathed in the light of a stunning sunrise. Cruising suited us both better than we expected, and I'd just love to do it all again one day!

Post trip, the most common question is inevitably: "what was your favourite place?" And while there is no short answer, the following is today's attempt at my personal Favourite Experiences during the trip. Lloyd will post separately on how his list would differ (I know, for example, that he certainly wouldn't agree with my Top Pick!), but this - and the forthcoming additional 'list' type entries - will also give us the excuse to post some more photos that haven't previously featured on the site. Enjoy!

10 - Qingzang Railway (Beijing to Lhasa)

No doubt, the novelty factor (with parts of the track having been opened for less than a year at our time of travel) is part of the reason that a 48 hour train journey makes the list! Compared to the Trans Siberian, the journey to Lhasa was extraordinarily comfortable - with brand new carriages, well designed common areas and edible food! So we were able to experience the world's highest railway track (up to 5300 metres!) in considerable comfort. The scenery, though, was the most memorable element of the journey. Read more here.

On the left, staff being checked for adverse effects of altitude in the restaurant car - at least two passengers have died while travelling on the train; and on the right, stations may have been unmanned, but they certainly weren't unobserved: we counted at least four cameras on this mast seemingly in the middle of nowhere!

9 - Leaping off a Bridge in New Zealand

Proof - if it were ever needed - that travel liberates the mind. This is something I said I'd never do, and - looking back - I still can't quite believe I did it. If you're physically up to it (and be cautious of the sales folk who will try and sell you on it even if you roll in on a wheelchair), I'd recommend it. Stupid though it may sound, I feel bolder as a result. Read more here.

Waiting on Karawau Bridge for the big moment. The second photo shows my focus on getting the job done (either that, or sheer terror judging by the hand grip!).

8 - Cambodia

I was utterly fascinated by Cambodia and it would feature very highly on my list of places to return to. Angkor Wat is, of course, impressive to visit, but far more appealing is the opportunity to see a country still relatively undeveloped. Cambodia's people are easily the most welcoming we came across, and with a simply fascinating - if appalling - recent history, I could have spent as many weeks here as we did days. Read about our visit to one of Cambodia's famous Killing Fields here.

This young lady is condensing palm milk to make palm candy, which is a lot like scottish tablet (a very sugary treat).

7 - Motorbiking around Hanoi

Where else in the world would you get on the back of some random motorbike - without a helmet - and allow yourself to be thrust through crazy streets simply thronging with thousands of pedestrians and other bike riders seemingly each with a death wish? Of course, it's totally the right thing that as of December 2007 (i.e. after our visit), motorcyclists are now required by law to wear helmets, but I have to confess that the whole experience might be somewhat less exhilerating as a result.... Read more about our motorbike tour around Hanoi here.

6 - Mongolian horses

It wasn't planned this way, although perhaps it was inevitable, but the common theme in Mongolia definitely turned out to be horses! I loved our overnight homestay in a ger despite our comical 'guides' and the ride through Teralj National Park is something I'll never forget. A few days earlier we chanced upon a spectacular display of horsemanship at a recreation of a Gengis Khan battle involving 500 horses! Read more about our ger stay here, and more about the Gengis Khan re-enactment here.

During our horse trek, we left our guide (in the left hand picutre) for an hour while we climbed up to a local monastery. When we returned, we couldn't stir him from this pose... I guess taking us out for an afternoon trek was a welcome break from the more arduous tasks waiting for him back at camp! On the right, the most incredible spectacle I've ever seen involving hundreds of horses!

5 - Varanasi pilgrimage

Older than even Delhi, Varanasi is nothing less than an assault on all the senses and is an absolute must-see on any Indian itinerary in my view. We were blessed to be taken in by an Indian family that had travelled from southern India for days to undertake their pilgrimage to the great Ganga, turning our experience into something that was far more spiritual and touching than either of us was expecting. Read more here.

OK, so you've seen this picture before, but we felt intrusive taking pictures of what was a very personal experience for these ladies, so we didn't take too many!

4 - Cycling Yanghsuo China

The spectacular karst scenery of Guilin, perfectly framed by the Li River, was a destination that did not disappoint. In contrast to our urban Chinese experiences, we found the farming communities to be far more interesting and friendly, and we loved cycling through tiny villages on our way to the famous Moon Hill. Read more here.

Another reason easily makes the Fav list.... my good buddy Martin came along too!

3 - On Safari in Kenya's Masai Mara

We did this way back in July and it easily turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences ever. While the timing was great (we were there right at the start of the Great Migration), we kind of wished we'd saved it for the end as it was a long time into the trip before anything came close to impacting us the same way. Read more about our safari - including our close encounter with mating lions! here.

2 - Bathing the Elephants at Chiang Rai in Thailand

Easily the most expensive thing we did on the trip, we'd nonetheless recommend the Four Seasons Tented Camp as a once-in-a-lifetime decadence. The organized elephant interactions were less contrived than we were expecting, but it was the early morning bathing sessions that offered a far more intimate experience that we will never forget. Read more here.

We were as glad of the shower as the elephants after bathing in poo-infested waters!

1 - Heli-Hike on Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand

Perhaps one of the more normal things we did on our trip, so I'm surprising myself a little putting it right up top. This was my first experience anywhere near a glacier, nevermind on one, and I was absolutely stunned by the scale, power and beauty of this ancient beast. Read more about how we almost didn't make it onto the glacier at all here.

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