A Sunshine Day

You know those perfect, wonderful days that you wish you could hold onto and never let go? Today was one of those days. I woke up not too late and not too early, had a calm morning with tea and oatmeal, fixed up my bike, then went for my first ride since moving to Scotland. I forgot how much I absolutely love cycling. I love going new places, discovering new things, and accomplishing something. Today I followed a road I had been wondering about since we moved here, and ventured through rolling green hills, past baby lambs and cows. The brilliant blue sky was streaked only with a few white clouds, but otherwise the weather was perfect. I managed 42 kilometers, and decided since it was my first ride I shouldn't push myself. I got home to my beautiful home, and spent the rest of the afternoon in the backyard in the sunshine, sipping a Gewürztraminer, reading and just generally loving the warmth that comes from the sun. The day isn't over yet, but I had the energy to cook a fun meal of kind of my own recipe (quinoa mac and cheese with turkey and broccoli anyone?), and I'm looking forward to a quiet evening with my hubby before his job starts and all heck breaks loose. Today is a good day.

It turns out I am a California girl deep inside, no matter how much I try to hide it. I love the sunshine, I love the warmth it gives, and I deeply appreciate it every time it peeks its head out from behind the clouds. Living in Scotland, you would think this wouldn't happen often, but it's sunny more than I expected when I first moved here. Today the sunshine seemed to be the perfect addition to the day. It encouraged me to get out there and ride, to relax and read, and even to clean up the garage and get some laundry done. I think I enjoyed every moment I could, and I hope today, you had a wonderful, sunshine day too (and are enjoying a lovely Passover/Easter!).

The Treadmill Desk - Staying Fit While Working From Home

My whole life I've tried to stay active as possible, with the constant encouragement of my parents. It started with soccer, dance lessons, gymnastics, softball, basketball, ice skating, and pretty much anything else I could convince my parents into letting me try. When I got to highschool I continued being active with track, soccer and cross country. Then at college, I climbed nearly every day, joined the gymnastics team and walked everywhere. I chose a job that let me stay active - after all, teachers rarely get to sit down! 

So the prospects of working from home, sitting in one place all day for hours on end was NOT appealing to me. I started researching other options. I love researching things, because you get to learn something new and find ideas to improve your life. Thanks to Pinterest, I noticed the growing popularity of the standing desk. The idea appealed to me - you could take rests sitting of course, but most of the day was set up to allow you to stand. From there I did even more research (I was traveling the world and didn't have much else to do!), and found people who had taken it a step further by adding a treadmill! From then on, I read every positive and negative review/blog/comment I could about treadmill desks. One of the things I noticed most was how EXPENSIVE they were, but also how you could make your own (desk) if you were a little handy.

So when we arrived at our new home and our internet was finally turned on, I got working on my desk. I found a table that said it was adjustable to 3 heights and was listed under "standing tables" which was extremely affordable and ordered it. Unfortunately it was just a normal height and adjusted to be smaller, but I've managed to make it work. Then I started looking for a treadmill to use. You would think this would be the easy part because tons of people are trying to sell their treadmills, but actually most home treadmills are not made to last very long. This is because the makers know that you aren't actually going to use that treadmill you've bought. Some studies I read stated that many treadmills would burn out at around 100 miles! Office treadmills are made to be used continuously throughout the day for many years. Also, they have a max speed, so they are built to be walked on, not run on. At first I was quite discouraged, as most of the office treadmills I found costed upward of £1000! That's just too much money to spend at this time in our life. Then, I found one for under £300! My lovely Paul just told me to go ahead and get it, and a few days later it arrived on my doorstep. I couldn't wait to try it out, so I unwrapped it and hauled it up the stairs. It turned out one of the wires was missing and so I couldn't start walking on it yet, but I got in touch with the company and a few days later I was all set up.

(An evolution of my desk - first I was using my laptop on a cardboard box, then I got the riser, then I got the coffee table + riser and now it's perfect. It's not beautiful Pinterest perfect, but it works for me)

 

The first day I walked at 1mph, stood for one hour, and sat for one hour (then repeated). It felt good to be up and moving, but I decided to increase the speed. The next week I tried 1.5mph, and I could still work. Then I went up to 2mph. This felt like a comfortable pace, and by then I was walking 3 hours a day - so 6 miles during work! I never thought it distracted me, and in fact I focused better and was more alert while I was walking.

Next I decided to try 3mph, and I could still work without a problem. Finally I turned it up to the maximum speed - 4mph - and that was far too fast. I turned it down a notch and walked at 3.5 mph, which worked just fine. I could type, read, drink tea, and work. 

This past week I walked 3.5 miles a day for about 3 hours a day. I find if I walk anymore than that then I am too tired to go to the gym and give it my all in the evening. That means I'm walking about 10 miles a day ~ 50 miles a week! I think my work pace has improved and I feel much better through and through.

What do you need if you are going to use a treadmill desk?

- treadmill (best to buy one specifically for daily, constant use)

- desk and keyboard holder at the correct level (you can easily research this)

- comfy clothes and shoes (I walk barefoot or in vibrams)

- a smidgen of patience as you get used to the new routine

- slightly more space than a sitting desk

- a chair for those much needed breaks

What are the benefits I found while using a treadmill desk?

- more focused and productive during work time

- burning calories that I would have otherwise not - 250 an hour when walking at 3.5 mph!

- whole body benefits, including better digestion, better posture, less back/neck pain

- more energy! 

Want to make a change? How can you make the treadmill desk work for you?

Before making the financial commitment to a treadmill desk, try standing for a bit first. Personally, I prefer walking to standing as it keeps the blood flowing, but it's a lot of investment if you aren't going to stick with it.

If you work from home it's just a matter of buying or making the desk, and then buying the treadmill. Then you need to take the time to adjust to walking, but not all the time. Remember it's just about being a more active person, not the milage that counts. You won't be able to walk all day, but any walking is better than none.

If you work in an office, I know it's a little more complicated. You might not have the space, it might be too noisy, you might not get the approval from your company. But I hope that this movement catches on a bit, as all this sitting is definitely not good for our health. If your work won't let you get a treadmill desk, you could still set one up at home to use while you browse the Internet, email, watch netflix, etc., which would also help you stay a bit more active outside of work. 

Do you have a treadmill desk? What do you love about it? 

On Hold - The Nitty Gritty of Moving to a New Country

Here I am again, listening to the inane, seemingly endless "hold" music from another wonderful government help service. When I pictured myself living in Scotland, I glossed over all the real life difficulties that waited for me. If you've ever changed countries, you know the difficulties I'm talking about. Moving to Switzerland was a breeze compared to moving here. And although I am much happier and more balanced in this life, sometimes I long for something to just be easy. With my current immigration status unknown and my passport in the hands of UK Border Agency, even some of the smallest, simplest things feel like a challenge. 

Take for example opening a bank account. You have money. You would prefer not to carry around said money for every tiny purchase. You try to open a bank account - with your money, in a country you are legally allowed to live in. But what's that? You don't have your actual visa yet? Because the process can take 6+ months? Well, no bank account for you (thanks Bank of Scotland!). So I tried a building society (Nationwide), and after a failed visit to a local branch, a long call to headquarters, and then another visit to a local branch, I was finally approved for my account. Why was it such a hassle? Because the government requires individuals who are not British citizens to provide their passport when opening an account. But who has my passport? The government! I was able to finally open this account because someone at Nationwide recognized my Certificate of Application (C.O.A.) as my proof of ID, legal residence, and as confirmation of where my passport is. Thank goodness some people are informed or I'd still be carrying around £5000 in my pocket (only joking, who has that kind of money in their pocket outside of Switzerland?)

Now let's move back to this fun music I'm (still) listening to. I'm trying to contact Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (or HMRC). It's actually my second time on hold today with HMRC, the first time I spent 40 minutes on hold, only to have the person tell me that "maybe" my address was incorrect, and "maybe" if I changed it the problem would be fixed. But he couldn't confirm anything, and he couldn't fix anything (what could he do? Who knows! He was only the HELP line!) so I had to call this second number. Gee, thanks. We're currently at 26 minutes and counting. 

Why am I even trying to contact HMRC, you ask? After all, I'm not employed in the UK (more on that later). Just after I moved here, and insightful friend pointed out that because I'm working online - even though it's based in American in US dollars, into a US account- I should file my taxes as an independent earner using the self-assessment. With my current immigration status, I want to stay on the right side of the law so I diligently looked into it. The first thing I found was that I absolutely could not file my taxes without a national insurance number (like a SSN for those Americans out there). So I made an appointment (after waiting on hold for quite a while) to interview in order to get my national insurance number. The interview was painless but long, and within a few weeks, I had my new bright shiny national insurance number. 

Now I've got my number, and we've found our unique tax reference number (buried under a pile of papers) -

Wait! The phone is ringing! Only 37 minutes on hold! Let's see if we can get this sorted or if I get to spend tomorrow listening to more interminable, looping music. 

Okay, I'm back. After another fun conversation, the helpful person has explained that my address looks fine, and he has no idea why I can't register. And that probably the first guy I talked to was wrong. He nearly suggested I call the first number back - but after my comment about how long I was on hold, he probably reconsidered. Why do governments make it so hard to give them money? He tells me a new number to call, and he claims the wait time should be shorter this time. 

Onto my third number and back on hold...

Another fun set of hoops I get to jump through is getting my teaching certification here. I've filled out all the paper work, printed off all my degrees, transcripts, US and Swiss certifications, etc. but because I've lived in 2 different countries, I need to get background checks in both of them. I understand why they require this - they need to keep their students safe, and they have no idea who I was when I lived in the US or Switzerland. So I sent out for my criminal record check in Switzerland, which was returned in under a week - gotta love Swiss efficiency. The American FBI background check was a little trickier. The Scottish police no longer provide fingerprinting services, so I had to find a private service. Luckily out of the 2 services I found, one was just 20 minutes away! So after a fingerprinting, paying £75 and sending off the forms I get to wait another 6-8 weeks for that to be returned.

The kicker here is that in order to get my teaching certificate in Switzerland (which I still have and is still valid), I also needed a background check. Since I haven't lived in the US since that background check was done, this should be proof that my history is clean. The helpful lady at the General Teaching Council of Scotland (GTCS) said that if I still had the original background check, then they would accept that. Well the FBI doesn't send background checks to the individuals, they send them to the organizations requiring them - otherwise the individual could change them, and they would be worthless. This time around, the GTCS will be receiving my background check, but I still won't have it.

Are you confused with all the loops, hoops and confusing paths I have to take? Sometimes it makes me dizzy just thinking about it. Like how I couldn't get a sim card for my phone because I didn't have a mobile phone number. Because obviously, everyone already has a phone number. Right? (We eventually straightened that one out...)

The mind-numbing music has stopped and the phone rings again! Third time's a charm, right?

Last update in the I'm Just Trying To Pay My Taxes saga...

So this final call was very helpful, I'm all set up (hopefully) and will be receiving my information in the mail. The nice guy gave me another number to call to figure out tax relief (to avoid double taxation), and then told me to try that number another time, as I would probably end up on hold for another hour (and he gently reminded me that today is Friday). I think I'll take his advice and eat some dinner, and leave that problem to another day.

It can only get better, right? Have you moved to a different country? What trouble did you face? My only saving grace is that at least all my calls are in English and everyone can (mostly) understand me. So onwards, to the next challenge, whatever that may be!

Ready or Not, It's 2015

2014 was the year I had always been waiting for. It would be the year I left a job with children I loved but a schedule that sucked up all of my available time and left me a ball of exhausted stress. It would be the year I finally left Switzerland, a beautiful but challenging country that I only moved to for one year (and stayed for five!). It would be the year I finally, after nearly ten years of dreaming, saving, and planning, would go on my big trip around the world. And perhaps most importantly it would be the year that Paul and I moved into our first home together, just the two of us. My anticipation last New Years was at an all time high - I already knew 2014 would be great!

As expected, 2014 rushed by far too fast, although everything I had hoped would happen, did. Paul and I stayed relatively well during our travels, we only lost a few small things, and we returned to our house in Scotland mostly unscathed. We've had the chance to see family and friends during and after our trip, but with my immigration process we are temporarily passport-less. We've managed to spend the majority of our savings in just a few weeks, and then realize what a big process it is to actually furnish an empty house if you arrive with only a few boxes of clothes and books. Let me tell you, 2014 was amazing and exhausting, but I wouldn't have changed a minute of it. It was the year I was present in the moment and living for the day - a lesson I hope I can keep in all the upcoming years.

And now we've moved into a new year, 2015. While I knew every big event that would happen in 2014, I have no idea what will happen this year. There are so many things that are up in the air, so many unsolved questions and fuzzy timeframes. When will I be given my living permit and when will our passports be returned? How long will it take to apply for and receive my Scottish teaching qualifications? How long will it take to get background checks from the U.S., Switzerland and now the UK? Will I be able to get a teaching job this year? Would it be better if I continued to work from home? Will Paul find a job he loves? When will be able to visit our friends in Switzerland? Will this house EVER be finished, or will we live among boxes and chaos forever?

 

Boxes, beds, chests, so many things!

One thing I do know about 2015 is that it is a fresh start for both of us. We can be who we want to be. We've joined our local gym, not because it's New Years and that's what everyone does but because we finally live close enough and can afford it. And because getting fit and healthy is something everyone should make a priority, no matter what day of the year it is. We can change habits that we fell into when we were just in survival mode in Switzerland or while traveling. We can make time for the things we love - for me that's more running, yoga, guitar, and writing. As I'm currently working from home, I can construct my days so that they are productive, healthy and low-stress. I didn't wait for 2015 to arrive to change these things, I made them a habit right from the start and I'm loving it. 

The walk through the field next to our housing complex.

Scotland is so beautiful 

Home sweet home

I don't really believe in New Years resolutions because - and let's be honest - does anyone ever keep them? But I do believe that we can change, and so I hope in this coming year of unknown and challenges that I can keep me in the present the moment, enjoy the friendship and family that I am so blessed to have, advance my teaching skills, and live a healthy, balanced life. And that's not a resolution, that's a choice I make every day when I wake up. So ready or not, bring it on 2015!

Essential Gear for a RTW Trip

After 4.5 months, Paul and I are nowhere near experts on travel. But we have learned what worked best for us and our trip. To give you and idea of how we traveled:

• We mostly arranged pick-ups from airports and limited carrying our bags to just a few times on our trip (and between the taxi and hotel room if we could jump in before the porter)
• We mostly stayed in 3 star hotels, with a few hostels, B&Bs and nicer end hotels in the mix
• We had the chance to drop things off with my parents about halfway through, and sent a few boxes home full of souvenirs as well
• We had a long camping trip in Africa (4 weeks) and other shorter outdoor adventures, and sent that gear home once it was no longer needed.
• Our weather ranged constantly from hot and humid to freezing and dry

Essential gear:

• A combination of empathy, international "sign" language, and patience - this will get you over most (but not) language barriers and awkward situations where you or they have no idea what is happening (ok, it's not gear, but it's important!)
• Pen and paper - drawing maps for people, writing down the names of places in the native language, jotting down restaurant names, the list goes on. I kept a small notebook/calendar with all our travel details (hotels, reservation numbers, flights, transfers, etc.) and used this to write in. One border control officer even insisted I have my campsite information written, and not just on my iPad!
• Tablet (we both use iPads) - saved in my screenshots were all my hotels, reservations, details on each stop, maps, tickets, EVERYTHING. While the backup in my notebook was nice, the real screen shots had the names of places in the native language (especially helpful in Thailand). Add in its ability to send postcards (I used Postagram), the array of apps for learning languages, navigating cities (TripAdvisor CityGuide), keeping up with my blog, listening to audio books, watching a film now and then, checking currency exchanges, Skyping my parents, and all the things in between. Small, easy to carry, and extremely useful, I can't say enough about traveling with one. If you don't decide to bring a computer too, be sure to download Puffin Browser, which loads flash programs (some airlines require this for check-in!)

• A well stocked first aid kit - we've had several instances where we needed a medication or topical balms RIGHT NOW. We didn't have the time to wander around in a foreign country trying to find the cure to our problem. Be sure your medical kit has all the usuals, for example we had lots of general pain killers, oral rehydration tablets, DayQuil, NyQuil, disinfecting wipes, bandages, and everything else our doctor recommended (don't use this as a definitive list!). The things we found most useful for our specific trip were: 

• Imodium
• antihistamines (especially if you have allergies!!!)
• legal opiates (prescribed along the way for extreme pain)
• Aloe Vera + hydrocortisone sting relief balm (used on a near daily basis when covered in mosquito bites)
• Malarone - our anti-malaria drug of choice which gave us no noticeable side effects
• decongestants (nasal spray steroids which are excellent for high altitudes as well as pills)

• Easy, slip on shoes for hot temperature, beaches, touring temples, etc. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND (and no, I'm not getting commission) these Croc Cleo Sandals. This is the second long trip they have seen me on, with no blisters, rubbing, or discomfort. They are incredible! They look good with pants or dresses and take up almost no space. I heard a few years ago they would stop making them so I bought 10 pairs, but that rumor (luckily) wasn't true! This is my third pair I'm working on :)

 

• Sturdy closed-toe walking/hiking shoes - What shoes you bring depends on your trip, but I found my Merrell Siren Sport shoes did a great all-around job.

My shoes stood up even to the toughest hikes!

• A light waterproof bag (we used Sea to Summit), along with ziplock bags in general. I put all my things into the water proof bag on all our boat trips, and sometimes in heavy rain. This gave me peace of mind when I brought my nice camera along.

• Skeletool - on this knife there is a bottle opener, pliers, wire cutters, blade, and a screwdriver. The screwdriver got me out when I was trapped in a bathroom in a campground in Africa (read more about it HERE), and the pliers have been useful in several occasions. It's small and practical and it does the jobs you need.

• Merino wool clothing - almost all of our shirts were made of merino wool (both SmartWool and Icebreaker), which meant that when we couldn't find a place to do our laundry for five days and it was so humid outside nothing would dry if we hand washed it anyways, we still smelled ok. After months or traveling, this is definitely a blessing.

We're both wearing Merino Wool cardigans for warmth!

• On the go water sterilizer - specifically, CamelBak AllClear - yes, bottled water in most parts of the world is cheap, but do you want to contribute to the piles and piles of waste? Paul and I sterilized all our water with this through S. America and parts of Asia, and we have appreciated the convenience and ease of always having water at our fingertips and not lugging around gallons at a time. It only takes 60 seconds to sterilize a bottle, and we only needed to charge it once on the entire trip! 

• Spare Toilet Paper - you might laugh thinking it's silly to carry around a roll of toilet paper. But when you need it, you certainly don't want to be without it!
• Superglue and duct tape - I have used Superglue to fix a dozen things on this trip (clothes, my iPad case, etc.) and the duct tape for patching holes and sending packages. Small and easy to carry, but immensely useful, so why not?
• Hats (brimmed for hot, sunny weather and wool for cold) and buffs - we brought both types of hats, but depending on the climate you could get away with one. We had two buffs each, and could use them as scarves, extra hats, hankies, etc. We were always happy to have these and never upset to carry them.

 

Our buffs and hats kept us warm!

• Headlamps - for setting up tents or reading at night without bothering the others, to hiking home in the dark, this was used quite regularly for us, even in the bigger destinations.
• An adapter with 2 USB ports AND a main plug. Plugs can be in short supply and this can be a life saver! I had THIS one, and Paul had THIS one.  Both were great, but with Paul's, we could charge something and use the USB ports at the same time.

• Thermometer - when you're traveling somewhere at risk of disease, you need to know if you are running a fever as this can be life of death. Thanks to my cousin Kate for reminding me of this before we left. Within weeks of arriving in Africa, we sure needed it!

Nice to have:

• PacSafe purse or bag - affording peace of mind all around with built in slash-proof mesh and locked-by-tension zippers, this bag allowed us to go out at night knowing it could not be opened, slashed, or cut off of me. It even fit my nice camera! They have lots of different bags, all with similar features. Not the cheapest of things, but worth it.

Pacsafe Purse on the far right!

• Clothing with hidden pockets and zippers - zippers allow you to be sure nothing is going to fall out, and hidden pockets allowed for safe withdrawals at ATMs at night. I especially loved my running shorts with their hidden pocket, and my ScotteVest Tropoformer jacket. Perfect for looking like you are carrying nothing!

This is my jacket that transformed into a vest - with a pocket for everything!

These weren't my shorts, but the pocket was the same!

• Several sets of clothes, especially at least one set that looks decent. I (Liz) cycled through my clothes quickly while Paul managed to wear the same clothes everyday for a week and still be OK. We liked having clothes for every situation - going out to a nice dinner, hiking a muddy path, laying out on a beach, touring temples, you name it! Don't bring the whole wardrobe, but do have a variety appropriate to the activities and climate.
• A small netbook - one of the best programs was the photo recover, which allowed previously accidentally deleted or missing photos to reappear. I also used this to backup photos onto our 1 TB backup drive (Lacie Tough) and to post pictures into my blog. Sometimes, a tablet can't quite do what you need!

 

• Pillows from home - yes, we may look silly carrying them. And yes, sometimes they were annoying to lug around. But everywhere we went we had a little piece of home, and we loved it. 

Our pillows next to Paul - they also came around the world!

• Journal - to record your thoughts as memories fade quickly!
• Lock Picks - (Paul says) if you know how to use them, a small set of lock picks (Bogota titanium minis). Or don't lose the key to your padlock, both are ok. 

• Phrase books and dictionaries for languages that are very unfamiliar. Or use an app on your tablet :)

• A tiny hair clipper (for men)  to keep his hair at a reasonable length and trim beards, without always trying to find a barber. Small and easy, we think it was worth it.
• Tiny pack umbrella - I (Liz) carried around a tiny, lightweight umbrella everywhere. Most the time I didn't need it, but sometimes I used it for sun or rain and I was so glad I had it. Much smaller and more practical than a raincoat!
• Mini padlocks - For locking our tent, our bags, lockers, you name it. Small and useful, why wouldn't you bring them?
• Zip off pants and Jeans! Both pants are used for different things and I was grateful to have both. In the cooler weather, the jeans were amazing (and helped me look less like a tourist). In the hotter places, I could protect myself from being burned or I could zip them off and have shorts. Quick drying, but good looking!

My PrAna pants do lovely handstands

• Good bags, be it suitcases or backpacks. You're going to carry them a lot, so be sure your things are easy to pack and the bags are sturdy and comfortable. I started out with a Gregory Forrester bag (bought in 2003!) and Paul had a Deuter bag. When my bag broke, I also got a Deuter and we love them.

Our gear all packed and ready to go! Including my small bag and our pillows :)

• Packing cubes - We loved these! They kept all our gear organized and made it so easy to pack, unpack, repack over and over and over again - and still find everything.

3 of these each in a different size fit nearly all my gear.

• 2 cameras (if you like photography) - We carried one nice camera (Olympus OMD-EM5 mirrorless) which takes incredible, blog/photo book/painting worthy pictures. We also carried an Olympus Tough for hiking, swimming, and other activities. Finally, I used my iphone for quick memories and my iPad to take postcard pictures. I stored my camera in the amazing LowePro Streamline Sling, which has a place for a camera, and extra lense, a special tablet pocket, and can fit way more than you'd ever imagine - plus it doesn't look like a camera bag, and you can easily swing it around to the front of your body in unsafe areas. I still absolutely love it!

My amazing camera at Vic Falls!

Me and my LowePro bag at Machu Picchu

Don't bother:

• Moblie phone - the faff of buying new credit in each country was annoying at the start. Then we bought an international sim that lasted 1 text message and one 30 second phone call. The international numbers we dialed never worked and it caused more stress than needed. Just leave it at home and use Skype! 
• Clothesline - Although we did handwash a lot of clothes, we just hang them over the bath and the clothesline got carried around but rarely used. Usually it was easier and cheaper to pay someone to do it. 
• Compression sacks - Sometimes used for dirty clothes, these weren't very useful as we already had our pack cubes. 

This isn't all we brought, but they are the things we used most often and on reflection thought we should share. We'll add more if we think of it! What did you find was the best gear on your RTW or extended trip? Did we miss something?

The Most, Best, Worst, and Top Lists of Everything

After seeing only a very little part of the world, here's a summation of many of our experiences. The superlatives, if you will. I'm sure as time passes and I reread my journal and reflect on my trip, this will be edited and updated, but for now, this is what we've come up with. 

Most memorable (Liz) - Game drives, especially night drives

Most memorable (Paul) - While Liz was hiking up Wayanapicchu, Paul took time to sit and enjoy the scenery in Machu Picchu. Surrounded by butterflies and llamas that tried to eat him, he enjoyed the calm, relaxing day.
Best natural scenery - Tie between our 4 day tour across Bolivia and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. I took thousands of pictures in Bolivia, and our experience in Ngorongoro Crater was our first game drive, and although not the most exciting, definitely the most memorable.

Ngorongoro Crater after a day of game driving 

Atacama Desert, Bolivia

Most surprising natural scenery - Iguazu Falls, because pictures can't even begin to show how it feels to stand next to such powerful falls.

Most astounding man-made area- A tie between Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat Just trying to imagine how much detail and planning it took to design this, and contemplating the life of the people who once lived here gives me shivers. 

Temples, giant heads, intricate carvings, I loved it all!

Most eye-opening place - The Killing Fields outside Phnom Penh. 
Most Dangerous place - Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Stone Town (Zanzibar)

Although beautiful scenery, this beach campsite in Dar Es Salaam had gigantic thick walls with round the clock security. We were told not to leave the campsite for ANY reason, unless we wanted to be robbed at gunpoint.

Safest Place - Tokyo, where everyone trusts everyone else. People left purses, bags, strollers, you name it just laying around and we felt safe at all hours of the day.

Best food - a three way tie between Rio (for high quality variety), Lima (the fresh ceviche is to die for) and Japan (the sushi!)

Japanese Sushi - yum!

Ceviche in Lima 

All you can eat meat skewer buffet. Heaven!

Worst food - La Paz (but we found Bolivia in general to be quite bad)

Best 3 drinks: sterilized water, caipirinhas, plum wine

 

Worst 3 drinks: sterilized water, Pisco (liquor from Lima), Zambian red wine (so bad, we threw out the bottle)

Most expensive food- New Zealand - prices rivaling even Switzerland!

Least Expensive food - Cambodia - a full delicious top end meal for $3-5 (and $2 pitchers!)

Best toilets - Japan... If you've never experienced them before, you are missing out! Complete with a warmed seat, music and flushing sounds, bidets and warm air.

Worst toilets - A tie between Dar es Salaam (dirty hole in the ground, no door) and a bus stop on the way to Tupiza (the lights went out, and that turned out to be an improvement)

Best Value for Money - Our Africa overland trip, which included all activities, accommodation, food, and transit for less than $100 per person per day. Not bad!

Our overland Africa truck - comfy with lots of legroom!

Worst Value for Money - Kenya day tour, including Kenya National Park. After seeing the other game drives, we realized we paid far too much for very little. At least I enjoyed seeing the baby elephants and feeding the giraffes!

Top 3 Most Dangerous Driving Experiences: 

1)Tanzania where a passing truck (coming head on) refused to move, forcing our overland truck onto the hard shoulder at the last minute

2) Bolivia on the way to La Paz - sitting up front on the top of a bus, watching as our double decker tried to overtake a truck. Up a hill. On a blind curve. Paul was stamping on his imaginary brake for the whole trip. Don't even get me started on the actual drive in the city!

3) Rio where a driver was watching a football game while driving through crazy traffic

  

Top 5 worst parts of traveling:

1) Constantly unpacking, repacking, unpacking, repacking our things

2) (For Paul) Being hot and sweaty and not being able to do anything about it (Cambodia and Thailand among the worst locations)

3) Altitude sickness in Bolivia

4) Traveling in general - the actual moving between places. Really, it just sucks. Long days on boats, buses, taxis, planes, tuk-tuks, subways, you name it. The days were long, and we were often tired and snappy and ready to just be teleported to our destination. 

5) Explaining who you are, where you're from, and where you're going to EVERY SINGLE PERSON YOU MEET.  You feel like a broken record and that maybe you should start making up things about yourself and your trip just to keep things interesting.

Paul HATES being hot and sweaty... so a day long tour in Angkor Wat was not his cup of tea. 

 

Things we are thankful for

1) Clean, drinkable water

2) Washing machines

3) Being able to understand what's happening around us and be understood, as well as....

4) The popularity of English EVERYWHERE. Menus, instructions, metro stops, English everywhere made travel much less stressful, and French and little bits of Spanish helped us too.

5) Showers with hot water (I'm looking at you, airport lounges!)

6) Reliable electricity
7) Getting the chance to take this incredible trip! Even the travel-adverse husband of mine agrees he came along for the ride :)

Places we'd maybe visit again:

Together- Japan, New Zealand, Australia

Liz - Brazil, Peru, Thailand, South Africa, Zambia

New places added on the Bucket List:
Ecuador, Chile (Easter Island), Argentina, Cuba, Venezuela (Angel Falls), Fiji, Russia, Mongolia (trans-Mongolian express)

And that is our wrap up! So many experiences made it difficult to actually choose these, but every moment of the trip lives on in our memories, blogs and journals.