Back to Reality

Last glimpse of where it all began...

It's official. My year abroad (nine months to be technical) of ceaseless fun and excitement has ended. As I write this, I'm sitting in the absolute luxury of home, where there is a whole supermarket in the kitchen and hot water runs freely from the taps. Clearly, this is what I would call post-Asia excitement.

Flying back to Sydney from Bangkok several days ago closed the chapter on the SE Asia leg of the trip. Whitney and I had a good run, and as predicted, it seems as though we are enjoying the experiences we had there even more now that we are safely back at home. It's easy to laugh about the 'worst day of your life' (and invariably there are a few with every journey) while you are only a few feet away from a fabulous Western toilet and first class hospital facilities. Not so much in Laos.

Leaving Asia we left behind a whole different world that we would soon miss. Long gone are the days of eating like a king (or Queen for that matter) for several dollars per day, guzzling twenty-cent bottles of water and competing to see who had the bigger sweat stains, fresh fruit shakes a la "Jugo Juice" for pennies, and mind-blowing shopping trips for a whopping $50. That basically summed up our Thailand experience, which, surprising both Whitney and I, was not the highlight of the trip. Vietnam took the prize for first place, given it's utter beauty, engrossing culture, fascinating history, and the people we met on our journey. We loved Laos for it's calm and simplicity (save for the drama of the Kayaking experience) and friendly monks, and Cambodia for its mind-blowing Angkor Wat.

Things I won't miss...

- the incessant chorus of Tuk-Tuk drivers pining for your business. Fingers crossed, since I've been back, no one has offered to take me on a tour of Calgary for "TEN BAHT ONLY." On that same note, no one has screamed at me to buy PINEAPPLE LA-DEE!

- bugs on steroids. Enough said.

- twice daily lotioning and exfoliating (the latter not purposely) of Whitney's back, post burn from Koh Tao.

- not proclaiming a shirt 'good for three more wears' when it's already long since been expired.

Back in Sydney for four days, I nostalgically took in my favorite spots one last time, tears glistening as I heard the ca-ching of the register at Funky Femme, my favorite Australian store. And seeing the Opera House one last time was also nice.

Working, living, and travelling in Australia was an experience I had craved since my early days as a university student. Did it hold up to all my expectations? Surpassed them. I walked away from this trip with more than I ever could have dreamed of. What a year. Thanks for reading. It's been my pleasure and I'll see you all soon.