The Summary Of My Travels

Well 2 years ago to the day I flew into Delhi to start my big trip and what a 2 years it has been. Since I got home people keep asking me what my favourite experience/country is, have I changed? Honestly I don't have an answer to these questions.

I love every one of the 21 countries I visited for different reasons:-

• The scenery - New Zealand, Argentina, Vietnam, Nepal
• The people - Laos, Nepal, Cambodia, Brazil, Malaysia
• The food - Mexico, India,Canada (home cooking)
• The friends/family I caught up with - Canada, Australia, Caribbean, USA, Malaysia, Mexico
• The beaches - Caribbean, Mexico, Australia, Vietnam.
• The culture - the chaos and individuality of India, modesty & simplicity of Laos, Cambodia and Nepal, the passion of South America.

I don't think I have made any life changing discoveries on my travels - well not that I know of so far. I am sure that I will take a lot from the things I have seen and done but how they effect/change me in the long term I will just have to wait and see. But for now I am feeling more positive and balanced about life and hope to just take it as it comes a bit more than I did before.

I've had great experiences which I will remember forever and here's a list of some of the highlights and reasons I have loved my travels:-

• visiting some of the places that I have wanted to get to for a long time - and some others that I hadn't even heard of!!
• meeting some great people, some of whom I am sure will be friends for years to come.
• not planning everything in advance, i.e. getting up and deciding will I stay another day or not, was very liberating.
• trekking in the Himalayas, North Argentina and New Zealand.
• getting way outwith my comfort zones.
• having no idea where I was going and ending up in random places away from the main tourist areas and getting strange but welcoming looks from the locals.
• the hospitality and kindness shown by people - a lot of whom have so much less than I do.
• learning to dive which opened up a whole new world to me - I love the underwater life.
• white water rafting, canyoning, sand boarding, kayaking, snorkeling, tubing, cycling, caving and of course my Hot Air Balloon ride.
• arguing with the Vietnamese Police and winning!!
• having a bath with an elephant.
• getting chased by a one horned Rhino (whilst in a jeep!) and a sea lion on the beach!
• cheeky monkeys stealing things.
• seeing a wild Tiger.
• swimming with Dolphins
• all the other wildlife I saw - Kangaroos, Koala Bears, Snakes, Spiders, Parrots, Otters, Capybara, Penguins, Seals, Sea Lions, Elks,Tarantulas, Caymen, Whales, Huge Storks, Eagles, Sloth Bears, Iguana's, Dingo's, Armadillo's and sure there are lots more that I can't think of at the moment!
• sitting under clear starry skies with no artificial light - particularly in Australia and Nepal.
• seeing some of the great works of art and treasures in various museums and art galleries.
• travelling between beautiful beaches, remote villages, huge developed cities, the desert, mountains, lakes, oceans and jungles.
• experiencing different cultures and ways of life.
• reading lots and lots on all my long journeys including quite a few books I wouldn't have picked up if it had not been for the lack of choice.
• interesting and amusing conversations in languages I don't speak or understand.
• bartering - love and hate it!!
• visiting ancient ruins, temples, forts and enjoying the architecture in cities.
• getting bit by a fish whilst trying to take a photo whilst diving!
• the sunshine and getting soaked in the monsoons
• what would be considered unpolitically correct if not racist attitudes of many countries
• towns with no maps and getting lost but always getting where I needed to go in the end somehow!!
• photographing - those who have known me longer know there is normally a camera not far away but I have loved having the time to practice and play with taking photographs over my trip - and in case your wondering I think I must have over 120,000 photo's - but don't worry I will never ask you over to look at them!!
• various modes of transport - buses, trains (particularly in countries like India!), planes, boats, mopeds, motorbikes, cycles, elephants, tractors, horse, trucks, cars, walking and not to forget 'The Beast' - my friends Silke's camper that we toured around New Zealand in.

For every country/activity I ticked of my 'To Do/Visit' list I added another 3 on and moved the others to my 'To Do/Visit Again' list!!!

I also get asked a lot if I had any bad/scary experiences and there were a couple - getting my camera stolen in Cambodia (mainly due to the lost photo's), wallet and passport in New York and getting followed home one night in Australia and there were a few irritating experiences with attempts at conning money in Asia. But this really isn't that bad for spending 22 months abroad, especially considering the things I did and countries I visited, and any of these things are as likely to have happened if I had stayed at home. I didn't once take ill or have to see a doctor and only have to restock my First Aid kit as everything is now out of date!!

Of course I can't do this update without mentioning my three adorable travel companions who were my lucky mascots and provided much entertainment to me and others as they posed in ridiculous positions to get their photographs taken:-

Ryan the Tiger who started the journey with me and lasted all the way to Hanoi in Vietnam where he decided to go exploring on his own.

Chom Poo Moo who joined me in Thailand and helped me make lots of new friends but loved life so much in Brazil she opted to stay there.

Oslo Feliz my Happy Bear who accompanied me from Paraguay all the way home and looks forward to some further travels in the near future.

So there you have it my big trip is over but I am not sad that it has finished as I have had such a great time there is no reason to feel bad about returning home rather I am thinking about it as moving onto the next stage. Yes I have a some reservations about being home and going back to work - who wouldn't - but over the next few months I will focus on improving my fitness, getting up to date with work and sorting my house. After that I have a few options for some new projects that I might undertake and of course some holiday destinations!!

I would just like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement during my travels, this trip has certainly allowed me to see that I have some great people in my life and that is one of the main reasons I am back in Scotland. For those who have followed my blog I hope you have enjoyed it and that maybe one or two of you will get some inspiration to visit somewhere you might not have thought of before.

Here's a final reminder of all the countries I have been to and a little bit of the variety of experiences I love so much:-

India

Nepal

Laos

Cambodia

Vietnam

Thailand

Malaysia

Singapore

Australia

New Zealand

Saba (Dutch Island in The Caribbean)

Anguilla (also in The Caribbean)

Virgin Gorda one of the British Virgin Islands

Guyana

Brazil

Paraguay

Uruguay

Argentina

Mexico

Canada

USA

As my friend Amy said to me the other day maybe there will be another blog to come called 'What Jackie Did Next' - you never know.........

But for now I will sign this off as my last update and if your here in Scotland hopefully I will be seeing some more of you now I am home and if you are somewhere else in the world remember there is a bed waiting for you in Kilmarnock if you want to come for a visit.

Luv

Jack xxx

Troon, Fraserburgh, Aberdeen, Stonehaven & Glasgow (SCOTLAND)

The snowy views flying back into Scotland - my flight back to Glasgow was delayed initially because of the bad weather and then because someone told the pilot who who had been sent to collect the plane that it was no longer required!!!

Since I still have a tenant in my house I am staying with my friends Alice, Mark and Amy in Troon till April. Amy has been trying to 'educate' me and bring me up to date with all the popular things I have missed - here she is showing me how to use Wii Fit - but she constantly shakes her head in horror when I have no knowledge of whose who even those 'famous' before I left :-)

Amy's cousins Ryan and Kyle come for a visit and have a competition to see who can stick out their tongue the furthest!!

Alice with Kyle, Ryan and Amy.

The famous Royal Troon Golf course.

Troon is a pretty coastal town - the name comes from the Gaelic An t-Sron, meaning 'The Nose' or 'The bill' - where it sits on the map looks like the top of a nose!!

The dedication on this bench is from the poem 'A Red Red Rose' by Rabbie Burns - one of Scotland's most famous sons.

Alice and Amy.

With the late sunrise of Scottish winter I even managed to catch this beautiful sunset whilst waiting for a train.

My friend Michelle came down one afternoon and we went for lunch and a walk.

I enjoyed this sunset particularly the beautiful views over to the snow capped peak of Goat Fell on the Island of Arran.

It was snowing when I got to Glasgow Queen Street station to catch my train to Aberdeen - the scenic coast route the train takes was very pretty and I realised that it was the first time I had made this journey by train!!!

Fraserburgh is a fishing town on the North East coast of Aberdeenshire and my mum and dad were originally from this area. Though I was not brought up here my mum did move back when I was a student and I spent one summer up here working in a fish factory (yes it was smelly!!).

I couldn't believe there were surfers out in the harbour in freezing cold January!!

Feliz gets to meet his family - my mum and niece Emma.

Emma's little sister Sarah.

Emma wanted me to do her hair but she wasn't so keen on the second style as she told me it looked 'ridiculous'!!

Emma with her big cousin my other niece Shona.

When it all gets too much just have a nap with Scooby!

Emma and I went for an 'adventure' to explore Fraserburgh Harbour and narrowly missed getting soaked by one of those big waves that came over the harbour wall!!

Sarah and Emma with their mum Margaret.

The girls just wanted to pose for photo's.

Aberdeen is the third biggest city in Scotland and is known as the 'Granite City' and 'Grey City' it is easy to see why with all the grey granite buildings!!

I went to visit my friends Shona and Marti in Aberdeen and their daughters Alex and Toni wanted to hear all about Feliz's travel adventures.

Toni and Alex had some friends over and wanted to have a Twister tournament and insisted Shona and I join in - no points for guessing I was at the bottom of the league!!

Alex shows me her dance moves on the Wii 'Just Dance' game.

Not sure if it is a good or bad thing that my older nieces Julie and Shona are now old enough to meet me and Feliz in the pub!!

Next stop was Stonehaven to catch up with my friend Shona at her sister Jill's 40th Birthday party.

Jill's party came with a 'Butler in the Buff', some good girlie fun and karaoke (which I avoided like the plague!!).

Shona and Jill with their mum Jean.

Feliz was getting a few tips from the Butler as now his career as a travel companion is over (well for now) he is looking for new opportunities!!

Well there has to be some attractions about coming back to Scotland!!

I only had a quick walk through Stonehaven on the way to the train station but there was some nice big buildings on the way.

My nephew Jamie shows me his fishing hat!

I went over to visit Ryan and Kyle and of course their parents Adam and Kristy for a games night.

When dad went up to check on the boys he found them sleeping under thier beds - they had decided to go camping!!

And Uncle John can't escape in the morning without big hugs from his niece and nephews.

Amy and my niece Chloe were not too subtle in telling me that I had no sense of fashion and decided to 'coach' me on what I should be buying - needless to say I didn't buy the converse boots with the 3 inch heel!

My friends Dawn's daughter Carys shows me her new guitar moves....

A visit to Glasgow reminds me that it is in fact a beautiful city.

Andrea, Carolyn, Abbie and I head into town for a girls night out - luckily we went to Reflex the 80's bar as it is about the only place I would know any of the music!! My legs ached the next day from showing off my 'Footloose' moves on the dance floor :-)

I get to meet the new addition to Carolyn and Charles family - baby Skye with her proud big sisters Cara and Chloe.

Amy and I.

I got back to Scotland on the 14th of January and have spent the last month just chilling out. I decided to focus on getting fit before starting back to work so have been out running quite a bit and making use of Amy's Wii Fit game. Other than that I have started to catch up with friends and family though I still have quite a few people to see.

Though the weather has been cold it hasn't been as bad as a normal 'dreich' Scottish winter - well at least in Troon where the snow doesn't tend to sit as it is on the coast so I have been able to get in a few walks as well.

What changes have I noticed - lots of chain stores have closed that I didn't know about, everyone seems to have fancy mobile phones and other gadgets, there are hundreds of pot holes in the roads and there is even more reality/talent shows on the telly!! Of course there are a few more children in my social group and those that were here already have all grown so much - some are not even children anymore!! Other than that everything seems to be just as I left it.........

That said it is easy to forget how beautiful your own country is and one of my 'To Do's' now I am back is to buy a guide book for Scotland and go visit some of those landmarks etc that I have always been meaning to go to. And I have enjoyed getting some proper chocolate, fish and chips (you don't get chippy chips anywhere else they are just not the same!) and some different clothes to wear :-)

Jack xxxx