Trip Recap

Hi everyone,

Well, it's hard to believe we're back home after four months of amazing adventures. This was truly the trip of a lifetime, and Nadia and I will be forever richer for the experiences we had on this incredible journey. We saw amazing sights, met some amazing people, and had some amazing experiences. From climbing the great wall in China, to seeing the Taj Mahal in India, to petting tigers in Thailand, it's been one incredible journey. It's somewhat surreal being back in Toronto now - the city seems rather small and quiet. I suppose we'll settle back in after a short time.

There were some remarkable places that we went to - perhaps too many to mention in this blog, but here are some facts about our trip:

Countries Visited: 10
Cities/Destinations we stayed at least one night in: 34
Total cities/destinations visited: About 50
Flights Taken: 30

It's difficult to say which places were the best and worst to visit, since each destination we went to can stand on its own merits. However, here are some of our rankings based on specific categories (it took Nadia and I a little while to reach agreement on these):

Most Amazing Man-made Sights:
1. India
2. Cambodia
3. China

Most Amazing Natural Beauty:
1. Taiwan
2. Japan
3. China

Most Jaw-Dropping Sights (man-made, natural, people, etc.):
1. India
2. India
3. India

Most Difficult Place to Travel in as a Tourist:
1. India
2. China
3. Japan

Easiest Place to Travel in as a Tourist:
1. Singapore
2. Thailand
3. Malaysia

Friendliest People Award:
1. Thailand
2. Taiwan
3. Cambodia / Japan (Tie)

Least Friendly People Award:
1. China
2. China
3. China

If we ever went to live abroad, the most liveable cities would be:
1. Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
2. Bangkok (Thailand)
3. Singapore

As I said, every place on our journeys had its merits. As a final recap, I thought that I would include one picture from every destination that highlights some of the best of that particular place. Although it's difficult to pick a single shot for each destination, I've tried to make a selection that represents the best of each place (for us):

CHINA

INDIA

THAILAND

MALAYSIA

BRUNEI

SINGAPORE

HONG KONG

CAMBODIA

VIETNAM

TAIWAN

JAPAN

Now that we're home, we realize how good we have it. We may not have the best weather, best transportation systems, etc., but all in all, we seem to a great combination of everything here in Toronto. We're happy to be back home, but are so happy that we had the opportunity to undertake this amazing journey. I'm personally thankful to have been able to share it with the best and most beautiful travel partner I could have asked for in Nadia. It was the trip of a lifetime, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Thanks to everyone who was watching this blog and also to those who took the time to post comments and/or send us e-mails while we were on the road. You helped keep us feeling close to home when we were so far away...

Until the next journey!

Mike and Nadia