Last Asian post

Today I fly off to Australia. After 9 and a half months in Asia I have gotten a new insight of the countries I have travelled to. Thinking back on my travels I can say I have really enjoyed myself!
When people say the word Asia, everyone will associate it differently. Here are a few things that I associate with Asia.

To me Asia means getting used to squatty toilets. Having roosters wake you up at 4am. Hearing a mosque calling out to prayer at various times of the day. Buddha statues decorating temples. Seeing Spirit temples at every house or establishment. Going on a 10 hour bus journey thinking I'm going to die round every curve. Spending a whole day in a hammock reading. Swimming with turtles. Seeing how animals are not considered pets and are merely kept to fulfil a purpose. Having strangers smile and say hello when passing. Bargaining for the best prices. Diversity in nature. Being scared of snakes. Sharing my bedroom with cockroaches. Making new friends. Visiting old friends. Having conversations with locals and getting to know how they live. Being eaten alive by Mosquitos. Discovering new foods, eating old favourites. Having fresh fruit all day long. Rafting through rivers. Seeing dolphins from kayaks. Trekking under a monkey highway. Spending one hour walking in the sun and getting a t-shirt and shorts tan. Dancing on a beach under the stars. Seeing 5 different New Years celebrations from different cultures. Following the Mekong river through 4 countries. Training Muay Thai in Thailand. Drinking rice wine, coconut wine and rice whiskey ( all obviously home made). Loving the rain which falls for 30 minutes and then let's the sun shine again. The heat. The sun. Sometimes staying in filthy places and sometimes finding a lovely bungalow. Watching life go by. Not getting shocked by weird and random things. Having a conversation where neither can speak a word of the others language. Learning how to dive. Biking around an island. Driving scooters for 3 days to complete a loup. Hearing gangem style in every bar and club. Spending the day on the beach. Relaxing at a reggae bar. After parties at the bowling alley. Taking a scooter ferry across a river. Turning a plant into a Christmas tree. Playing cards all day long. Seeing amazing sunsets. Eating spicy food. Getting massages all the time. Buying a hand made sarong from the woman who made it. Seeing a whole village decorated with defused bombs. Being happy.

..... Simply having the greatest time of my life.


If you associate Asia with something special and want to share, I would love to know it :)