Around the world in 90 days
Tuesday, December 20th, 2005
I can’t believe how fast 3 months flew by. I’m already back, it’s already winter, Christmas is just around the corner, it’s -15 degrees outside, the Habs are losing again (well most of the time), and I’m sick as a dog. No, it’s not malaria or the avian flu, as much as my mom would love to convince me of the contrary. Just a cold. Still, I’ve been a hermit for the past couple of days. I figured today I’d probably venture out of my house, call some friends up, do some last minute Christmas shopping.
ANYHOW, enough about me, more about my trip. Here’s a quick rundown of top 10 events of the EurAsia 2005 trip:
- Near death experience burning down the bathroom of our treehouse, 100 meters up in a tree in a jungle in Laos.
- Crashing a scooter on Ko Pha Ngnan, Thailand. Make that crashing it twice, in a 3 day span, and accumulating a fair amount of scratches and bruises as a result. Not to mention the damage I’ve caused…
- Taking a ferry boat to the mainland across the Gulf of Thailand in very stormy waters, with puke flying everywhere, boat rocking madly, and Mike sleeping like a baby after having popped 2 Gravol pills next to my petrified self.
- Bus ride from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Unpaved roads, potholes, dirt and dust, shady bus, breakdown after breakdown, broken bridges, 20 hour drive, corrupt border crossing officers; all these contributed to an agonizing yet memorable experience.
- Hiking up the Swiss mountains, in Interlaken. Going from grass-grazing cows and swiss chalets to rugged cliffs and snowy banks at the top. Totally exhausting, but the most breathtaking views imaginable.
- Cliff jumping in Ko Phi Phi, Thailand, from a height of 20 meters. Both stupid and exhilarating, it will make for a great story for years to come.
- Biking in Vondelpark, Amsterdam, after taking magic mushrooms. A truly magical experience.
- Riding a scooter through rain and freezing weather all the way to the craters of Mount Etna, an active volcano in Sicily.
- Attending the Full Moon party in Ko Pha Ngna, Thailand. Thousands of party revelers dancing it out on the beach till the wee hours of the morning amidst fire jugglers and undercover Thai police officers.
- Biking through the Angkor temples in total and complete darkness, after failing to find the right spot - or any spot for that matter - to see the sunset from. Scary but interesting nonetheless.