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Places Visited:
Philippines | Vietnam | Cambodia | Thailand | Malaysia | Singapore | China | Hong Kong
Our own personal 'Amazing Race'...
After 10 weeks, travelling thousands of miles, sore backs, aching feet, a malaria scare,14 hours of video, and well over 2000 photographs...we actually accomplished our goal and we are finally back on Canadian soil. It was indeed a life changing experience. Many will ask, "how was your vacation?" But in retrospect it was not a vacation...it was a travelling experience...an adventure of a lifetime!
Surely in the Philippines we were taken care of by family and our environment was more controlled, however as soon as we touched down in Vietnam the so-called-vacation stopped there. For those of you who know us well, you can imagine that we were out of our element and are simply amazed at what we achieved.
When we first began preparing for this trip we were determined to be real backpackers, like those we've seen on Pilot Guides or friends who recently made the journey to SE Asia. We agreed that we would try and sleep in little huts and $5 guesthouses (inexpensive, basic accommodations). And it started out that way for 3 countries...that was before we actually slept in a non air conditioned nipa hut in Boracay or a stained sheet guesthouse in Kuala Lumpur.
Bittersweet homecoming...
It certainly was bittersweet returning to Montréal. Arriving at customs in Vancouver we were puzzled by the customs officer who directed us to the "Canadian Residents" line rather than the "Foreign Passport" line - we had become so used to filing in the latter line over the course of our trip.
We feel so indifferent being home again where everything is so easy compared to life in SE Asia. Having said that, we are also appreciative of the western life we lead. We have seen so much in this world and it has made us so grateful for what we have here. And although we became homesick towards the end of our trip it still leaves a pang in our hearts for SE Asia and the unknown. It was incredible living out of our beat-up-filthy-thrown-from-every-vehicle-imaginable backpacks. Never thought that we could get by on just a few items of clothing either. It is definitely something that we would set off to do in a heartbeat.
We have the spirit of the road in our feet now...
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