2013 Round Up – My Top 13 Moments

Halong bay is beautiful. I had seen it in countless magazines and adverts for Vietnam but nothing prepared me for the beauty of seeing it in real life. What made getting there even more rewarding was the fact that booking a trip from Hanoi is so stressful and worrying with all the different scams going on. We avoided any kind of scam luckily and had the best few days crusing around this amazing area, kayaking, cycling and sleeping in a sea bungalow.

Whale watching was something we had talked about up the East Coast but it wasn’t really the season. When we headed back to Sydney for our last few days in Oz we kept hearing people mention how many whales were around at the moment. On our last morning in the city we suddenly decided we wanted to go and what an amazing trip we had. We followed a mum and calf for the whole three hours and they put on quite a display for us, with a rare double breach being the highlight.

This was on my bucket list from the day it was built. I really just wanted to visit the infinity pool but after learning it’s only open to guests I decided we would just have to stay in their oh so expensive rooms so I could get to swim in that amazing pool – luckily my boyfriend agreed. We spent just one night here and that set us back £300 but it was so worth the money. The room was lovely and the view even better; I can’t even begin to explain how amazing the pool and view deck was. This would probably have to be my highlight of the year – it’s not often you get to experience such luxury.

This was our first real adventure of the year; after leaving Wakerie we spent a week in Adelaide and then picked up our campervan which was ours for the next 4 days. We drove out of Adelaide thought Coorong National Park and then on to Victoria and the Great Ocean Road. We witnessed sunset at the 12 Apostles, walked down Gibson Steps, heard tales of the boats which crash landed along this coast and found the famous London bridge. We camped in our van and got looks everywhere we took it because of the ridiculous art work on the outside. The weather was glorious and it was so nice to be on the road again.

Climbing the Tongariro Crossing
This was something we debated about for ages; because of the wintry conditions this hike would cost us $150 for a guide, equipment and transfers. That seemed like a lot. Still we decided we would fork out the money and go for it and I’m so glad we did. The hike was hard and long at 18km but it was the most rewarding of all the  things we did in New Zealand. The views were incredible and seeing the place all covered in snow only seemed right.

 

I had never been skiing or snowboarding, never been to a ski resort and it was only two weeks before when I first set foot upon snowy mountains. Needless to say the first time I tried snowboarding I was pretty exciting. Being a first timer I opted for lessons and had a brilliant time until… I lost my balance when stopping and fell funny on my tail bone, the rest of the day was spent with ice on my back in the medical centre. Still just that morning of snowboarding ranks as one of my highlights this year because I had longed to have a go for so long.

Coming Home
This is a weird one: it was the biggest highlight but also the biggest lowlight. Coming home meant our year long trip was over, we were back in the UK and had to adjust to reality again. However coming home also meant seeing my family and friends who I hadn’t seen in a year, sleeping in my familiar bed and just realising that home isn’t such a bad place after all.

 

Riding an Elephant
Again another moment which I had been looking forward to since I booked our flights to Thailand. Originally I thought I would get to do this in Chang Mai but we actually ended up doing so on Ko Chang. The elephant ride itself was great but the real highlight was when we took one of the young elephants down to the sea – he carried us bareback and dumped us in the sea. We then spent time playing in the sea while he splashed water over us with his trunk. It was magical to just see this adorable creature playing so gently with us.

 

Visiting Angkor Temples
I had always wanted to visit Angkor Wat but little did I realise how much I was going to enjoy the rest of the temples. We spent sunrise at Angkor Wat and true to the stories there were hundreds of people around the lake waiting for the magical moment. Problem was the day we went the skies were full of cloud and we never really witnessed the special moment. However I loved the Byron temple and the whole of Ta Phrom with the natural look of trees growing over the falling down temples. The temples had a powering feel I never expected and I found myself fascinated rather than bored by the whole day.

Ko Chang was the first place we got to after Bangkok; after missing the bus to Ko Samet we ended up in Trat with the clock ticking to the last ferry. Convinced we would be stuck in Trat for the night we jumped in the first tuk-tuk we saw and headed to the pier. The tuk- tuk wasn’t really a tuk-tuk but a flat bed truck with a canvas roof over the back. With the warm summer air we tore through the countryside to the pier. It was a huge sigh of relief when we saw the ferry was still there. We celebrated with a Chang Beer and then jumped in another truck taxi to drive down to long beach. It was a clear night with the stars in the sky and the wind running through my hair as we drove up and down and round the only road on the island. It really was the moment of the year when I left like I was living the life.